These biographies have been filed alphabetically.

[A] [B] [C] [D] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [Mc] [N] [O] [P] [Q] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [Y] [Z]

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A - L Biographies

Cator, Clara Louise
Cator, James Hamilton
Gower, Dr. Joseph Ervin

Cator, Clara Louise
Born:  Dec.22, 1855, Hull, England
Married: Dec. 25, 1887, Hansford County, TX
Spouse: Clayton McCrea
Date of Death: Jan. 22, 1950, Pacific Grove, CA

Biography:  Clara Cator, nicknamed Dad, accompanied by her younger brother Bert and a companion Jennie Ludlow, came to Hansford County in 1879 to live at the Zulu Stockade with her two older brothers Bob and Jim Cator. In the seven years before her marriage she taught private school at ranch homes, homesteaded in Kansas, cooked, and "minded the store". A gifted horsewoman, she raised and trained mustang colts. Riding sidesaddle, she rode her mustang Dick with the running buffalo until her brothers convinced her it was dangerous for her horse. Towns were Dodge City 185 mile north, Tascosa 75 miles west and Mobeetie 80 miles southeast. The McCreas had two children, a son that died young, and a daughter Grace Louise, born in Hansford County in 1889. They put together a nice little ranch between the Tylers and her brother Jim on the Palo Duro but sold it in 1919 and moved out of state.
Submitted by: Dorothy Hudson,
Email: [email protected]

Cator, James Hamilton (Jim)
BN: Sept. 4, 1852, Donegal, Ireland 
Married: May 26, 1887, Dodge City, KS to Edith (Edie) Land
DOD: Oct 4, 1927, Amarillo, TX
Burial:  Hansford Cemetery, Hansford County, TX

As his father, John Bertie Cator (commander of H.M.S. Intrepid in the Artic expedition to search for Sir John Franklin), did not want him or his brother, Arthur John Locke (Bob) Cator, to follow the sea, Bob & Jim came to America in 1871 to be farmers.  However they found buffalo hunting more interesting.  With Dodge City, Kansas as headquarters and the buffalo in that area about gone, they decided to drop down to the Texas Panhandle to hunt the southern herd despite the danger of Indians.  In late Dec., 1873, in a snowstorm, they were on the Palo Duro Creek in Hansford County.  This became Jim Cator's home area.  Thus he is usually given credit for being the first permanent settler in the Texas Panhandle.  In 1877, they built Zulu Stockade as a trading center.  By 1878 they had gone into the cattle business and registered their brand as the Diamond C.   Jim Cator was the first county judge as well as president of the first bank in Hansford Co. Jim and Edie had 3 children, Edith Marion, Louise (Louie), and James Fullerton (Jimmie) Cator.
Submitted by: Dorothy Hudson,
Email: [email protected]

Excerpts from the Spearman Reporter
Feb. 19,1948 front page
Doctor Gower Must Remain In The Hospital For Several Weeks

Word from Mrs. J.E. Gower Wednesday stated the Dr. Gower was suffering from a kidney ailment as a result of the flu. He will be in the hospital at Shattuck for several weeks, according to the information from Mrs. Gower. Everyone will certainly regret to learn that Dr. Gowers serious illness enforced him to stay in the hospital. The country editor suggests that his hundreds of patients of the past should write him a letter while he is in the hospital.


April 1,1948 Front page
Life of Dr. Gower Draws Tribute From Texas Press.

Editors Note: Since the death of Dr. J.E.Gower of Spearman, many daily newspapers have paid tribute to the symbol which he represented, namely The Old Family Doctor, Editor Miller of the Reporter received a wire from the Star telegram at Ft. Worth, asking for a feature story on the life of Dr. Gower. Printed below is the story mailed to the large daily paper this week.

Hundreds of people of Hansford county, many of them brought into this world by a gentle spank from the hand of Dr. J.E. Gower, former pioneer physician of Spearman, are quietly organizing into a ‘group for the purpose of securing a “Hero’s medal for the well loved “ Family Doctor’s ‘ family. Most Hansford county citizens believe this old ‘ Family Doctor’ who gave his life in service over and above the call of duty, deserves a Hero’s medal just as much as the more spectacular younger man who sacrifice their lives in line of duty.

Joseph Ervin Gower, who died in a Shattuck, Okla., Hospital, on February29,1948, was born at Mountainview, Arkansas, September 24,1876. He was the son of J.S. and louisa Gower of Mountainview. During his youth he attended school at Mountainview, and graduated from high School at Batesville, Arkansas. Dr. Gower was a member of a typical pioneer family of 17 children and from early childhood learned to forage for himself. His early training plus the inspiration and heritage from typical Early american parents enabled him to overcome countless obstacles to gain his rounded out education. Dr. Gower attended college at little Rock,Arkansas, and graduated from the Kansas City College of Medicine and Surgery in 1919. In order to gain his education Dr. gower was compelled to work a year and go to college a year. He served as Postmaster, groceryman,farmer,Justice of Peace, and even did a stretch of work on the railroad while working his way through college. Dr. Gower's first practice of his profession was at his home community of Mountainview,Ark. He also practiced medicine at Culp, Arkansas for seveal years before moving to Arnette,Okla., where he lived for one year before moving to Spearman, Texas in 1923.

He was married ot Miss Anna Emmett at Culp,Arkansas, April 5,1916. At the time of his death, Dr. Gower was the only practicing physician in Hansford County. He had contributed liberally in time and money in a county program to establish and place in operation the Hansford county Hospital at Spearman. After operating less than three months the hospital closed temporarily, leaving Dr. Gower to take care of a very burdensome practice. Dr. Gower would not stop, even though he realized that he was not physically able to take care of the large practice he had built up during a quarter of a century of service to Hansford people. Dr. Gower was going day and night when the severe blizzard hit Hansford County in febraury, and although he fell on slippery ice and sustained injuries, he continued to tax his strength beyond human endurance. After being exposed to below zero weather in a mile walk when his tire blew-out on his car. Dr. Gower went to bed, but did not quit ministering to the ill. People came in his home, and between taking doses of his own medicine he would administer penicillin and other medicine to severe cases who were unable to get to a hospital, since Spearman was isolated for a few days during the blizzard. When road conditions justified Dr. Gower was carried to Shattuck Hospital, where he remained until this death. When this member of the fast declining American Heritage of a Family Doctor came to Hansford county, spearman was a small village, scarcely carved out of a cattle and wheat domain and struggling with the problems of a new country and ever present civic problems. His practice was trying, in that he serviced patients from the Canadian river to the Oklahoma border. Records of his office shows that Dr. Gower officiated at the birth of more than 300 children during the first five years of his practice in Hansford county. Many is the time that Dr. Gower was compelled to cut across country, driving or walking over snow drifts and cutting wire fences in order to save the life of a distant patient. With the growth of the pioneer cattle country, the problems of the venerable family doctor became if anyhting more complicated. Over in Hutchison county the great Borger Oil Field was discovered, and over night and influx of population became the problem of Dr. Gower, since there was not a bridge across the canadian river, and industrial activities North of the river was serviced out of Spearman. The widow of Dr. Gower recalls that the old family doctor made many trips over mud splattered roads to aid the sick and injured who inbibed too freely in liquor and cut and wounded each other. Often Dr. Gower would arrive at the scene of a fight before the hostilities had ceased, and he served as an arbitrator as well as physician. His friends suggested he carry a gun on his trips to the oil field territory, but the family doctor only scoffed at the suggestions. The life of this family doctor was a life of continous service. When he made the one vacation trip back to his old home from Spearman to Culp, Arkansas he was called upon continually for medical aid in emergency cases. On this trip he made an over-nite visit to a pneumonia patient of another doactor, who could not attend the seriouslt ill, because of weather conditions. Dr. Gower suffered a frostbitten face and hands, marks of which he carried to his grave, but the ill patient healed and survives our family doctor. On another occasion Dr. Gower was called on in an emergency birth case. The poor parents were depending upon a mid-wife to officiate at the coming event. The mother went into convulsions and Dr. Gower was called. He was not prepared for an operation to remove the stillborn dead baby and Dr. Gower had to remove the infant limb by limb, but the mother lived and survived the country doctor.

Only pioneer people who have been blessed with the faithful service of the family doctor can respect the tragic loss of such a great American citizen. Hansford county people can tell you that no greater blessing can come to any community than a faithful family doctor.
Submitted by: Nita Bynum
Email: [email protected]