Archie and Ethel...The Beginning
- Jan 10, 2019
- 5 min read
Updated: Dec 12, 2025
On Friday, September 23, 1916, excited and in love, Archie Odus Tucker, 27, and Ethel Sarah Ann Stogsdill, 18, traveled 8 miles from Virgil to the courthouse in Hugo, Oklahoma to get a marriage license. The next day, they were married by Eli Sheets, Minister of the Free Will Baptist Church in Sawyer, 3 miles from their homes. We don’t know whether this union began in the church or at a home, but we know the witnesses were not their family members. Witnesses F. Blankinship and Frand (Sic) Richardson signed the certificate and were residents of Sawyer. The couple both resided in Virgil, Choctaw County at the time and were listed as A. O. Tucker and Miss Ethel Stogsdill. He looked handsome in a dark suit and white shirt and she looked lovely in a softly draped white dress and fashionable matching hat. Unlike many photos of early times, she has a dreamy contented look with a hint of a smile. Clearly, she was happy to begin this new journey with her husband. A copy of the original marriage certificate and the envelope that was used to mail the certificate to them is shown below. The maps show the location of Hugo, Sawyer, and Virgil.
This old postcard shows the court house where they probably obtained their marriage license. It was built in 1911. We can imagine them going up those front stairs and feeling the importance of this step in their future together.
The following photos are from postcards about the time they lived in the area. These convey a sense of the beauty of Hugo, the largest town in the area, and the surrounding farmland. There was Hugo Lake and beautiful homes and farms. A great place to begin a family.
Before They Met...Her Story
Ethel Sarah Ann was the first daughter and second child born to her parents, Green Berry and Eliza Adeline Winn. A Wednesday’s child, she arrived on September 21, 1898 to anxious parents. Unfortunately, her big brother Henry Virgil would pass away as a young child before the 1900 census was taken.
Ethel soon had more siblings. At just past 3 years of age, her first sister was born, Myrtle Odessa. I imagine she was excited by the new baby and formed a strong bond with her as they grew older. Then, about every 2 years, she was rewarded with another sibling playmate. The children in the family followed the brother, sister, brother pattern beginning with Virgil. After Myrtle, Marion Samuel, Leona Pearl, Millerd Leon, and Essie Mae joined the family. Each lived well into adulthood except Leona Pearl. Not much is known about her other than she was one of the 3 children not living by the 1910 census. The children grew up in a beautiful part of the country near what is now one of the parts of Mark Twain National Forest. The family had lived in several little towns in the vicinity of Houston, Texas County in Missouri. A few of the towns were Lynch and Piney.
On Tuesday, July 14, 1914, their life was turned upside down by the death of their beloved mother. Eliza and Green Berry had been married since November 11, 1894, about 20 years. Ethel was 15 years old and the oldest of her living siblings. Her father must have taken the death hard because he decided to leave Missouri and move to Oklahoma. Ethel’s brother Marion later told his daughter Bonnie that they made their way to Virgil, Choctaw County, Oklahoma where they had relatives and friends. It took them 3 months in their covered wagon as they worked doing odd jobs along the way. The children traveling with their father were Ethel Sarah Ann, Myrtle Odessa, Marion Samuel, Millerd Leon, and Essie Mae. Their maternal cousin George Winn moved with them, and then he returned to Missouri. The children must have been sad to have lost their mother and then moved away from their friends to a new life. Perhaps, they were a little excited as well. Little did Ethel know that she would soon meet and marry the man she would be married to for almost 50 years. I also suspect she did not realize she would make the biggest move of her life with him.
In southeast Oklahoma, Ethel lived near or knew the Bates and Langley families. They had known the Langleys in Missouri. The date is unknown for this photo below that was provided by Myrtle's granddaughter Belinda Yaeger. Pictured left to right are Susie Bates, William Langley, and Ethel. William Langley and Ethel's sister Myrtle married in 1923 at Fort Towson, Oklahoma. Susie was a neighbor and a cousin to the Langleys.
Before They Met...His Story
Archie Odus Tucker was born in Hot Springs, Garland County, Arkansas on Tuesday, March 5, 1889 to John Newton and Arnetta Ellen Henderson Tucker. He was their third child with two older sisters Augusta Maybelle born 1885 and Dora Lee born 1887. His parents were probably excited to have their first boy.
When he was 2, he received his first brother. Whether he was excited to share his parents and older sisters with John Henry is not known. As he grew older, he was probably happy to have him to share in adventures in the beautiful area where they lived. It would be about 4 years before he received another playmate, Lula Grace.
When he was 3, his father was granted 160 acres in accordance to the 1862 Act of Congress “To secure homesteads to actual settlers on the public domain” having established and duly consummated his claim. This land was in Hot Springs and was awarded June 21, 1892. Archie would grow up to be quite the land baron himself in later years.
In 1900 when he was 11, the final child, Clyde McKinley, was born to his parents. By this time, Archie had 5 siblings: Augusta Maybelle, Dora Lee, John Henry, Lula Grace, and Clyde McKinley. The family was living in Caddo Township, Clark County, Arkansas. His father was now renting a farm where they also lived. He must have sold the 160 acres he was given in 1892.
By 1910, Archie was 21 and living as a boarder in Ratliff, Choctaw County, Oklahoma. At that time, the rest of his family was living in Paraclifta, Sevier, Arkansas, on a rented farm. It is not known why he moved to Oklahoma. However, it was there that he first met his bride to be. She told family members that she was coloring or painting at the time they met. By the fall of 1916, they were married. He was 27 and she was barely 18.
When Archie married Ethel, Augusta Maybelle was 31, Dora Lee was 29, John Henry was 25, Lula Grace was 21, and Clyde was 16. All, except Clyde and Grace were or had been married.
Note: This was written in 2019 and updated in 2025. Please see the story about Archie's parents death and Archie's Oklahoma farm for details.
Ethel was so pretty. I wish we had a picture of Myrtle at that age. Since they looked so much alike later in life, I can't help but wonder if they did back then.
I really like how you told their love story. It reminds us that they were real people, with hopes, dreams, and a life beyond the records. Susie Bates was a neighbor and she was William Langley's cousin. Her mother, Ladoska Lynn, was a sister to William's mother-Della Lynn.