Woodruff-Stone History - Person Sheet
Woodruff-Stone History - Person Sheet
NamePhilip Gottfried BACK 
1
1Birth1 Jan 1858, Missouri, Cooper County, Boonville
Death16 Nov 1922, Oklahoma, Noble County, Billings52
BurialOklahoma, Noble County, Billings, Billings Cemetery
Christen31 Jan 1858
Confirmation1 Jun 1873
FatherJohann Anton Peter BACK (1824-1876)
MotherCatherine Wilhelmina Sophia (Sophie) GEUER (1828-1903)
Spouses
FatherJohann Jean Baptiste MEISBURGER (1834-1903)
MotherMary Magdalena DIRINGER (1834-1917)
Marriage29 Apr 1884, Missouri, Cooper County, Boonville1
ChildrenAnna Helen (1885-1955)
Mary Nadine (1888-1925)
Emil Philip (1890-1965)
Maybelle Margaret (1892-1935)
Notes for Philip Gottfried BACK
Married by Rev. John A. Hoffman, pastor of S.S. Peter and Paul Church. The first year of thier marriage, he served on the police force. At different times he made application and received license to operate a Dram Shop. He owned and sold barges on the Missouri River and several different pieces of property. he went into the fuel business. He had a wood and coal yard and added a fuel wagon (Red Tank Line Co.) drawn by horses. He delivered “Perfection Oil” and “Crown Gasoline” over town. this he sold to his brother-in-law, John Potter in August of 1893 and he decided to claim land in the Cherokee Strip Land Run. The Fuel Company remained in the Potter family for many years.
The following story was found in the belongings of Anna Helen Back Stone after her death in 1955. It probably tells the story of the early days in Oklahoma for Philip and his family best:
“Mr. Back, with his brother-in-laws, Frank Meisburger and Dominicus Barnert made the race together in a heavy cart made out of the back wheels of a wagon. They drove two grey horses, named Dutch and Tony after two of his brothers. They had them shipped from the west and wasn’t halter broke when they were unloaded at the railroad station at Guthrie, Oklahoma in August of that year and they spent many hours breaking them to the cart. It took seven men to hitch them the day of the race. They made the start from Orlando. Mr. Back took a place two miles east of Billings, now owned by his son, Emil. Mr. Meisburger took the farm joining it on the east and Mr. Barnert, the own now owned by Mr. Pitts, south of Billings. They both turned their claims back as they did not like the country and wanted to go back to Missouri. Mr. Back dug a well on the bank of a bjou on the west side of his place that same afternoon. He soon built a two room house, 16 feet by 32 feet, the first winter and hauled the material from Perry. The family moved out in February of 1894. He had a small store on Red Rock Creek the first winter and a post office, called Arnold (Arnold was established November 27, 1893 and changed to Whiterock September 31, 1915). While trying to make a living in the store and post office, he had a man contest the claim. He bought the contestant off and he moved two miles north and bought a place so everyone was happy. Mr. Charles French was the contestant. The sod was broke by Ad and Joe Brown with a team of Oxen. Watermelons grew well on the sod, also Kaffir corn. There were very few lights to be seen at night as so many neighbors lived in dugouts. Fuel was very scarce. Wood was hauled from Red Rock, about 6 or 7 miles. You would buy a tree and then have to cut it up in stove lengths. Our chicken house was made of sod. The coyotes were plentiful and at night made a doleful sound.
The first school was moved from Perry and Mary Brown was the first teacher. Her father was a homesteader. The term was three months and the salary was twenty dollars. Two dollars was the price a teacher paid a week for board. Silk undies were a thing not known then, Underwear was made of flour sacks and you could sometimes still tell the brand of flour when they were on the clothesline.
Later Sunday School was started in the school house and also used for social activities. Literary and “what debates”. Some of phrases still stand out in my mind, such as ‘Procrastination is the thief of time’. I recall so many times of seeing my father dressed as an old darky and singing ‘Old Black Joe’. We also drove the cart and Old Dutch and went to Freemom and Lone Star to Literary. Our home school was Summit.
The first time we took eggs to market in the cart, the seat fell off and broke our first delivery of eggs. How well I remember stripping cane and hauling it to the sorghum mill about two miles away. And what good sorghum. Castor beans and broom corn were two more crops in the early days. Bins were made on hard ground and beans put out to dray and when they opened they could well be called ‘jumping beans.’ We also raised peanuts and on cold winter nights we would all set around the fire and pick off peanuts, shell popcorn and sing songs. We always looked forward to Christmas for the relatives in Boonville would send us hard maple sugar, cheese and many more treats. Sometimes neighbors would gather and we would have taffy pulls, if we had extra sugar.”
The farm was SW1/4-Section 22-Twsp 24-Range 2W-Noble County-Claim #22-Bunch Creek Twsp.
About 1909 they built a new house in Billings, Oklahoma. He had a grocery and Mercchantile store most of the time until his death. At one time his store was called “Wonder Mercantile” and later “P. G. Back Mercantile Co.” Just before his death he had started the first “Help Yourself Grocery Store” in Billings, Oklahoma.
The following story was found in the belongings of Anna Helen Back Stone after her death in 1955. It probably tells the story of the early days in Oklahoma for Philip and his family best:
“Mr. Back, with his brother-in-laws, Frank Meisburger and Dominicus Barnert made the race together in a heavy cart made out of the back wheels of a wagon. They drove two grey horses, named Dutch and Tony after two of his brothers. They had them shipped from the west and wasn’t halter broke when they were unloaded at the railroad station at Guthrie, Oklahoma in August of that year and they spent many hours breaking them to the cart. It took seven men to hitch them the day of the race. They made the start from Orlando. Mr. Back took a place two miles east of Billings, now owned by his son, Emil. Mr. Meisburger took the farm joining it on the east and Mr. Barnert, the own now owned by Mr. Pitts, south of Billings. They both turned their claims back as they did not like the country and wanted to go back to Missouri. Mr. Back dug a well on the bank of a bjou on the west side of his place that same afternoon. He soon built a two room house, 16 feet by 32 feet, the first winter and hauled the material from Perry. The family moved out in February of 1894. He had a small store on Red Rock Creek the first winter and a post office, called Arnold (Arnold was established November 27, 1893 and changed to Whiterock September 31, 1915). While trying to make a living in the store and post office, he had a man contest the claim. He bought the contestant off and he moved two miles north and bought a place so everyone was happy. Mr. Charles French was the contestant. The sod was broke by Ad and Joe Brown with a team of Oxen. Watermelons grew well on the sod, also Kaffir corn. There were very few lights to be seen at night as so many neighbors lived in dugouts. Fuel was very scarce. Wood was hauled from Red Rock, about 6 or 7 miles. You would buy a tree and then have to cut it up in stove lengths. Our chicken house was made of sod. The coyotes were plentiful and at night made a doleful sound.
The first school was moved from Perry and Mary Brown was the first teacher. Her father was a homesteader. The term was three months and the salary was twenty dollars. Two dollars was the price a teacher paid a week for board. Silk undies were a thing not known then, Underwear was made of flour sacks and you could sometimes still tell the brand of flour when they were on the clothesline.
Later Sunday School was started in the school house and also used for social activities. Literary and “what debates”. Some of phrases still stand out in my mind, such as ‘Procrastination is the thief of time’. I recall so many times of seeing my father dressed as an old darky and singing ‘Old Black Joe’. We also drove the cart and Old Dutch and went to Freemom and Lone Star to Literary. Our home school was Summit.
The first time we took eggs to market in the cart, the seat fell off and broke our first delivery of eggs. How well I remember stripping cane and hauling it to the sorghum mill about two miles away. And what good sorghum. Castor beans and broom corn were two more crops in the early days. Bins were made on hard ground and beans put out to dray and when they opened they could well be called ‘jumping beans.’ We also raised peanuts and on cold winter nights we would all set around the fire and pick off peanuts, shell popcorn and sing songs. We always looked forward to Christmas for the relatives in Boonville would send us hard maple sugar, cheese and many more treats. Sometimes neighbors would gather and we would have taffy pulls, if we had extra sugar.”
The farm was SW1/4-Section 22-Twsp 24-Range 2W-Noble County-Claim #22-Bunch Creek Twsp.
About 1909 they built a new house in Billings, Oklahoma. He had a grocery and Mercchantile store most of the time until his death. At one time his store was called “Wonder Mercantile” and later “P. G. Back Mercantile Co.” Just before his death he had started the first “Help Yourself Grocery Store” in Billings, Oklahoma.
Death Record notes for Philip Gottfried BACK
He died in Enid, Oklahoma on 16 Nov 1922 and is buried along side his wife in the Billings Cemetery.
Burrton Woodruff III notes for Philip Gottfried BACK
Court settlement of his estate is in error stating he died 16 Nov 1916. In the same paragraph the settlement states his will was dated 25 Nov 1916.
Research notes for Philip Gottfried BACK
Philip Gottfried Back delivered "Perfection Oil" and "Crown Gasoline" over town. This he sold to his brother-in-law, John Potter in August of 1893 and he decided to claim land in the Cherokee Strip Land Run. The Fuel Company remained in the Potter family for many years.53