THE FLOYD COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM MEMORIES 1979 — E.P. THOMPSON FAMILY
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E.P. THOMPSON FAMILY
Eugene Pierce Thompson and Roseland Ida Ewing were another two of the pioneers in the establishment of Floyd County. E. P. was born April 2, 1869 in Vernon, Lafayette County, Alabama and apparently entered the Floyd County area in the late 1880’s where he first worked for the F. Ranch which had been established by the Goodnight High Grade Cattle Company.
In 1889 a number of newcomers arrived in the vicinity of Della Plains, including John Andrew Ewing and family, J.S.’s daughter, Roseland, was born August 19,1871 in Clarksdale, Dekalb County, Missouri. On May 19, 1892, the Commissioners Court of Floyd County created the Mayshaw School District, and the first session was taught by Roseland. Dr. E. O. Nichols of Plainview, recalled walking three miles to a residence in a dugout where Miss Rose Ewing taught him how to read, write and do multiplication tables. She later taught at Lone Star where John Griffith was one of her pupils. Rose was honored by having the Roseland School named after her. It was located in district 17, eight miles northeast of Lockney.
P. was the windmill man on the F. Ranch, and one of the leading persons in the founding of Mayshaw in 1892. E. P. and Roseland were married by Brother G. R. Barnes on July 20, 1893 in Mayshaw at the Ewing home. They later moved to Lockney where E. P. began a hardware. Furniture and dry goods store. (E. P. Thompson and Sons), located near the corner of Locust and Main. Later another store was started in Quitaque.
Henry Raeburn was born June 1, 1894 (married Annie Embry) and was followed by eight more children in the years to come. Ruby Maude was born July 26, 1896 (married Buck Sams): Bessie Lee, born March 18,1898 (married Eb Rankin): Floyd Ewing, “Dick” born March 1,1890 (married Oaty Fairweather): Eugene Preston was born July 21,1901 (married Anita Stutz): Maurice Marshall was born November 2, 1904: Mary Lolita , born January 8, 1908 (married Bill Hamilton): Rilla Juanita was born May 24, 1911: and Florence Roseland, born July 5, 1917 (married Lorin Q. Martin).
P. was a democrat and in 1914 he ran for the office of Floyd County Judge, and he was elected in the Democratic Primary on July 25, 1914 and served three years. He was the County’s third Judge and during this time the family moved to Floydada. The family attended the Methodist Church in Lockney where he was an active member and served as Sunday School Superintendent for many years. He was a member of the Lockney School Board and was one of the founders of the Masonic Lodge at Lockney.
In 1923, because of failure in cotton prices and markets, E. P. decided to relocate the family in Long Beach, California where he felt the oil fields offered good opportunities. Here he went to work for the J. Paul Getty Company and purchased a home. Some family members stayed in Texas (Raeburn and Bessie), some came to Long Beach and then moved back (Ruby, Dick, Juanita) and some remained in California (Eugene, Maurice, Lolita and Florence). Also, while in Long Beach the Thompsons adopted and raised three grandchildren: Bill (married Sandra Landrum), Janice (married Louis Lloyd), and Barry (married Evelyn Burleson).
E. P. Thompson died June 2, 1944 at the age of 75, and was followed by Roseland Ida on October 16, 1946 also age 75. Both are buried at the Westminister Memorial Cemetery in California.
