last updated 09/08/05
The week of November 10, 2003 I had a visitor with an interesting story. His name is Jeddie Harrison here in Ardmore and he had quite a story to tell. It all started nearly two years ago when Jeddie went to a garage sale here in town and bought a painting. He didn’t give much attention to the painting at the time, so he just stored it away. This week he thought about that painting, and remembered some names written on the back of the painting along with the artist’s name, so he decided to do some research. He discovered the artist was a Hattye Hinkle Chandler (1874-1900). She painted the picture when she was taking art while attending North Texas Female College in Sherman, Texas. The best guess is Hattye painted the picture around 1893 or 1894. The North Texas Female College Hattye attended would later become Kid-Key College (1918-1935). Its seems that hardly any history, photos or artifacts are still here as a reminder of the Kid-Key College. Jeddie may have the only piece of history that still exist with a connection to the old Sherman, Texas college.
Hattye Hinkle married young and after a lingering illness of several months, the newspapers said she died in Ardmore at the age 26. Hattye died at noon and a funeral service was held that evening at the Hinkle home place at 302 2nd SW (now Stanley SW). By midnight Harvey Brothers Funeral Home was loading Hattye on a train for that trip to Greenville, Texas. Her husband, James J. Chandler, sent Hattye’s body to Greenville for burial since his family was from that area. James Chandler would remarry within months after Hattye’s death, and through the years his first wife Hattye was all but forgotten. James and Hattye were married October 9, 1893 in Ardmore. Her husband James J. Chandler opened the first pharmacy in Ardmore. After his wife Hattye’s death in 1900, James J. Chandler married in Ardmore Ida E. Scales on December 2, 1903.
This is a photo of Judge John Hinkle and his wife Mary in the front row. Their three children are behind from left to right: Carra, J. Homer, and Hattye.
Hinkle Family Portrait
This is a crayon portrait of Hattye done by Ida Noble Chandler in 1900. We do not know if this portrait was done before Hattye died in April 1900. It could have been done after her death to memorialize her.
Closeup Color Portrait of Hattye
This is a black and white picture of Hattye from the Carter County Pioneers Book
Hattye Hinkle
In the unit block of West Main in front of Citizens Bank (the old Exchange Bank) there are two pavers someone has placed in the sidewalk for the Hinkles. One has Judge John Hinkle’s name on it, and the other his son, John Homer Hinkle. I wish we knew who purchased these pavers in memory of the Hinkles.
Hinkle Pavers
Burial spot of Hattye in the Greenville ,Texas Cemetery
Hinkle family burial plot in Rose Hill Cemterery in Ardmore.
What makes this such a sad story is all of Hattye’s blood kin are all buried here in Ardmore while she is still buried by herself in Greenville, Texas. Hattye’s parents were Ardmore’s Federal Judge John Homer Hinkle and Mary Morgan Hinkle. Hattye’s parents already had a burial spot paid for and in her name at Ardmore’s Rose Hill Cemetery in the Hinkle burial lots. So the burial spot has been waiting for her 103 years. As a side note, Hinkle Street SW along the north side of the courthouse is named after the Hinkle family.
Hinkle Street Sign
Now let’s flash back to school days in Ardmore. Everyone sit up straight in your chairs, look toward the front, don’t say a word, and listen carefully: Myself and many of you reading this newsletter has a round-about connection to Hattye Hinkle Chandler. That connection is Marjorie Chandler Goodnight. Thousands of us kids were taught penmanship at Ardmore Junior High by Mrs. Goodnight, as she was a teacher for 44 years at Ardmore, retiring in 1970. You see, Mrs. Goodnight (1905-1998) was the daughter of Hattye’s husband’s second wife. James remarried Ida and they had Marjorie. Here is a picture of Marjorie Goodnight in case some of you have forgotten what that kind, gentle, wonderful teacher looked like.
Photo of Mrs Goodnight
Ardmoreite Obit
My aunt Helen Carmon (wife of Pratt Carmon) could help here if she was mentally able to. She worked over 20 years for Hill Shoes at 123 West Main here in Ardmore years ago. Hazen Hill, born 1898 (husband Hubert Hill) is a daughter of Hattye Hinkle, and right now we are having a hard time finding decendents of Hazen and Hubert Hill. The Carter County Pioneers Book lists 3 boys for Hubert and Hazen. James who died at age 2, Wilbert a pilot and killed while in active duty, and a James R. ‘Jim’ Hill. We have been able to get in touch with Jim Hill in Florida. We’ve had a couple of good, productive conversations with Jim. This is a photo of Hattye’s daughter, Hazen Chandler Hill (1898-1990).
Right now we don’t know what it would take to move Hattye from Greenville, Texas to Ardmore. I’m sure it would take permission from her kin, obtaining re-burial permits in Texas and Oklahoma, grave opening and closing costs, transportation costs, and other red tape we don’t know about yet. But I do believe there are enough of us who would like to see Hattye Hinkle brought to Ardmore from that lonely grave in Greenville, Texas and buried with her family members at Rose Hill Cemetery. She has been at Greenville since 1900. One man in Ardmore said when he learned of this, he broke down and cried, knowing she has been buried at Greenville all these years, all alone. Can we bring Hattye Hinkle home?
And finally what brought all this about the past few weeks is this 1893 painting by Hattye Hinkle which is now owned by Jeddie Harrison of Ardmore.
Hattye Hinkle Painting
Back Side of Painting
If you would like to help Bring Hattye Home, send me an Email along with the amount you Pledge, and the city/state you live. We will add your name to the list below. When all the details are worked out, pledges will be called for. Do not send any money now. We are taking pledges only.
- 25.00 Butch Bridges, Ardmore, Oklahoma
- 20.00 Dean and Margaret Redman, Dickson, Oklahoma
- 10.00 Doug and Scheryl Williams, Ardmore, Oklahoma
- 100.00 Marty and Barbara Jones, Lone Grove, Oklahoma
- 10.00 Tom and Phyllis Love, Lone Grove, Oklahoma
- 25.00 Rick Feiler, Ardmore, Oklahoma
- 10.00 Bill Culley, Ardmore, Oklahoma
- 20.00 In Memory of Jeddie Hicks
- 20.00 Jeddie J. Harrison, Ardmore, Oklahoma
- 20.00 Jeddie J. Harrison, Jr., Ardmore, Oklahoma
- 20.00 Jeddie J. Harrison, III, Ardmore, Oklahoma
- 20.00 Bradley Scott Harrison, Ardmore, Oklahoma
- 50.00 Tommy Harris, Ardmore, Oklahoma
- 20.00 Bonnie Sweeten, San Francisco, California
- 20.00 Steve and Karen Volino, Ardmore, Oklahoma
- 10.00 Neta Gibson, Ardmore, Oklahoma
- 20.00 Mike and Amber McCullers, Ardmore, Oklahoma
- 20.00 Wayne A. Warthen, Ardmore, Oklahoma
- 20.00 Gary Heartsill, Denton, Texas – class of 1956
- 100.00 Bill Rose, Midwest City, Oklahoma
The “Bring Hattye Home” project began November 14, 2003