Barger/Kloepper | Bailey County, TXGenWeb

Oklahoma Lane Families,
Parmer & Bailey Counties

The Katherine (BOHL) WEGMAN, John Frederick & Margaretha (WEGMAN) KLOEPPER of Parmer County, and Ralph Burns & Dorothea Blanche (KLOEPPER) BARGER; James Henry & Florence Jessie (BURNS) BARGER of Borden County families stories.

Based on information submitted by Beverly Himes BARGER, wife of Virgil BARGER and former Volunteer Family History Center Librarian in New Mexico for several years.

In her own words:

Why the Name: Oklahoma Lane?

My husband's mother had told him that during the dust bowl and depression era many Oklahoma people came thru the area heading west to California. They usually had all their children and belongings on top and hung all over the old cars (and trucks). Oklahoma Lane was an area they traveled thru Farwell, Parmer County & part of (I believe) Bailey County, Texas. So it got the name Oklahoma Lane.

It would be great if you can find some old-timer in that area that remembers Oklahoma Lane, the two churches, school and cemetery.

I wish my husband's folks were still around. They both died in 1986. My husband's maternal great-grandmother Katherine (BOHL) WEGMAN died in 1934 and is is buried there in the Oklahoma Lane Cemetery near Farwell, Parmer County, Texas. It is out in the country. (Could this be near Texaco?)

Katherine (BOHL) and Frederick Henry WEGMAN I had a son Henry Edward WEGMAN who died in Oct 1939 and is buried there near his mother. Henry was killed by a bull in a neighbor's barnyard. Henry Edward WEGMAN was Margaretha (WEGMAN) KLOEPPER's brother.

My husband's parents, Ralph Burns & Dorothea Blanche (KLOEPPER) BARGER moved to Albuquerque, NM, in 1938.
Times were hard on the farm/ranch then.
[Ralph Burns Barger's parents were JAMES HENRY & FLORENCE JESSIE (BURNS) BARGER of Bailey County, Texas. Earlier post from Beverly Himes Barger. [emc]

My husband's grandparents John Frederick & Margaretha (WEGMAN) KLOEPPER lived in Parmer Co, Texas until 1946. John & Margaretha KLOEPPER had went for a visit that October to Ralph & Dorothy BARGER in Albuquerque, NM. While they were gone Henry Edward WEGMAN went to feed a bull in a neighbor's barnyard for them and it gored and killed him. Henry Edward WEGMAN was married to Sylvia Marie LAWSON.

A Visit to Oklahoma Lane Cemetery about 1994.

10 years or more ago we visited one of the HILLOCK family from that Farwell, TX, area and they gave us directions to the Oklahoma Lane cemetery.
There was an older man cleaning weeds in the cemetery. He said no one else ever cleaned it and he did not know who would when he was gone.
I hope it has not grown up in weeds. The man had done such a wonderful job on the cemetery, especially one out in the country like that one.
I don't know if the cemetery is still in use or not.
[Does any one know this gentleman's name and if he is still caring for this old cemetery? [emc]

How Large Was the Settlement of Oklahoma Lane?

My husband said when his family lived in the Oklahoma Lane area there was a Methodist church on one side of the road and a Baptist Church on the other side of the road. I don't know if any of those churches still exist now or not.

Family Stories

I loved to listen to Virgil's folks talk about those early days in Western Texas. Ralph Burns Barger was a track athlete winning the Texas State Track Championship in a running event in 1921. His trophy cup disappeared after his mother's, Florence, death. His father had a sale after her death and this trophy most likely was sold.

[Beverly sent me a picture of Ralph Burn BARGER wearing his state track medal, this is featured on Bailey County School Pictures.]

Virgil's mother, Dorothy, drove the cotton wagon to the cotton mill while the men were picking cotton.
My husband's mother liked to tell the funny story about where they were married.
"They were married in a car on the TEXAS - NEW MEXICO (State) Line [most likely TEXICO, emc] with the preacher in the front seat in TEXAS and them in the back seat in NEW MEXICO. They lived close to the east border of NEW MEXICO.
They had not thought when they got their marriage license and went to New Mexico, I think Tucumcari, NM.
Well, the preacher was from their church in Texas in or near Oklahoma Lane. So, the preacher said, "I am NOT licensed to do weddings in New Mexico."
Virgil's dad was always a comic so he said, "We will get married in the car, you sit in the front seat on the TEXAS side and we will sat in the back seat on the NEW MEXICO side."

Who Is Beverly (Himes) Barger?

I was born April, 1939, on my 2nd great-grandfather John MARSH's old homestead in his two story red-brick farmhouse, that he built during the 1860s in Macon Co, Illinois. My uncle lives there and owns it now. We lived in New Mexico for most of our married lives. We will be married 45 years in July of this year. We moved to Wichita Falls, TX, in Sept 2002. Our youngest of 5 children & family lives here. I was a volunteer Family History Center Librarian in New Mexico for several years. I always enjoyed helping and hearing every patron who came in tell me about their family history. The patrons and I were always so excited when we found something on their family in the LDS microfilms census, marriage records, births, deaths, burials etc. These mysteries and puzzles are so addictive. I have loved family stories and history since a very small child. Beverly

Thank you, Beverly for this interesting local history of Parmer and Bailey County, Texas, plus your family genealogy. Beverly is one of Bailey County most active contributors. The above information is owned by Virgil & Beverly BARGER.

Barger's First Irrigation well

Oklahoma Lane Cemetery