GRANT G. VINCENT

 

Grant G. Vincent was born October 2, 1850 in Prairie Township, Chariton County, Missouri. His father, James G. Vincent, born 1809 in Tennessee, had been a chaplain at Old Fort Townson in the early days. James also served the Confederacy 4 years as the Presbyterian chaplain. He died in 1865.

After the Civil War, the Vincent family left strife torn Missouri for Texas. The mother, Martha (Maupin) Vincent had been born in Kentucky. She and her daughter, Belle, moved with her sons to Texas, where the boys worked as cowboys and also cattle drovers through the Indian Territory on the Chisholm Trail.

In 1880, Grant married Lummie L. McGeehan/McGheehan and they had 9 children. They lived first in Texas and then moved to Wynnewood. Grandma Vincent died in Wynnewood in September 1899. The family moved to the Blanchard area in about 1903 so the older boys could attend the University of Oklahoma.

The January 5, 1911 newspaper reported that the Vincent family moved to Purcell after the election to be ready to take office. He was sworn in as sheriff the first Monday in January 1911 according to the January 12, 1911 article CHANGES AT THE COURT HOUSE and served honorably for two terms. His successor was sworn in January 7, 1915.

The 1912 Purcell Register reported the following story. "Sheriff Vincent returned from his 3rd trip to Arkansas where he succeeded in ferreting out the whereabouts of a stolen span of good horses belonging to John Grayson who resided at Rosedale. The team was removed from the Grayson place the last of January. Worth $355.00, they were later discovered in Mena, Arkansas early in February. The whereabouts of the accused were unknown but this did not deter the sheriff from starting a search and locating his man. The last trip to Mena by the sheriff was for the sole purpose of recovering the horses, one of which was found in Mena and the other in DeQueen, Arkansas.

Grant Vincent's reputation as sheriff was that he was quick and efficient. Put him on the trail of a criminal and he never gave up until he had him in the grasp of the law.

The salary of Sheriff Vincent was $18.00 per month. The Special Deputy monthly salary was $9.00.

Grant died in Feburary 1929. He and Lummie are buried in Cushing near their daughter, Dixie.

These excerpts were taken from McCLAIN COUNTY HISTORY AND HERITAGE, Book 1. Written by his granddaughter, Carolyn (Holmes) Breeden.