March 12th was a favorite day of

Around 1904-05, J. R. bought into partnership in the Farmer's Mill in Watonga so they moved to town and lived on Main Street close to the mill. Hubert (Bud) was born while they lived there.

March 12th was a favorite day of J. R.'s, on 12 March 1902 he bought he lease on a section of land west of Watonga that was to become their future home in Blaine County. While making a trip through western Oklahoma, he happened to stop at the 'old mule ranch" to water his team of grey geldings. The fellow offered to sell his lease on the Indian land he was leasing and when they got through dealing, the man had thrown in a disk and a drill with the trade. This lease was part of the Cheyenne Arapaho Indian Reservation. The second year they lived in Blaine County, J. R. bought 160 acres of this lease -- description; S.E. 1/2 of Sec. 7, township 16, range 12 West. This purchase was one of the first two pieces of land sold in this reservation. This quarter of land was the government allotment of chief Red Bird's eldest son, Little Beaver, who was deceased. (Robert is in possession of the original patent on this quarter, signed by President Grover Cleveland.) In later years, this farm became nationally known for the Shorthorn cattle raised there.

When they first moved to Blaine County in 1902, they lived in a house on the corner one mile east of the quarter section that he later bought, I suppose they leased this land, also. The family all had the Small Pox that first winter and I remember Nora telling about how sick they all were, especially Lois who was just a baby. Lenna was born while they lived there.

In the late spring of 1907, the year of the "infamous green bug year", they moved back to the farm that will now be referred to as the "home place". It had a small house on it and Hazel was born in this house. In 1909, they started building around this little house and made a beautiful, comfortable 9 room, two story house which was their home for many years. It was the home these Whisler children, as well as many of the next generation remember as their childhood home. This house was completed the first week of May in 1910 and a few days later Robert, the last one of their nine children was born in it. The picture shows the house after it had been completed a couple of years.

The first Whisler Shorthorn Sale was held in 1910 with an annual sale following for several years. This picture above shows some of the fine breeding stock advertising in the 1912 sale. J. R. is on the left and oldest son, Ralph on the right holding this fine string of purebreds

In the teen years the Whisler farms became famous for their Purebred Shorthorn cattle and was known throughout the middle west due to the annual sales which were held until 1919 when J. R. had a dispersion sale due to his declining health. At this sale the cattle averaged $700 a head with one bull selling for $5,050 which was a record price in those days. A trip to Mayo Brothers Clinic soon put J. R. back on the road to recovery and it wasn't long until he was back in the business again but not on as large a scale. He continued in the Shorthorn business as long as he was on the farm and his sons were all followers in his footsteps when it came to farming and good Shorthorn cattle.

J. R. and two of his prize bulls. This picture post card advertised the 1916 sale. The same picture was used in many of his advertisements in the next few years.

Children of J. R. and Nora Whisler

Maburn, Everett, Ralph and Hubert

Lois, Lenna and Hazel

The J. R. Whisler Family in 1911 (picture taken on the North Canadian River near their home)
The car was probably a Maxwell or Overland.
Everett is sitting on the fender, Lenna is sitting on the running board.
J. R. is standing by the side of the car. In the front seat are Ralph, Hubert and Mayburn.
Lois is standing in the back of car. Hazel is standing in the seat. Nora is holding Robert.

The Saga of the No Name Kid

When the youngest child of J. R. and Nora was born, they didn't have a name chosen for him and couldn't decide on one. Harvest came along and everybody got busy so they just called him "Baby". When he started to talk, he was tow-headed and stuttered. A neighbor close by was a white haired Irishman and also stuttered and his name was "Pat", so the older children changed his name from Baby to Pat, a nickname he has carried all his life.

When he was around 4 years old, some cattlemen were at the house for dinner and they asked what the little boy's name was. His mother said, "Well, we have been too busy to name him so the children just call him Pat". One of the men said to name him Robert after him, the other man was Wilton Thompson who lived near Watonga and he said, "Give him my name to make it Robert Wilton. So they did.

In the 60's when we became more aware of the need for birth certificates, Robert went to Oklahoma City to the Bureau of Birth Certificates, gave them the information needed to check to see if his birth had been recorded. Sure enough it was found with "Baby Whisler" as the name on it. So with proper identification they issued Robert a birth certificate with his name, Robert Wilton on it.