John Claiborn McGee, only child of William and Louise McGee, was born
     in Polk County, Illinois, September 25, 1858, and died March 3, 1948.
     Following the death of both his parents from typhoid fever when he was
     two years old, he was reared by his aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. John
     Claiborn Jacobs, who were the great grandparents of Lloyd Jacobs of
     Kiowa. John's mother was the sister of John C. Jacobs and with their
     five children John spent the first eleven years of his life near Eddyville,
     Illinois. This was 65 miles north of Cairo. When the Jacobs family, with 
     other families, migrated to Kansas, John came with them. Sixteen wagons
     made the trip. They started in May and arrived in Elk County, Kansas, 7
     weeks later. On July 4th they settled 2 miles east of Longton, Kansas.
       John drove freight wagons from eastern Kansas through Garden City and
     on west into New Mexico in the period from 1880 to 1882. His wages were
     $12.00 a month, which was top pay at that time.
       He came to Barber County to look the country over where Kiowa stands now.
     He traded his livery barn in Longton for some cattle and drove them through
     Barber County and arrived before the first railroad reached Kiowa, August
     4, 1885. He homesteaded north of Kiowa on the place now part of the Kimmell
     ranch.
       April 7, 1859, he married Lillie Circle Koontz, and they lived on the
     Calvin Koontz home place, 4 1/2 miles north of Kiowa. Lillie had homesteaded
     this land before she met John.
       When the Oklahoma Strip was opened for homesteading, September 16, 1893,
     John made the Run, and although he didn't keep the quarter he selected he
     bought it later for $200.00. It seems a lady claimed the land as she had
     camped on another quarter the same night, and he told her she could have
     the quarter. He made the Run in a spring wagon.
       Corn was one of the principal crops in the early days, and the best crop
     he ever had made about 40 bushels to the acre and sold for 12 cents a
     bushel. As the land was broken out, grass receded, corn became less 
     profitable until at the present time, it is completely useless to try and
     raise much of it. John D. McGee has a hand corn planter that his grandfather
     used to plant corn.
       John was in Kiowa the day that Carrie Nation started her saloon wrecking
     career. Kiowa had more than 17 saloons. Later he rode on the same train
     Carrie was on, going to Medicine Lodge.
       The McGees lived on the farm 7 miles southwest of Kiowa until they moved
     to Kiowa in 1908. John continued to farm until it was taken over by his
     two sons, Worley and Fred. The McGee families still own this land, and it
     is now farmed by his grandson, John D., and great grandson, Max McGee. In
     those days, the title to a piece of land was called a Patent. The original
     "Patent," hand signed by President Theodore Roosevelt, is still in the
     family and is the authentic paper showing ownership by the McGees.
       Mrs. McGee, a young widow with an 18-month-old son, came from Clifton
     Forge, Virginia, to Cowley County, Kansas, about 1881, with several members 
     of the Circle families and friends from Virginia, but later moving to
     Barber County. She was the daughter of Daniel and Ellen Williamson Circle. 
     Her father was a landowner and slave holder near Clifton Forge, Virginia.
     He fought for the south in the Civil War and lost 30 slaves by the emancipation
     and also his health in the service. After his death, his widow and all 7
     of thier children came to Kansas. These children were John, Andrew, Duncan,
     David, William, Mattie Curran Taylor, Viola O'Conner, and Lillie Circle
     Koontz. At one time a good part of the land north of Kiowa belonged to
     members of the Circle families, as most of them homesteaded and then
     acquired more land.
       The McGees had 4 children. Calvin Koontz, who married Daisy Sanders of
     Hazelton. They had three daughters - Cecil whio married Raymond Faucett;
     Addied married Roy Sippel; and Leona married John Logan.
       Nellie married Ralph Gilbert, hd one daughter, Merilyn. She married
     James Young of Woodward, Oklahoma.
       Worley married Mae Dickey. They had four children - Worldon, who died
     in infancy; John D. married Minnie Shellhammer of Bluff City; Gail married
     Robert Reidel of Kiowa; and Nelda married Buford Emmele of Hazelton.
       The fourth child, Fred, married Cora Dee Cox of Kiowa.
       All of the McGee children started to Watrous country school, but finished
     in Kiowa after moving to town.
       Father John was a good story teller and related many interesting facts
     to his grandchildren and friends. He told of herds of buffalo in the area,
     but he never had any Indian problems. He loved rocking the little ones and
     singing to them. He had a good voice, and when friends got together for
     "singings," he led the group.
       He loved helping his sons, Worley and Fred, in their grocery store and
     visiting with the customers. He also thought he had to be there to "candle"
     and count the eggs brought in by the farmers. On a good Saturday the store 
     would get 75 cases, with 30 dozen in each case. About closing time, a truck
     would pick them up and take them to a produce house in the city.
       Mother's interests were caring for her family and lending a helping hand
     to neighbors and others with needs.   
                
     Source:Chosen Land - Barber County, Kansas, pg. 300