The Ada Bulletin
Tuesday, 15 March 1921

George Thompson was born at Houston, Mississippi, June 30, 1853, died at his home 518 W., 16 th street, Ada, Oklahoma, at 1:15 a.m. Sunday, March 13, 1921.  He was at t he time of his death 67 years, 8 months and 14 days old.
When less than one year ago George Thompson's parents moved to Grayson county, TExas and made it their permanent home.  It was his boyhood memories being full of the stirring incidents of the great sectional war.  He saw companied raised and rode away to the great conflict and remembered familiar faces that never came home.  Hi s father went with one of the companies, faced the dangers and hardships of the border warfare and rose to the rank of Colonel.  His son carefully preserved his father's important papers, among which were his commissions from the Confederate government and his pardon and restoration to citizenship, signed by President Andrew Johnson.    The noted guerilla leader Quantrell, famous in Kansas and Missouri border warfard, spent one winter in camp near the Thompson farm and George saw him frequently, wearing the uniform of General Blount, whom he killed in a surprise  attack at night, near the town of Baxter Springs, Kansas.
After the war was over George went farther west in Texas and engaged in cattle raising, making considerable money in this line.  He went with droves of cattle north to the shipping points in Kansas and was familiar with the cattle towns of Dodge City, Whichita, Kansas City and Chicago.
He was married January 31, 1875 to Mary E. Bell with whom he lived happily until his death.  Of this union 4 children were born.   They are G.H. Thompson of Mineral Wells, Texas; C.W. Thompson of El Paso, Texas;  L.B. Thompson of Kiefer, Oklahoma; Mrs. L.P. Sandbach of Eldorado, Kansas.  The children had been summoned and, with the exception of C.W., were all present at his bedside when the end came.  He is also survived by his wife, 2 sisters, Mrs. G.F. Cannon of Sherman and Mrs. John W. Noe of Dallas.
Mr. Thompson moved with his wife and daughter Gertrude to Ada in 1906, built a comfortable residence and has made this place his home since.  He was always active in local politics, holding for a considerable time the position of county chairman of the Democratic organization and in 1910 being a prominent candidate for Sheriff.
He was a member of the Christian church and was one of the oldest members of the Woodmen of the World in Texas.
He had always enjoyed good health until December 1918, when he was stricken with the flu and has been feeble since making a partial recovery.  During the past few weeks  he was confined to his bed a nd the end was not unexpected.
The body was shipped to Sherman Monday night and laid to rest in West Hill Cemetery.


The Ada Weekly News
Thursday, December 24, 1959

MRS. MARY THOMPSON DIES SUNDAY AT HER HOME HERE: WAS ADA'S OLDEST CITIZEN
Ada's oldest citizen, Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Bell Thompson, 103, died at 12:40 a.m. Sunday at her home in the Aldridge Hotel.  She was born January 10, 1856 in Sherman, Texas, where she attended grade school.
Mary Elizabeth Bell was married to George William Thompson January 31, 1875.  They moved to Ada in 1906.  Mr. Thompson died in 1921.
Mrs. Thompson's foremost interest was education, and she saw to it that her children all received college educations.
Her forbearer, W. Wade Bell, who died a comparatively young man, and who had patented a large tract of land, left specific instructions that all the children must be educated, even if it meant selling some of the land to provide the means.
Mrs. Thompson was 5 years old when the Civil War broke out.  Her father, Johnston Darius Bell, enlisted in the service and did not get his discharge until the war was over.
The mother, Mrs. Sally Sivells Bell, and small children moved near Bells, Texas, near her father, renting out the Bell home to some "nice" people. When she returned she was distressed to find that there was not a stick of furniture undamaged and her pride, a pier mirror, was shattered.
C.C. Bell established a school in Denison, Texas, after graduating from McKinney College, now Georgetown University, Georgetown, Texas.
Mrs. Thompson saw Austin College, Kidd Key, a private school for boys, and St. Joseph's Academy established while in Sherman.  Her daughter, Gertrude, was graduated from St. Joseph's.  When East Central State College was established, Mrs. Thompson said to her daughter, "you must en roll." and Gertrude, now Mrs. L.P. Sandbach, Aldridge Hotel, did enroll and was one of the first graduates of the school.
She was a Christian Scientist.
Three sons, Charlie, Home and Luther "Jack" Thompson preceded their mother in death.
Mrs. Thompson leaves a daughter, Mrs. Gertrude Sandbach, Ada; 16 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and 3 sisters, Mrs. Ida Cobb of Iowa Park, Texas; Mrs. W.T. Buxton of Shreveport, Texas; and Mrs. D.B. Brown, of Huntington Park, California.
The body will lie in state at Criswell Funeral Home from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday.  Committal services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at West Hills [sic] Cemetery, Sherman, Texas.  Mrs. Thompson will be buried beside her husband there.
Mrs. Sandback [sic] requests that no flowers be sent.  Instead those who wish to express their sympathies in  a concrete way may make a donation to the East Central College Student Loan Fund.
Mrs. Thompson up until the last mentally alert, was eager to have newspapers read to her.