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Hubert Newton McMullan

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At the age of six, Hubert's mother passed away and at the age of nine, his father passed away. Hubert was left to grow up with his sisters, Gertrude and Annie. The story is that he would make one of the sisters mad and he would bounce to the other's home until he made her mad, then back to the other one. He called Gertrude, "Mrs. Martin", apparently from the age difference between him and her.

Hubert Newton McMullan at age 4. Circa 1900

After running across a minister on a dirt road near Fluvanna, Texas, Hubert and Nettie were married right there, on the spot on December 12, 1916. Hubert and Nettie McMullan left Texas with Zuma, their oldest child, went to New Mexico to homestead. Things were tough and chickens had to be traded for horse feed. Hubert got work with a water well drilling company out of Portales, New Mexico for awhile. After a year and a half or so, they gave up and on their way back to southwestern Oklahoma, they stopped in Amarillo, Texas and traded in their covered wagon for a Ford Model T. They settled in Erick, Oklahoma where Hubert ran a malt shop for awhile. During the depression he worked for the CCC planting shelter belts (long rows of trees that help stop the wind from eroding the soil causing the dust bowl.) He ran a crew of several men planting trees. He was given a pickup truck and a shotgun with all of the shells he needed to kill as many jackrabbits as he could to keep them from eating the vegetation.

This article was taken from a Newspaper (Erick, Oklahoma?) on Tuesday, February, 8, 1972

H.N. McMullan Has Large Bottle Collection
Some Prize Antiques

H.N. McMullan, 311 Birch Street, Erick, a retired carpenter and resident of Erick since1918, is a collector of old bottles. He had a total of 1000 bottles with 200 of them antiques.

The prize bottles include one Sayre Bottling Co., two Bryan Bottle Works, Chicago, Ill., one Nervine Bottle, one Bitters Bottle, Prickly Ash Bitters, Dr. King's New Discovery (for cough and cold). California Fig Syrup, Horlicks Malted Milk, Racine, WS. and London, England, Dr. Bell's Pine Tar Remedy, Dr. Miles Nervine, Chamberlin's Diarrhea Rememdy, Dr. King's New Discovery, White More of Boston, Dr. Caldwell's Syrup of Pepsin, Grover Chill Tonic, Bankers Life Ink Bottle.

Many finds have become collectors items worth $5.00 to $10.00. The really rare bottle may be worth more than $250.

Pop bottles, patent medicine containers, bitters, one beer bottle with 1753 patent no. 7, fruit jars, whiskey jars and patent medicine have fancy commercial names, liniments, Dr. Caldwells syrup of pepsin and etc.

Some are rare either because only a few were made or only because of few are found these days. All tell a story of life as lived in the early days of this century, remaining evidence of the small events and pleasures of the old days.

Fountain drinks and pop had beginnings in flavored mineral water served in the late 1880's when synthetic flavors were invented and the soda pop business began its first large expansion.

Hubert and Nettie in 1976. They lived in Erick, Oklahoma

At age 95, Hubert was one of the oldest living McMullan's.

Homestead Information:
Two different land applications. Both for 320 acres totalling the whole 640 acre section.
Issue Date: August 26, 1920
Land Office: Roswell, NM
Cancelled: No
U.S. Reservations: Yes
Mineral Reservations: No
Authority: May 20, 1862 Homestead Entry Original (12 Stat. 392)
Accession Serial Number: NMR 0036484
BLM Serial Number: NMR0036484 and
NMR003648401
Sec 12 Township 8-S Range 32E Meridian: New Mexico PM

Chaves County, New Mexico

These are the approximate coordinates in NAD27 datum where my
Grandfather McMullan homesteaded in Chaves Co., New Mexico

NE Corner
N33.64133 W103.61373

NW Corner
N33.64141 W103.63126

SE Corner
N33.62691 W103.61373

SW Corner
N33.62698 W103.63133

WGS84 datum coordinates for GPS (This should normally be used
with GPS).

NW Corner
N33 38.469
W103 37.855

NE Corner
N33 38.466
W103 36.801

SW Corner
N33.37.620
W103 37.859

SE Corner
N33 37.603
W103 36.794

Above are some aerial photos from Google Earth showing the land that Hubert and Nettie homesteaded in New Mexico. Hubert worked for a water well drilling outfit and left her in their covered wagon while she was pregnant with their first child. The nearest neighbor was nine miles away. Years later oil and gas wells have been drilled all around that section (640 acres or one square mile) but there are no wells on this place.

Note: On the homestead paperwork, Hubert still did not know at this time the proper spelling of his last name so it is listed at Hubert N. McMullen.

After the depression, he was mainly a carpenter. He loved to fish and he kept the heads of large mouth bass in his tin shed behind his house in Erick, Oklahoma. He always raised a large garden until later on his life.

Hubert and his wife, Martha Ann "Nettie," were members of the Primitive Baptist Church in Erick, Oklahoma.

Hubert was five or six years old when his mother died and only ten years old when his dad passed away. He was raised by family and learned to spell his name with "en" instead of "an". It wasn't until later that he found in his father's Bible that his name was spelled with "an". The old Bible is now owned by Jay S. McMullan.

Obituary
HUBERT N. MCMULLAN

Erick, Oklahoma

It is once more the duty of the Erick Primitive Baptist Church to announce the passing of a beloved member, Hubert Newton McMullan, born May 2, 1896 in Kemp, TX. He died May 6, 1991 at the Erick Nursing Home, at the age of 95 years and four days. Memorial services were held at the Erick Church with burial in the Erick Cemetery. His grandson, Ron McMullen officiated.

Hubert was the son of William Rufus and Susan McMullan. He married Martha Ann Nettie Hughes on Dec. 12, 1916 at Fluvanna, TX They celebrated their 70th a Anniversary before her death. They lived in Sweetwater, OK and Portales, NM before making their home in Erick. He worked for the U.S. Forest Service in the ‘30s, helping set out the first shelterbelt near Erick. He later began a career as a carpenter.

Hubert and Nettie were members of the Erick, Church. His favorite song was “Where We Never Grow Old.” He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, seven brothers, six sisters, and one grandson. Survivors are a daughter Zuma Sutton, Erick, OK, two sons J. W. McMullan of Amarillo, Jack McMullan of Spearman, TX; six grandsons and ten great-grandchildren.

This notice is authorized by the Erick Primitive Baptist Church while in conference.

Elder T. J. Pittman, Moderator

Joe Flowers, Church Clerk

Children of HUBERT MCMULLAN and MARTHA HUGHES are:
2. i. CLEO ZUMA7 MCMULLAN, b. September 06, 1920.
3. ii. JAMES WILLIAM MCMULLAN, b. April 12, 1924.
4. iii. JACK MURREL MCMULLAN, b. May 21, 1930, Erick, Oklahoma.