Benjamin L. Stimmel

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      Sex: M

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Individual Information

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     Birth Date: Sep 25, 1857 - Columbus, Franklin, Ohio, United States
    Christening: 
          Death: Aug 28, 1943 - Carrizozo, Lincoln, New Mexico, United States
         Burial: in White Oaks, Lincoln, New Mexico, United States
 Cause of Death: 
Events
•  Census: 1900, Sherman, Kingfisher, Oklahoma. 
•  Census: 1910, Sherman, Kingfisher, Oklahoma. 
•  Census: 1920, Carrizozo, Lincoln, New Mexico, United States. 
•  Census: 1930, Carrizozo, Lincoln, New Mexico, United States. 
•  Census: 1940, Carrizozo, Lincoln, New Mexico, United States. 

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Parents

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         Father: Benjamin Stimmel
         Mother: Charlotte Smith

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Spouses and Children

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1. *Anna C. Mackel
       Marriage: Jan 26, 1886 - White Oaks, Lincoln, New Mexico, United States
         Status: 
       Children:
                1. George E. Stimmel
                2. Charlotte M. (Lottie) Stimmel
                3. Benjamin Peter Stimmel
                4. Pearl M. Stimmel
                5. Charles Mckinley Stimmel
                6. Allie E. Stimmel
                7. Roy Emmett Stimmel
                8. Adna Lee Stimmel
                9. Lorene Blanche Stimmel
Ben's $ 200.00: 1881, White Oaks, Lincoln, New Mexico, United States$
     While I was living in White Oaks, I dug a well for Col. Jewett and charged him $200.00.  He would not pay me for my work and I kept after him about it.  One morning I saw him enter his shack and I followed him.  When I got inside I locked the door behind me.  I asked him again for the money he owed me and he began to tell me that he didn't have it.  I pulled my gun on him and when he saw the gun he immediately put his hand in his pocket and pulled out the $200.00 and gave it to me.  He said, "you darn fool, I believe you would shoot me for two hundred dollars".

   Ben wrote this reminiscence of Col. Jewett, which comes from the papers of Edith Crawford and was probably done about the same time as the interview in the 1930's.
Ben's travels: Abt 1938, Carrizozo, Lincoln, New Mexico, United States
Oklahoma: 
   Congress opened part of the region, which the United States had acquired in 1803 under the terms of the Louisiana Purchase, to settlement by non-Native Americans in 1889 and organized the Oklahoma Territory in 1890. In 1907, the state of Oklahoma incorporated what remained of Indian Territory.
Ben Stimmel was among the first non-Native Americans to take advantage of the opportunity to settle in the Oklahoma Territory.
Quote:
I was born in Ohio, September 25, 1857. I left Ohio in 1877 and went to Kansas City Missouri. In 1881 a young fellow by the name of Wesley Lewis and I came by train to Las Vegas, New Mexico to work on the Santa Fe Railroad. On our way out to Las Vegas we heard of the rich gold strike at White Oaks, New Mexico and instead of going to work for the railroad we decided to go to the gold fields. We started out to walk to White Oaks and walked for two days and a half without food or water. On the morning of the third day we overtook a oxen train hauling freight to Fort Stanton, New Mexico. They gave us food and water and a ride to Jerry [Hoecradle's] place at Pines Wells, New Mexico, in the Gallinas Mountains. He gave us directions how get to White Oaks so we started out again on foot. I do not remember how long it took us to get to White Oaks but it was pouring rain when we got there. We came to a house made of pickets and mud. We went inside and found it was asmall store run by Robinson, Bogard and Dick Young. We bought something to eat and while eating our lunch in the store Mr. Bogard asked us if we were rock masons. Wesley Lewis spoke up and said he was. Mr. Bogard told us that he had a job for us at three dollars a day and our board if we could qualify. We went to work on a building which was to be a hotel and assay office, the first to be built in White Oaks. This was in the year 1881 and this building still stands in White Oaks today. It is built of rocks.
After finishing that job I went to work as a miner in the Little Mack gold mine and later became foreman of the mine. I married Miss Anne Mackel in January, 1886. We lived in White Oaks until September 1889, when we set out in a covered wagon drawn by four horses, to go to Oklahoma to buy a farm. We had two children and two hound pups. I found a place I liked in Hennessy, Oklahoma, where we built up a real nice farm and lived for twenty five years.
On April 20, 1912, a cyclone hit our farm. It took the roof off our house, and destroyed our barn and all out buildings. We had a hundred Indian Runner ducks and after the storm we found them about half a mile from the house in a mud swamp, all dead. The family saw the cyclone coming and all got in the storm cellar. After the storm I salvaged what I could from the farm and left Oklahoma for Lincoln County, New Mexico, where they don't have cyclones. I have lived here ever since.
 NARRATOR: Ben L. Stimmel, aged 81 years, Carrizozo, New Mexico.

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Notes

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General:

OBITUARY:
Benjamin L. Stimmel was born in Columbus, Ohio, September 25, 1857 and died August 28, 1943 at the age of 85 years, eleven months and three days.
He was united in marriage to Anna C. Mackel in White Oaks, NM, Jan 26 1886. To this union nine children were born, three of whom preceded their father in death. Together with his wife the following children survive; George, Ben, Roy and Charlotte in the state of Washington, Lee in CA, and Lorene here. He has two brothers living, Ira in OK, and Amer in Canada, also 13 grandchildren.
In his early life at White Oaks he served as deputy Sheriff of Lincoln Co. and was later foreman of the Old Abe mines at White Oaks. In later years he was active in the cattle business.
He belonged to the Blue Lodge and the Scottish Rite of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and was very active in both.
EDITORS NOTE: Few, if any of the many friends of Benjamin Stimmel were more closely associated with him nor enjoyed his friendship more than did the writer. He was a true type of the New Mexican pioneer. In the many close conversations with him, he was always found to be a man of lofty ideals. A good citizen