Staggs Family History

My ancestors in the United States

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    Walter Monroe Edgar (1861–1950)

    BIRTH: Dec 1861, Missouri, USA
    DEATH: 19 Jul 1950, Terlton, Pawnee, Oklahoma, USA
    FATHER: Azel Dillon Edgar (1830–1873)
    MOTHER: Mary Mariah Eaton (1835–1886)
    SPOUSE: Darcas Annis Martin (1863–1951)

    When Walter Monroe Edgar was born in Dec 1861, in Missouri, his father, Azel, was 30 and his mother, Mary, was 25. He married Darcas Annis Martin on February 17, 1884. They had ten children in 19 years. He died on July 19, 1950, in Terlton, Oklahoma, at the age of 89, and was buried there.

    The Life of Walter Monroe Edgar

    Walter Monroe Edgar was born in December 1861 in Missouri, just as the Civil War was beginning to tear the nation apart. He was the son of Azel Dillon Edgar and Mary Mariah Eaton, a young couple raising their family in the rugged hills and scattered farms of the Missouri countryside. Walter grew up in a world shaped by hardship—war, reconstruction, and the daily demands of rural life. His formal schooling ended early, after the fourth grade, but the lessons he carried into adulthood came from the land, from family, and from the necessity of work.

    On 17 February 1884, Walter married Darcas Annis Martin in Crawford County, Missouri. Together they built a large and lively household, eventually raising ten children: Perry A. Edgar, Jocie Clara Edgar, Clarence Edgar, Mertie Edgar, Perlie Edgar, Farris Edgar, Grover Elden Edgar, George Lemuel Edgar, Edith Edgar, and Earnest Edgar.

    Their home was one of constant activity—children learning chores, livestock to tend, crops to plant and harvest, and the steady rhythm of a family bound by necessity and affection. Walter worked as a farmer, a profession that demanded strength, patience, and resilience. He and Darcas raised their children through droughts, economic downturns, and the shifting fortunes of rural America.

    A New Frontier: Oklahoma

    Around the turn of the century, Walter joined thousands of families who looked westward for opportunity. By 1900, he had settled in Pawnee County, Oklahoma, then still a young and developing region. He farmed, cleared land, and built a life in a community of pioneers carving homesteads out of the prairie.

    His efforts culminated in 1906, when he received a United States Homestead Patent for 80 acres in Pawnee County. The document, signed by President Theodore Roosevelt, granted him the west half of the southeast quarter of Section 9, Township 20 North, Range 8 East of the Indian Meridian. It was a milestone that represented years of labor—proving the land, improving it, and meeting the strict requirements of the Homestead Act.

    This land became the foundation of the Edgar family’s life in Oklahoma.

    A Father and Community Member

    Walter and Darcas raised their children in the small community of Terlton, where he became known as a hardworking farmer and a steady presence. Their children grew, married, and scattered across Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and California, but Terlton remained the family’s anchor.

    Despite limited formal education, Walter navigated the challenges of frontier life with determination. He farmed until age and illness slowed him, and even then he remained rooted in the land he had worked for decades.

    Final Years and Passing

    The Tulsa Tribune, Tulsa, Oklahoma · Wednesday, July 19, 1950

    Walter Monroe Edgar died on 19 July 1950 at his home in Terlton, at the age of 89. His obituary described him as a pioneer resident, a man who had lived in the area since 1900, and a retired farmer whose long life had spanned from the Civil War era into the modern age.

    He was survived by his wife Darcas, their ten children, and a wide network of grandchildren and extended family. His funeral was held in the Terlton High School gymnasium, a testament to the size of the community he touched, and he was laid to rest in the Terlton Cemetery, not far from the land he had homesteaded nearly half a century earlier.

    Legacy of Walter Monroe Edgar

    Walter’s life reflects the story of countless American pioneers—men and women who left familiar places to build new lives on the frontier. He endured hardship, carved a home from raw land, raised a large family, and lived long enough to see the world change in ways unimaginable when he was born.

    His legacy lives on through his children, grandchildren, and the generations that followed—through the land he claimed, the family he raised, and the quiet strength he carried throughout his long life.

    Parents

    FATHER: Azel Dillon Edgar (1830–1873)
    MOTHER: Mary Mariah Eaton (1835–1886)

    Married

    Darcas Annis Martin (1863–1951) married 17 Feb 1884, Crawford, Missouri, USA

    Children

    • Perry A Edgar (1884–1969) married Pearl Kelly (1896–1982)
    • Jocie Clara Edgar (1885–1953) married Benjamin Harrison Scott (1890–1953)
    • Clarence Edgar (1887–1977) married Matilda Ann Moore (1891-1976)
    • Mertie Edgar (1888–1974) married John Ellis Hickey (1894–1965)
    • Perlie Edgar (1890–1961) married Warren D Klintworth (1889–1981)
    • Farris Edgar (1892–1963) married Maude M Hudson (1898–1963)
    • Grover Elden Edgar (1895–1985) married Cena Bullington (1902-1996)
    • George Lemuel Edgar (1897–1980) married Minnie M Dietz (1898–1987)
    • Edith Edgar (1902–1989) married William James Kelley (1900–1959)
    • Earnest Edgar (1904–1992) married Ida Estelle McFerrin (1906–1994)

    Documents

    • Birth Records
    • Wedding records
    • Death records
      • Find a Grave > Walter Monroe Edgar
      • Burial: Terlton Cemetery, Terlton, Pawnee County, Oklahoma, USA
    • Census Records
      • 1870 United States Federal Census > Missouri > Crawford > Courtois > Monroe Edgar, age 10, living with parents Dillon Edgar (42, farmer) and Maria Edgar (33, homemaker) and siblings John F Edgar (18), Missouri Edgar (15), William Edgar (13), Marshall Edgar (12), George Edgar (8), Mary S Edgar (6), Liza Edgar (4), and Fenis Edgar (1)
      • 1880 United States Federal Census > Missouri > Crawford > Courtois > 054 > Monroe Edgar (18, stepson, occupation: farmer) living with Lemeul Self (age 65, farmer) and his wife Mary W. Self (age 45, keeping house) and siblings (listed as stepchildren to Lemeul Self): Frank Edgar (27), William Edgar (22), George Edgar (16), Mary Edgar (14), Eliza Edgar (12), Finis Edgar (10)
      • 1900 United States Federal Census > Missouri > Crawford > Courtoise > District 0003 > Walter M Edgar (age 38, Birth Date: Dec 1861, farmer, owns mortgaged house) and wife Darkus A Edgar (35), and children Perry A Edgar (14), Clarie Edgar (14), Clarence Edgar (13), Mertie Edgar (11), Perlie Edgar (9), Farris Edgar (8), Elden Edgar (5), and Georgia M Edgar (2)
      • 1910 United States Federal Census > Oklahoma > Pawnee > House Creek > District 0175 > Walter M Edgar (age 47, farmer, owns mortgaged farm) with wife Dorcas A Edgar (age 44) and children Elden Edgar (age 12), George Edgar (age 10), Edith Edgar (age 8), and Earnest Edgar (age 6)
      • 1920 United States Federal Census > Arkansas > Newton > Osage > District 0105 > Walter M Edgar (age 68, farmer, owned home free) with wife Dorcas A Edgar (age 54) and son Earnest Edgar (age 15)
      • 1930 United States Federal Census > Arkansas > Newton > Plumlee > District 0021 > Walter M Edgar (age 69, farmer, owned home valued at $100, no radio in house) and wife Dorcas A Edgar (age 65)
      • 1940 United States Federal Census > Arkansas > Newton > Plumlee > 51-22 > Walter M Edgar (age 78, farmer, owned home valued at $500, income in 1939: $0, number of weeks worked in 1939: 0, education highest grade: 4) and wife Dorcas A Edgar (age 74)
      • 1950 United States Federal Census > Oklahoma > Pawnee > Terlton > 59-31 > Walter M Edgar (age 88) and wife Darkeus A Edgar (age 85) living with their son Farris W Edgar
        (age 56, divorced, occupation: School Bus Driver, wages in 1949: $56, served in World War I) and Farris’ son Allen O Edgar (age 16), address 4 Cedar Ave in Terlton, Pawnee, Oklahoma
    • Other

    Relation of Walter Monroe Edgar to Karen Edgar: great-grandfather

    Page last updated May 11, 2026

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