Lorena Hughes Sewell Remembers

Haskell "Hack" Sewell and Lorena Margaret Hughes Sewell, daugther of William David and Maude Campbell Hughes

An exciting part of this research trip to was to stay with and interview the last living child of William David Hughes, Lorena Hughes Sewell of Mangum, Greer County, Oklahoma. A video camera was set up and Sharryn asked questions to probe Lorena’s family memories.


Lorena was the only daughter of William D. Hughes’ second marriage. He married Lena Belle Campbell February 21, 1897. William and Lena had five children: Alton Eugene, Ruby Algia, Claude Deane, Evelyn Beryl and Harlan Wayne. Lena died November 29, 1917. Six months later on June 2, 1918, he married Maude, a younger sister of Lena’s. They had three children: William Clay, Lorena Margaret and David Ardelle.



Ruby, William David, Claude, Lena and Alton (picture taken before Beryl and Harlan were born)

Lorena remembered how her dad was able to grow wonderful produce and sell it to stores in town. William and Maude lost the land he had homesteaded west of Altus, Jackson County, OK during the depression in 1931. The family then moved north of Granite, Greer County in Lake Creek community on the south side of the North Fork of the Red River. The rich bottom land grew great produce including water melons, and cantaloupe.

William, Lorena, Ruby, William Clay, Harlan and Maude (picture taken before David was born)

Her mother, Maude, was a great cook and like the rest of the Campbells, was a musician. She had her hands full when she married William who already had five children and then had three of her own.

Along with the produce he grew, William also planted many kinds of fruit trees some of which were apples, peaches and cherries. Like his father John, he also grew currants, which Lorena said she ate most of.

In later years, William and Maude moved into Granite on Mountain Avenue. It was here that William died Christmas Day, 1948. In time, Maude moved to California and there died December 21, 1988. William is buried beside Lena in Rock Cemetery just west of Granite and Maude was buried in Vahalla Memorial Park, North Hollywood, California.

We thank Lorena for sharing her memories and showing us the places where those memories were made.