Fifteenth Generation

1105. Mary "Flo Jean" BIGELOW (~) was born on 13 June 1910 in Manchester, Coffee County, TN.^{64,499,679,680,930} A letter from her father's sister Retta in 1938 says, "Osmon had two boys and two girls, all married, ...." She did not include the twin son who died in about 1909.

(Her given name was reportedly "Mary FloJean," but she is listed as "Flo J." in the 1940 Census and the Social Security Death Records, and as "Flogene" in the 1930 Census records. She was listed as "Mary Flowgine" in her uncle Willard's application to serve as the Administrator of her father's estate.)

. She lived in Burkburnett, Wichita County, TX about 1915.⁴⁸⁸ She lived in Texas for just a few years, before returning to Tennessee. She appeared in the census in 1920 in Warren County, TN.⁶⁷⁷ She was listed as a "Niece" in the household of John and Mattie Smith, on McMinnville Road in Civil District 13. Her name was listed as "Flogene." ("Mattie" was her mother's sister Martha.)
Flo Jean lived in Louisiana in June 1927.⁶⁹⁴ She appeared in the census in 1930 in Pecos County, TX.⁹³¹ (Her name appears to be spelled "Flogene.")

. She lived at her home in Midland, Midland County, TX in September 1938.⁴⁹⁹ Her father's sister, Retta (Bigelow) Cummings, was living with her and her husband.

In a letter to Osmon Griggs in Missouri dated 18 September 1938, Retta mentions that "...My niece has a lovely home here and I enjoy living with them so much. They have two more little girls (one of their daughters was killed on January 24, 1937). One is eight today and they have a party for her, and the other is 12 (on) October 17; both lovely girls...."

. Flo Jean appeared in the census in 1940 in Midland, Midland County, TX.⁹³² She died on 7 September 1994 at the age of 84 in Midland, Midland County, TX.⁹³⁰ She was buried in Midland, Midland County, TX.⁶⁸⁰ in the Fairview Cemetery.

Mary "Flo Jean" BIGELOW (~) and Jessie Pinkney "Bum" GIBBINS Jr. were married on 21 April 1926 in Wichita County, TX.^{177,493,499,931,933} Jessie Pinkney "Bum" GIBBINS Jr., son of Jessie Pinkney GIBBINS and Etta T. NABOURS, was born on 12 March 1901 in Montague, Montague County, TX.^{325,700,930,931,934} (His parents may have been Adolfus and Mary Gibbins, who were listed in the 1920 Census in Nocona, Montague County, TX. Living with them was a son, "James L.," age 20, born in Oklahoma.) He appeared in the census in 1910 in Whitehead Township, Garvin County, OK.^325,935 (He cannot be located in the 1920 Census, although he was reportedly working in the oil fields in Oklahoma or Texas.)

. After 1916 he was an Oilman in Oklahoma.^325,933 Bum appeared in the census in 1930 in Pecos County, TX.⁹³¹ His household was in District 7, Precinct 3, and his occupation was "Laborer, Oil Fields." (His surname was spelled "Gibbons.")

. He appeared in the census in 1940 in Midland, Midland County, TX.⁹³² His occupation was "Production Contractor, Oil." His total wages in 1939 were listed as "$0."

. He died on 6 March 1971 at the age of 69 in Midland, Midland County, TX.^325,930

Obituary Notes: "J.P. 'Bum' Gibbins, 69, pioneer West Texas oilman, rancher, civic leader, and retired oil well servicing firm executive, died late Saturday in a Midland hospital following a brief illness. He had been hospitalized since last Friday.

Gibbins had been a Midland resident for more than 35 years. The family residence is at 1703 Country Club Drive. Funeral services were to be held at 3 pm today in the First Presbyterian Church. Interment was to follow in Fairview Cemetery.

Born in Montague County, Tex, March 12 1901, Gibbins was reared in Oklahoma and started his career in the oil business at the age of 15 in the oil fields near Ragland, Oklahoma. He later worked as a mule skinner during the oil booms at Ranger, Burkburnett, and Duncan, Oklahoma. He launched his first business venture in 1919 in Burkburnett when he purchased a pair of mules and entered the contracting business. He also worked as a rig builder, roustabout and tool dresser in the oil fields. After Burkburnett, he went to Cross Plains, where he became a rod and tubing machine operator for Josh Cosden until Cosden sold to Prarie Oil and Gas Co. Gibbins came to the Permian Basin Empire in the mid-1920`s, and worked in the Yates Field in Pecos County with McMann Oil and Gas Co., which later became Stanolind Oil and Gas Co. Gibbins and the late D.E. Heasley co-founded Gibbins and Heasley, Inc., with headquarters in Midland, in 1935. In 1938, Gibbins bought Heasley`s interest in the firm and subsequently changed its name to J.P. (Bum) Gibbins, Inc. The firm became one of the nation`s largest oil well servicing concerns.

Bum retired in 1963, and since he had only daughters, decided to sell his business and let his employees have first crack at the equipment purchases. Many of them went on to establish their own businesses using equipment purchased from Bum`s liquidation."

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Bum was buried at Fairview Cemetery in Midland, Midland County, TX.⁷⁰⁶

Mary "Flo Jean" BIGELOW (~) and Jessie Pinkney "Bum" GIBBINS Jr. had the following children: