Ida May McFarlin
Ida May McFarlin
“The marriage vows spoken by Robert and Ida May…were the touchstone and inspiration of shared interests and combined philanthropies.”
Biography
Ida May Barnard married Robert M. McFarlin in 1885 and began a long and devoted life together in the service of their communities and neighbors both near and far. They first came to Norman, Oklahoma, to raise cattle and farm in 1892 after the family farm in Vernon, Texas, produced only modest returns. However, drought and insufficient grassland forced Robert to relocate the operation to Hughes County in 1895. Ida and the children joined him on the ranch in 1897, and then the entire family moved to a home near Holdenville in 1901. The McFarlins were well established in the buying and selling of land and in the handling of cattle by this time, but ventured into the oil business for the first time in 1906. Great success followed at the historic Glenn Pool oil field and McMan Oil and Gas Company was formed in 1912. The family moved to Tulsa in 1915 and the couple remained deeply interested in the preservation and success of churches and schools across the state and in Texas throughout their lives.
Fun fact
Best known of Ida and Robert’s many gifts to the communities in which they lived is the McFarlin Memorial Methodist Church in Norman, which was dedicated to the memory of their son who died in infancy.
Oklahoma connections
McFarlin moved with her husband Robert to Norman, Oklahoma, in 1892.