Louis Cemore Thompson was born August 11, 1871, as the second son of Little Benonie Thompson and Martha L. Pryor. His mother died when he was 2 years old and he was raised by his step mother, Martha J. Bryant Thompson.

He married Lillian Josie (Lillie) Odom November 8, 1891 in Smith County, Texas. Lillie's family lived in nearby Cherokee County. Lillie was born on August 31, 1873 in Nacodoches, Texas to Richmond Nollie Odom and his second wife, Elizabeth Peggy Campbell. Most of her family called her Lillie, but her brother Lemuel called her Peggy. Lillie grew up in the log cabin built by her grandfather, Randol Odom. Her mother died when she was very young and Richmond's next wife, Sarah Diantha Ward, raised her as if she were her own child. Lillie worked hard as a farmer's wife, raising their seven children. She died of heart failure on March 30, 1932 in Mangum, Oklahoma. The Odom family has its own website.

      After Lillie died in 1932, Louis married Ethel Daniel Locklear Mayrhofen in 1933. Ethel was born May 12, 1888 in Rome, Georgia and died Jan 31, 1952 in Carlsbad, New Mexico. Ethel had several children by a Mr. Locklear and later, Edgar Mayrhofen, but the full details are unknown at this time. Louis and Ethel had no children of their own. Click here to see her biography.

Louis and Lillie had seven children, one boy and six girls:

1. Annie Lois Thompson (1893-1973)
2. Connie Allisippie Thompson (Died at birth)
3. Benjamin Douglas Thompson, M.D. (1896-1981)
4. Amie Aurora Thompson (1899-1937)
5. Allie Mae Thompson (1901-1994)
6. Minnie Floyd Thompson (1904-1992)
7. Nettie Josephine Thompson (1907-1998)

Louis Cemore Thompson was a farmer for many years. At one time, he crossed over into what was then known as Indian Territory to work as a sharecropper. Lem Odom recalls visiting Louis and Lillie in Lone Grove, Oklahoma (near Ardmore). Lois Thompson Rogers was born during this time. Lemuel A. Odom, Lillie's brother, visited the Thompsons at Lone Grove. He later wrote in a letter that Louis was as honest as any man he had ever met. Click here to read the actual letter.

Louis returned to Henderson, Texas, and a little later, decided to move to Western Oklahoma with the Alfred C. Smith in what had then become the State of Oklahoma. Louis wanted to move because he only had one horse to plow the land and the land was so full of trees that he felt the treeless land of Western Oklahoma would be more favorable for farming. They felt that they would be able to find land for homesteading, but by they time they reached Oklahoma, all of the free land was gone. They ended up renting farms when they finally settled.

The Smith's and Thompson's moved to Greer County, Oklahoma by freight train, bringing all of their belongings and some Jersey cows which were the first type of these cattle in the area. Uncle Beall Thompson brought the two families to Oklahoma by passenger train while Alfred Smith and Louis Thompson brought all of the other belongings by freight train. Iniiially, they lived with a Thompson relative, Peyton York.

All of the children worked hard on the farm and most of the older girls had to drop out of school in the 8th grade to help full time on the farm. Douglas, the only son, was sent to Oklahoma A&M in Stillwater, Oklahoma. He later graduated from the Oklahoma Medical College as a physician.

Minnie graduated from high school and went on to become a Registered Nurse.

At some point, Louis sold the farm and moved into Mangum to start a hotel. The Rock Island railroad was building a line from Oklahoma City to the West Coast and were coming through Mangum. Louis felt the hotel, right across from the terminal, would be a great success. Rock Island decided to dead head the line in Mangum and move the main route further north. This resulted in very little passenger traffic and eventually it just became freight traffic. The hotel had few short term guests, and most of the residents were long term railroad workers. Some "light housekeeping" units were installed.

In his later years, Louis enjoyed playing a card game known as Pitch with his cronies and he taught me how to play with them when they were missing a person. His favorite sport was fishing.

Louis was an agnostic and had several books by famous authors on agnosticism including one by Robert Ingersol. He gave them to me, but I lost them along the way.

Louis died of liver cancer in 1946. He had been taken by car to Oklahoma City to see a doctor by his granddaughter, Patsy V. Smith and her husband, Clay Cox, but he returned home to die in his own bed.

He died without leaving a will and the heirs received very little on the dissolution of the estate. Later, the hotel was moved to Byers street and remodeled as an apartment building by Homer Rogers who bought the property from the estate. Now, it is a home.