The Hamilton-Heard House
Dr. George B. Hamilton and his wife Theola (Yates) married in 1915 and acquired this lot in 1916 and built the house that year. Their daughter, Kathrine (Atchley) was born in 1921, so by 1920 they were making plans for a new home at 301 W. Main. To sell the house, Dr. Hamilton sold the house to one of the local druggists, Rhea Anderson (1885-1942), on a financial agreement.
In 1937, Anderson and his wife Abijah (Dunn), sold the house to Sid (1912-1989), and Helen Pauline (Harmel) (1913-1968) Perryman. Helen’s parents were some of the most prominent citizens of Megargel—Herman Frederick (1880-1958), and Clara (Olsen) Harmel. The Harmels married in 1907, and their children, besides Helen, were Estell (Daniel), whose husband was a geologist in Wichita Falls, H.F.F, who was a resident of Seymour, Robert M., who was a farmer and rancher of Olney, Lawrence William, who married into the Farr Family of Baylor County, Lucille, who married Bob Andrews of Olney, and Donald Glenn, who lives in Alabama and manages Carl and Tina’s property and the last living of the Harmel children. Sid Perryman was the number one trucker for moving rotary oil drilling rigs in the local area and owned a private plane. He was a member of the Civil Air Patrol and Helen helped in this community service. Sid took interest in oil wells if the driller could not pay him and made a fortune. He was active in the community and promoting the Olney Airport, as he was involved with the Industrial Foundation in securing Leland Snow to bring his aircraft manufacturing here. After Helen’s Uncle Henry Harmel died, Helen and Sid moved to Seymour.
In 1959, the Perrymans sold the house to W.N. (1883-1959), and Emma D. (Simmons)(1888-1975) Lunn, who moved from the 600 block of W. Main. Mr. Lunn was the founder of Lunn Funeral Home, and this was his second wife, who was the mother of Ruthelle (1916-1998), Dr. Wayne (1921-1965), and Dick (1930-1991). His first wife was Nora Inez (Robinson) (1887-1911), and the mother of Raymond (1906-1989), and Bernard (1888-1982), who were very helpful in the funeral business. In 1998, the house was used as collateral on a loan and my assumption is this is when the present building for the funeral home was built. In 2002, Lunn Inc. sold the property to Luis Simental.
In 2013, Simental sold the property to Donald Thurman. In 2017, Carolyn (Simental) Johnson, individually and trustee of the Thurman Family Trust for the benefit of David Paul Thurman and Kenneth R. Thurman, sold the property to Lessabeth Heard, who is from a long time area family. Her father is Steve Heard and his parents were Clint and Mary Heard. Lessabeth’s sons are 16 and 14, and she works at Allsup’s in the same block as her house. She is a 1999 graduate of OHS.