The Gregath Publishing Company: It’s All in the Families

Everyone will remember this, it’s unforgettable!  This is the battle cry for Americans nation wide.  The problem facing future generations is the degeneration of oral history skills.  How many locals recall where the traffic blocks of stone in Riverview Park came from?  How many football fans remember the starting lineup of the state champion football team?  For general Ottawa County History, Velma Neiberding produced the definitive work in her Oklahoma Diamond Jubilee project The History of Ottawa County (out of print).  For many personal stories and statistics, until a few years ago, families had to rely on their own resources to keep information for future generations. 

 

In the late 1990’s, Carrie Ann and Fredrea Gregath Cook began a series of books,  Ottawa County Families, as an ongoing project to aid families, both current and past Ottawa County residents, as well as those in the future.  The sense of family and preservation is not a new concept to the Ottawa County Cook family.  Indeed, it is reflected in their business.

 

The Gregath Publishing Company was founded in the early 1970’s by Anna Mae Cochrane Gregath and her mother, Dora Pearl Lockhart Cochrane.  With the first two generations founding the Eastern Division, the third generation, Fredrea Gregath Cook, based in northeast Oklahoma was a telecommuter before this term was even coined.  Because the nucleus of this family business is active in family history, it always strives to assist others, and various departments and services, have grown from that desire including the Ottawa County Families series.

 

The Mid-West Division, headed by Cook, is situated in northeast Oklahoma and came on line in the early 1980’s – corresponding with the closure of the Miami BF Goodrich factory.  They were the first office to begin in-house print production.  The Mid-West office has continued to grow in scope, equipment and size, while maintaining its one-to-one family business philosophy. The Eastern Division formally closed January 26, 2001, making the Mid-West Division the only current Gregath Publishing Company office.  As the local publisher continues to expand in scope, their family wishes to give something back to the community and this project is one way of accomplishing that.

 

Thus far, the series has produced its first three volumes and information is currently being gathered for the fourth volume.  What type of family information should be included in the free submission?  Information on families that were not in the county when the county history was completed, those that was not included in the in the history, and by all means, updates to information in the history book are the three main areas.  More information, as well as print and mail submission forms can be found online at http://www.gregathcompany.com/ottco.

 

Volume I Article

Volume II Press Release

Questions:
Gregath Co.

PO BOX 505, Wyandotte, OK 74370

http://www.gregathcompany.com    918-542-4148


Page Last Updated: October 12, 2018

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