Here is O.C. Cato's obituary. This is out of the Jordan (MT) Gazette of May 13, 1915, but is copied from the Miles City Star.
The daughter, John, that is listed is John Ozella Cato who became the wife of Dr. W.J. Butler who was state vet for a number of years.
Myrtle married Percy Williamson, a Scot (of whom more can be learned of in the book "Tartan Tales"--everyone needs several copies of it)and their daughter is Mary Cato (Williamson)Swayne of Miles City.
O.C. CATO DEAD IN THE SOUTH
Pioneer of Miles City Answered Final Call in Austin, Texas, Thursday Night.
State Senator Osceola C. Cato, of Custer county, died at his Texas home at Austin at 10:12 o'clock Thursday night. A telegram to this effect was received from Mr. Cato's family by Mr. Cato's former business partner and close friend, E.H. Johnson, the night the final summons came. The sad news was foreshadowed in a telegram received in the afternoon by Dr. Whitney, secretary of the Elk lodge which stated that all hope of Mr. Cato's recovery had been given up and the doctors did not expect him to live through the night.
Mr. Cato and daughter John left Miles City early in April for Texas stopping at Rochester, Minn., where an examination was made into his physical condition and then they proceeded to Austin, where Mrs. Percy Williamson, another daughter, joined them from California, and Mrs. Cato and daughter Ethel followed about ten days ago. Death was due to heart failure, the same ailment that carried off the only son, Leo, several years ago, and over hose untimely demise Mr. Cato deeply but silently ever grieved.
Mr. Cato was born in Waco, Texas, December 4, 1858, and was but 57 years of age at the time of his death. His parents were engaged in farming and until his fourteenth year he assisted his father around the farm and attended the public school at Waco. At the age of fourteen he left home and during the four succeeding years followed the vocation of a Texas cowboy, when he was offered and accepted the position of manager for John Lane, later serving in the same capacity for "Bill" Day, for "Ike" T. Pryor and for J.W. Driscoll, finally accepting the position for the Syndicate Cattle company.
The XIT company was at that time the largest ranch owner in the United States, its land holdings in Texas running into millions of acres, and its ownership of cattle being on a like colossal scale. Mr. Cato's pronounced ability as a cattleman, gained by hard knocks during twenty years on the range, commended him to the Capital Syndicate people when they were looking for a responsible man to take charge of the big cattle outfit that they turned loose in Custer county, Montana, on the north side of the Yellowstone in 1890, and he was then engaged to pilot the heard from Texas to Montana.
Since that time he was a resident of Montana and one of its most prominent and honored citizens.
He was married at Austin October 20, 1881, to Miss Julia Jourdan, the union being blessed with four children, Ethel, Myrtle, John and Leo, the last having died, as mentioned above, and Myrtle becoming Mrs. Percy Williamson. The Cato residence was erected at Pleasant street and Prairie avenue and was one of the most commodious in the city at the time it was built and "southern hospitality" was not only honored in tradition but by observance within the wall of that domicile.
Mr. Cato was honored more than once by the citizens of Custer county in the matter of political preferment, it seeming to be possible to elect him to office-though an uncompromising democrat-when not another politician in the county, except a republican, seemed to receive any consideration whatever from the voters.
He was elected sheriff in 1898 on the democratic ticket and his services were highly regarded, and he was twice honored by the position of state senator.
In 1898 the XIT people having worked down their holdings on the Montana range to a small herd, Mr. Cato and E.H. (Skew) Johnson bought the remnant of the cattle and saddle horses and for several years conducted a range business under the name of Cato and Johnson. From this business Mr. Johnson subsequently retired and the XIT ranch was sold to Colonel Malone and E.W. Thomas, while Mr. Cato retained some cattle and one of the XIT ranches, known as the "Hatchet" ranch, on the north side across from Fallon.
Mr. Cato was a stockholder in and second vice-president of the State National Bank and a member of the Elk and Masonic lodges. The remains will be brought to Miles City for burial. He was a man who held an unusual place in the affections of the people who formed his acquaintance in the old free hearted days of the range. He was of a retiring disposition and did not form new acquaintances readily, so that as the newer life of the homestead came to monopolize Montana, he did not become personally known to many of the new arrivals, but no amn ever won or deserved a warmer place in the hearts of those who knew him best and who were thrown into contact with him in the old days of the range in the ways and life which brought out all that there is best in strong manhood. His death will be sincerely deplored in all parts of the west and southwest, especially among live stock men, as he was known to an innumerable number of men engaged in the range business.
