Bristow Pioneers Plaza

Joe Abraham, born Saleem Ibrahim Nahra in Beirut, Syria, on March 20, 1865, came to America in 1896 through Ellis Island, began peddling goods with little money and borrowed merchandise, worked his way west, and after time in St. Louis settled in Bristow in 1898 when it was just beginning. He opened a store at what is now 8th and Main and built it into the town's largest mercantile business, winning loyal customers through fairness, generosity, and credit extended without discrimination. He later acquired farms and extensive oil and gas interests, drilled a large gas well in 1908, supplied much of Bristow's gas through the Bristow Gas Company, expanded heavily into cotton, built many of the town's finest buildings, and remained confident in Bristow's future until his death. In 1899 he married Fannie Longacre, who had come to Bristow from Missouri that same year, and together they raised five children while she read to him daily, helped manage the family's affairs, and remained active in the business until retiring in 1956. A devout Catholic, Joe was a founding member and major contributor to Saint Joseph Catholic Church, and before the church was completed Mass was held in the Abraham home on West 8th Street, a native sandstone house built in 1905 where Fannie lived until her death in 1974. Though unable to read or write beyond signing his name, Joe had exceptional ability with arithmetic, valued education deeply, became a naturalized American citizen in 1902, and in 1921 arranged for a school to be built in his native village of Badoon, sending yearly funds for about 200 children. Remembered for public spirit, generosity, and devotion to family, he was honored at his death on November 7, 1927, while Fannie's descendants continued to live in the family home.

Bristow, Oklahoma · United States