Zoe Tilghman

Stratton was born in Greenwood County, Kansas, to Agnes M. Stratton, a homemaker mother, and rancher Mayo E. Stratton. In 1887, the family moved to what would become Osage County, Kansas; in 1893 they moved again, this time to the Cherokee Outlet. Throughout her childhood, Stratton became familiar with the region's flora and fauna, and when she was older she would ride with her father's cowhands. Although mostly taught at home by her mother, for a time Stratton did attend public school in Arkansas City. She went on to attend the University of Oklahoma's preparatory school for a year and a half, and then, in 1897, the university itself. While at the University of Oklahoma, Stratton became the literary editor of Umpire Magazine, the school's literary magazine, and began to write poetry. == Marriage ==

Stratton met Bill Tilghman, a friend of her father, in 1900. The two sent letters to each other while Stratton was at university, and Tilghman proposed to her in 1902. The couple married on July 15, 1903, and had a short honeymoon in Kansas City. Now Zoe Tilghman, she moved into the house her husband had shared with his previous wife, Flora, and their three children. Flora's children and Zoe had a tense relationship. Tilghman had three sons with her husband. TIlghman worked as a schoolteacher for three years. == Writing career ==

Tilghman began writing during her marriage. Poetry • Prairie Winds (1930) == Later life ==

Tilghman died of natural causes in 1964, at age 83. She was buried next to her husband, in Oak Park Cemetery in Chandler, Oklahoma. == References ==