| Sources |
- [S112] Census, 1910.
Name: Edward Oury
Birthplace: Texas
Relationship to Head of Household: Son
Residence: , Pottawatomie, Oklahoma
Marital Status: Single
Race : White
Gender: Male
Immigration Year:
Father's Birthplace: Virginia
Mother's Birthplace: Missouri
Family Number: 276
Page Number: 14
Household Gender Age Birthplace
SELF Robert H Oury M 45y Virginia
WIFE Ella E Oury F 34y Missouri
SON Paul Oury M 10y Tennessee
DAU Ruby Oury F 8y Tennessee
SON Edward Oury M 6y Texas
DAU Jewell Oury F 3y Oklahoma
SON Robert H Oury M y 11m Oklahoma
- [S112] Census, 1940.
Name: Edward Oury
Titles & Terms:
Event: Census
Event Year: 1940
Event Place: Civil District 5, Sevier, Tennessee, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 37
Marital Status: Married
Race (Original): White
Race (Standardized): White
Relationship to Head of Household (Original): Head
Relationship to Head of Household (Standardized): Head
Birthplace: Texas
Estimated Birth Year: 1903
Residence in 1935: Same House
Enumeration District Number: 78-8
Family Number: 128
Sheet Number and Letter: 8B
Line Number: 71
NARA Publication Number: T627
NARA Roll Number: 3933
Digital Folder Number: 005461375
Image Number: 00222
Household Gender Age Birthplace
Head Edward Oury M 37 Texas
Wife Frankie Oury F 30 Tennessee
Son Eddy Oury M 10 Tennessee
Son Jack Oury M 8 Tennessee
Daughter Dolores Oury F 2 Tennessee
Mother Ella Hodges F 66 Missouri
- [S75] Atchley Funeral Home Records, Volume II, 1955-1973, Larry D. Fox, (Smoky Mountain Historical Society), 28 May 1955.
Oury, Edward Hall (Sailor Clark) 51 b. Feb 15, 1904 TX d. May 28, 1955 Yarberry Hosp Sev guard Daniels Const f. Rev Robert Oury m. Ella Dixon P-Forge Bapt Cem Survivors: widow Frankie Newman P-Forge 3 sons Ed of THP Sunbright Jack Fullerton CA Robert P-Forge 2 dau Miss Delores Jane 4 gc 3 bro Commander Paul Oury USN retired R1 Providence RI Robert San Jose CA Carroll San Jose CA 2 sis Mrs Robert Jordon San Jose CA Mrs Geo Clark San Jose CA (Is this the Ed Oury who was a professional wrestler? If so, I think that "Sailor Clark" was his ring name.)
- [S106] The Mountain Press, Vol. 4, No. 34 (Sevier County News Record).
ED “SAILOR CLARK” OURY, WRESTLING CHAMPION DIES
By Beau Roberts
“I want to see a doctor quick, I’m about to die.” Said Ed Oury, famed wrestling champion, when he walked into a Sevierville Hospital, Saturday evening, May 28.
Well-Known as “Sailor Clark”, the biggest little man in wrestling, died of a heart attack approximately 20 minutes later.
LEGENDARY HISTORY
The 51-year old resident of Pigeon Forge left a legendary history to Sevier County youngsters and old alike.
Oury had been working as a guard for the construction company building the new Cherokee Mills in Sevierville. When the employees gather, “Sailor Clark” was always the topic of the conversation.
“Construction workers have never been anywhere,” he would jokingly tell the workers. “Why I’ve seen more of the United States from a covered wagon, than most people have seen from a car.”
BLAZED TRAIL TO FLORIDA
Western songs boast of driving herds of cattle on long trips, but they don’t have anything on Ed Oury. At the early age of 8, Ed and his 12-year-old brother, Paul, drove covered wagons from Okla. To Pennsacola, Fla. There were no roads in those days, and the trip took the young boys four months (November to February) over rough, unmarked trails.
Ed was born in Texas, and practically lived in the saddle. Wrangling was a job he knew well.
His father was a missionary to the first civilized Indian tribes in Oklahoma.
WORKED HARD
“Ed was never large, and was sick a lot when he was young, but he was determined to succeed in anything he tried,” his brothers said.
He constructed a special device for exercising, and spent hours upon hours developing every muscle in his body.”
WRESTLING TITLES
Sailor Clark was a welter-weight wrestler, but met any opponent of any weight in the profession. (There were only two classes of wrestling by weight, when Ed began his career. Heavy weight, 175 or over, and welter-weight, anything lighter than 175.)
A few of the titles he received were: All South (amateur), Tennessee Champion, Mason-Dixon Champion, and the Western Championship.
OPPONENTS
Herman Hickman, former All-American football player for the University of Tennessee, and now Coach of Yale University, was a personal friend of Sailor Clark. They were opponents in the ring on numerous occasions.
Sailor Clark met other such well known wrestlers as: Buck Lawson, Young Divisco, Jackie Renolds and Gus Sonnenberg, the originator of the “flying tackle.”
(Incidentally the flying tackle didn’t work on Sailor Clark).
WHIPS AUDIENCE
Ray Jenkins, prominent Knoxville lawyer, and Paul Oury, brother of Ed, were in the same Navy training camp and are friends.
Ray recently told Paul about one of Sailor Clark’s wrestling matches in Knoxville.
“The audience became very rowdy, as they often did, and began throwing bottles, while Sailor Clark was in the ring. The mob soon became so wild the police were unable to control them,” Paul said. “Sailor Clark climbed out of the ring and waded into the fighting mob. In short order, seven of the ring-leaders of the fight, lay unconscious in a straight line on the floor. Sailor Clark, then motioned to his opponent, climbed back into the ring and continued the match.”
FIGHTIN” FAMILY
There were 3 other athletic boys in the Oury family.
Paul, Rhode Island, was crowned the light-heavyweight champion of the Atlantic Fleet in Baltimore, Maryland on June 12, 1919.
He was a star player on the Navy football team. While Paul was on the squad, Navy was the only football team to defeat every college in the U. S. without suffering a defeat.
Carroll, a Western welter-weight Champion, was the middle-weight champion of Texas, when boxing was legalized in Texas in 1936.
Bob was an All-Navy welter-weight wrestling champion.
Paul, a commander in the U. S. Navy, is owner of the Pawtixet Valley Times, (a daily newspaper) and a radio station in Rhode Island. He was on the USS Penn, when the first radio was used aboard ship. Arthur Godfrey was, also, on the ship. Arthur’s voice and Uke were one of the first sounds to come over over the radio.
Paul assisted in building a Paramount Studio in Paris in 1929. They made movies in 14 different languages. Later a studio was constructed in Stugart, Germany.
POLICE OFFICER
Ed Oury was a member of the Gatlinburg Police Department for a number of years, and was a special night watchman for Pigeon Forge prior to being employed by the construction company at Cherokee Mills.
His home is at Pigeon Forge. He leaves his wife, three sons, two daughters, four grandchildren, three brothers, and two sisters.
- [S87] Death Certificate.
Name: Edward Hall Oury
Event: Death
Event Date: 28 May 1955
Event Place: Sevierville, Sevier, Tennessee
Gender: Male
Marital Status:
Race or Color:
Age: 51
Estimated Birth Year: 1904
Birth Date:
Birthplace:
Spouse:
Father: Rev. Robert Oury
Father's Birthplace:
Mother: Ella Dixon
Mother's Birthplace:
Occupation:
Street Address:
Residence:
Cemetery:
Burial Place:
Burial Date:
Informant:
Additional Relatives:
Digital Folder Number: 4181443
Image Number: 1337
Film Number: 1512773
Volume/Page/Certificate Number: cn 55-11109
- [S147] Find a Grave, (Memorial: 89805222).
- [S58] Marriage Certificate.
Name: Ellen Dixon
Also Known As:
Suffix:
Event: Marriage
Event Date: 28 Feb 1894
Event Place: McMinn, Tennessee, United States
Gender: Female
Spouse: Robert H Oury
Spouse's Also Known As:
Spouse's Prefix:
Spouse's Suffix:
Page: 572
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