The Newman Farm at Jaybird was looked upon as an admirable piece of property, well kept and an exceptional source of everything needed to produce a prosperous family. The farm had plenty of hands to toil the fields and tend the animals to provide for all who lived there and to trade or sell in the nearby villages. Father and Mother Newman, Mesheck and Sarah, had five sons and five daughters. There were also four grandchildren and a nephew who lived in the household and took on various duties. Neighbors could also be called upon to provide extra help in preparing the fields in spring and assisting in the fall at harvest time.

Traveling by horse and wagon was the norm until the railroad was built in the late 1880's. By rail, to the east, were the towns of Rarden, Otway and Henley. To the west was Peebles, Seaman and Winchester. The village of Locust Grove was a short distance on horseback through the valley.

Ma and Pap's son, Oscar, had known for a long time what he wanted to be when he grew up, a doctor. As a young boy, he had met Dr. Berry from the village nearby, when he came to the Jaybird community to call on a person who was ailing. He was taken by the way the doctor dressed and carried himself and his impressive horse and sturdy buggy. Oscar was further delighted because later on Dr. Berry would always take a moment when they saw each other to check on his health and his family's health and everyone's activities. Most of all, Oscar was impressed with how the doctor treated other people, even when they weren't the patient.

Oscar had sought out other information about the man he admired. He discovered that Dr. Berry had helped with his father's tanning business as a young boy until he was eighteen years old. He had taught school for five years before attending medical school and graduating from Starling Medical College. Along with his medical practice, he counseled others in legal and financial matters, raised livestock, sold farming implements and remained very interested in educational matters.

Oscar and his schoolmates were taught using McGuffey Readers. He had quickly learned how to read at school and was often found hidden away in a quiet place reading and studying ahead in his schoolbooks, even memorizing passages of the texts. His parents had a family Bible and a volume of Shakespeare's writings that he was free to try to read any time. He was not free, however, to read in the book he wanted most, a large doctor's book that was consulted for medical practices in the home. His parents feared he wasn't mature enough to handle some of the information inside including home remedy procedures.

Oscar Clarence Newman was born December 29, 1876. He was the ninth child out of a total of ten. His twin brother was child number eight born to Mesheck Herdman Newman and Sarah Johnson Newman. His father was the second of ten children. His grandfather was the ninth child out of twelve. Mesheck had been raised on a farm and assumed that profession as an adult. He also was a vital part of the community, serving as Justice of the Peace of Franklin Township from 1874 to 1877, township treasurer for a year and Adams County Commissioner beginning in 1894

His first two years in Grand were bad enough that he seriously considered moving on. His few patients had no money to pay for his services and in turn he had no money to pay for his lodging. He even took on extra work as a deputy county clerk, the deputy county treasurer, a post office helper and a worker in the local saloon. However the owners of the boarding house where he stayed decided having a doctor in town was more important than collecting the rent, and freed him of those debts.

With his hard work and determination, Dr. Newman slowly began to prosper. His circumstances improved enough to afford to marry and to start a family. His wife was Della Smith, the youngest sister of his friend who happened to be the local sheriff. The couple had three sons. All three became doctors.

He was also sidelined for a year by World War I, serving in the Medical Section of the Officer's Reserve Corps at Fort McArthur in Waco, Texas. He was honorably discharged after the people of Ellis County petitioned the government for his release from the military and begged for his return to medical practice in their area.

At the beginning of the century, medicines and medical procedures were swiftly advancing, but by 1920, Newman was still the only doctor in the area qualified to provide surgeries. Remembering his original goal, he worked to reopen his institution, calling it Shattuck Hospital. He began to build and expand the health care he had envisioned for the area residents. He also kept a promise to himself to increase his medical knowledge when he could by taking post-graduate work each year at some of the leading medical and surgical colleges.

Oscar had attended the Mayo clinic thirty-two times, including a few summers with his sons, training in the most recent medical advancements. He had been invited to join the clinic's staff but declined the offer, prefering to return to his home. In the mid 1930's, Doctor Oscar and Della Newman's three sons, each a medical specialist, returned to Shattuck to assist with providing services at the hospital. In a short period of time his hospital became known as the “ Little Mayo of the West,” as it excelled in providing specialists, physicians, nurses, top of the line equipment, support staff and even a dentist. The hospital expanded its mission and its territory and focused on serving the people of northwest Oklahoma, the northeast Texas panhandle, southwestern Kansas and southeastern Colorado. Dr. Newman's continuing efforts to provide compassionate care to residents of Ellis County and the surrounding area was commemorated in 1948 when his hospital was renamed the Newman Memorial Hospital.