Caddo- My Home Town

Money Matters

Sometimes the advertisements in the newspaper tell a story as interesting as the articles. Here are two examples from May of 1921:

No Pay- No Gas

Hereafter we must have SPOT CASH for all gas, oil, repairs, tires, or labor- one and all alike.

The small margin of profit makes this necessary.

You'll like the cash system better yourself after you try it.

Peters Garage

Pay Cash- Pay Less

Conditions make it necessary for us to adopt the Strictly Cash on Delivery plan; so hereafter we will not make tickets for gas or oil, repair parts or labor. It is strictly CASH to everyone alike, and by this means we well be able to make prices considerably less. 

Craghead Bros. Garage

Ruby Cooper Cox

My thanks to Greg Moore for sending this photo. It's of Ruby Cooper Cox of the Pleasant Hill community. He says it was taken around 1918 and the man in the photo is James (Laha?).The photo may have been taken after high school graduation. Ruby was the daughter of Marcus and Margaret Cooper and the sister of Lottie Cooper Trimmer. She is buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery next to her husband, Wiley Cox.

Little Clues

Researching a family's history is often a matter of finding little clues and linking them together. Few of us had ancestors who recorded their lives in neat little files and journals. Most families didn't have an historian who recorded all the births and deaths in the family Bible. So genealogy is a matter of finding as much documentation as possible and putting all the information together into some sort of cohesive history. The trouble is that there are always problems. Court houses burned, people eloped, children were adopted, people got divorced. Things happened that aren't recorded. Genealogists call their biggest problems "brick walls' because they sometimes encounter problems that seem insurmountable. The worst thing that can usually happen is that a person you have been tracing seems to disappear from the face of the earth. You can't determine if they died or left the country, got married, joined the circus, or simply changed their name.

One of my goals in creating this blog was to help genealogists find out information about their families. I've heard from lots of folks who have taken a name or date or event from this blog and used it to find new and important information about family members. It's my hope that I will continue to help families during the coming year. Tonight I offer some more little clues that may help someone with a brick wall.

The Star, December 4, 1874- Gen. D. H. Cooper and daughter, Mrs. Heiston, left Monday for Washington.

March 26, 1875- We are in receipt of a letter from parties in Greenfield, Dade County, Missouri, making inquiries about the two men who were found murdered in Caney Creek; an account of which was published in the Star on the 12th inst. They say that on, about, the 18th day of January, two men- R.A. Wilson and J. M. McInturff- left Greenfield in a spring wagon for Texas, and have not since been heard from. One of them was selling the right to the Monroe Davis Patent, Bee Hive; and also peddling eye water for chronic sore eyes. They had a chest of carpenter tools with them. This information may shed some light on the horrible mystery, and perhaps lead to the discovery of the murderers.

June 25, 1875- Married June 11th at the residence of the bride near Tishomingo, by Rev. N. E. Parsons, Mr. James Crockett to Mrs. Lou Thompson, widow of the late T. J. Thompson.

July 16, 1875- Miss Martha Hall, daughter of Perry Hall, who lives at Rush Springs, Choctaw Nation, on the night of the 3rd inst., eloped with a Mr. Joseph Mann of Illinois. The daughter had been closely watched for sometime by her father, but "where there is a will there is a way", and as usual in such cases, the girl finally found it. The mother, knowing how it was herself, sympathized with her enamored child and assisted her to escape.

July 23, 1875- Mr. Frank Low, bookkeeper for Marchand & Fenion, left Wednesday on a visit to his father's at Ft. Scott.

July 30, 1875- Died at Stonewall, Choctaw Nation, on the 17th inst., Lulu S., daughter of J. and Mrs. M. E. Doak, aged 6 years, 3 months, and 19 days.

October 26, 1875- Died, Walton Kemp, who was waylaid and shot last week, died on the morning of the 22nd.

November 23, 1875- Miss Lillie Stover, granddaughter of Andy Johnson, was married a few days ago to Thomas Maloney, a brilliant young lawyer of Greenville, Tennessee.

December 28, 1875- Mrs. Rooks, of Stonewall, daughter of Maj. Harlan, is in town spending Christmas.

Note to Denise Seay: Email me and I will give you the contact you need.   

Gone but not forgotten...

I walked around the cemetery for a while and found these rather unusual headstones.

Napoleon B. Ainsworth

(Leaders and Leading Men of the Indian Territory, By H. F. O’Beirne, 1891)

Napoleon B. Ainsworth (Choctaw)

(Nephew of W. H. Ainsworth, Caddo merchant)

            This leading citizen was born in 1856 at Skullyville in the Choctaw Nation, attended neighborhood school until he was fifteen years of age, when he entered Roanoke College, Salem, Virginia, and graduated after four years, in June, 1880, securing in the same year the orator’s medal. He went from there to the University of Virginia, and attended the law school for six months, and returning home that season, was appointed draftsman for the Council by Governor Jack McCurtain. At the termination of the council he was appointed National weigher at McAlester, which office he resigned after three years in order to devote more time to his law practice. On the death of National Auditor La Flore, N. B. Ainsworth was appointed to fill his unexpired term. In 1887 he was elected to fill the same office, which he held for two years.

            Mr. Ainsworth is a member of the bar in the United States Courts of the Indian Territory. He has gained a wide reputation both at home and abroad as an able and fluent advocate. N. B. Ainsworth, with one or two exceptions, (and one of these is his own brother) is considered the most thoroughly educated man in the Choctaw Nation, his knowledge being varied and very thorough in many important branches of learning. Mr. Ainsworth married Miss Emily K. Thompson in Roanoke, Virginia, in 1883, the issue of this marriage being three children:   Ben, Pushmataha, Helena, and Agnes. He is owner of a large farm of four hundred acres, and owns a third interest in the 7X ranch with Green and Edmond McCurtain, also half interest in the X- ranch with John Simpson, also an interest in the mines operated by the Osage Mining Company. The subject of this sketch is a third son of J. G. Ainsworth, deceased, a man highly respected during his life time, who, however, was not a politician, devoting himself to farming and stock raising at his home in Skullyville, Choctaw Nation.

J. C. Grimmitt

I don't want to get into trouble for copying from someone else's site, so I want you to click this link for J. C. Grimmitt and read his interview. This is from Indian Pioneer Papers, one of my favorite resources.

Dr. Clark

from Leaders and Leading Men of the Indian Territory, By H. F. O’Beirne, 1891

Wm. A. Clark, M.D.

The subject of this sketch is the son of Rev. Moses Clark, of Caddo, Choctaw Nation, who previous to his removal to the country, resided in Gilmer, Georgia, where William Ashbury was born. The young man was educated at Stanford, Kentucky, and afterward taught school in Lincoln county for two years. In 1873 he commenced reading medicine in Duncan county, Missouri, and after finishing his studies moved to the neighborhood of Armstrong Academy, Choctaw Nation, 1878, where he resided till the fall of 1881, when he moved to Durant, in the same Nation. After a few years practice at that point Dr. Clark returned to the Academy, where he remained till 1885, finally settling down to his professional career in Durant, where he now resides. In 1879 he married Selina Mowdy, daughter of Jas. Mowdy, of Nashoba county, Mississippi, by whom he had four children, two of whom are living- Nancy Leigher, eight years old, and Ashbury Bates, five years.

Dr. Clark is the oldest practicing physician in Blue county, and speaks highly of the treatment which he has received at the hands of the Choctaw people, whom he has found scrupulously honest in their dealings.

Dr. Clark, in company with Dr. Starks, was present at the hanging of Silas Peters in 1881 (the only Choctaw ever hung in his own country) the crime being horse theft on second conviction. This is the only offense punishable by the gallows, and is looked upon as a more degrading crime than murder in the first degree.

Dr. Clark has opened a large lumber business in Durant, where he is to be found when not actively engaged in his professional duties.

Grammar School Notes

December 8, 1916

Honor Roll

The honor roll number consists of those pupils who have perfect attendance and perfect deportment.

First Primary- Russell Vaughn

Second Primary- Oval Adkins, Lois Adams, Gordon Folsom, Z.V. Gordon, Ona Harper, Alfred Jones, William Theden, Bismark Rhode, Mable Rowsey, Tommy Shelton, Irma Crawley

Second Grade- Cludine Turner, Letall Whisenhunt, Lucile Grassham, Alice Semple, Lewis Joseph, Zelieka Boland, Alma Dempsy

Third Grade- Daisy Thedin, Susie Rodocher, Neva Rowsey, Margarette Boland, Ollie Dell Vaughn, Mary Alice Reid

Fourth Grade-Pearl Adams, Floyd Atkins, Deline Boydstun, Mary Emma Brown, Lillie Craghead, John Springer, Tray Windman, Louise Clower, Mattie Harman, Lillie Higgenbottom

Fifth Grade- Estelle Whisenhunt, Pauline Siegel, Lillian McKinney, Valentine Moon

Sixth Grade- Ernestine Carroll

Seventh Grade- Estella Owens, Guy Crossett, Ralph Chiles, Algine Chiles, Houston Boydstun, Hazel Levisay

Fat Men

“Fat Men’s Club” Helped City Grow

The Bryan County Star, Caddo, OK 1972

These men represented some of the chief businesses of Caddo which was the center of a wide trade territory.

A. E. Rutherford had a clothing store. D. B. Williams was in the furniture business with Ed Walters as his partner. The firm was Walters and Williams and they also sold caskets.

Barlow Roberts was associated with the Choctaw National Bank. His wife is said to have been quite a musician.

Jim Hogan operated a grocery store with his brother John. Until statehood, Rappolee had a law office in Caddo, but when Durant became the county seat, he moved there and was elected county judge.

Harry Dunlap was a banker. He built the Cochran home in Caddo, but later moved to Arizona for his health.

Cattleman R. A. Riddle bought and sold cattle. He and his partners owned a big ranch, the 3-A, ten miles east  and a mile and a half south of Caddo. There were big stockyards by the railroad, and cattle was shipped out by the trainload.

W. E. Theeden had a confectionary shop.

The general merchandise store operated by Bob Travis was owned by his brother-in-law, C. A. Bilbo, who at one time had a furniture store, a grocery store, livery stable, and opera house. Traveling theatrical companies were welcomed at the opera house and drew crowds form miles around.

Around the turn of the century the town of Caddo “went up in smoke”. Some years later Ira Smith and Amos Bass had an opera house at Bois D’arc and Hunter.

The Abney general store carried everything from axle grease through nails, flour, and groceries, to yard goods.

A real country-style store was operated by Billy Smith- his “general merchandise” included a bit of everything.

Bob Pace ran a general store where the Cowboy Building now stands. He came to Caddo from Caney, where he had been in business.

Dr. Bowman was not the only physician in Caddo, but one can tell from his spruce appearance that he had a good practice. He made his rounds on horseback before the automobile became popular. His wife sewed beautifully and is remembered as a “sweet woman”. During the first years here, Dr. Roy Cochran is said to have made his calls on horseback, too.

City marshal Joe House was the “law and order man”. At one time he was a butcher.

A.B. McCoy, a member of a well-known family, was in business here.

The photo caption reads: "The Men Who Built Caddo may be the title for this photograph, but some people refer to it as the Fat Men's Club, for every man weighed over 200 pounds. Photographed in 1904, first row from left: A.E. Rutherford, D. B. Williams, Barlow Roberts, Jim Hogan, Judge Rapploee; second row: Harry Dunlap, R. A. Riddle, W. E. Theeden, Bob Travis, Mr. Abney, Billy T. Smith, Bob Pace, Dr. Bowman, Joe House and A.B. McCoy.

Old Photos

I was looking through my files last month and ran across a 1972 Centennial issue of the Bryan County Star. It was in my mom's things and I'd almost forgotten about it. It contains several articles, including Elaine Braly's piece about Caddo's first century. It also has some old photos that I thought you might like to see. I just scanned the newspaper copies so they aren't wonderful. However, they are still very interesting. (I contacted the paper about originals, but no one on the current staff knows anything about them.)

The first is a photo of Mrs. C. A. (Ella) Bilbo. The caption says it was taken in Mary, 1911. "She was one of the organizers of the Civic and Cemetery Club in 1903 and served as president from 1904 to 1915. She was a graduate of Mary Nash College in Sherman, which later became Kidd Key College."

The second photo shows a rooming house owned by Mrs. Catherine Tolson, grandmother of Mrs. Kate Pitchlyn.

This photo of an early Ford car says "Andy Gavitt, on the right, and a friend pose beside a Ford in April 1918. They are in front of the home of Mrs. Kittie Smith Beard, mother of Mrs. Kate Pitchlyn."