The
Story of Martha Jane Floyd
If
you would like to know the entire story, and you should, it appears in the
Seminole Producer, October 29, 2017. This will be the front page of another
rather comprehensive piece on Seminole IT and my family history/ genealogy. That
family history/ genealogy has been accepted and verified by the relevant
authorities in Great Britain, British Museum in London, as documented, to the
time of Lord Ithel Ddu, aka “The Gwaithfoed.” He reigned c. 900-1000 AD. I will
go no further with this angle other than to say there is a book about it,
published by yours truly, and will have a sequel. It is a world history, not
just a family history. I suppose it can be said it is also Seminole history.
I
should mention too that I have been tested to 67 Markers Y-DNA, HVR-1 and HVR-2
mtDNA and the autosomnal Family Finder Test which takes me as far as 6th
cousins. If you are not familiar with these tests, my 6th cousins go
back to the time of my 5th G-Grandfather, James Matthews [b. about
1697], the immigrant. My DNA has been uploaded to some worldwide DNA projects,
including the National Geographic Genographic Project; long story. DNA is
science; it is not family folklore, lies and Family Bible novels, if you get my
meaning.
When
you read this story, you will see a fascinating piece on the history of Oklahoma
Indian Territory [IT], Seminole IT and the transition from Tidmore IT to
Seminole, Oklahoma. You will see how Martha Jane Floyd obviously had a
constantly moving wagon back and forth from Arkansas to Oklahoma IT, to the
Land Run in 1889 [One of 8 Land Runs] and back again to Arkansas and then to
Tidmore, IT and finally Seminole, Oklahoma. Her first “hotel” was a tent in
Wewoka, IT, then a wood and tin model in Tidmore and one in the new Seminole,
Oklahoma and the final being a brick model [The Commercial Hotel] on Main and
Oak, still extant today. It is now occupied by Dixie Finance Co. I would say
that 95% of the residents here have not a clue of any of this story and
history, generally. They largely tend to like nothing if it is not “new.”
The
story mentions that Martha Jane was born in 1866, in “Izzard” Co., AR, 7 years
after my G-G-Grandfather moved there from Benton Co., TN. She was born a
Brinsfield, another family with a long history here in Seminole and that will
be mentioned on Page 2, coming soon.
Firstly,
it is Izard County, not Izzard. It was spawned by Arkansas Co., MO, in 1813. It
was originally of the Cherokee Tract, prior to Arkansas Territory and Statehood.
Izard became a county in 1825, as one of the original “Parent Counties” in
Arkansas. From Izard County were spawned about 10 other counties which I will
not name here but will name some of them later with a purpose. Ole “Doc” Grisso
was sitting in his house on one day in Izard County and the next day he was in
Baxter County, never having taken a step. It was not long before that, one
would awaken in another state, never even getting on his horse. I had one
G-G-Uncle who did not know where he was born. Different census records had him
being born in 4 different states—Georgia, N Carolina, S Carolina and Alabama.
That piece of land was where all those borders meet and you can also throw in
Tennessee and Virginia. It was the “Black Hole” of genealogy.
The
story mentions that Martha Jane lived on 400 N. Highland and that was directly
across the street from Winford Fizer Matthews and his wife, Ara Della [Barnett]
Matthews, my grandparents, also from Izard Co., AR, and some of the other original
settlers here. It should be said that there were many others too who were from
Izard Co., AR, who built this city. I will not go into detail here but that too
will soon follow.
In
the autumn of 1906, land in an Indian Nation could not be bought, so the white
residents of Tidmore had to rely on the uncertain and extra-legal lease system.
When restrictions were removed from Seminole freedmen (Before they were removed
from the Indians), Tom Biggers, J.C. Matthews and Jacob VanBuskirk acquired
eighty acres in what is now the center of Seminole from a freedman named
Wallace Carter and marked off lots and streets.
Here
are just a few of the other notables from there and went to Tidmore IT and
finally to Seminole, Oklahoma: W.E. “Doc” Grisso of Grisso Mansion fame, Robert
Hutton Chase, James Henry and his brother Jasper Newton Harber, Andrew Jackson
Seay and two sons, Jasper Newton and Andrew Howell Seay; Franklin Randolph Noe,
Bill McNeill, etc. All of the above married the daughters and granddaughters of
my G-G-Grandfather, Robert Calvin Matthews, Izard Co., AR [1859], via Benton
Co., TN. By the way, all of the above came to Arkansas from that same spot in
Tennessee. They moved in packs from Boston Harbor in 1718, to Chester Co., PA,
to the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, to Southside Virginia on the Wagon Road,
to Rowan Co., NC and to two locations in Tennessee—Maury and Stewart Counties.
Other members of these families were original settlers of Pottawatomie and
Pontotoc Counties.
As
an aside, I will mention here that Booker T Noe, a cousin, was the Master
Distiller for Jim Beam Brands and has a Single Barrel Bourbon in his name. I
met Booker many years ago while I was a lobbyist for The Distilled Spirits
Council of the U.S., Inc. He is a rather rotund, jovial sort and looks like many
of his descendants and cousins. We talked a bit about how we were cousins, a
fascinating story. I got to taste his product out of a barrel before it
actually hit the market. I know that will surprise many of you LOL. It is one
of 4 single-barrel bourbons which are blended to make Jim Beam White Label. It
is his son now that is the Master Distiller for Jim Beam Brands, Fred Noe.
J.C.
Matthews was a descendant of James Calvin Matthews, named for his grandfather,
oldest son of Robert Calvin Matthews, who was lost after the Civil War Battle
of Peay Ridge, never to be seen again. My grandfather partnered with Mr. Harber
in his first grocery and feed store and then Harber financed that one and 4
more owned by my grandfather. Mr. Harber learned early that groceries and feed was
not his cup of tea and sold his interest to my grandfather. One of my
grandfather’s brothers settled here too and had Mattie’s Café in Bowlegs, OK.
For the old-timers in Seminole, the amazing stories of the others named here
are mostly well known.
I
do not know why Izard Co., AR settlers were also settlers of Tidmore IT, other
than to say that is what they did, moved in packs. I have been to Izard
County—Mt. Home, Pineville, Calico Rock, etc. I attended a Matthews Reunion in
2001. It is still a setting way back in time and is a beautiful, bucolic area,
resting on the ill-famed White River of Clinton lore. There are so, so many
stories and they will be added here over the next several days, weeks and
months. For those in Seminole especially, it will be, in large part, the
history you never knew.
I
am pictured here at the front of Calico Rock Hardware Store, the location of
G-G-Grandfather’s general store on the White River. It is rumored that he had a
barrel of fine whiskey and sold it by various quantities, depending upon your
level of interest. There are a number of fun family anecdotes that may have
mentioned that, which I have in my possession. I can neither confirm nor deny
the stories. He built the first school, Masonic Lodge, AME Church and more.
To
be continued…
No comments:
Post a Comment