Original SHS Nominated for National Registry Listing

 Original SHS Nominated for National Registry Listing

By Ken Childers

Editor, The Seminole Producer

One of the most iconic buildings in central Oklahoma, if not the entire state, is one step away from being recognized as a national treasure. The original Seminole High School building on Timmons Street has been nominated for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as well as the Oklahoma State Register of Historic Places. The nomination was made Thursday by the Historic Preservation Committee, which meets four times per year in Oklahoma City.

Final approval rests with the National Park Service, which within 45 days from the date of nomination, will either list the property in the NRHP, find it ineligible, issue a formal determination of eligibility, or return the nomination for revision.

The building has been vacant since 2015 when the school board, citing safety issues, voted to move students to what was then known as the Dan Boren Business Development Center on Strother Avenue.

In the fall of 2017, voters approved a $21.66 million bond proposal to build a new high school on Highway 9, just west of Seminole State College. The new school opened its doors in January 2020.

The “old” high school still holds a special place in the hearts of SHS alumni, including Dr. Larry Inman, who graduated in 1972. “I am delighted to hear that the SHS building on Timmons has been nominated to be listed on the historical building registry,” Inman said. “Thousands of people, including many of our family, have walked through those hallowed halls since 1930. I will always remember more than the building, those educators that influenced me through their academic teaching and their life example. But now, because of the building’s preservation, others can draw on its rich past, knowing that from these classrooms went forth SHS alumni that influence this world in so many ways.”

In June 2020, the building was declared a surplus asset by the school board and was put on the market via an open bid process. GuRuStu Communities, a real estate development company located in Tulsa, submitted the sole bid of $150,000. The company hopes to renovate the former educational space into a loft-style apartment complex. Inclusion on the national registry could mean funding in the form of state historic and housing tax credits for the developer.

“I think this is another positive step closer to launching the [GuRuStu] project at the Seminole High School building,” said Dr. Bob Gragg, Superintendent. GuRuStu would keep the school auditorium intact and open it for public events, Gragg added.

The former high school was designed by the architectural firm of Hawk and Parr, which also designed the Seminole Municipal Building. Other properties located in Seminole that are listed on the NRHP (as of Dec. 31, 2021) include the Grisso Mansion, the Home Stake Oil & Gas Company Building, the Seminole Municipal Building and the Strother Memorial Chapel.

Fuck Facebook

What a bunch of faggots! What must it be like, with "men" wearing Victoria's Secret and the "ladies" with hairy legs. What must it be like to be a twenty something that no one gives any consideration? Lonely? Masturbate a lot? Kiss my ass!

Seminole Indian Terribory Installment XVII

 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.

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. 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.

Page 2 of Seminole Indian Territory
They Built This City
Once again, in the Seminole Producer, 85 Years Ago column, we find other notables who came to Tidmore IT/ Seminole from the beginning. The date of this story was October 30, 1932. The story concerns the Seminole newspapers into one – “The Producer Publishing Company became the sole owner of Seminole Morning News…” A new weekly edition became the sole news horn for the area, now named The Seminole County News. The Stockholders of Producer Publishing company were of course, James T. Jackson, President; S.A. Jackson, Secretary; W.E. “Doc” Grisso, Vice-President; H.W. McNeill, Director. Stockholders of the Seminole County News were W.S. Livingston, president; Mrs. W.S. Livingston, vice-president; V.C. Cope, secretary-treasurer; and Ralph Livingston, director.
In the previous segment of this continuing saga, I have mentioned Doc Grisso and H.W. “Bill” McNeill and others. I will now supply a little nugget or two on Mr. and Mrs. Livingston. Mrs. Livingston was none other than Amy Dell Schenck, daughter of Joseph Applegate Schenck, MD and Clarissa Ellenor Matthews. Clarissa was the daughter of Robert Calvin Matthews, my G-G-Grandfather, also mentioned previously. Clarissa was born in 1849, in Benton Co., TN, also previously mentioned. Clarissa will be pictured here, along with a family photo. 
W.S. Livingston was actually William Shelby Livingston, b. 1871, and I would safely guess in Benton Co., TN. He and his wife are buried at Maple Grove Cemetery in Seminole, Oklahoma, along with many other family members. Ralph Livingston was born Ralph Schenck Livingston, just a few months before statehood in February, 1907, in Seminole. Many of you old-timers here will remember many of the family, certainly Rena Jo Livingston, her brother William Shelby Livingston, Jr. This family not only helped build Seminole but Shawnee as well. I knew Jack Livingston, a grandson, the best. He worked at Mick Tool Co., along with my father, as a machinist of oil field “fishing tools”. I spent a lot of time there as a youngin’. That is probably where I first met Joe Mills, father of my spouse, Marsha Ann Mills Matthews. Jack always wore that engineer cap and was never without his pipe/ tobacco, packing it and puffing away. He and Everett Dobbs, who also worked there always came to my Little League baseball games. I think E.L. Mick even attended a few. “Mick” bought the latest model Thunderbird, trading it every year. They were all just like family, and in fact, Jack was family. I know Rita Presley Baker will recall “Dobbs” quite well. She comes from another family or two who have been here forever.
Page 3 of Seminole Indian Territory
They Built This City
The Seminole Producer, 85 Years Ago Column, November 8, 1932, mentions one Paul Noe, former Seminole Insurance Agent, defeated his republican opponent, Leo G. “Happy” Nichols by a margin of 10,548 votes to 3,131 for county treasurer. I guess ole “Happy” was none too happy after that thrashing. Please do note the number of votes—a total of 13,678 votes cast. Our most recent election here had a total of just over 1,400 votes cast. If we keep “growing” we will be playing in the Little River Conference.
I do recall Paul Noe quite well and in fact, I recall being at their place on Jefferson Street as a wee tyke. I believe the house number was 226 Jefferson St. I had a Daily Oklahoman paper route that included Jefferson, University, etc. so I do recall house numbers in some cases. I also remember phone numbers when there were just 3 digits; ours was 291, then it became 2911 and then EV2-[Evergreen] 2911. I will add a picture below of Fizer M. Noe and his wife, Myrtle Maude Jones. Myrtle Maude Jones was the daughter of Rufus Philo Jones and Mary Alice Matthews, daughter of Robert Calvin Matthews. If you like to calculate these relationships, Myrtle was my 1st Cousin, twice removed. Her mother was my 2nd Great Aunt.
Paul Noe was of course a descendant of Fizer Noe. Fizer is somehow a family name. My grandfather was Winford Fizer Matthews. My father was Winford Fizer Matthews Jr. and I was about to be Winford Fizer Matthews II but Mom won that argument. If I recall correctly, Paul had a son named Paul Noe Jr. I knew the daughter of Fizer Noe and Myrtle, Angie Ruth Noe, now of Houston, TX. Angie was one of two cousins who helped get me started on the family history/ genealogy in 1986. The other was Mary Jones, a descendant of Rufus Philo Jones. The rest, as they say, is history. Pictured are: Franklin Randolph Noe and his wife, Serena Elfrenza Matthews, daughter of Robert Calvin Matthews. Also pictured, Fizer M. Noe and his wife, Myrtle Maude Jones. I have also added a photo of Bill McNeill and his wife, Eliza Ann Wilmoth Matthews McNeill, daughter of Robert Calvin Matthews. They were mentioned previously on Page 2 of this series. Fizer M. Noe is of course the descendant of Franklin Randolph Noe. Last but certainly not least is a photo of cousin, Booker T. Noe, Master Distiller, Jim Beam [Boehm] Brands, with a link to his obituary in the New York Times. I think we last spoke in 1999, in Louisville, Kentucky.

*All photos are at our website:  (17) Seminole Indian Territory [IT] Ghost Towns and History | Facebook

Booker T Noe Photo:

https://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/27/us/f-booker-noe-ii-74-master-bourbon-distiller.html?fbclid=IwAR3HEFmImMnDxhtR7Pjz8LbpEYvnFIyt4ZIMnfo5hex6IGQ-T4RARJPu0LM
Page 4 of Seminole Indian Territory

They Built This City

The Seminole Producer, 85 Years Ago column, features November 12, 1932, mentioning two notable Seminole families that I have mentioned time and again. I just previously mentioned Rena Jo Livingston. Two other names are mentioned in the same column—Norma Jean and Mildred Chase.

Leola Mildred Chase is the daughter of Robert Hutton Chase and Cora Maude Noe, previously mentioned. Cora was the daughter of Franklin Randolph Noe and Serena Elfrenza Matthews, daughter of Robert Calvin Matthews, my G-G-Grandfather. Norma Jean Chase is the daughter of Virgil Randolph Darius Chase, the son of Robert Hutton Chase. Virgil is another favorite son of Izard Co., AR. Robert Hutton Chase brought he and family from Elijay, Georgia. Virgil came to Seminole, along with a host of others in the Chase family. He rests in Maple Grove Cemetery as well.

Ricky Chase Dell and her little sister lived behind me on Roosevelt Street with a whole lot of family and friends. Ricky and her sister are absolutely gorgeous, as their mother; good genes as it is said. The Sullivans, also cousins, lived on Roosevelt as well, having lived directly across the street from us on Coolidge before their move.

Russell Herbert “Herb” Chase also came here to Seminole but later moved to Fairland, Ottawa County, Oklahoma, in the NE part of this state. William Darius Chase, the head of family, was the father of Robert Hutton Chase. He was born in 1839, in Fulton Co., Georgia, where he married Elizabeth Harrison Spruell. They ended up in Elizabeth, Fulton Co., Arkansas, another spinoff of Izard Co., Arkansas. It is fair to say he knew my G-G-Grandfather, Robert Calvin Matthews, both arriving in Izard Co. at about the same time. Another son of William Darius Chase, Wilson Alexander Chase, ended up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Oh, what a tangled web we weave.

Seminole Indian Territory Installment XVI

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 6^th cousins. If you are not familiar with these tests, my 6^th cousins go back to the time of my 5^th 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…

Pictured above: James Henry Harber and spouse, Nancy Jane Matthews

Seminole Indian Territory Installment XV

There are a number of things about this story that piqued my interest. If you have followed the work of my wife, Marsha Ann Matthews, and I, you know that we have been mapping, visiting and looking for all these ghost towns that were once thriving establishments all over Seminole County. It has been a massive undertaking but a labor of love and lots of laughs. I will just tell you; it is time to get out of the big city of Seminole and see the beauty that surrounds it. We have been absolutely stunned and sometimes overwhelmed at the raw, bucolic scenery in our travels. You had to be there!

This brings me to one of my points about this story. We have been all over the county in that area described in this story. What struck me is when I came across a former settlement by the name of Dindy. As many ghost towns and settlements as we have located, we continue to find others that are lost to history and where there is no historical record of their ever having been here. That is such a travesty. However, this is an ongoing project and we plan to find all that can be found. I may be found some day on stilts in an Indian grave, although all my DNA testing says that I do not have a drop of Indian blood in me. We need to find Dindy and any help in so doing would be most welcome. As much as I have tried, we have not come up with a credible Indian Territory Historian to provide us with the stories, even anecdotal, that we have sought. That too is a travesty! There has to be someone out there! Since I first wrote this, some have been suggested and I will get around to them at some point.
The story underpinning all of this is another chapter in the Seminole/ Creek Nation. I’ll bet not 1 in 10 in this county has any idea that, at one time, it was just Creek. It was not until later when that tribe split into two, creating the Seminole Nation. That is a whole ‘nother story. Marsha and I have been in and around that whole Indian Spring area. We also stopped at the site of the John Frippo Brown Cemetary. He was once the Principal Chief of the Seminole Tribe—1885 to 1901 and 1905 to 1906. His daughter was Mary Alice Brown, later the Principal Chief herself—1925 to 1932, appointed by President Warren G. Harding. She had land in the NE of the county, in what was and really still is to some of us, Arbeka, formerly a fairly large land area - Seminole Indian Territory [IT]; Red Mound Township. One of my recent acquaintances bought that parcel of land. I have been invited out to visit that area which still has visible wagon tracks for the wagon trains of yesteryear. There is a cave there where those waiting on their wagon would hold up while out of the inclement weather. It is just one of many such items on our Seminole IT Bucket List, which is quite lengthy and now growing. There is also a marker she told me about that has a rock hewed with arrows, pointing both east and west, with Arbeka on the East and Econtuchka Township on the west. Both extend to the eastern and western borders of the county.
Since you may be reading this on our website, you will find much more on all of the above as you wind your way down the page. It is loaded and will take some time if you want to see it all, but I believe it is so worth your time if you care anything about this very rich and fully loaded history of Seminole. Enjoy the story and ponder it all. There is so much more to come.

The Story of Martha Jane Floyd
Seminole Indian Territory [IT]
If you would like to know the entire story, and you should, it appears in the Seminole Producer, October 29, 2017. I will post a piece on this story following this post. 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, 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 autosomal 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. [No comment] 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.

To be continued…

Seminole Indian Territory Installment XIV

Bands of Seminole Indians, from Florida, first settled in what is now known as Seminole County, Oklahoma. Most of them came from about 1830 to 1840. Having fought to prevent removal from their ancestral homes in Florida against frontiersmen and U.S. Regular Army soldiers under Generals Scott and “Old Hickory” Andrew Jackson, for more than ten years, until their great chief, Osceola, was finally captured and imprisoned; yet, quite a few of these courageous Indians managed to evade the soldiers, hiding out in the deep fastnesses of the Everglades, where many of their descendants sill live today, and not many were forcibly evicted. Out of six or seven thousand Seminoles, perhaps, a few hundred were rounded up at the time, and set by boat and overland, by way of New Orleans and up the Mississippi; thence, across Arkansas, to the site chosen for them between the Canadian rivers in what is now known as Seminole County. Hundreds more emigrated, voluntarily, to join relatives here as the years went by; and there were a hundred or two hundred Negro slaves who came along, too. Population was less than 3,000.

The Indians had their own tribal form of government, with clans, and band-chiefs, setting up their capital in the early-day, small settlement of log-cabins, called from the creek by which they settled “We-wo-ca” in the Seminole tongue, but interpreted into English “Barking Water,” and spelled by the English “Wewoka.” Other small towns in Seminole county, first settled by the Indians, were called Konawa, or “Skunk-town,” in English; and Sasakwa, or “Goose-Town.”

The Indians established mission-schools, named Mekusukey and Emahaka, nicely built brick and stone structures, as time went on, located on the east and west sides of the Seminole Nation. Emahaka being south of Wewoka, and the Mekusukey Academy being maintained for many years after Emahaka had been abandoned. They hired white teachers of good name and well educated for that time. White people coming into the county, as time went on, first raised money for schools by subscription. But with the coming of statehood, money was provided for better schools by state provision. Some nice, two-story, brick and stone buildings were erected in towns like Seminole, Konawa and Wewoka. Frame buildings, some one-room schools, served the rural districts; and there was very little equipment. Grade-schools taught most of the subjects taught today, but no art or music. Later, high schools were added. Gradually, better instructors were obtained, and most of the high schools today will not employ instructors who do not have degrees.

Of course, there was much better and finer equipment for the teaching of sciences, and rooms and facilities for music and art instruction, all representing the investment of millions of dollars. Rural schools were among the best in the state. All were well-staffed, well-kept and carry on a program of extra-curricular activities and community-development.

Churches in Seminole county had a rude origin, indeed. Many were merely brush-arbors in the summertime, and services were held in schoolhouses on Sundays, or when not otherwise in use. But it wasn’t long after statehood, and after much mission-work, that good churches began to be constructed. Some had only part-time ministers, but early-day elders often preached; and singing schools were held on many occasions. Many churches had small organs. Today the fine churches seen in every Seminole county town, have beautiful furnishings, all the embellishments of church-architecture, and a musical and education program, along with the regular religious services.

Oil came to Seminole county in 1923, the discovery-well just south of Wewoka. The old Standard drilling-rigs had wooden walking-beams and slow, heavy drilling equipment, taking weeks for a well to be brought in. Sometimes gushers came in, wasting oil before the well could be capped; but the drilling went right on. In 1926, the first well in the great Seminole field was brought in. People came from everywhere, greatly increasing the population of Seminole and Wewoka; and boomtowns like Cromwell and St. Louis mushroomed into being in a matter of weeks. Many became wealthy overnight. Oil attracted the nation’s attention to Seminole county. It also brought about recognition for the need of better things money could buy. Oil companies and generous oil men donated large sums to schools, churches and for public parks, auditoriums, golf-courses, swimming pools, etc. Many newly rich men built fine homes and sent their sons away to college. Today, most oil-wells are drilled with Rotary rigs that can go down thousands of feet in a few days. Water-flooding has increased the production of many old wells and newer and more efficient engineering methods are producing more oil everywhere. Proration has caused the wealth from oil to last longer. But many other professions and businesses have profited from oil, immeasurably.

Seminole county has many small streams, running between low hills, and there is much good fertile farmland in Seminole county. There is, also good upland pasture and range land. Cotton, corn, oats, alfalfa and all kinds of truck-crops make for prosperity on the farm. The soil is generally sandy, clay or dark river-bottom land. It can be made to produce wonderfully.

Thomas Town Church Celebrates 150 Years
From Seminole Producer
Friday, August 25, 2017

This is one of those stories that just fires my rockets. Oklahoma, and Seminole specifically, has forgotten more history than it recalls and that is sad. This story began just post-Civil War, and the same length of time following the freeing of the slaves of the “Civilized Tribes”, called Freedmen. Just that fact alone has escaped all but a few. It is fair to say that all the black folks I grew up with, at school and at play, are descendants of Freedmen. This history has some rather tender feelings for so many and both sides tend to avoid the subject.
While it may give some pause, it is most certainly our history—the story of the Trail of Tears, the story of the Tribes in the Civil War, the story of Stand Watie, a Cherokee Indian, made a Brigadier General by none other than the President of the Confederacy, Jefferson “Jeff” Davis. It is a story that must be understood to know about Indian Territory and the finally the story of Oklahoma, admitted to the Union just 40 years following the beginning of this story, 1867. In short, it was the punishment of the Tribes for opting for the Confederacy, although understandable under the circumstances. You see, those who were made to walk the Trail of Tears had never forgiven the USA for their removal and resettlement. Can you blame them?
Following the Civil War, many Union Veterans were provided their 100 acres along the northern border of Oklahoma Indian Territory in return for their service. That was not well accepted. That was the beginning of the end of Indian Territory, as they knew it. The Federal Government was going to take their land in punishment for their service to Jeff Davis.
Another crucial fact to point out here is that in the agreement between General US Grant and Robert E. “Marse” Lee, as an attachment to the Articles of Surrender was made plain, that these Articles were not fully effective unless and until “Captain” Stand Watie cease and desist aka stand down in Indian Territory. He did not and never did; part of his war continued, largely in attacking the Union Veterans in their new Settlements in their territory. Thus, when you hear that the Civil War never ended, technically and in reality, never did. It was not just some idle cliché.
On June 23, 1865, General Stand Watie, a member of the Cherokee Nation and Brigadier general of the First Indian Brigade of the Army of the Trans-Mississippi, surrendered to Union forces at Doaksville in the Choctaw Nation. With his signature upon the cease-fire treaty, Watie became the last Confederate general in the field to “surrender” during the Civil War. Oh, he clearly signed what was known as the Stand Watie Treaty, but it was done with a wink and a nod. The “hostilities” continued unabated. Thus, what was signed was not worth the paper on which it was written. If I had been Stand Watie, I would have done the same thing, period!
So, now that you know a wee bit about Freedmen, when you read the story, you will have a little of perspective of the times. I should point out that lawsuits have been filed, heard, settled, filed again and heard in the US Supreme Court regarding the rights of Freedmen vis-à-vis their former owners and tribal rights. Thus far, the Freedmen have been unsuccessful in achieving full tribal status. I’m pretty sure the issue is not dead but that is just my own editorial comment. As Yogi Berra would say, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over”, and “I ain’t heard the fat lady sing.”

Coming Home Part IV - The Final Act

I arrived here in Seminole in May, 1915. Unfortunately, I arrived without my little buddy, Marsha Ann Mills. I was supposed to pick her up in S Louisiana, enroute from Knoxville, TN to Seminole. She had had a major crash due to her COPD and she was in the Intensive Care Unit in Westlake, LA. I was absolutely scared to death. I had known that little girl since she was just a tyke. I was 8 years her senior. We were all in the same neighborhood. It was almost by accident that she was to come home with me. We communicated by various means when I was in Knoxville and she was in S Louisiana. She was not being treated well by those who were supposed to be caring for her. In finality, I told her I was going home and that I was going to retrieve her; no discussion, no debate. It was about 2 weeks before she was well enough to travel. I had gotten a house, suitable for her needs, a new truck and got it ready for her arrival.

When I got to her, she was very weak. I took care of her there for 3 days, feeding her, etc., getting her ready to travel. We finally pushed off and it was a very hard trip on her. I had planned to take a nurse with me for the trip up here but those plans fell through. We finally arrived here about 4 am in the morning and carted her medical supplies—O2, O2 machine, etc. and got her settled. We were both exhausted. I did everything for her, and I mean everything. Almost 2 years later, she told me it was time to make her an “honest woman”. Thus, on May 6, 2017, we were married. It was providential, especially for those of you who know us and know our story. I cannot describe just how much we meant to each other. EVERY DAY was just another fun day and a BLESSING! We were HOME! We both grew up here. This was it!

We did everything together but for the errands, etc. Her COPD had her largely confined. We did however run all over Seminole Indian Territory [IT] to put together the 10,000 year-old history of this very spot. We packed all of her stuff, medical and otherwise and drove and walked this county. That girl was the happiest she had ever been and that is no exaggeration. It was the best of my life too. THAT is no exaggeration. We put together our FB Website:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/SeminoleITGhostTownsandHistory/

Everything is documented there; our travels and travails. It was/ is a massive undertaking. It remains a Work in Progress and will take the rest of my life to finish it. I shall!

I lost my wife on September 24, 2017. That was the worst day of my life. The COPD and an emergency gall bladder surgery was just too much for her frail body. I am still lost. I lost my heart. She took it with her. You must visit our website. Here you will find this:

Marsha Mills Matthews and I created this group for those in Seminole, Oklahoma, past and present, who have interest in their history. This history is not complete without the complete history of the Seminole Nation Indian Territory [IT], following their removal on the "Trail of Tears"--this was the "End of Trail". This will cover Seminole Lighthorsemen, the Civil War, Famous Lawmen and Outlaws, Ghost Towns, etc. This is an ongoing and quite massive project and it will culminate in presentations in various venues. We hope you enjoy the product as much as we enjoy putting it all together. The earliest posts begin at the bottom of the page. I should say too that some of this goes beyond just Seminole IT and includes Oklahoma history generally. Marsha, the Love of my Life, passed into the Lord's Hands on September 24, 2017. She loved working with me on this as well as other sites we developed together. I miss her. I will always miss her. This site is dedicated to her memory and what a memory it is. The background photo above is the old Mekusukey Mission. This site remains a Work in Progress.

This is my final chapter[s]. Here I will remain. I grew up here in an idyllic time and place. I will be going nowhere. My name is at Maple Grove on her memorial. We will be there forever and a day. That is the one request she had that stood out – “I want to be with you forever and a day.” There it will be…we will be comingled.

This book that follows is her book, as well as mine. As stated, it is dedicated to her; her life, her smile, her loving heart; her very being is more than I can convey. She is my life, my love, my heart…

The book follows, dedicated to that most wonderful of human beings. I was honored that she asked me to make her an “honest woman.”

Vaya con Dios