Interview with Thomas Rutherford "Oad" Colbert

While searching for something else, I found this interesting interview of Thomas Rutherford "Oad" Colbert (1879-1939). He was the brother of my great-great grandmother Carrie Colbert.

I'm posting a link to this interview mostly for my few family members who visit this blog, but regular readers might find his words interesting as well.

The Colberts were a big part of Chickasaw history. Oad provided his opinion of his ancestors' move from Mississippi to Indian Territory in 1832 and the land allotment they received from the government.

"We were kidded into believing we're getting a fine thing, when they began allotting the land. But did not learn until later that we were being fooled."

This is a very short interview, and I wish there was more. Family, do you remember Doris talking about Oad? I do. He died in a car accident in 1939 when he was 59.

Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 6

Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 1

Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 2

Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 3

Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 4

Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 5

During our Oklahoma road trip, we visited the Chickasaw National Capitol Building in Tishomingo.

Behind the purple-flowered bushes are a set of memorial bricks that people can purchase in tribute to others. My dad had a set made for the ancestors in our Chickasaw line. They sit at the base of the building and welcome all who visit:

My grandmother

My great-grandmother

My great-great grandmother

My third-great grandfather

My fourth-great grandfather

My fifth-great grandfather

My sixth-great grandmother

My sixth-great grandfather

It was 105 degrees on the day we visited the Chickasaw National Capitol Building. The trip was nice, but equally as nice was the Dairy Queen just 2 blocks down the road. It was an ideal end to our day.

Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 7

Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 2

Read Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 1 here.

On day 2 of our Oklahoma family history road trip, we drove through Velma on our way to Duncan. The town of Velma has a detailed history online. If you read the whole thing, just know that Frank Jones is my great-great grandfather. His future father-in-law, Christopher Colbert is my third-great grandfather.

My grandmother's middle name is Velma and I don't think it is a coincidence. Maybe her mother knew the Velma for whom the town was named.

After Velma, we headed on to Duncan, Oklahoma. My grandma was born here in 1914 and spoke of it often. Last time I was there, it was during freezing January temperatures. This time it was 100+ degrees and in the middle of an exceptional drought.

I spent some time in the Stephens County Genealogical Society Library. They were very helpful before and during my visit, assisting me in what to bring and what to view when I arrived. They are located at 301 North Eighth Street in Duncan, Oklahoma, 73533. 580-255-8718 or scgs_library@yahoo.com

They have a large collection of the Duncan Banner newspaper on microfilm. I viewed some 1936-1937 issues, hoping they would verify that my grandmother wrote the society column during that time. Unfortunately, the column was not credited, though everything else seemed to be. I have proof she worked for the paper and her wedding announcement mentions the society work. I guess I'll just have to be happy with that, though I did hope to see her name in print.

I did have success in the obituary category. I found announcements in the Duncan Banner for Nancy Bourland Colbert (my third-great grandmother) in 1912, my great-great grandmother Carrie Colbert Jones in 1958, and two of her daughters, as well as others in my family tree.

While we were at the genealogy library, my dad struck up a conversation with Super Volunteer Sandy. He talked about his grandfather, Dr. Sam Williamson who was a prominent physician back in the day and lived right around the corner from the library until the 1930's. Sandy mentioned the current owner of the house and offered to call her. She did and the owner of the house where my grandmother grew up invited us over to visit.

This is why the pursuit of your family history is awesome.

Oklahoma Road Trip, Part 3

Pride and Joy

The Chickasaw Times is a monthly publication sent out to Chickasaw Nation citizens on a monthly basis. One of the features is a "Pride and Joy" section where parents and grandparents can brag about their kids. There's a family in my neighborhood who gets in that section regularly. I joked with my dad that he needs to keep up with the other grandparents when it comes to getting the grandkids in the paper.

Imagine my surprise this week when I see some familiar faces in the Pride and Joy section: my son and nieces. My dad did a great job with his bragging. He talked about his grandchildren and their ancestral connections. Their second- and third-great grandmothers are original Chickasaw enrollees.

If my grandmother was still here, she would be very proud to see some of her great-grandchildren in the Chickasaw paper. But I think she'd be even more thrilled to see her mother and grandmother in the paper, mentioned by name as original enrollees.

My grandmother, Doris

I inherited her shortness and wide feet.

My great-grandmother, Frankie Jones 

(original Chickasaw enrollee #3702)

My great-great grandmother, Carrie Colbert

(original Chickasaw enrollee #3701)

Thanks for getting my kid in the paper, dad! I think these ladies would be proud of their descendants.

Edna Ferber, White Hats and My Family Tree

Recently, I've been corresponding with a third cousin who found me via my ramblings on the Internet. One of our common ancestors is our great-great grandfather, Frank Wiley Jones (1859-1942). If I had the time, I'd write a book about him. He led an interesting life.

Born in North Carolina, Frank and family moved to Texas when he was a baby. He led the cowboy life as a young man, eventually driving cattle on the Chisholm Trail. He also managed a ranch for a widow and ended up marrying her eldest daughter. After the birth of their first daughter, Frank and wife Carrie moved to what is now Oklahoma, acquiring land through Carrie's Chickasaw heritage. During the process of having five more daughters, Frank gave up the cowboy ways and settled in to life as a business man. The one constant through all of Frank's life was the white hat he wore every waking hour of every day.

During one of the emails from my newly-found third cousin, she mentioned that her grandmother said that Frank was interviewed by Edna Ferber for her book Cimarron and he was even credited as a source.

Curious, I asked my librarian friends to look on their shelves to see if they had the book and could find Frank's name in the front or back. None did. I ordered the book myself through interlibrary loan just for my own amusement.

The copy of the book in my possession does not list Frank as a source. However, the subject matter indeed reflects the type of life Frank led as he moved his family from Texas to the land that would eventually become Oklahoma.

In the introduction of Cimarron, Ferber says her characters are imaginary, made up of many bits, pieces and observations that when sewn together create a picture of the spirit of the time.

I'm only a quarter of the way through the pages, but it is quite possible my great-great grandfather was interviewed for this book. He's not one of the characters, but his voice may have helped paint the landscape of the tale. And though the leading man, Yancey Cravat, physically doesn't not resemble the real Frank Wiley Jones, there is one similarity I just can't shake.

At the beginning of Cimarron, Yancey Cravat is described as wearing "always, a white felt hat, broad-brimmed and rolling."

Well what a coincidence. My great-grandfather did, too. Always. Until the day he died:

Carrie Colbert Jones and Frank Wiley Jones
early 1940's, Oklahoma

Naming Names

Craig at GeneaBlogie had the wise notion to publicize the names he was searching and see if anyone else knows something about them. This is a great idea. I can't believe I never did it before, but I'm posting them here now:

Baerecke, Barecke (WI, IL)
Bean (TN, AR)
Bourgaux, Bourgeaux (Acadia Parish LA, Gilly Belgium)
Bourland (KY, TX, OK)
Brauckman (Germany)
Brigance (TN, AR)
Brigham (TN, AR)
Clingman (AR)
Cloyd (TN, VA)
Colbert (Chickasaw, Indian Territory, OK, MS)
Degreve (LA, Belgium)
Eldridge (St. Landry LA, Milan County TX, KY)
Hood (KY, TX)
Howorth, Howarth (SC, TX)
Jones (Chickasaw, TX, NC, OK, Indian Territory)
Jost (Austria, PA)
Legoffe (France, LA)
Lenertz (IA in 1850's, MN, Luxembourg)
Lockweiler (poss. Luxembourg)
Menou (Acadia Parish, LA, France)
Moore (MS, OK, Indian Territory)
Mitchell (NC, AR)
Neilson (NC, TX)
Perkins (KY, TX, LA)
Quesenberry, Quesenbury (AR, NC)
Shokweiler (poss. Luxembourg)
Shukeveiler (or something like it)
Smith (LeSueur MN)
Sparks (AR, poss. TN)
Tate (NC, AR)
Thibodeaux (Acadia & St. Landry Parishes LA)
Turk, Tuerk (Germany)
Williamson (AR, TN)
Yost (PA, Austria)

Ok, now I have to use the word "genealogy" so search engines will pick it up and people searching for Eldridge genealogy or such will land on this blog.

My challenges are as follows:

Any indication of a Baerecke or Barecke in Chicago in 1892.
A death date for H. H. Baerecke/Barecke.
An idea of what H. H. stands for (I think it's Harry from WI but have no proof.)

Information on the following Lenertz's all born in the 1800's:
Alex Lenertz
Alexander Lenertz
Catherine Lenertz
Frank Lenertz
Henry Lenertz
John Lenertz
Joseph Lenertz
Margaret Lenertz
Mary Lenertz
Michael Lenertz
William Lenertz

Also in search of information on the Pierre Thibodeaux born in Louisiana in 1829, not the one born in 1835.

If you have any information on these folks, or you need more clarification, please email me using the email address provided in the right column of this blog.

COG 63: New Year's Genealogy Resolutions

The topic for the 63rd Carnival of Genealogy is New Year's resolutions. Participants are supposed to discuss plans for genealogy research and blogging in the coming year. Easy enough.

Plans for WeTree:

I resolve to double my number of daily visitors to this blog. I also plan to double the number I currently see on Feedburner, as well as my authority number on Technorati. I wrote today's stats in the back of my 2009 calendar, so we'll see if I reach my goal.

The blog itself will stay the same in terms of style and focus (or lack thereof). I will continue to treat it like a plant, adding to it, watching it grow and waiting for the crop to pay off.

Plans for Research:

Lenertz - I'm at the end of my rope with these folks and their only children, random movements across the country, and lacking vital records. It's challenging to trace an unusual name, especially a branch for which I can find no previous research. I resolve not to give up. It's all I can promise.

Thibodeaux - I resolve to poke around in Louisiana a bit, get some vital records and start to build a case to prove my theory that Noel Thibodeaux is often being connected to the wrong Pierre Thibodeaux. I also want to explore the Bourgaux and Menou names in the Acadia and St. Landry Parishes.

Colbert - I've cleared the ground and planted a seed. Now it's time to grow a family tree for my Chickasaw Colberts. This year, my Colbert time will focus on getting information on great-grandmother Frankie's sisters.

Miscellaneous Plans:

I resolve to have two writing pieces published somewhere. That's it. I don't care about the focus or the audience. Just write two pieces and have someone print them. I was published once last year, so I'm doubling the goal to challenge myself.

I resolve to have a personal CG timeline in place by Dec. 31, 2009. I know I want to be certified. Right now, my response is "some day." By next year, I figure I'll know enough about the process to feel comfortable setting a timeline to reach that goal.

I am attending the big events for NGS, SCGS, and FGS in 2009. I plan to meet as many blog readers and Facebook friends as I can so we can share in our own brand of craziness.

Guess that's all. It's going to be a good year for me, geneaogically speaking. I can feel it.

My Own Personal Show and Tell

I've read numerous blog carnivals, but never thrown my hat in the ring. Today, I will in the 55th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. The topic is to show and tell "about an heirloom, a special photo, a valuable document, or a significant person that is a very special part of your family history."

There were several qualifying items and people in my tree: the guy who was governor for a few weeks, the guy who was murdered over a woman and a horse, numerous Civil War veterans, many hard working folks who were good people without notoriety.

However, the subject of my show and tell is yours truly:



Earlier this year, I became a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation.

My grandparents would have been very proud.

Like several Chickasaw citizens, we descend from James Logan Colbert. For family members playing along, the line goes like this:

James Logan Colbert > Major James Colbert > James Isaac Colbert Jr. > Christopher Columbus Colbert > Carrie Colbert > Frankie Jones > my grandma > my dad > me!