Checotah Oklahoma

Biography of James M. Wood

A representative citizen of McIntosh County is James M. Wood, who since 1921 has been Mayor of Checotah. He was born in Crawford County, Arkansas, on the 13th of December, 1861, a son of James M. and Sophronia (Clyman) Wood. The father was born near Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1825, while Mrs. Wood was born in Danville, Illinois, on the 3d of January, 1834. Mr. Wood emigrated from his native state to Van Buren, Arkansas, at an early age and for some time followed farming. Subsequently he engaged in the general mercantile business and he was active along that line until … Read more

Biography of Claude A. Niles

One of the prominent attorneys of Checotah is Claude A. Niles, senior member of the firm of Niles & Staley. A native of Missouri, he was born near Rolla, on the 5th of November, 1882, a son of Asa S. and Nettie E. (Burns) Niles, the former a native of New York and the latter of Nebraska. The father went to Rolla, Missouri, about 1865, when sixteen years of age, and subsequently engaged in the real estate business, which he has followed for the past thirty years. He has won gratifying success in that connection and is one of the … Read more

Slave Narrative of Nellie Johnson

Person Interviewed: Nellie Johnson Location: Oklahoma I don’t know how old I is, but I is a great big half grown gal when the time of the war come, and I can remember how everything look at that time, and what all the people do, too. I’m pretty nigh to blind right now, and all I can do is set on this little old front porch and maybe try to keep the things picked up behind my grandchild and his wife, because she has to work and he is out selling wood most of the time. But I didn’t have … Read more

Biography of John T. Cooper

Checotah numbers among her representative citizens John T. Cooper, attorney at law with offices in the Peoples National Bank building. He is a southerner by birth, born in Scottsboro, Jackson county, Alabama, on the 7th of August, 1881, a son of Abe and Julia (Anderson) Cooper, both natives of that state. The father engaged in agriculture in Alabama until 1894, in which year he removed to Indian Territory and located at Sallisaw. He engaged in farming there for three years and subsequently came to McIntosh County. He became one of the prominent and successful agriculturists of this community. He is … Read more

Bowman, Gene C. “Smokey” – Obituary

Gene C. “Smokey” Bowman, 76, of Baker City, died March 9, 2005, at his home after a year-long battle with cancer. His wife and children were at his side. His memorial was at 1 p.m. today at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel. Pastor Lennie Spooner of the First Church of the Nazarene officiated. Interment was at Mount Hope Cemetery at the foot of his granddaughter Sophia’s grave. Gene was born Sept. 10, 1928, at Checotah, Okla., to Floyd and Maude Bowman. The family moved to the Gooding, Idaho, area where Gene attended school until he was 15, when he … Read more

Biography of Floyd E. Staley

One of the promising young members of the legal profession in Oklahoma is Floyd E. Staley, junior member of the firm of Miles & Staley at Checotah. He was born in Ottawa, Kansas, on the 17th of October, 1895, a son of William and Grace (Anderson) Staley, the former a native of Missouri and the latter of Kansas. William Staley engaged in farming in the latter state until 1909, when he came to Oklahoma and located in Checotah. Here he established a grain business; in the conduct of which he was active until 1921, when he disposed of that business. … Read more

Biography of Hon. William M. Duffy

Hon. William M. Duffy, attorney at law in Checotah and now serving his first term as justice of the peace, was born in Callaway County, Missouri, on the 21st of August, 1866, a son of Mathew and Caroline (Ellis) Duffy. The father was born in Ireland and came to America when a young man, locating in Missouri, where he engaged in farming. He followed agricultural pursuits the remainder of his life and died in 1874, one of the prominent and representative citizens of the community in which he resided. Mrs. Duffy was born in Missouri and her death occurred in … Read more

Biography of Joseph G. Schofield

One of the prominent attorneys of Checotah is Joseph G. Schofield, who was born in Lowell, Ohio, on the 22d of September, 1847, a son of Joseph C. and Anna (Miller) Schofield. He is of English and colonial ancestry on his father’s side and Scotch-Irish ancestry on the maternal side. The Schofield family in America is descended from Holland Dutch ancestors, the head of the English line having come to England with William of Orange, he being one of the officers who came from the native land to assist in the support of the claims of William and Anne to … Read more

Biography of Charles R. Freeman

Since 1902 Charles R. Freeman has been practicing law in Checotah, and he is numbered among the representative members of the legal profession in the state. He was born in Clay county, Mississippi, on the 8th of November, 1875, a son of John P. and Anna (Lyon) Freeman, the former a native of North Carolina and the latter of Mississippi. For some time the father followed agricultural pursuits in his native state and upon the outbreak of the Civil war continued to reside there until the last year of the war, when he enlisted for active service. At the close … Read more

Biography of Andrew J. Snelson, M. D.

Dr. Andrew J. Snelson, who has been actively and successfully engaged in the practice of medicine and surgery in northeastern Oklahoma during the past two decades, has continuously maintained an office in Checotah since 1908 and is numbered among the leading representatives of the profession here. His birth occurred in Johnson County, Arkansas, on the 1st of January, 1862, his parents being John and Cynthia S. (Davis) Snelson, both of whom were natives of Overton county, Tennessee. The father enlisted for service in the Confederate army at the time of the Civil war and was killed in battle at Camden, … Read more