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

Biography of George Miller, Jr.

George Miller, Jr., engaged in the practice of law in Muskogee, concentrating his efforts and attention upon civil law, was born in Leon county, Florida, December 18, 1882, and is a son of George and Frances (Shaw) Miller, both of whom were natives of North Carolina. The father owned a plantation, devoting his life to its improvement and cultivation. The son, George Miller, Jr., was educated in the public schools and in the South Florida Military Institute. He also studied stenography at Thomasville, Georgia, and was employed in the office of Duncan W. Fletcher, now United States senator, at Jacksonville, … Read more

McIntosh County Oklahoma Cemeteries

Greenwood Cemetery, Eufala, McIntosh, Oklahoma

Most of these McIntosh County Oklahoma cemeteries are complete indices at the time of transcription, however, in some cases we provide the listing when it is only a partial listing. A complete list of available online transcriptions and gravestone photos for McIntosh County Oklahoma cemeteries.

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 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

Okchai Tribe

Like the Pakana, Adair includes the Okchai among those tribes which had been ”artfully decoyed” to unite with the Muskogee, and Milfort says that the Okchai and Tuskegee had sought the protection of the Muskogee after having suffered severely at the hands of hostile Indians. He adds that the former “mounted ten leagues toward the north [of the confluence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa Rivers] and fixed their dwelling in a beautiful plain on the bank of a little river.” Among some of the living Okchai there seems to be a tradition of this foreign origin, but nowhere do we … Read more

Hilibi Tribe

The Hilibi Tribe, once a prominent town among the Upper Creeks, has a complex history tied to various migrations, conflicts, and cultural connections. Originally founded by a member of the Aktayatci clan after a split from the Tukpafka Indians, the town rapidly grew and came to be known as Hilibi, meaning “quick” in the local language. Over time, Hilibi developed close ties with neighboring towns like Eufaula and Wakokai, suggesting a possible shared origin. The tribe’s historical presence is recorded as early as the 18th century, with mentions in Spanish and later American sources. The Hilibi community later relocated to Oklahoma, where some traditions and settlements, such as the busk grounds, were preserved into the early 20th century.

Biography of Martin E. Turner

Martin E. Turner, who has been numbered among the able representatives of the legal fraternity at Eufaula for the past decade, is now practicing successfully as a member of the firm of Turner, Turner, Harley & Paris. His birth occurred in Columbia, Missouri, on the 2d of May, 1878, his parents being George W. and Elizabeth J. (Martin) Turner, both of whom were also natives of that state, where the father followed general agricultural pursuits throughout his entire business career. During the period of the Civil war he was captured while endeavoring to reach Price’s army and was incarcerated in … 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

Northeastern Oklahoma Biographies

Map of Oklahoma

The following biographies were written in 1922 and pertain to “important” men who resided in the Muskogee and northeastern areas of Oklahoma. By important, it should be emphasized that each biography was submitted along with a payment for inclusion in the biographical manuscript. Therefore, anyone who chose not to pay for such a service was often left out of the manuscript. The counties covered by this manuscript include Adair, Cherokee, Craig, Delaware, Mayes, McIntosh, Muskogee, Nowata, Ottawa, Rogers, Sequoyah, Wagoner, and Washington.

Biographical Sketch of Rev. Samuel Gladman

Rev. Samuel Gladman, who died Jan. 11, 1913, at Eufaula, Oklahoma, was a native of Westchester, Chester County, Pennsylvania. During the early seventies he went to western Texas and engaged in teaching. Sometime afterwards he was licensed and ordained to the work of the gospel ministry. In 1896, when the Presbytery of Kiamichi was organized, he was enrolled as one of its charter members. He was then living at Atoka. During the next year he served New Hope and Sandy Branch Churches, but continued to reside in Atoka until 1900, when he located at Lukfata. Three years later he took … 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

Biography of Dale B. Whybark

Dale B. Whybark who originated from Kansas, was born at Lane, in August, 1887, and is a son of George S. and Mary R. (Walters) Whybark, both natives of that state. The father, who has always followed railroading, is now Superintendent of the Arkansas Central Railroad at Fort Smith, which responsible position he has held for many years. Dale B. Whybark was reared and educated in Fort Smith and after graduating from the high school there, accepted a position with the Drew Hardwood Lumber Company at De Kalb, Texas, remaining in their employ until 1908, when he came to Eufaula. … Read more

Biographical Sketch of John Wesley Porter

John Wesley Porter, a successful young practitioner of law in Muskogee, where he has followed his profession through the past three years, was born in Henderson county, Kentucky, on the 1st of December, 1886, his parents being John Wesley and Lucy Jane (Moss) Porter, the former a tobacco merchant. In the acquirement of an education he attended public and private schools and also studied under a private tutor. His professional training was received in the law department of the Washington and Lee University at Lexington, Virginia, from which he was graduated in June, 1909. He first located for practice at … 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

Biography of Herbert W. Wetzell

Herbert W. Wetzell, publisher and owner of the McIntosh County Democrat, was born in Bloomington, Illinois, on the 6th of February, 1884, a son of George and Julia (Pratt) Wetzell, the former a native of Virginia and the latter of Ohio. The paternal great-grandfather, Lewis Wetzell,. was a noted Indian fighter of West Virginia and mention of him is made in most histories of the United States. George Wetzell spent forty years of his life in the newspaper business and achieved substantial success in that connection. He published papers at Greenview, Bloomington and Farmer City, Illinois, and in 1907, came … Read more

Thompson, Shirley Eugene – Obituary

Island City, Oregon Stanley Eugene Thompson, 59, of Island City, died from unexpected natural causes on Aug. 24 at a hospital in Boise. A celebration of life at the Island City School will begin at 6 p.m. Sunday. He was born in Arcata, Calif., on Aug. 11, 1947 to Ana Mae (Posey) and Glen Thompson. He was raised and educated in Oakland, Calif., and Eufaula, Okla. Mr. Thompson enlisted in the Navy in April of 1965. After his naval service, he moved to Government Camp and helped his father cook at the Huckleberry Inn Restaurant. He greatly enjoyed his work … 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 Robert Britton Buford

The present mayor of Eufaula, Dr. Robert Britton Buford, was for ten years engaged in the practice of dentistry here and he is now, in connection with his official duties, active in the conduct of the Indian Journal, of which paper he is editor and proprietor. A native of Texas, he was born in Sulphur Springs, on the 23d of April, 1879, a son of John C. and Elizabeth (Askew) Buford, the former a native of Texas and the latter of Georgia. On attaining manhood the father engaged in farming on his own account in Texas and he was active … Read more

Biography of Clark Nichols

Clark Nichols, attorney at law in Eufaula and a member of the State senate from McIntosh, Muskogee and Haskell counties, was born in Elk County, Kansas, on the 16th of November, 1880, a son of John A. and Mary C. (Conover) Nichols, both natives of Illinois. The father removed to Kansas at an early age and acquiring land in Elk County, farmed there until 1889, in which year he, removed to Joplin, Missouri. There he engaged in mining but in 1911 he disposed of his interests and came to Hanna, Oklahoma. He bought land near here, which he still operates. … Read more