Lydia Madison, born on April 6, 1894, in Craig County, was educated at Vinita High School, graduating in 1917. She married John Wesley Harris on May 10, 1919. John, born June 3, 1897, near Vinita, enlisted in World War I in August 1917, serving in Co. K of the 166th Regiment before being sent to France. Together, they welcomed their daughter, Grace Cornelia Harris, on March 19, 1920.
Fannie Fritz, born October 8, 1879, in Cooweescoowee District, was educated at Carlyle and Haskell Institutes. She married Samuel Hildebrand on February 24, 1900, and they had eight children: Agnes, Lura, Edward, Aaron, Glenn, Floyd, Georgia, and Melvin. A Methodist and a member of the Rebekahs, Fannie supported her husband, a farmer and member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in their agricultural life near Vinita.
Caroline Agnew married Anderson Landrum Crittenden Jennings, and they had a son, Landrum Crittenden Jennings, born in 1876. He was educated at Worcester Academy and the Male Seminary. In 1899, he wed Jananna Benge, who hailed from Vinita. Their daughter, Clara May Jennings, born in 1900, graduated from Muskogee Central High School and currently works as a stenographer. The Jennings family is associated with the Methodist Church.
Anna Bell, born on November 20, 1878, in Vinita, was the daughter of Abram and Alta Meeks. After her education at Worcester Academy, she married Thomas B. Archer on April 22, 1897, in Vinita. Together, they had six children: Irra, Otto B., Fannie B., Thomas B., Abram, and Morrill. All three of the eldest attended Vinita High School. The Archers are active members of the Baptist Church, with Thomas B. working as a produce merchant in Vinita.
Grace Elizabeth Barks, born January 17, 1900, in Vinita to Edward and Victoria Barks, received her education in Cherokee schools. On May 25, 1917, she married Robert Whiteaker, son of William and Dorothy Whiteaker. Grace has one sister, Hazel Willie, who resides in Roswell, New Mexico, with her husband Floyd Edward Smith and their three children: Levina, Nanetta, and Nedowa. She also has a brother, Miles Mathew Barks.
Louise Scott, born August 23, 1877, near Vinita, was the daughter of James Orval and Mary E. Hall. Educated at Vinita and Harrell Institute, she graduated from the latter. On November 2, 1898, she married Luman Franklin Parker, who passed away in 1912. Subsequently, she wed Thomas H. Owen on March 12, 1916, and they settled in Oklahoma City.
Wright Dupree, born on August 8, 1890, in Texas, received his education in Oklahoma and Missouri. He married Rosa Wright on July 12, 1914, in Centralia, Oklahoma, and together they had two children, Louis and Francis. He is the son of William E. Dupree and Anna L. Wright, linked to the esteemed Bell and Adair families. A dedicated member of the Baptist Church, Wright serves as a rural mail carrier in Vinita, Oklahoma.
Emma E. Daniel, born February 19, 1892, in Vinita, was the daughter of John Martin and Alice R. Smith Daniel and educated at the Female Seminary in Tahlequah. She married Claude W. Mitchell on July 31, 1911, and they had one daughter, Mary Nadine, before Mr. Mitchell’s death in 1918. Emma’s family included several siblings, with notable connections through marriages, such as Lula May Daniel and Martha J. Daniel, who maintained ties to the Oklahoma community.
Elizabeth Taylor, born in the Cherokee Nation, was the daughter of Andrew and Jennie Taylor. She married William Ghormley, and they had a daughter, Isabel Jane, who married Felix Nelson Witt. Their daughter, Rachel Matilda, was born in Going Snake District and married Albert Perry Goforth. Together, they had eight children, including Eulelma Pearl and Euletia Catherine. Albert Goforth worked as a farmer near Vinita, contributing to the agricultural community in the region.
Peter Joseph Coyne, born October 19, 1869, in England to Irish parents, married Margaret Shanahan in 1893. Their family includes eight children, with notable service from son Patrick in World War I. Established as a successful farmer near Estella, Peter is an active community member and dedicated Catholic, who has represented Craig and Rogers Counties in various political roles since 1908, including state senator from the twenty-ninth district starting in 1916. His lineage traces back to Patrick Shanahan from Tipperary, Ireland.
Richard Cowan, born in 1839 in Georgia, married Elzada Allen in 1865, and they had two children, including Felix G. Cowan, born in 1866. Felix, educated in the Cherokee Nation, had two marriages, first to Lulu Murry in 1886 and later to Rebecca Blair in 1909. A successful businessman in Vinita for 27 years, he served as County Commissioner and later as steward of the State Hospital. A community figure active in multiple fraternal organizations, he was also a long-serving member of the Vinita City Council and briefly its mayor.
Ethel Ray Green, born on November 25, 1892, near Vinita, was the daughter of Joseph and Margarette A. Green. She received her education at the Female Seminary in Tahlequah. On December 23, 1917, she married Grady L. Grimes in McAlester, Oklahoma. They are active members of the Methodist Church, with Grady being a Mason and working as an automobile mechanic.
Ruth Jane Dick, born January 8, 1870, married Charles Henry Hawkins on October 17, 1884. They had Pearl D. Hawkins, born July 31, 1894. Pearl married Myrtle B. Harlan on October 27, 1917. During World War I, Pearl enlisted on May 26, 1918, served as a Sergeant at Base Hospital No. 82, and spent nine months on the Toul front. He returned to the U.S. on June 8, 1919, and is now a farmer near Big Cabin, involved with the Modern Woodmen of America.
Frankie Folsom, born on August 11, 1836, in Chelsea, was the daughter of John H. and Lulu Kendall. She pursued her education at Nowata High and Cincinnati C. C., graduating in 1906 and 1908, respectively. On March 17, 1911, she married Frank Heady in Independence, Kansas. Together, they had five children, including J. B., Byron Leroy, Mildred Marie, James Ewing, and Jeanne Eileen. A Presbyterian church member, Mrs. Heady’s husband worked as a foreman at the St. Vlair Oil Refinery in Vinita.
Lulu Nannie Poole, born on March 22, 1862, in the Cherokee Nation, was the daughter of John and Sallie Matilla Poole. Educated in local schools, she married Frederick Lincoln Kelley in 1887, with whom she had three children. After his death in 1911, Lulu remained active in her community, contributing to World War efforts through the Red Cross. A member of the Methodist church and the Eastern Star Chapter, she held a deep interest in her Cherokee heritage and family history.
Mary A. Taylor, born January 31, 1896, in the Cherokee Nation, received her education at Cherokee National schools. She married Clarence M. Lauchner on April 22, 1912, in Claremore. The couple had two children, Chester Francis and Evelyn Talita. They farmed near Vinita and were active members of the Baptist church. Mary is also noted to have a sister, Emma Cynthia Taylor, born December 2, 1898.
Susan Tolbert, born on May 11, 1873, in Delaware District, was the daughter of John Tolbert and Amanda Cherokee Duncan Scott. She married Thomas Kerr on May 20, 1892, in Seneca, Missouri, and they had one daughter, Ollie May Kerr, born in 1894. Thomas worked as a farmer near Vinita. Notably, Susan’s heritage traces back to Charles Duncan, a Scottish man who married a Cherokee woman, Dorcas, in the late 18th century.
Thomas A. Donnelly was born on March 18, 1878, in Delaware District to Henry and Emma Jane Donnelly. He was educated in Vinita and married Mary Ella Glenn in November 1900. The couple had five children: Gladys, Glessie, Thomas, Fleeta, and Betty. Actively involved in their community, they participated in Baptist Church activities and local welfare initiatives, including Red Cross efforts. They lived as farmers near Vinita, reflecting a commitment to both family and social responsibility.
Monroe A. Keys, born on February 21, 1870, to Monroe Calvin and Lucy Lowrey Keys, received his education at the Male Seminary. He married Martha Ann Donnelly on March 25, 1905, with whom he had five children: Wahnie, Emma, Amory, Jane, and Clun. A member of the Holly Clan, he is known by the Cherokee name Clun-tee-sta and practices farming near Vinita. His family roots reflect a rich cultural heritage intertwined with the history of the Cherokee Nation.
William E. Dupree, born in Texas on November 9, 1857, married Fannie L. Wright in 1883. They had two children, Emma and Fred Lee Dupree. Emma, educated at Willie Halsell College, married Henry J. Hill, with whom she had three children. Fred Lee, born August 20, 1895, married Winnie M. Scott in 1917. They had one son, Robert Morris Dupree, and Fred became a successful farmer. The family is closely tied to the Baptist Church and has Cherokee heritage through Winnie.