Vinita Oklahoma

Biographical Sketch of Clay Albion Mitchell

George W. Mitchell, born December 26, 1852, in Bloomfield, Arkansas, married Martha J. Horn in 1886. They had a son, Clay Albion Mitchell, born April 1, 1894, who was educated in Vinita, Oklahoma. Clay married Martha Eunice Chamberlain in 1916, and they had two children, Robert Clay and Hazel Maurine. The family is rooted in agriculture near Bluejacket, Oklahoma, and are active members of the Christian Church. The Horn and Chamberlain families are also noted in this lineage.

Biographical Sketch of Mrs. Henry J. Hill

Emma Dupree, born on December 13, 1888, in Texas, was educated at Willie Halsell College and Northeastern State Normal. She married Henry J. Hill, a boilermaker, in Vinita on December 22, 1915. The couple had three children: Frederick William, Anna Catherine, and Henry Marion. They are devout members of the Presbyterian Church, and Henry is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity. Their family roots reflect a blend of Southern and Midwestern American influences in the early 20th century.

Biographical Sketch of Mrs. Basil Nall

Joella Nall, born November 27, 1866, in Texas, was the daughter of Joseph Lynch Thompson and Frances B. Kell. She married Basil Laskin Nall on February 1, 1893, and they had four children: Dora Ella, Josie Esther, Georgia, and Mary Alice. The family, engaged in farming, resided near Pensacola. Their daughter Dora Ella married John Lewis Warner in 1911, having two sons. Joella’s lineage connects to prominent figures, including Brigadier General Joseph Martin and members of the Irish nobility.

Biographical Sketch of William H. Klaus

William Henry Klaus, born on February 28, 1874, to Robert and Polly Klaus, grew up by Grand River and received his education at Worcester Academy in Vinita. He married Charlotte Mode on November 17, 1895, and together they had two children, Jesse Henry and Anna Mae. The family resides near Vinita, where they work as farmers. Charlotte, born March 18, 1877, hails from the Delaware District and is the daughter of Isaac Marshall and Sarah Elizabeth Mode.

Biographical Sketch of Mrs. James A. Le Force

Fannie Myrtle Keys, born on November 5, 1862, in the Choctaw Nation, was educated in prestigious seminaries before marrying James Andy Le Force on September 11, 1892. They had four children: Flossie Mae, James Lowrey, Sarah Louie, and Charles William. Their family was involved in education and military service, with James serving in World War I. Active in the Presbyterian Church, Fannie’s Cherokee name is Au-nah-hee, while James enjoyed success as a farmer and stockman.

Biographical Sketch of Mrs. Emerson Elliott

Nelle Blackwell, born on August 10, 1884, to Abram and Alta Berrilla Meek, graduated from Female Seminary in 1904. She married Emerson Elliott on October 9, 1906, in Vinita. The couple had five children: Cleeta Rhea, Howard Wayne, Clifford Charles, Ralph Homer, and Carl Vincent, who were born between 1908 and 1916. They are members of the Christian church, and Emerson is involved in local business ventures in Vinita.

Biographical Sketch of Mrs. Lola M. Rambo

Lola M. Rambo, born on September 6, 1885, in Vinita, Oklahoma, is the daughter of Marshall and Pauline Mann. She graduated from Willie Halsell College and married Walter A. Rambo in 1907. Together, they had four children. Mrs. Rambo serves as the private secretary for the Superintendent of the Five Civilized Tribes and is active in her community, belonging to the Saint Paul Methodist Church and several fraternal organizations. Her family’s roots trace back to Ohio and the Cherokee Nation.

Biographical Sketch of Mrs. Walter E. Roberts

Edward Warner Chamberlin, born October 10, 1853, married Sarah E. Nazworthy on August 2, 1883. They had a daughter, Laura Hoyt Chamberlin, born March 11, 1886, who wed Walton E. Roberts in Vinita on November 25, 1906. Walton, born September 19, 1887, and Laura had three children: Louis Walton (b. October 1907), Donald Edward (b. October 30, 1913), and Eva Juanita (b. November 22, 1916). Walton worked at the St. Clair Refinery in Vinita until his death.

Biographical Sketch of Mary Eunice Balentine

Monroe Calvin Keys, born in 1826, married Lucy Lowrey Hoyt in 1855, and they had seven children, including Mary Eunice born in 1856. Monroe served in the Confederate army and passed away in 1881; Lucy died in 1912. Mary Eunice married Hamilton Balentine in 1875, with whom she had two daughters. Both Mary Eunice and her sister Ellen Stella pursued education and careers, living with their maternal aunt, a prosperous farmer’s wife in Vinita. Mary Eunice Balentine was a dedicated teacher.

Biographical Sketch of Mrs. Rebecca M. Swain

Joseph Polstrom, born in 1834 in Alabama, married Susan Rebecca Wilson in 1863. They had a daughter, Rebecca McNair Polstrom, born in 1864, who received her education at the Female Seminary in Tahlequah. In 1879, she married John Swain, a Union Army veteran from Pennsylvania. John, a prominent Mason, passed away in 1920. Mrs. Swain, known by her Cherokee name Quaitsia, was an active community leader, serving as Grand Matron of the Order of the Eastern Star and participating in various local organizations.

Biographical Sketch of Mrs. J. H. Wiener

Hallie C. Thompson, born August 28, 1873, in Cooweescoowee District, was educated in Little Rock, Arkansas. She taught for eight years in Vinita schools and served as an associate reporter for the Vinita Daily Chieftain. On July 17, 1905, she married J. H. Wiener, a noted farmer and stockman. The couple is affiliated with the Christian church. Hallie’s half-sister, Ethel Thompson, is married and resides in New Mexico. J. H. Wiener had three children from a previous marriage.

Biographical Sketch of Arthur F. Chamberlin

Arthur Fanshaw Chamberlain, born on October 9, 1857, in the Flint District, was the son of Rev. Armory N. and Eunice Dolly Chamberlain. Educated locally, he married Letitia Goodykoontz in 1883. They settled in Vinita and had three children: Dolly Edith, Catherine Brown, and Arthur Fanshaw Jr. A Civil War veteran and a Mason, Chamberlain was a member of the Holly Clan of the Cherokees, also known by his Indian name, Sequoyah. His father was noted for his fluency in the Cherokee language.

Biographical Sketch of Franklin C. Glenn

Franklin Clyde Glenn, born on July 17, 1890, in the Cherokee area, was the son of Jesse Edward and Margaret Cowan Glenn. He attended local schools and married Marcella Carrie Tyner on June 22, 1913. Together, they had two sons, Kenneth and Lavance. Glenn, a farmer near Miles, came from a family rooted in the region, with his father and mother, Jesse and Margaret, deeply connected to the local community and its history. Marcella’s lineage also ties back to prominent local families.

Biographical Sketch of Mrs. Ray N. Skinner

Jemima Winnie Davis, born on February 12, 1898, to Robert Ray and Cynthia Jane Taylor, was educated at Willie Halsell College and Sacred Heart Institute. She married Ray Nathaniel Skinner on August 25, 1913, and they had one daughter, Gay Nell Skinner. Ray Skinner, a farmer near Vinita, has roots tracing back to notable Cherokee heritage, with Mrs. Skinner’s Cherokee name being Walleah. The family’s lineage reflects a rich blend of Cherokee and settler ancestry, underlining their community connections.

Biography of T. J. Adair

Harold, son of Earl Godwin, ruled England for forty weeks until his defeat on October 14, 1066, by William, Duke of Normandy, who became known as William I, The Conqueror. Among the Norman nobles who settled in England was dHeanage, whose descendants later emerged as Harnage, actively participating in American pioneer life. Ambrose Harnage, who married Cherokee Nancy Harlan, had children who intermarried within both English and Cherokee communities, leading to a lineage that includes Thomas James Adair, a notable figure in Cherokee governance and society.

Biographical Sketch of Joseph Harris Weir

Joseph Harris Weir, born on January 7, 1889, was the son of Webster Wayne and Sabra (England) Weir. He received his education in Vinita and married Leona Williams on April 10, 1910, near Ketchum. Together, they had three children: Jessie Lucile, Joe Lee Wayne, and Billie J. Joseph’s family ties extend to his paternal grandfather, William England, and grandmother, Susie Ward, through his father, who also married Sabra Cooper.

Biographical Sketch of Mrs. Homer A. Andrews

Sarah Caldonia Meek, born on October 26, 1876, to Abram and Alta Berilla Meek, married Homer A. Andrews on August 10, 1892. Together, they had eight children, including Mary, Alvin Franklin, and Clyde Edward. Alvin served in World War I, where he rose to the rank of sergeant. Sarah’s family reflects the broader narrative of their time, illustrating the intertwining of personal and historical events in early 20th-century America.

Biographical Sketch of William E. Dupree

Dr. William J. Dupree, born in Alabama on December 25, 1824, married Charlotte Bell in 1851. They had a son, William E. Dupree, born November 9, 1857, in Wood County, Texas. William E. married Fannie Wright in 1883, and they had eight children. The family were active members of the Baptist Church, and William E. became a successful farmer near Vinita. Dr. Dupree moved to Jamestown for education before returning to his farm in Wood County. Their descendants continue to thrive, including the Hall family in Colorado.

Biographical Sketch of Dr. W. W. Bryan

William Wear Bryan, born in 1868 in Missouri, graduated from Western Dental College and married Rachel Bell in 1892. They had five children, though three sadly passed during infancy. Dr. Bryan served as President of the State Board of Dental Examiners for nine years and is Vice-President of Claremore’s First National Bank. He owns a 320-acre ranch specializing in pedigreed livestock, particularly Shorthorns, and is known for his hospitality at home. Mrs. Bryan is related to prominent local figures, further enriching their family legacy.

Biographical Sketch of Robert Lee Mitchell

Robert Lee Mitchell, born Quaqua in the Cherokee Nation on April 10, 1876, graduated from the Cherokee Male Seminary in 1895 and the University of Arkansas Medical Department in 1904. He practiced medicine in Vinita and served various educational roles. He married Josephine G. Barker in 1915, and the couple had one son, Robert Thurston Mitchell, born in 1916. Active in World War I, Dr. Mitchell served in the Medical Corps, attaining the rank of Captain, while Mrs. Mitchell contributed through the Red Cross.