Oklahoma Genealogy

THE FIGHTING MEN OF OKLAHOMA was published in 1948 by the Victory Publishing Company of Oklahoma City. The theme of the series was “A Remembrance, An Appreciation, A Memorial.” Six volumes were planned, but for some reason, only two were completed. Volume one is a history of the Second World War. In the back of this first volume were pages dedicated for the owner’s military records, notes, stories, names and address of friends, autographs, etc.; much like a school yearbook might be. The second volume is filled with photos and short biographies of the men and women who served in the…

In 1937, shortly before his death, Angus A. Spring responded to a questionnaire from the Works Progress Administration for project S-149, the Indian Pioneer History Collection. This project was jointly sponsored by the University of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Historical Society. It was conceived and carried on primarily with the view to collect from living witnesses vital facts and impressions of pioneer life in Oklahoma. The field worker, Waren D. Morse then took this information to the editors who insured two copies were made, one for each of the sponsors.

Oil has been central to Ardmore’s growth, starting with an 1888 discovery in Healdton. Significant exploration began in 1903 by H.B. Goodrich, who found the Wheeler Field, with wells still active today. The Healdton Field boom commenced in 1913, and by the next year, over 275 wells were operational. The Hewitt Field discovery in 1919 and its record-breaking well in 1924 furthered Ardmore’s prominence. Recent efforts focus on rediscovering oil in older fields. Carter County is home to 11% of Oklahoma’s oil wells, equating to 10 wells per square mile. Ardmore houses major oil firms and the Ben Franklin Refinery,…

On September 1, 1955, J. E. Williams wrote to the editor of the Daily Ardmoreite reflecting on the way life has changed since 1889. He contrasted the limited resources, poor educational system, absence of public infrastructure, and prevalence of diseases of his boyhood in Ardmore, Indian Territory, with the modern advancements enjoyed in 1955. Williams recalled a world without telephones, electricity, or paved roads, where survival amidst diseases and crime was a harsh reality, vastly different from the conveniences and opportunities available to children of his day. Despite hardships, Williams felt proud of societal progress, including improved employment conditions, community…

Before 1820, Southern Oklahoma was mostly inhabited by scattered plains Indian tribes until treaties with the federal government ceded lands to the Choctaw Nation, one of the Five Civilized Tribes. The Choctaws moved west of the Mississippi to their new home beginning in 1832 on the difficult trek known as the “Trail of Tears.” Throughout the following decades, the land transitioned from Indian to white ownership, as the Chickasaws purchased the right to establish districts in Choctaw land, later forming the Chickasaw Nation with its own government and counties.Over time, the increasing presence of white men, such as ranchers from…

In historical Oklahoma, divorce jurisdiction varied among Native American Nations, with Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Muskogee courts overseeing cases and maintaining records. The Choctaw Nation uniquely mandated clerks to use a “large blank book” for record-keeping. Post-1890, Nebraska’s laws, followed by Arkansas’s laws under the Organic Act, governed divorces in Oklahoma Territory, initially placing jurisdiction in district courts. By 1895, sole authority rested with district courts. Divorce records reported to the state board of health starting in 1908 were poorly complied with, resulting in a lack of health department records of divorces.