Meg--i just wanted to say that that was WODERFULLY written--you packed a LOT of insight into couple of paragraphs! i loved it, nancy --- Meg Barnett <[email protected]> wrote: > On July 3rd Kathy Pennycuff wrote: > Meg, > Thanks for the insight on the Sharp Co to TX > info. I found my > Gr-grandparents in the 1870 Sharp Co Census in > Evening Shade. They are > Liston TOWNSEND and Mary WILLETT TOWNSEND. More > WILLETT family lived > closeby. > I found the TOWNSEND's in Missouri 1880 Howell > Co Census with children: > Leona, Orah, John, Corah, & baby. > Their son (my grandfather) William Mose > TOWNSEND was born in 1883. His SS5 > form lists his place of birth as Denison, > Grayson Co, OK. In later census he > lists Arkansas as birthplace. He told stories > to his children of living in > Indian Territory. > Denison is of course in TX not OK as stated on > the SS5. In 1883 OK was > Indian Territory. Did he live in OK, TX, or IT? > Or were they so close he > interchanged them? > I'm not sure if this migration from Sharp Co to > Missouri to Indian Territory > has anything to do with the "free land School" > you mentioned. It is still a > puzzle to me. > Any one have any clues or where to search for > more info? > Any Info appreciated. > Thanks, > Kathy > > I'm answering you largely from personal > knowledge. The counties that border > Oklahoma in North Texas (Collin, Cooke, > Grayson, Montague) share more > geographically and culturally with their > counterpart counties in OK than > they do with the rest of Texas in many > instances. This is a porous border. > It exists also further west, in the Tillman > Co., OK area (where my father's > family is from) -- people's ranches and farms > often lap into both states, > you can reside in one state but go to school in > the other, and everyone from > the area understands this fluidity but it can > be hard when you are tracking > down records. Montague and the other counties > mentioned are part of what is > called the Crosstimbers Region, which cuts > diagonally through OK and TX. > What they hold in common, besides geography, is > that most of the early white > settlers came from the Ozarks and from > Southwestern Tennessee. Most of the > migration to this area occurred after the Civil > War, especially as you go > further west. Before the Civil War, the > Comanches and the Kiowas were > successful in raiding white settlements often > enough to discourage all but > the most hardy pioneers. The Comanches were > perhaps the finest horseback > culture in the world, and it was not uncommon > for a band of raiders to begin > somewhere in eastern New Mexico with a remuda > (a large group of horses so > mounts could be refreshed), travel unbelievably > fast and strike deep into > Central or East Texas, carry away horses, > hostages and usable supplies, and > be a thousand miles away before the white > community could muster a response. > These raids were often timed for full moons > (easier to travel at a gallop > over vast distances with the extra moonlight). > My grandfather, born in > Montague County right after the era of Comanche > domination, always referred > to a certain kind of full moon as a "Comanche > moon", and the naked fear in > his voice would literally raise the hair on the > back of my neck when I was a > little girl -- I had no idea what his words > referred to yet, I could just > tell the adult emotion behind them. I like to > think about how long > Comanches would have held onto their territory > and what changes it would > have wrought on the relentless westward > expansion of the U.S., the face of > Texas, if other historical circumstances had > not come together to overcome > their resistance. During the Civil War, these > tentative white settlements > in the Crosstimbers area were raided not only > by furious Native Americans > but also by Union soldiers and local criminals > who recognized an opportunity > for mayhem when they saw one. The "justice" > meted out by white Texans > during the Civil War is notorious, the most > infamous being the mass hanging > of so-called Union sympathizers in Gainesville, > Cooke County (a hanging led > by one of my more complicated ancestors, > self-proclaimed Colonel James G. > Bourland). But after the Civil War, the U.S. > government sent their armies > of occupation westward, most of these former > Union soldiers trained in the > terrible battles of the South, whose mission > was nothing less than genocide > of the Native populations. Because of the > leadership of men like Quanah > Parker (himself the child of a woman captured > during a raid into what is now > Limestone County, TX during the 1830s), the > Comanches were able to organize > and fight long enough to negotiate for a treaty > that gave them some > meaningful territory and cultural continuity. > The Comanche community of > southern Oklahoma, along the Texas border, is > much more intact than other > Native populations. > > Nevertheless, the story of most of what had > been set aside as Indian > Territory is that of a series of land runs, > opening up former Native > reservations to white settlement based on a > first come, first claimed basis. > This added onto the already attractive option > of "school land" offered by > Texas created a rush of white immigrants into > the border area. I think > there must have been broadsides and circulars > that somebody brought into > places like Sharp County; just word of mouth > hardly seems like enough to > cause entire family and friendship networks to > pack up and head for Texas, > no matter how devastated the economy of the > South after the war. I have > seen one such land ad for the earlier > immigration to Texas during the 1830s > and 1840s, an immigration that drew down my > original Texas ancestors from > Indiana in 1834 (I am sixth generation Texan). > But I have not yet found > whatever it was that Sharp Countians might have > read to convince them their > destiny lay in Texas and Oklahoma. It's > possible the Texas State Archives > will have something; I can add it to my > research list. At any rate, yes, > your ancestor born in Grayson County but living > in IT was operating in a > community where the official borders had little > meaning, and Denison was > only a few miles from IT. > > The "school land" story is pretty simple. When > Texas fought its revolution > and became an independent republic (and oh how > we love to brag about the > fact that we were once our own country, but it > is a genuinely significant > fact in terms of history), we had lots and lots > of land but no money at all. > Prior to independence, white settlers had been > lured to Texas by land grants > from the Spanish and later the Mexican > government, offering a "league and a > labor" of land to any white male with a family > who would live on the land > and improve it. But these land grants had > restrictions, such as forced > Mexican citizenry and membership in the > Catholic Church, that rankled the > sensibilities of the Scot-Irish in the South > who needed land of their own. > So it wasn't until the Republic of Texas began > offering land very cheaply > WITHOUT restrictions that the Southerners began > really flood in. The > eastern counties of Texas were pretty well > settled by 1840, but most of > central and west Texas still remained under the > control of the Apaches, > Comanches, Kiowas, and, of course, the Mexican > natives who had already lived > here over 300 years. The new republic had to > provide governmental services, > including schools, to its eastern white > settlers if they hoped to hang onto > === message truncated === __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/