I don't know if he is my ancestor because my BEARDENs are in hiding....but I have an obituary for him: Madill Record, Thursday October 17, 1946 Death claims county's oldest citizen, possibly oldest in state. Wiley Bearden, 104, succumbs following pneumonia illness. Wiley Bearden, 104 believed to be Oklahoma's oldest Civil War Veteran, if not the oldest man in the State, died here at the home of his son, Dick Bearden, Saturday. If he lived only a few weeks longer he would have celebrated his 105th birthday. Mr. Bearden who was born in Georgia Dec. 25, 1841, twenty years before the beginning of the war between the states was in good health until a few weeks ago. He became ill about three weeks ago of bronchial pneumonia. He developed complications, however, and his condition became steadily worse until death claimed him. He moved to this section of the country in 1895, form Arkansas, where he had gone before the Civil War, and settled at Thackerville. Five years later he moved to Willis, and had made his home in Marshall County since that time. Two years ago he moved to Madill to make his home with his son. Only a year ago he helped his son and wife celebrate their golden wedding anniversary. Mrs. Bearden died twenty-two years ago, in 1922. In addition to his son with whom he made his home, Mr. Bearden is survived by two other sons, Sam Bearden, Madill, and Will Bearden, Pine Bluff, Ark.; two daughters, Mrs. Miley Atwood, Fort Worth, TX., and Mrs. Nettie Hawkins, Mesa, TX. and a brother Henry, of Pine Bluff, ARK. Other survivors include forty grandchildren, and 108 great-grandchildren, and 40 great-great grandchildren. Funeral services were held Monday afternoon at the Watts Funeral Chapel. L. E. Carpenter, minister of the Church of Christ, of which Mr. Bearden had been a member 40 years, conducted toe services. Burial was in the Willis Cemetery. Pallbearers were Jim Eldridge, Lloyd Henson, Harve Shipley, Geo. Askew, Robert Johnson and Ebb Flint. Last year around Christmas time he was honored by the local chapter of the American Legion. At that time they presented him with a rocking chair as a mark of their respect and he told them that his favorite pastime was just "sitting and thinking." He fought as a Confederate infantryman in at least three major battles during the was between the states and recounted some of his experiences to members of the Legion at the time of his 104th birthday party. He told how he was afraid at the beginning of the first battle in which he fought, and how his fear turned to anger that kept him "just plain mad", as he phrased it, all through the war. He added however, that he was not "mad at anybody now". >