If any of these items sound familiar please drop me a line. Gary Bradley John Davis Bradley (1837-1909) 1830's George W. Bradley was born in Sumner County,Tennessee, and moved with his family to Logan County Kentucky and then to Johnson County, Missouri, in the early 1830's. There He married Elizabeth Sarah Ann Davis and they had their first son John Davis Bradley. The family was from land holding farmers and slave owners for several generations up until the Civil War. 1837 John Davis was born on Jan 14, 1837 in either Lafayette or Johnson County, MO. 1840 John and his sister Colena are included on the census for Lafayette County, MO. 1855 A pro-slavery conference was held in Lexington, Lafayette County, Missouri. Raids across the MissouriKansas state line were building hatred between the citizens of the two states over the slavery issues. 1856 John's youngest brotherJames H. Bradley is born but his parent's seem to be in financial troubles. 1858 Land owned by John's parents is advertised in the "Lexington Express", in May, at public auction for unpaid debts. 1860 John shows up in the census of Evansville, Washington County, Arkansas, living with his parents. He is listed as a farmer at the age of 23. His sister Colenaage 22 and his brother Charlesage 19 were not listed in that census. 1860 1865 The family Bible says that John served with the First Missouri Cavalry during the Civil Warno record has been found. His brother William served with Stand Watie's Cherokee regiment until the end of the war. In a statement by LeRoy Bradley he says that John and Claracy Ann Haines were married before the war but no record has been found. LeRoy also said that after the war John started a trading post down in the Indian Territory. 1864 A Trading Post, or general merchandise store was established 1 1/2 mi. S.W. of Frisco on the south side of Clear Boggy River by Robert Cochran. 1865 Robert Cochran moved the trading post to a place on the north side of Clear Boggy River and named the site Stonewall, after "Stonewall" Jackson. About this time Stonewall became the County Seat of Pontotoc County, Chickasaw Nation. 1866 John's father George W. was listed as the superintendent of the Chickasaw National Academylocated about one mile S.E. of Stonewall. Laura Bradley also taught at the Academy. John and Claracy Ann's first daughter Mattie was born on the 17th of September, somewhere in Indian Territory. 1868 John, along with his father and family, appear in the alien permit records of the Chickasaw Indian Nation. The permit affadavit by William L. Cochran, signed in March implies that the family had been in the Territory for 3 years. W. L. Cochran was the brother of Robert Cochran who founded the trading post in Old Stonewall late during the Civil War. In September another affadavit was given for George and John by B.F. Perry that they would be in his employ for the term of one year. A Jim Perry and a B.F. Byrd owned the same trading post or store, later, which Robert Cochran started. Finally, the store was owned by W. L. Cochran who later became the first mayor of Stonewall. 1869 In July, John's sisterLaura Ann Bradley married Colbert A. Burris in Stonewall. Colbert ran the Boarding side of the National Academy. The marriage records were lost later in a court house fire. (see 1902) 1874 In September John and Claracy's first sonAlvin Walter Bradley was born in Pontotoc County, Chickasaw Indian Nation. The same year, the boarding portion of the National Academy burned down. 1878 John and Claracy's second daughter Ory A. Bradley is born on May 20th. 1880 The academic portion of the Chickasaw National Academy burned down. 1882 In June, John's third daughterLizzy Bradley is born. John's fatherGeorge W. Bradley died in September and was buried in the Old Johnsonville Cemetery near Byars, Oklahoma. About a month later, in October, John's brother Franklin died, at age 28, and is also buried at the old Johnsonville Cemetery. 1884 John and "Gus" Leslie Mentioned in The Chickasaw Rancher, p. 150. Places the John Bradley "place" some where north-west of Stonewall on the way to Johnsonville 1886 In May, John and Claracy's second son, and last child, George W. Bradley is born. Their daughter Mattie married Doss Johnson that same year . 1889 John, now aged 52, ran for land in the first opening of the unassigned Indian Lands. He received a letter from his brother James, living in Purcell, in which they were trying to get together to stake out land on Little River, but his claim shows the homesteadNorth west quarter of Section 2 in township 7 North of Range 1 West169.20 acres was just east of Noble on Cemetery Road and 108th, in the "Cross Timbers." It now appears that John, and maybe James, entered from the east border of the territorynot Purcell. John would only have had to "run" one and a half miles to his claim from the eastern strting line. 1890 John's family appears in the first Territorial Census of OklahomaCleveland County. Alvin, age 16, Ory, Lizzy, and George, age 5, are all listed. Oldest daughterMattie was already married. 1891 John Bradley, Mrs. Bradley and Miss Ora Bradley were listed on the register of the Lexington Circuit of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Southcalled Shiloh. Also listed as church members were: Wm. M. and Sallie Bradley; George D. and Mattie Johnson. 1894 John released his claim (sold the homestead) to Robert Leslie in April. (This could have been a "Ghost" exchange to allow Alvin to reclaim the land.) There is a Robert Leslie in the Noble, IOOF Cemetery who died in 1899 at age 26. 1895 In September, John's son Alvin picked up the old Bradley homestead from R. Leslie. 1898 In February Claracy Ann died and is buried in Cleveland CountyShiloh Cemetery, Oklahoma. 1900 John is counted on the Census of the Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory in the household of his son Alvin Walter Bradleyprobably in Purcell. The census was taken in June and Alvin had released the old homestead in April of that year to Edwin B. Black. The Shiloh Church Register says that John Bradley transferred to NobleSept. 190? (illegible). Ora Cleveland is listed after John and W.E. Bradley is listed asdropped April, 1909. 1901 John's son Alvin won a homestead 160 acres by lottery in Caddo County and John moved there, bringing 200 sheep with him to graze on the prairie. 1902 In November, John D. and his brother William M. signed affidavits at legal proceedings for sister Laura Burris to prove her marriage to Colbert Burris and obtain Indian Citizenship in the Chickasaw Indian Nation. The lands were being divided and assigned by order of the Federal GovernmentThe Dawes Commission. 1903 The Shawnee branch of the MKT Railway was constructed 3 mi. due East of Stonewall. A town only known as New Stonewall quickly sprang up there. One night, in the winter, the Stonewall Post Office was moved on wagon wheel trucks to New Stonewall. 1905 The Oklahoma Central Railway was constructed through old Stonewall from Lehigh to Chicasha. Old Stonewall was renamed Frisco by mistaken identity of the new railroad. It is the 3rd oldest town in the Chickasaw-Choctaw Indian Territory. John was in California at this time, along with part of Alvin's family, where Letha Bradley was born. 1907 John and all of his family was back in Oklahomaaround Purcell where the remaining five of his grandchildren were born. 1909 John Davis Bradley died at Purcell, Oklahoma on the17th of November, 1909. He was 73 years old. He is buried next to Claracy in the Shiloh Church Cemetery. In 1993 his grandchildren added his headstone.