Hi, This was recently discussed in some depth on the Arkansas Family History Association's email list. If you search the AFHA-L archive at rootsweb you should come up with lots of links. Tammy __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com

Thank you Ellen ----- Original Message ----- From: Marti <marti@rootsweb.com> To: <CHOCTAW-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, March 27, 2000 2:25 PM Subject: [CHOCTAW] Re: [OKGEN ] Woodsmen of the World Momument > Ellen - you will find some great information about this fraternal > organization researched by our own Fred Dittmar at > http://www.rootsweb.com/~okgenweb/fraternal.htm > This includes links to another article on this organization and a few > photos of WOW headstones. > > Marti > > Ellen Scott wrote on 07:10 PM 03/26/2000: > >My Great Grandfather Frank (Francis) M. Stone died in his mid fifties in > >his home in Garvin, McCurtain County, Oklahoma (October 25, 1909) from > >mylaria. It is say that his grave has a Woodsmen of the World Monument > >marking his resting place. Now, I have never heard of a W.O.W. Monument > >before. Could someone explain this marker? Is it a Insurance policy or > >what? Of course my next question is how do I get in touch with the > >Organization and learn what information that would be in his packet? > > Marti > OKGenWeb State Coordinator > http://www.usgenweb.com/ok > I am an Angel - R U? > http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~angels/ <<-- JOIN TODAY > Proud RootsWeb.com Donor+ > "Dedicated to user supported access to genealogical records on the internet" > > > ==== CHOCTAW Mailing List ==== > Your donations to RootsWeb makes OKGenWeb and this Choctaw list possible. RootsWeb Gen. Data Coop. Box 6798 Frazier Park, CA 93222 > http://www.rootsweb.com/rootsweb/how-to-subscribe.html > >

Ellen - you will find some great information about this fraternal organization researched by our own Fred Dittmar at http://www.rootsweb.com/~okgenweb/fraternal.htm This includes links to another article on this organization and a few photos of WOW headstones. Marti Ellen Scott wrote on 07:10 PM 03/26/2000: >My Great Grandfather Frank (Francis) M. Stone died in his mid fifties in >his home in Garvin, McCurtain County, Oklahoma (October 25, 1909) from >mylaria. It is say that his grave has a Woodsmen of the World Monument >marking his resting place. Now, I have never heard of a W.O.W. Monument >before. Could someone explain this marker? Is it a Insurance policy or >what? Of course my next question is how do I get in touch with the >Organization and learn what information that would be in his packet? Marti OKGenWeb State Coordinator http://www.usgenweb.com/ok I am an Angel - R U? http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~angels/ <<-- JOIN TODAY Proud RootsWeb.com Donor+ "Dedicated to user supported access to genealogical records on the internet"

Hi Nalore: I'll enter the last list of names you sent to the master copy, recheck all the lists against it for errors, and get it in the air to you later today! Sandi :)

There will be a meeting in Talihina, Oklahoma on April 22, 2000 for all descendants of Horace Woods and Sarah Nowatima. If you or someone you know is descended from (or related to) one of Horace's children listed below, please email me for more information on the meeting: Stephen Woods - Eliza Dukes / Winnie Hampden (aka Winnie Baggs or Winnie Wade) Margaret Woods - Samuel Bohanon Sarah (Sally?) Woods - Robert Willis Sophia Woods - Washington Thompson / Billy King Benjamin J. Woods - Josephine Dukes Isabella Woods - Gilbert W. Dukes / Alfred Sexton Mary Catherine Woods - Miles William Malone Israel Woods James Woods Martha Woods John H. Woods ~Carrie

I have finished the O'Beirne Index, will be proof-reading and "tweaking" it today before I post it this evening. It will have a permanent home on my web page when I get it up and running. The following is the "explanation" of the Index that will appear on the web page: --------------- A few Notes on this Index: The first part of the Index consists of all the main entries or biographies in the book, the order of which is determined by the original 1891 Index. It is "imperfectly alphabetical". I have extracted the most obvious genealogical facts from each entry, and they appear under each entry. I do not vouch for the accuracy of the information, I transcribe it as it appeared in the book, and I will not change my index, so please do not write to me to correct an 1891 book. The second part of the Index are names appearing in the various entries and the page number they appear on in the book. These entries are for the most part MERELY mentions and do not contain biographical information. Please note that if you are searching for the names Folsom and LeFlore, you should also search for Fulsom and La Flore, as O'Beirne spells the Leflore name La Flore and the Folsom names appear as Fulsom in some parts. Full transcriptions of the biographical entries available on request. -------------------- Nalora

In a message dated 03/25/2000 10:20:29 PM Central Standard Time, SandKatC@aol.com writes: << Those old relatives were a tough and strong group of people to save their homes and their families from destruction! They all, Native and white, are to be admired! >> Sandi and all, I am not NA, my Grandfather was born near or in Stigler, IT in 1893. I have no idea how long his family had been there before he was born but I do know that they stayed there all their lives. The story goes that my ggf would hide NA's (and others) from the soldiers, etc. Is it true? I may never know but I like to think it is. I think it is in the 5th grade that each of my 4 children have come to me asking what we are - I always tell them that we are Americans. My ancestors came to this country in the early 1700's, why would I want to say I am anything else? They have each gotten called on this by the teachers and I think they generally put down that we are "European" Americans. I may not be a Native American, but I am NOT European American. Somehow that seems to take away form what my family really was. They left England and came here, they kept moving away from populated areas and made it to IT. The hardships that the residents of this area had to face were many. I am very proud of them. Sandy P - near cool, windy St. Louis

Does anyone have information on H.B. Cushamn? Did he live in the I.T.? Have a family? My great grandfather was Choctaw. My Great grandmother was a Cushman. Have no information about her nationality. She was born in I.T. abt. 1863. It would appear that she was also Native American. But, I can not prove it. At 06:56 PM 3/26/00 EST, you wrote: >In "History of the Choctaw, Chickasaw and Natachez Indians," H.B. Cushman >says: >"Those of the SAME clan were never allowed to intermarry". In other words, >marriage outside the clan was the law. >"A Choctaw regarded marrying a girl of his own clan with the same horror as >the white man did to marry his own sister; and equally so did the Choctaw >girl," Cushman writes.(p. 87) >Also when the couple married, the woman's family adopted the man into her >own. It was the female's line that was perpetuated through her uncles and >brothers. >Rusty Lang > > >==== CHOCTAW Mailing List ==== >OK Surname Registry - added yours? http://www.rootsweb.com/~oknames/ >Search 4 surnames - http://www.rootsweb.com/~okgenweb/search.htm > >

Ellen, Many of my relatives also have headstones with the Woodsmen of the World emblem on them. Many of these markers look like logs. Some are traditional flat headstones with just an emblem. The caretaker of a cemetary explained the Woodsmen of the World as a fraternal organization like the Masons (I was told my grandfather could not be a Mason because he was missing a finger!). One of the benefits of the organization was burial benefits including a headstone. I understood him to say (and he was hard to understand!) that the size of the headstone is related to their position in the organization. Woodsmen of the World is still an existing insurance company. I have not found a way to contact them about membership information.

Well, Rusty, you forced me to see who was right, O'Beirne, or Cushman. My gut feeling was that Cushman was probably correct, considering his life was practically spent researching the tribe. I checked Angie Debo, The Rise and Fall of the Choctaw Republic and got this, page 77 "Choctaw Marriage customs also underwent considerable legal modifications at this time. A law in 1835 provided for a brief marriage ceremony consisting of a mutual admission of intention before a captain or preacher; and in 1849 all couples living together had to conform to this custom. In 1836 the most fundemental of all the primitive taboos was abolished, when it was made lawful to marry within the iksa. Polygamy still existed as late as 1845, but it was not approved and it was made illegal in 1849." she cites: Folsom, Digest of Choctaw Law pp 486, 498. I (and O'Beirne) stand corrected. Nalora

Samuel Tanner married Sarah Walker, they had a daughter, Lucie Jane probably in Ark., in the early 1850s. I don't know if they were both Choctaw or not. Does anyone know anything about where to look for this couple? Thanks

In "History of the Choctaw, Chickasaw and Natachez Indians," H.B. Cushman says: "Those of the SAME clan were never allowed to intermarry". In other words, marriage outside the clan was the law. "A Choctaw regarded marrying a girl of his own clan with the same horror as the white man did to marry his own sister; and equally so did the Choctaw girl," Cushman writes.(p. 87) Also when the couple married, the woman's family adopted the man into her own. It was the female's line that was perpetuated through her uncles and brothers. Rusty Lang

I am sorry. I misread that about INTERMARRIAGE.

Hello-I am new to the list so i would like to introduce myself. My name is Tammy and I live in Indiana. My aunt and I have been trying to trace our family tree. We are trying to trace our Indian heritage. My grandmother always said that we are Choctaw Indian. I cannot find proof of that as of yet. I have spent MANY nights on this computer searching and maybe I am not looking in the right places :). SO here I am posting in hopes that someone out there MIGHT be able to help. I read a few postings today about INTERMARRIAGE, and not sure if my gggrandmother would be in a tribe or not as she married a man from England. Ok enough of me rambling I will give names and dates now. My great grandfathers name is James Webster BRYANT. He was born July 28, 1905 in ARK or OK. He died March 2, 1967 in Bragg City, MO. He married Kate HARRIS on Feb. 17,1924. She was born on Jan 1?, 1905 in Quitman ARK and died January 15, 1933 in Quitman, ARK. James's sister is Clairie Bryant Williams Duggins. Their parents were Jacob R? BRYANT born Feb. 17, 1874 and died feb 7, 1923. On November 17,1893 he married Emma S. PRESLEY. She was born May 19, 1874. My aunt says that Jacob was from England but that Emma was full blooded Indian. She also says that she was born in Frederick Co. or Grandfield, OK but then they moved back to ARK to bury her mother KATE. I don't know if maybe they had family in OK but I am sure there were some ties there. If anyone could help I would be the utmost grateful. Sincerely, Tammy

Ellen: Here's their web site. <http://www.wodmen.com/> <A HREF="http://www.woodmen.com/">Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insuran…</A> Sandi :)

Hi Maxine: Try this site: http://members.tripod.com/~Essie/index.htm <A HREF="http://members.tripod.com/~Essie/index.htm">A Southern Family...</A> The below was on the title page. A Southern Family   This site is dedicated to the history and genealogy of my family, almost entirely Southern for at least 200 years.   On it, you will find the genealogy of those branches of the family closest to me, about 600 names out of a database of over 8000. The names most common are: HARDEN/HARDIN, which first turns up in TN in the 1820s, but may have roots in Kentucky,  RAY,  which has roots in IL, but may have come from TN originally,  DONALDSON,  which has roots in South Carolina, but goes through MS to TX and OK, and  LEFLORE,  which came to the US from France before the Revolutionary War, and was an important family in the history of the Choctaw people and to the state of Mississippi. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ please sign my guestbook!: or email me! morgana@ghg.net ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hope this helps, Sandi :)

Hi Maxine: I found the below names on this site: <A HREF="http://www.uftree.com/UFT/WebPages/kma/COLBERT/nindex.htm#CROSS">Colb ert, James Logan Descendants: Index</A> LeFlore LeFlore, Annie (i13191) LeFlore, Charles M. (marriage to Mary Angeline 'Angie' Guy) (i4829), b.1841-d.1920 LeFlore, Chickasaw 'Chickie' (i13188), b.1871-d.1903 LeFlore, Daisy (i13192), d.1896 LeFlore, Estella 'Stella' (i5092), b.1863- LeFlore, Laurina P. Choctaw 'Chockie' (i13189), b.1871-d.1904 LeFlore, Mary (marriage to William Griggs) (i19026) LeFlore, Maud 'Mandie' (i13193), b.1895- LeFlore, William Forbes (i13190), d.1883 Am still looking! Sandi :)

Hi Maxine: At this point, I don't have a clue! I looked all through his web site and couldn't find anything. I'm trying to remember who told me they'd been in contact with Harlan. Hang in there! Sandi :)

Sandi, I have tried e-mailing Harlan about LeFlores but get an error message. Any other ideas? Maxine

Hi, My Great Grandfather Frank (Francis) M. Stone died in his mid fifties in his home in Garvin, McCurtain County, Oklahoma (October 25, 1909) from mylaria. It is say that his grave has a Woodsmen of the World Monument marking his resting place. Now, I have never heard of a W.O.W. Monument before. Could someone explain this marker? Is it a Insurance policy or what? Of course my next question is how do I get in touch with the Organization and learn what information that would be in his packet? Thanks Ellen