Paul, That was great! I love reading and hearing old (true) stories about those days. ..Mandy On Tue, 4 Apr 2000 16:03:22 EDT PELR@aol.com writes: > Hi Sandy, This is from the book "A Family History of Jeremia > Gardner"., by > Leroy Gardner l970 Reprinted and appended by Marie Gardner Wong > l995. > > Many Indians made their homes nearby -- Turnbull, Folsom, > Perkings, > Cochnauer, Freeny, Ward, James, Crain and many others. They built > on this > site a church, a school, a home for the missionary, a home for > mission > teachers and boarding students, a store nearby and an enclosure for > the > horses of the Post. This store was owned and operated by my > grandfather > (step), Levi Crain. > > My father pointed out to me the place where Levi Crain was > killed and > where he had his store at Mt. Pleasant. > > Frank and Jesse James and Cole Younger were related to my > father. Mamma > told me about times when Frank James and Cole Younger would ride up > to their > house to stay all night, and on one occasion, Frank came alone and > held a > meeting under an arbor for a week or two. She said after he came > home at > night after church, he would spend the rest of the night looking for > money > they had hid years before nearby. > > Our old home was near a spring on the main freight road from > Paris, > Texas to Caddo, Oklahoma and was a camping place for all who wanted > to use > it. I can remember when there would sometimes be several wagons > with > families camped there. Some would only stay overnight, but some > would stay > several nights to rest and to wash their clothes in the good soft > spring > water. I greatly enjoyed those times because there was always lots > of > children that I could play with. > > My father looked for the James boys' money in many places > throughout all > of his later years but never had any luck. > > I think Papa's mother was a sister to Frank James, his mother > was > Harriett James, born in l845. Frank was born in l843. Little > Jimmon James > was born about l848. He married Judge Gardner's oldest sister and > Jefferson > Gardner married Lucy James, grandma's sister. Also Chief Ben > Smallwood > married another sister, Abbie James. Another sister, Kizzie James > married > Dul Sanders, and later married Ben Batiese and had six children by > him: > Harriett, Annie, Frank, Lula, Sissie Bell and Turner. Harriett was > Ben > Risner's mother. Ben is now Sheriff of our county, so Ben Risner's > grandmother was a sister to my grandmother. > > One of her daughters told me that the James boys always came to > their > house and would stay like they did at our place. She said she always > hated > for them to come on account of having to whisper and tiptoe around > and never > mention their right names while they were there. She is still > living and is > in good health at 88 years of age. > > Walton James was my father's uncle and Albert Matoy his cousin, > and I > remember the three of them were always on a hot lead to some of the > James > boys' hidden loot. Sometimes they would be gone a month at a time, > but if > they ever had any luck, I never saw any of it. Page 14 > > I can recall many things like this about happenings here. Once > when a > white man stole one of Brother Lloyd's horses, Frank James and Cole > Younger > heard of it and they went after the white man, caught and killed > him, and > returned the horse to Brother Lloyd. > > Many tears were shed and many heartaches borne here, but also > many > pleasantries and much enjoyment and lots of old Camp Meetings. > > Brother Lloyd could preach in both Choctaw and English, and > many sermons > have I heard like this with first the English and then the > interpreter would > take over, women and girls on the one side of the church, men and > boys on the > other. I only wish I could live it over again. > > This Church is the oldest organized church now in use in all the > > county--120 years old. Bennington Church was formerly Mt. > Pleasant. > > > > Paul > > > > ==== CHOCTAW Mailing List ==== > Pushmataha County, Oklahoma -- > http://www.rootsweb.com/~okpushma/PushCo.html >