I am looking for any records on Frank Burton for the year 1894. He was a black man who had a child with a white woman named Mary Headley. I hope there will be a marriage record for them. I have found an indirect reference to Mary in 1892 in Wybark Oklahoma. The child was born in 1894 in Indian Territory. I would also like to find a record of this birth of any kind. Any and all help finding this couple would be wonderful! Patty

Dear Patty - Looking for >Frank Burton for the year 1894.< Unless the marriage was performed on Indian Territory by an Indian priest, even then, records were not kept regularly and the chances of finding a marriage documentation is rare for any ethnic blends or mixes. Even Indian to a white person was rarely recorded. If a listing is given that they're living together as a husband and wife such as a Fed Census, their union was probably courtesy of NO ceremony. The understanding through common-law was accepted that they're married, with NO benefit of a legal certificate or documentation. It's a sad situation but all so true. I have to accept in my own family, having little if none over documentation and even then, with what I do have, it's vague ... to say the least, doesn't verify much. Good Luck, I'm interested in what or if anything pops up for you in your hunt. Please keep us posted if something breaks through? Shelia C. Bachelder Austin, MN webachel@wolf.co.net Meandering Minnesota Meadows Original Origins Oklahoma