Hi,Eleanor and all ! I will give you what I have on Martha ARDENT, wife of James Henry OZMENT, Sr., and other related. I have a copy (of a copy) of an affadavit sworn to 11 June 1832, State of Oklahoma, County of Okmulgee, by Laura Louan (Ozment) BURNS (a.k.a Leah Louisa OZMENT, a.k.a. Leah Louisiana OZMENT, a.k.a. "Lou"), d/o John Jasper and Margaret Elizabeth (Morgan) OZMENT. But let me back up...... A little more background here: My files show John Jasper OZMENT (b. 1798, NC) as the s/o John Lafayette OZMENT (b.abt. 1798, NC) and Martha Frances JACKSON (b. abt. 1775, prob. NC). John Jasper OZMENT was married twice previously - to Anna Mae MORGAN (Margaret's sister) and Isabel(le) MURCHISON. My files also reflect John Lafayette OZMENT was a son of James Henry OZMENT, Sr. and Martha ARDENT/ARDEN (b. 1757-1760, NC). This is where it gets a little confusing. I do not have William Anderson OZMENT as another son of James Henry OZMENT, Sr., but have him as a son of Samuel and Mary (unknown) OZMENT. Please correct me if I'm wrong or have recycled another error. I also show your Alfred (married Nancy Ann LANE) as another son of James Henry OZMENT, Sr. If any of our Ozment family researchers have additional/corrected info on William Anderson OZMENT and his connection to James Henry OZMENT, Sr and/or Samuel OZMENT, please help resolve this and other questions posed by Eleanor. Back to the affadavit as excerpted: Laura Louan (Ozment) BURNS," ....the deponent says that the said grand-parents (?) above mentioned (Margaret Elizabeth Ozment MORGAN and Cora Ann FRAZIER, maternal grandmothers) are to be found as some of the early Cherokee Indians who were routed from North Carolina, to the country west of the Mississippi, and that their numbers are to be found on old Cherokee rolls of the corresponding date, and that she is a direct descendant of them, .....". The wording and exclamation in parenthesis are mine. There is no reference in this affadavit to Martha ARDENT/ARDEN, her paternal great-grandmother. An appended note to this affadavit, written by Charles W. Johnson and excerpted here, states as follows: "This is a copy of an affadavit prepared on the above mentioned date by Hue D. Miller, an attorney of Beggs, Oklahoma, The exact purpose of this instrument is not known at this time. It evidently was prepared for the purpose of establishing definite relationship and dependancy from some member or members of the Cherokee tribe of Indians when they resided still in the ancestral domain which is now North Carolina. Copied February, 1940 from affadavit loaned by Pink Burns, of Mounds, Okla. and his sister, Mrs. ada (Burns) McDaniel who was first married to a man named Settle, her address is now Sand Springs, Okla, General Delivery. CWJ" A copy of the affadavit was submitted to me by Evelyn Johnson Thoes, d/o Charles Warner Johnson (s/o Charles Edwin and Almedia Ozment Johnson) for use in my Ozment family research. The original document is owned by Evelyn. It is coincidental that Caroline Miller and I are presently researching the western Cherokee records for a varified connection with the MORGAN family.We believe we have found that connection on two Cherokee Rolls. Keep tuned. My files further reflect Martha ARDENT/ARDEN (the great-grandmother of Leah Louisa Ozment BURNS) was the daughter of Unknown ARDENT/ARDEN, brother of a "Chief Keota/Keoto". This information was provided by Arthur Jolley in a letter and taped interview by Lamar White which I,m sure all of us have read or heard before. One of our CA cousins advised he has seen an early reference to a Chief Keota/Keoto in one of the north-central plains states. Not confirmed, still researching. The "story" goes that Chief Keota/Keoto had a daughter named Elizabeth "White Cloud" who married a William "Billy" EDDINS/EDDINGS (I am sure our Eddins/Eddings kin can expand/resolve/denounce this bit of their family history).This is a very interesting theory since the Ozments and Eddins/Eddings are related by marriage. Eleanor - I hope I have provided info that will help resolve some of your questions. I will study the other questions some more and get back to you if I find anything of value. Then again, I may have totally confused the issue. I have said more than I originally intended, but maybe I've stirred up the "think tank"and this may lead to determining the true proginitor(s) of the OZMENT/OSMENT/OSMOND family tree. Also, I too would like to see original Bible records (such as the Eula Mae Harris family bible) and other documentation. As I've said before ( and I know you all get tired of hearing it) let's ALL make an effort to co-ordinate our research, do some serious fact-finding, help eliminate those "recycled errors"--yes, I make them too-- and preserve the great heritage we have to pass on to OUR descendants. 'nuff said. Best regards, Dwight Wesley Ozment 5:25 P.M. EDT Mon. 8/24/99