Ardmore Courthouse

Last week I spent the day at the Ardmore courthouse with my good friend, Paula.  Paula was diligent about going through misc. indexes as I went through the court case, felony indexes.  I was specifically looking for the court case of Oscar Parish who shot and killed Jim McCarley in 1905.  This was two years before Oklahoma became a state.  I've searched for this record before, multiple times, but not at this courthouse.  Since it was before statehood, I spent one day at the Regional National Archives in Fort Worth since all of the federal records before statehood were transferred to them. The case was not there.  The archivist told me that if the case had dragged on and had not been resolved then it would still be at the courthouse in Oklahoma.   There were 3 district courthouses before statehood, the next one I'll try was in Tishamingo.  However it isn't often that I get a day off during the week when the courthouses are open.

The trip wasn't a waste of time though.  We found my great great grandfather's probate record.  M.W. (Mitchel Wilbern) McCarley didn't have any land listed, but did list a horse, buggy and harness, 1 cow, 120 bushels of corn, 80 bales of hay, watch, and other misc items.   Although there is an affidavit which states some of the property listed belongs to Mamie Bray and the buggy and harness was sold to Lee Bray the first of January.  Sidney McCarley (my great grandfather) filed the paperwork.

M.W. McCarley departed this life on January 16, 1916 at Nocona, Montague County, Texas and was a resident of Healdton, Carter County, OK.   The petition for letters of administration lists heirs as:
Eli McCarley age 44, residence Mariette, OK
Sidney McCarley, age 41, residence Ringling, OK
Macom McCarley, age 38, residence Unknown
Sarah Stout, age 35, residence Staunton, OK
Effie Stewart, age 32, residence Glenn, OK
Fred McCarley, age 28, residence Wirt, OK
Mamie Bray, age 25, residence Healdton, OK
Nannie Laurence, age 23,residence Legal, OK
Walter McCarley, age 27, residence Marlow, OK

M.W's obit

http://lelasgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/02/mitchell-w-mccarley-obit.html

Probably Art Lamb

This is a picture found in an album of my Dad's mother, Eva Lamb Golightley.  My Dad suspects this picture of is of her brother, Art Lamb.  Dad remembers that he was in the Navy and that his Dad, Johnnie Golightley, tried to help Art find a job when he first came home from the Navy.   If anyone knows for sure who this is, please let me know.

Eva Lamb Golightley

We found a box of pictures today that have not been opened since my parents moved back to Mineral Wells 18 years ago.  There was an album in it of Grandma Golightley's.  It was mostly of her family with pictures of her as young lady maybe a teenager.  It is amazing how much my Aunt Opal and my sister, Barbara look like her.
 

Eva Lamb Golightley,  Mr. Beatty, Florence

Presentations

This is going to be a busy week.  Monday I  presented the program "Fur Traders: Was your ancestor a Mountain Man?" to the Ellis County Genealogical Society.  Tonight I will be in Plano presenting, "Googling for Genealogists" to the Collin County Genealogical Society, and Saturday, I will be presenting the same program at the DeSoto Public Library. They are all open to the public so if you are nearby......

Family Pictures

Our family had a tragedy this summer, in that my Aunt and Uncle's house burned to the ground.  It made me realize our collective memories are fragile.  Along with my grandmother's pedal sewing machine, most of her pictures are now gone.  There were pictures of her with her cousins and friends that had no copies any where else.  Along with the images, the names of those friends are in jeopardy.  I don't know if any of her children remember them or not.  Another question I need to ask at the next reunion or sooner if I get the chance. Meanwhile I've decided that we have to spread our family pictures out more, so that one tragedy will not claim them all.  I realized that I have pictures of my brothers and sisters that I took with my brownie box camera that no one else has.

Since getting the Flip Pal scanner, I've been scanning pictures every time I go to visit my parents.  This weekend I didn't scan any, but I did bring some home to scan on a larger scanner.  This picture is of my Grandparents, Gladys Mamie Sample and Thomas Osa McCarley and their first daughter, my Mother, Gwonda.  My Grandmother was only 15 when she got married and is probably 16 in this picture. 

My Dad

  

While I was at my parents house, I scanned this picture of my Dad.  He said he was about 10 years old.  I think he looks younger, but my Dad has always looked younger than his age. 

Jewish Genealogy

This is not my story but I found it  fascinating family research. Judy Wilkenfeld has researched and documented a part of her family's history.  It puts a face on a tragic chapter in our history. 

http://judywilkenfeld.tumblr.com/