Pioneering in Kiowa County

On my blog, at

http://vancehawkins.blogspot.com/2014/03/bull-chisholm-and-goodnight.html

the following comment arrived 25 Mar 2014:

thisisabigten4 March 25, 2014 at 7:54 AM
As the great grandson of Oscar T. Richey, Grandson of Leora Richey Rusmisel. I remember coming across a Kiowa County history book that claimed of Oscar being the DIRECT descendant of Sequoyah. So I always assumed that was the case.
 

I had spoken to, emailed or written most of my cousins for any family stories concerning our Indian blood. I was especially interested in any stories concerning Sequoyah. Of two or three dozen queries, only Aunt Lorena responded. I felt pretty low and rejected over that, as I had heard some comments off hand. So hearing the above comment really was a joy. FINALLY! However no direct citation was given. I don't know how to contact my relative, other than leaving a comment below his in the hopes that he will return to it.

I went to local libraries and discovered a six volume history of Kiowa County and finally came across the article in question

The following was taken from “Pioneering in Kiowa County, volume 4”, Kiowa County Historical Society, Hobart, Oklahoma 76561, and covers pages 316-318. It was published by Schoonmaker Publishers, 305. S. Main, Hobart, Oklahoma, 73651 and 307 E. Main, Sentinel, Oklahoma 73664. Copyright (c) July 1, 1979, Clyde Callahan.
 

Oscar (O. T.) Richey Family

Oscar (O. T.) Richey and Emma Price were married at Duncan in 1905 in Indian Territory and moved into a half dugout. They later moved to Frederick, where he farmed. Two children, Pearl and Ethel, were born there. After about two years they moved to Vernon, Texas, where they farmed one year.

In January 1912, they moved to Lone Wolf in a covered wagon. They had to Ford the Salt Fork of Red River near Elmer, Oklahoma. As they were crossing, a colt which was following, stopped in front of the horses and caused them to stop. The wagon quickly began to sink in quicksand. The horses couldn't move the wagon and Emma who was five months pregnant with Clinton rode one of the horses out of the river. Oscar carried Pearl and Ethel to safety. Oscar was in the icy water for several hours trying to salvage what he could from the wagon.

They lost most everything they had. A family which lived nearby helped. The man took Emma, Pearl and Ethel to met the train to Lone Wolf while Oscar stayed to buy a wagon. He drove te wagon to Lone Wolf a few days later.

O. T. called a neighbor Jacob Everhart to meet the train. As Emma, Pearl, and Ethel got off the train in Lone Wolf, the first person they met was Fred Everhart.. He came to pick them up and take them to their new home north of Lone Wolf on the T. J. Tipton farm where they lived until 1927. There, three children were born; Clinton, Chester, and Leora.

In 1927, they moved eleven miles northwest of Lone wolf to the M. E. Gilmore place. They later bought the Lyde farm where they lived until they retired in 1958 and moved to Lone Wolf.

Pearl married Marion Stephens, Ethel married Wilbur Burnett. Clinton married Magie Abston, Chester married Inez Mitchell, Leona married Don Rusmisel.

O. T. Richey was a direct descendant of Sequoyah of the Cherokee Indian tribe. Sequoyah was Oscar's great-great-grandfather.

Submitted by Naomi Stephens Meinert.

Clinton Richey

Clinton Richey and mary Abston were married in the Bethel Church parsonage northwest of Lone Wolf in 1932. We lived in Simpler community until 1935, then moved to Cambridge community where Joyce was born in 1937. We moved to the T. J. Tipton farm where Clinton was born.

Clinton began his combine career at the age of 15 operating his dad's combine until after his marriage then he purchased his own.

Clinton bought the first John Deere self propelled combine sold in Hobart. Clinton, the girls and I made the custom harvest for 23 years until his death in 1973.

Joyce has married Jerry Rice and Linda married Max Cornwell.

Submitted by Maggie Richey.

Comment on the Article

The first article was written by a descendant of O. T. Richey, grandma's brother. Daughter Pearl married a Stephens, so the author, Naomi, must be a descendant of Pearl's. She seems to be a granddaughter of Oscar's, as I am a grandson of Lona, Oscar's sister. I recall a cousin once saying we descend from Sequoyah, but I suspected he didn't know, but was just guessing. The human mind seeks closure, and we try to make sense of information that has gaps in it. Also Aunt Lorena's story was that we descend from a brother of Sequoyah, and Naomi's article above says we descend from Sequoyah. Aunt Lorena was one generation closer to the origin of the story, and she said this was told to her by grandma, who was Oscar's sister, and two generations closer to the source of the information than Naomi. I say this with all due respect to Naomi Stephens Meinert, as I suspect most people who have ever lived have told a family story and occasionally gets details wrong, from time to time. In fact I am very grateful to her for having the courage and pride in her heritage to share what she has shared. I think she is saying they went on 23 wheat harvests.

 

You can see Clinton Richey's wife was Maggie Richey. She wrote a short piece about her family. There is a tradition in this part of the country. People with combines often go from North Texas to Canada in late spring to harvest the wheat.

Had I heard of this article and story earlier it would have been included in the book as co-oberating evidence of our Indian blood. The original article is below. It contains some family photos. As is always the case, click on the photo, and it will expand.