Benjamin Huston Blackwell

Genealogy Outline

The Benjamin Huston Blackwell Genealogy Outline Upton Oregon Blackwell was born in Tennessee in 1834, His father Benjamin E. Blackwell, [a school teacher] was born in Virginia in 1799 and married to Rebecca S. in Tennessee in 1833, Upton Oregon Blackwell was married to Charlotte Gordon at Collin Texas in 1855, Charlotte Gordon was born in Missouri, 12 September 1835, Her father was John H. Gordon born 1800 in Virginia, and her mother Charlotte Little was born 1801 in Illinois, Upton Oregon and Charlotte settled in Parker County Texas on Rock Creek between Weatherford and Whitt, shortly after they were married, [family oral history tells us that Upton Oregon was a surveyor and helped to survey the Parker County seat.] Their first son William Joel “Joe” was born in Parker County in 1857, In 1866 Joel and his cousin Harvey Sullivan were wounded when his brother Fremont and cousin Tommy Sullivan were captured by Indians, On 1 April 1875 Joel married Matilda Sistrunk daughter of Lemuel Sistrunk and Patience, in Parker County, Matilda was born in September 1858 in Alabama, [later Joel was a Texas Ranger in Jack County Texas]. Their second child J. C. Fremont was born in Parker County in 1859, In the 1866 Indian raid Fremont and cousin Tommy Sullivan were captured, Tommy was found dead the next day by a search party, Years later Fremont said that the Indians killed Tommy because he wouldn’t stop crying, Fremont spent several years with the Indians and was ransomed with tobacco as was two other children a Norwegian boy [Ole Neilston] and a little white girl at Old Fort Cobb, Oklahoma Territory, Family story relates that Fremont had to be restrained to prevent him from returning to the Indians, He later threatened many times to return to the Indians, His younger brother Benjamin said that Fremont learned the Comanche language, and leather work and became adapt with bow and arrow. Fremont later married Eva Minnie Blevins daughter of Monroe Blevins and Janie Roberts on 27 September 1877 in Parker County Texas, Eva was born 2 March 1863 in Arizona, Fremont died about 1885 from a fall on ice while skating on a stock tank or while feeding horses, in Littlefield Lamb Texas. Upton Oregon and Charlottes third child Mary S. was born in 1861 at Parker County Texas, She married Charles Wohlenberg on 25 Jun 1876 in Parker County, Charles was born about 1853 in Bavaria, Charles Wholenbuerg was an Indian scout and cavalryman at Fort Richardson and later at Fort Sill, While serving under General McKinney his troop arrested Chief Santank, [Kiowa Indian] and Big Tree, and Santanta for killing a hay hauler, These three were sentenced to life imprisonment but later pardoned, Charles and Mary S. later lived in New Mexico for many years where they raised bees for honey. The fourth and last child of Upton Oregon and Charlotte was Benjamin Huston born 9 May 1863 in Whitt Parker County Texas, Benjamin spent most of the first twenty three years of his life in Parker where he met and married Mary Frances Broom on 23 December 1885, Mary Frances was born 10 June 1864 in Rusk Cherokee County Texas, Mary ‘s father was Henry David Broom born 1831 in South Carolina, Her mother was Julia Ann Dover born 1831 in Habersham Georgia. In March 1886 Benjamin Blackwell with his wife Mary Frances and his mother Charlotte and four of their neighbors and their families left Texas for no mans land, Greer County, Oklahoma Territory, The neighbors were George Sistrunk, Thomas Sullivan [Bens uncle] J. Coleman, and a Mr. Perry. They arrived in no mans land 16 May 1886, Their route was over the old Dodge City trail crossing the Red River at Doan’s store by Timber Creek following the Tuttle trail to Beaver City Greer County. Ben and Mary had a yoke of [black]oxen named Tuck and Coley and a wagon loaded with all it would carry, Mary Frances drove the oxen and wagon and Ben drove fifty seven head of cattle. Upon reaching Greer County they traveled down the north fork of the Red River to about five miles below where Sayre is today, Where they bught two squatters claims, One for Ben and Mary and one for his mother Charlotte, While on this claim Ben bought a mare [from a man named Ike Tompkins] The mare foaled a Steel Dust colt which he later sold for $225.00 to Tom Lindsay for whom the town of Lindsay was named, He also became good friends with Chief Big Tree and Chief Lone Wolf principal chief of the Kiowas with whom he traded horses and cattle and learned quite a bit of their language. After living on this lease about one and a half years Ben sold out to George Boyd and Zack Miller who were putting leases together to form a ranch. They gave him a team of horses with harness and a wagon and a job as a cow puncher at $25.00 per month and groceries for his wife, Mother and daughter Florence Ethel born October 1886, After working several months as a cow puncher on cattle drives he sold his thirty six head of cattle to them for $20.00 per head and moved his family which had grown now to two children [George V. born August 1888] to Erin Springs in the Kickapoo flats south of Lindsay Chickasaw Nation Indian Territory, where he rented a farm from Choctaw Indians Emit McCoy and his brother Major McCoy, [Emit McCoy belonged to the Choctaw Indian Council], Benjamin and Mary’s third child Rose was born here in May 1891, His fourth child Julia Ann in May 1892 and the fifth and sixth children Edward and Ernestine [twins] were born in August 1895. Some time after 1895 Ben sold his lease to Bill Hale, his cattle and horses to Emit McCoy and bought a big mule team, loaded up a wagon with his wife Mary, mother Charlotte and six children and headed for New Mexico where they stayed for about nine months, Not finding anything that suited him in New Mexico he returned to Erin Springs Indian Territory. For the next few years Ben worked as a cow puncher and cook on cattle drives from Texas to Kansas. His seventh child Myrtle was born September 1898 in Chickasaw Nation Indian Territory. In 1899 Ben leased a farm from Dan Folsom, This land originally belonged to the Murry’s [Mississippi Chickasaw’s] and first settlers in and around Erin Springs. The 1900 Chickasaw Nation census shows, Benjamin Blackwell b. 1863 TX Mary Frances Blackwell b. 1864 GA Charlotte Blackwell b. 1834 IL Florence b. 1886 TX George V. b. 1888 IT Rose b. 1891 IT Julia b. 1892 IT Edward b. 1895 IT Ernestine b. 1895 IT Myrtle b. 1898 IT In 1900 Ben leased a farm from Jim Gibbons about ten miles east of Pauls Valley Chickasaw Nation Indian Territory where he farmed for the next three or four years, He then moved to the community of Arthur Stephens County Indian Territory. The Stephens County Chickasaw Nation marriage records show that Bens oldest daughter Florence Ethel was married to Joshua Embree Woods at Arthur Stephens IT in 1905 and that his son George V. was married to May Parks at Arthur Stephens County Oklahoma, 1908. Bens mother Charlotte [Gordon] Blackwell died in 1907 and is buried in the Old Velma Cemetery, Velma, Stephens County Oklahoma. In 1908 Ben circulated a petition among several families who had school age children and as a result Prairie Dale School District #33 was organized and formed. Some of the families were the James W. Parks family, the Bob McLendon family the Jack Sanderfur family a Mrs. John Allen and others. Ben and Mary’s four youngest children attended school there as did all of their Woods Grandchildren, Ruthie G.-b-February 1907, Laura M.-b-February 1908, Ethel E.-b-January 1911, Edgar E.-b--b January 1915, Truba Faye-b-July 1920, Frances K.-b-May 1924 In 1915-1916 Ben and Mary’s youngest daughter Myrtle graduated from and became the teacher at Prairie Dale which resulted in a life time as a school teacher. The 1910 Stephens County census shows the Blackwell household members as Blackwell Benjamin HD 46 M Mary F. WF 45 M Julia D 17 S Ernestine D 14 S Edward D 14 S Myrtle D 10 S Woods Embree SL 28 WD Ruthie GD 4 S Laura GD 2 S Manley Wade NE NR NR In about 1920-23 Ben and Mary built a new home on 160 acres about seven miles north of Velma and about 3 miles north of Prairie Dale where they lived and farmed until their deaths Benjamin Huston on the 31 of January 1943, and Mary Frances [Broom] on the 10 August 1946. They are both buried at Old Velma Cemetery Velma Oklahoma Everett L. Austin [Great Grandson] (Additional information) There are two stories relating to the death of Upton Oregon Blackwell, One was that he was killed between Jacksboro Jack County Texas and the Blackwell place on Rock Creek near Whitt Parker Texas in 1871, He had been to investigate a letter from north Texas that his son Fremont captured by Indians in 1866 had been found and ransomed. It was another boy and not his and he was on his way home when he was killed by Indians. He is buried in Whitt Parker County, Texas. The other story relates that he was returning home from Weatherford with groceries when he was killed and robbed by Indians, [His body pierced through by two arrows] His body was found near School House Branch. There are also several versions of the episode of Fremont and Tommy Sullivan being captured by Indians including the interview that Benjamin gave in 1938 in the W P A Indian Pioneer Oral History Project, The version I have used is the one that five of us [Grand children and Great grand children still living] recall Ben telling. Benjamin has been quoted as saying tht his Grandmother Charlotte Litte was Half Indian and his mother Charlotte was one quarter Indian,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ELA

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