stories.html




Every one of us carries with us a part of our ancestors who have passed before us.  So doesn't it make sense that we would want to know a little more about them than just the stark statistics of their birth date, death date, and lineage?  I agree. 

This page is dedicated to all of those family members who have made us, in some small part, the people we are today.  Take some time to read about their lives. 

It is important when reading about the lives of our ancestors that we consider the time in which they lived, worked, raised their children, and participated in their era.  It is important to realize that times were different.  Their struggles probably don't resemble ours.  It is often said that times were much simpler then; were they?  I'll let you decide for yourself.

Contributions to this section, and all other sections of this Family Website, are welcome.  Send your photos, stories, or other family information to me via email.

Abigail 1
Bowman, Sadie Izetta 1
Cora/Cory/Corey, Rachel
Corey, Benjamin 1
Harris, Clarence Wayne 1-2
Phipps, Elmer Lee 1-2
Phipps, Marion Louise 1-2-3
Phipps, Norman Lee
Pullum, Mary Bell 1-2
Simpson, Dale Dean 1-2-3
Simpson, William Clark "Bill"  1-2-3
Smith, Benjamie Franklin 1
Smith, Benjamin Lee "Junior" 1
Smith, Stella Mae  1-2-3

"Abigail" was not her real name, as she had an Indian name.  The name was given to her by the man who is said to have bought her and taken her for his bride, Benjamin Corey.  There is not alot known about Abigail other than that she was Indian, presumably of the turtle clan.  This is not for certain but what her great grandaughter Stella Smith believed to be true.   Another possibility was that she was Cherokee.  This is based on the belief that Ben got her in Oklahoma.  Neither of these theories are certain.  In fact, very little is known of Abigail except that she and Ben had three children in Ohio, and and according to the 1850 Census of Pike County, Seal Township in Ohio, Abigail was from Ohio and Ben was from Vermont.  Because she was born in Ohio and said to be of the turtle clan, one might deduce that she may have been of the Delaware tribe.  As stated before, her heritage is not known for absolute certain. 
                                                                 




Bowman, Sadie Izetta was the daughter of Josiah Atney Bowman and Rachey Cora/Corey, born on April 13 1882.   She wasn't a very tall woman, said to stand about 5'3" on a good day.  Sadie married Benjamin Franklin Smith and together they had nine children.  Sadie did not get to see all of children grown as her life was cut short at the age of 46 due to a drunken taxi drive named C. C. White.  (see Newspaper Article for full account)  Sadie died of a broken neck in 1928.

Sadie is remembered as a "spitfire" by her children.  She was full of energy and ran her household the best she could.  She was 1/4 Indian and she looked it.  Her daughter Stella described her as a "wild Indian."  Stella resembled her mother a great deal. 

Picture on the left are Benjamin Franklin Smith and his wife, Sadie Izetta Bowman.  The photo was copied from a photo in the posession of their young son Junior.  It was the only photo he had of his mother and he held it very dear. 

Ben and Sadie's children:  Maude Smith, Ezra Everett Smith, Benjamin Chester "Chet" Smith, Stella Mae Smith, William Edward "Buck" Smith, Lewis Franklin Smith, Nancy Ora Smith, Benjamin Lee "Junior" Smith, and Dayton Lee Smith. 

Sadie was laid to rest in Muddy Cemetery, in Union Star, Gentry County Missouri. 









Marion Louise Phipps was born August 12 1931 in the home of her grandmother in Hanna Oklahoma in Pittsburg County.  She favored he father's family and seemed to exhibit the Indian blood more than her siblings with her brown eyes, auburn hair, and olive complexion. 

Marion was always the hub within both the Phipps and the Simpson families.  She was the glue that held both sides together.  According to her sister Helen, "When Marion walked in she lit up the whole room."   Maybe it was her smile or the sparkle in her eyes, or maybe it was her hourglass figure and natural beauty.  It was probably that charisma that attracted Dale Simpson. 

Dale was to tell their daughter Donna, after Marion's death, "I love your mother, I always have and I always will."  She was certainly deserving of that love.  She was a dedicated wife and mother, who was the first to take in friends or family members who needed help or a place to stay. 

Until a surgical tube irritated her vocal chords, she had a beautiful singing voice and played guitar.  Her favorite tune was "The Wildwood Flower."  Marion encouraged her children to play music.  She would prompt the words for the next verse for the kids to sing when they weren't familiar with a song she wanted to hear.  Music was a big part of the household. 

Marion's passing impacted the whole family, on both sides, more than anything else has.   After her services, the whole family gathered with their guitars at her son Rick's home, and they played all of her favorite songs in her memory.  She loved Merle Haggard, Floyd Kramer, Garth Brooks, Credence Clearwater Revival, and Bob Seger.  "Every time I hear the Wildwood Flower, I hear it the way my mother used to pick it," her daughter Donna. 

Marion loved to spend the day hunting for wild mushrooms, or sitting on the bank fishing.  She also loved baking a blackberry cobler from berries she picked herself off those thorny bushes.  One year, she gave each of her children and grandchildren a quilted bedspread for Christmas that she made herself. 

She was a very intelligent woman who amazed her son-in-law when they played scrabble.  She had a huge vocabulary and enjoyed playing a word that caused those around her to challenge. 

Marion Louise Phipps
Aug 12 1931 - Nov 25  1994



If times were tough, so were they.  Marion Louise Phipps and Dale Dean Simpson were married on November 25 1952 at the courthouse in Pryor, Mayes County, Oklahoma by the Justice of the Peace.  They were introduced by Dale's brother John, or Tank as we call him, and by Marion's sister Helen. 

Ironically, Helen Phipps would later marry Clarence Wayne Harris, nephew of the Justice that married Dale and Marion.  Tank and girlfriend Margie Boling would witness the marriage only to have Dale and Marion return the favor exactly one year later, by the same Justice.

They were a very handsome couple, and representative of their time.  Dale served the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict while Marion stayed behind and worked in a sewing factory that produces some of the military uniforms.  The war meant business for much of the country which was just coming out of the Great Depression.

Marion, born August 12 1931, was the daughter of Elmer Lee and Mary Bell (Pullum) Phipps.  Dale, born October 14 1930, was the eldest son of Stella Mae (Smith) and William Clark "Bill" Simpson.  They had five children together:  Patricia, Richard, Donna, William, and Dale.  As of April 2004, there are 14 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. 

The Simpsons are buried in Boatman Cemetery, Brian's Chapel, Mayes County, Oklahoma.  Dale had received an honorable discharge and a military honor guard fired a salute at his funeral.  His flag is in the possession of their youngest son, Dale.