James Thomas Chaffin (Pearl Chaffin Gregory's brother) was the fourth of twelve children born to MATTHEW PERRY CHAFFIN AND SARAH ELIZABETH (SALLY) HENDERSON CHAFFIN. James was born on November 12, 1875 in Buffalo, Newton County, Arkansas, and grew up on a farm in Jasper, Arkansas. His wife, Dora Belle Gosnell, daughter of JOHN GOSNELL AND SARAH JANE CHAFIN GOSNELL was born November 28, 1880 in Newton County, Arkansas. James Thomas (J.T.) and Dora were married March 26, 1899 in Hasty, Arkansas.

J.T. and Dora had nine children together (listed in birth order) Norman, Lowell, Ira, Homer Boyd, John Franklin, Harold, Ray Samuel, Everett, and Opal, all born in Newton County, Arkansas.

In 1919, J.T. moved his family to Boudinot, Oklahoma to live on a 40 acre farm owned by his brother, John Smith (Bunk) Chaffin, who had moved to Oklahoma two years earlier. In 1921, they bought a 240 acre farm near the Boudinot School in Boudinot, Oklahoma. J.T. was a farmer and a stockman all of his life and worked hard to rear his family and help them obtain a good education.

Family tragedy seems to have haunted J.T. and Dora during their lifetime. Their sons, Norman and Lowell died in 1903 (ages 1 and 3 years old) of dysentery. On April 4, 1930, J.T. and his brother Bunk, were driving Bunk's pickup truck to Harrison, Arkansas when it overturned near Watts, Oklahoma killing Bunk. On April 22, 1938, J.T. and Dora's son, Ira (he was the Cherokee County, Oklahoma Commissioner), accidently died from drinking Foamite, a fire extinguishing agent that was left in a Coke bottle. On August 5, 1939, their son Homer Boyd, died of a broken neck that he suffered diving into the Illinois River just below J.T.'s house. On November 5, 1970, their son Harold died of injuries suffered in an auto accident. J.T. died on May 1, 1974 in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and Dora died on April 8, 1964 in Boudinot, Oklahoma. They are both buried in Boudinot Cemetery.

(J.T. is the brother of my paternal great grandmother, Pearl Chaffin Gregory)

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