Post by cottonpicker on Aug 28, 2011 22:33:39 GMT -5
JOHN & ADA MAE -- MY PATERNAL GRANDPARENTS
Larry D. Davis
Ada Mae Denton, my grandmother, was born in November, 1891 in the Chickasaw
Indian Nation which was in the area now known as Cleveland Co., OK. The family was
part Choctaw Indian arising from her great grandmother and they originally hailed from
VA, then KY about 1815 and into AR in 1840. Finally, they ended up in Indian Territory
(now Oklahoma) in about 1890 and later moved on to Lincoln Co. in New Mexico
Territory.
My grandmother had an uncle, Jordan Herring, who was a Deputy U.S. Marshal
riding out of Ft. Smith, AR under direction of the famous “Hanging Judge”, Isaac Parker,
who was responsible for the hanging of 79 outlaws captured and convicted during the
period, 1879—1896. Deputy Herring’s district was in Indian Territory where desperados
frequently hid out and occasionally he would spend the night with grandma’s family
while he was in the territory on business. According to her, he smoked big black cigars
and one night he left one smoldering on the fireplace mantle when he retired for the night
and grandmother picked it up and took several puffs from it. She said that was the sickest
she ever felt, but apparently it didn’t stop her from smoking later in life since I remember
that she occasionally and secretly smoked a corn cob pipe when I was a youngster. She
kept loose leaf tobacco in her apron pocket and would dip the pipe into it for a refill and
my older cousin, Sharon, told me about witnessing it many times. Grandma was very
short in stature, about 4 ft. 11 inches, and on Christmas Day, 1905, when she was 14
years old, she married a cowboy originally from Texas, named John Lexington Davis,
my grandfather, who was 11 years older than she.
As a teenager in Sterling County, Texas, grandpa had grown up on his father’s ranch
On Lacy Creek near the Pecos River and he was considered somewhat “unsettled” and
was labeled a “misfit” by Sterling City townsfolk. In 1896 he had a “run-in” with “the
law” and ran away to New Mexico Territory where he was hired on the John Henry
Tunstall Ranch as a cowboy at $30 per month salary. Just 18 years earlier, one William
H. Bonney, better known as “Billy the Kid” was a cowboy / gunslinger working for the
same Tunstall Ranch during the infamous Lincoln County War. John Henry Tunstall was
murdered in 1878 and after that “Billy the Kid” and other cowboys from the Tunstall
Ranch, known as “the Regulators”sought revenge for Tunstall’s death. My Grandad
“cowboyed” on the ranch until 1910 when he took his small family back to Sterling
County, Texas. By this time they had two small boys, my oldest uncles, and the family
remained in Texas just long enough for Grandad to stand trial and “clear his name”, as he
called it, for a crime he committed in 1897 before he quickly fled Texas for New Mexico
Territory. His defense attorney was his brother-in-law, John B. Ayers and I will skip the
details of his crime except to say it was a very serious offence which involved a
Deputy Sheriff of Sterling County. Once granddad was vindicated by reason of “self
defense”, the family left Sterling County and headed out by covered wagon to start a new
life in Oklahoma. My grandmother was pregnant at the time with their 3rd child, who was
to later become my Dad. Their 600 mile trip took 30 days before they arrived on the
Johnson Ranch near Purcell, OK where granddad had been promised a job. Grandma’s
brother, Newton Denton, worked on the ranch and was their contact for the job. My Dad
was born on that ranch shortly after they arrived in Dec. 1910 and Grandad continued to
work there until 1913 when he was 33 years old and decided it was time to give up the
tough life of a bronc-busting cowboy and become a farmer.
The family moved out to western Oklahoma about 1913 and he went to work for
a Mr. Pickleseimer who was notorious for hiring a sharecropper to help plant, cultivate
and raise a crop, but invariably before harvest time he would chase them off and keep
everything for himself. Grandad raised a good cotton crop that year and, sure enough,
Pickleseimer came just before harvest time to chase the family off his property.
Grandmother came out of the house with their long barreled shotgun pointed at Mr.
Pickelseimer while granddad ran inside to get his Colt 45 revolver and they both literally
chased the landlord off his own property. Grandad then gathered that year’s crop, gave
Pickelseimer his share as they had originally agreed, then moved off and bought their
own 80 acre farm on Oak Creek, north of Canute, OK where they lived until he retired
about 1951 and moved into my hometown.
Grandpa was a man of few words but when he spoke, you’d better listen ‘cause it was
going to be important. He never wore anything other than cowboy boots on his feet and a
Stetson hat on his head and he lived to reach age 82, in 1962. He remained fairly active
and of sound mind until the final weeks of his life. A few weeks before he died, and at
his direction, grandma put the names of all his sons and grandsons on small folded slips
of paper and dropped them into his Stetson hat. Grandma drew one of the slips and the
lucky winner was their oldest son, “Chick”. The prize was grandad’s most cherished
possession---the Colt 45 revolver that had been his lifelong companion since 1896 and
at this present time, the pistol has now been passed to my oldest cousin, “Chick’s” son.
Luckily, I inherited the silver spurs which he used during his entire life as a cowboy.
Grandma lived 6 more years before she passed on, but I always remember her ready
smile, great sense of humor and the fact that she was a champion domino player who
excelled at the game called “Texas 42”. May GOD rest their souls.
©2009 Larry D Davis
Larry D. Davis
Ada Mae Denton, my grandmother, was born in November, 1891 in the Chickasaw
Indian Nation which was in the area now known as Cleveland Co., OK. The family was
part Choctaw Indian arising from her great grandmother and they originally hailed from
VA, then KY about 1815 and into AR in 1840. Finally, they ended up in Indian Territory
(now Oklahoma) in about 1890 and later moved on to Lincoln Co. in New Mexico
Territory.
My grandmother had an uncle, Jordan Herring, who was a Deputy U.S. Marshal
riding out of Ft. Smith, AR under direction of the famous “Hanging Judge”, Isaac Parker,
who was responsible for the hanging of 79 outlaws captured and convicted during the
period, 1879—1896. Deputy Herring’s district was in Indian Territory where desperados
frequently hid out and occasionally he would spend the night with grandma’s family
while he was in the territory on business. According to her, he smoked big black cigars
and one night he left one smoldering on the fireplace mantle when he retired for the night
and grandmother picked it up and took several puffs from it. She said that was the sickest
she ever felt, but apparently it didn’t stop her from smoking later in life since I remember
that she occasionally and secretly smoked a corn cob pipe when I was a youngster. She
kept loose leaf tobacco in her apron pocket and would dip the pipe into it for a refill and
my older cousin, Sharon, told me about witnessing it many times. Grandma was very
short in stature, about 4 ft. 11 inches, and on Christmas Day, 1905, when she was 14
years old, she married a cowboy originally from Texas, named John Lexington Davis,
my grandfather, who was 11 years older than she.
As a teenager in Sterling County, Texas, grandpa had grown up on his father’s ranch
On Lacy Creek near the Pecos River and he was considered somewhat “unsettled” and
was labeled a “misfit” by Sterling City townsfolk. In 1896 he had a “run-in” with “the
law” and ran away to New Mexico Territory where he was hired on the John Henry
Tunstall Ranch as a cowboy at $30 per month salary. Just 18 years earlier, one William
H. Bonney, better known as “Billy the Kid” was a cowboy / gunslinger working for the
same Tunstall Ranch during the infamous Lincoln County War. John Henry Tunstall was
murdered in 1878 and after that “Billy the Kid” and other cowboys from the Tunstall
Ranch, known as “the Regulators”sought revenge for Tunstall’s death. My Grandad
“cowboyed” on the ranch until 1910 when he took his small family back to Sterling
County, Texas. By this time they had two small boys, my oldest uncles, and the family
remained in Texas just long enough for Grandad to stand trial and “clear his name”, as he
called it, for a crime he committed in 1897 before he quickly fled Texas for New Mexico
Territory. His defense attorney was his brother-in-law, John B. Ayers and I will skip the
details of his crime except to say it was a very serious offence which involved a
Deputy Sheriff of Sterling County. Once granddad was vindicated by reason of “self
defense”, the family left Sterling County and headed out by covered wagon to start a new
life in Oklahoma. My grandmother was pregnant at the time with their 3rd child, who was
to later become my Dad. Their 600 mile trip took 30 days before they arrived on the
Johnson Ranch near Purcell, OK where granddad had been promised a job. Grandma’s
brother, Newton Denton, worked on the ranch and was their contact for the job. My Dad
was born on that ranch shortly after they arrived in Dec. 1910 and Grandad continued to
work there until 1913 when he was 33 years old and decided it was time to give up the
tough life of a bronc-busting cowboy and become a farmer.
The family moved out to western Oklahoma about 1913 and he went to work for
a Mr. Pickleseimer who was notorious for hiring a sharecropper to help plant, cultivate
and raise a crop, but invariably before harvest time he would chase them off and keep
everything for himself. Grandad raised a good cotton crop that year and, sure enough,
Pickleseimer came just before harvest time to chase the family off his property.
Grandmother came out of the house with their long barreled shotgun pointed at Mr.
Pickelseimer while granddad ran inside to get his Colt 45 revolver and they both literally
chased the landlord off his own property. Grandad then gathered that year’s crop, gave
Pickelseimer his share as they had originally agreed, then moved off and bought their
own 80 acre farm on Oak Creek, north of Canute, OK where they lived until he retired
about 1951 and moved into my hometown.
Grandpa was a man of few words but when he spoke, you’d better listen ‘cause it was
going to be important. He never wore anything other than cowboy boots on his feet and a
Stetson hat on his head and he lived to reach age 82, in 1962. He remained fairly active
and of sound mind until the final weeks of his life. A few weeks before he died, and at
his direction, grandma put the names of all his sons and grandsons on small folded slips
of paper and dropped them into his Stetson hat. Grandma drew one of the slips and the
lucky winner was their oldest son, “Chick”. The prize was grandad’s most cherished
possession---the Colt 45 revolver that had been his lifelong companion since 1896 and
at this present time, the pistol has now been passed to my oldest cousin, “Chick’s” son.
Luckily, I inherited the silver spurs which he used during his entire life as a cowboy.
Grandma lived 6 more years before she passed on, but I always remember her ready
smile, great sense of humor and the fact that she was a champion domino player who
excelled at the game called “Texas 42”. May GOD rest their souls.
©2009 Larry D Davis