Duchess of Weaselskin

Bayfield, Colorado - Ya' see what appears to be a dug hole in the grass that this Duchess Pug is pointing to and standing guard over in the image on the left? Click to see larger view.

This Duchess Pug has been busy squirrel watching and chasing with her Pug friend Sadie. Yep! While NW Okie was away, Sadie got me hooked on squirrel chasing. We have not caught any yet. AND . . . those pesky squirrels and chipmunks are such teases to both of us. They just yank my doggedness the wrong way sometimes.

Anyway, I chased this ground squirrel over to this hole and was intent to keeping my eye on it until that teasing squirrel showed itself above ground again. It never did while I was there, though.

We have been having afternoon rain showers for the past few days. Has Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas had any measurable rain? We hear it is really dry in Texas and Southern Oklahoma. Too Hot and Dry for tomatoes and vegetable gardens.

speaking of Tomatoes, we had to clip a few wires holding our tomatoes above ground because the little tomatoes had grown between the wire meshing as you can see in the image on the right.

Got to run for now so NW Okie can get this week's newsletter published.

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Organization of Old Woods (M) County

Alfalfa County, Oklahoma - If you search back to our OkieLegacy Archives, Vol. 7, Iss. 46, you will find an article concerning the History of Alfalfa County - Goltry, OK. It was extracted from "A History of Alfalfa County," submitted in part fulfillment of requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts by David W. Pierce, 1926, University of Oklahoma. Chapter II of that thesis there is a history of the Organization of the County and the County Seat Fight of Alfalfa County.

As to the organization, old Woods county (M county) was the largest county in Oklahoma Territory (58 miles from north to south, 48 miles from east to west). The area of Old Woods county was 76 square miles more than twice the area of Rhode Island. It was referred to all over the territory as the "Empire of Woods."

In 1900, 34,975 people lived in Woods County. In 1903, there were 30 towns, 19 banks and 24 newspapers in old Woods county (also known as M county). The property valuation was $7,582,000. Kansas bounded Old M county on the north; Garfield and Grant counties on the east; Dewey, Blaine and Kingfisher counties on the south; and Woodward county on the west.

When the Strip was opened in 1893, Congress had advertised the Strip as an inferior country by fixing land at one dollar an acre, while further east the price was $2 dollars and fifty cents an acre. It was also dubbed by newspapers as "The Short Grass Country."

In August 1906, Woods County was divided into four districts, which were called districts six, seven, eight and nine. Each of these was to elect a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. The four delegates elected were Dr. Bilby of Alva, Rev. George Wood of Cherokee, J. C. Major of Fairview, and D. G. Harned of Helena. All four of these delegates were elected on an anti-division platform.

It was November 1906, when the Constitutional Convention met at Guthrie that there were two large counties in Oklahoma Territory that presented questions of county division. Woods county with her great area and political importance and Greer county with her picturesque history dating from the days of the Spanish occupation. The Committee on county boundaries proposed to make 75 counties in the State. Thirty-one in Oklahoma Territory and forty-four in Indian Territory.

J. C. Major and George Wood changed their views after they had been at Guthrie for a few days, and they began working for a division of the county. On arrival 19 November 1906, at Guthrie, Major found a lobby from Helena working for a division of the county. The next day Mr. Stine and Mr. Crowell of Alva were on the ground for the sole purpose of finding whether the Helena proposition was meeting with favor or not.

The Helena proposition wanted to be the county seat of a county that took the territory north and east of the Cimarron River unto and including Range 12 and as far north as Township 25, including the same. The balance north of the Cimarron river and extending to the northeast corner of the county, and that portion lying south and west of the Cimarron was desired to be thrown into a new county.

Major opposed this and continued his opposition until Jesse Dunn of Alva went before the Committee on Boundaries and outlined a county that Alva would be satisfied with, which was in line with the Helena plan. According toMajor, he signed an agreement to divide Woods County only when he was forced to do so by citizens of Alva.

It was either that or go back to the citizens of his district with a county composed of that part of old Woods county south of the Cimarron. Major charges that every vote in Alva, except three, were cast for the county High School at Helena. O. A. Brewer of Helena was county commissioner at that time from the south part of the county. Brewer helped Alva get the court house before the county was divided, and in return Alva helped Helena get the Woods County High School.

It was George Wood and J. C. Major who were responsible for the way the county was divided, according to Major's own statement. Wood and "Alfalfa Bill" Murray, President of the Constitutional Convention, were warm friends. Alfalfa Bill Murray visited Cherokee, 2 February 1907 as the guest of his friend. George Wood wanted to have the new county named "Murray" in honor of his friend, but Murray had already promised his home people at Sulphur that they might have his name for their county. So it was agreed to call the new county "Alfalfa" in honor of "Alfalfa Bill." J. C. Major favored county division because he lived in the southern part of old Woods county and Fairview wanted to be a county seat. Major was doubtless flattered by the proposal to name the county for him.

Dr. Bilby of Alva opposed county division all the way through. D. G. Harned stood by him and fought the proposition for many days. For several weeks the Woods county delegates stood for division (two for and two against). Charles Haskell called Mr. Harned into a room, locked the door, and told him that the county was going to be divided anyway and that he might as well state what he wanted in the way of boundaries. Harned then informed Haskell that he wanted the southern boundary of Alfalfa county to run six miles south of Aline. The Major county people found this proposed boundary objectionable as it would leave them only a very small county. It was agreed that the southern boundary of the new county of Alfalfa should be three miles south of Aline.

Before adjourning for the holidays, the Constitutional Convention adopted the report of the Committee on county Boundaries whereby counties in Oklahoma were divided and new ones established in the Indian Territory. The report was carried by a strong majority. Dr. Bilby of Alva opposed the adoption while the other three delegates from Woods County favored it. The naming of county seats was left until after the holidays.

The Committee's county boundaries division of old Woods County was divided as follows: "The new Woods county shall be the territory of the original county in the northwest corner, twenty-four miles from east to west and thirty-four miles from north to south, also the portion of Woodward county cut off by the Cimarron River in the northeast part of that county. The strip taken from Woodward county was triangular with a length of twenty-seven miles and a width of sixteen miles.

Alfalfa county would be the northeast corner of the original county, twenty-four miles from east to west and thirty-four miles from north to south, taking in the towns of Amorita, Byron, Burlington, Carmen, Cherokee, Driftwood, Goltry, Helena, Ingersoll, Jet, and Lambert. Major county is to be that part of the old county lying south of the other two, with a length of twenty-four miles and a width of forty-eight miles."

The tax payers of Woods county were dissatisfied with the action of the Constitutional Convention in the matter of dividing old Woods county. They employed H. A. Noah, attorney of Alva, to file a petition in District court at Guthrie, asking an injunction restraining the Supreme Election Board, President Murray of the Constitutional Convention, and Governor Frank Frantz as the head of the rightful territorial election board, from submitting the Constitution to the people of the new state while it contains clauses which the plaintiff alleges are objectionable.

It was contended that if it were left to a vote of the people of the original Woods County, ninety per cnet would vote against county division. The petition held that it takes from the pope of Woods County a local right when division was forced upon them by the State in adopting a Constitution.

Judge Pancoast of Alva granted a permanent injunction against the constitution, denying the authority of the constitutional convention to divide Woods county and to call an election. It was on 25 June 1907, the Supreme Court decided by a vote of 5 to 2 that it had no jurisdiction in matters of county boundaries fixed by the constitutional convention, and that the courts of the territory had no jurisdiction in such cases.

The election was held on 17 September 1907. There were 1927 votes for the Constitution and 1209 against it. 1931 voted for prohibition and 1027 against it. 16 November 1907 was a great day in Cherokee. When the news was received at 9:20 am that President Roosevelt had sighed the constitution, guns were fired, bells were rung, and every whistle in the city blew for an hour. At 1:30 pm there was a parade of old soldiers, county officers, and about 500 school children. The new Alfalfa county officers were sworn in by Harry Moore, Notary. George Wood delivered an address to 3,000 people.

An injunction order was served on the treasurer and commissioners of this county in January 1908, to prevent either Alfalfa or Major counties from getting a transcript of the tax rolls from Woods county, as provided for in an act of the legislature. The suit was brought by the county commissioners of Woods County, and the evident intent was to force the people of the new counties to pay their taxes at Alva regardless of the law.

Henry France was Treasurer of Woods County at that time and refused to give up the office to Thomas J. Dyer, treasurer-elect. Fred Winslow of Carmen, who had $12,000 of Woods County money in his bank, applied to Probate Judge Wilson for an injunction to prevent the county treasurer from withdrawing the public funds from the bank by representing that he did so to protect the tax payers of Alfalfa county, who had an interest in the funds belonging to old Woods county. When the judge learned that instead of tying up the $12,000 only, the injunction actually tied up the treasurer's office indefinitely and he was furious.

Mr. Kincheloe, county clerk of Alfalfa county, received a report in November, 1908, of the settlement between Alfalfa and Woods counties. In the settlement the total valuation placed on Alfalfa county was 44%, as against 29% of new Woods county, and 26% on Major county. This meant that Alfalfa county had to assume 44% of old Woods County's indebtedness. This indebtedness amounted to $38,200; Alfalfa county's share would therefore be $17,067; Major county's would be $9,943.46; and New Woods county's $11,188.78. Alfalfa county was to get the old Woods County High School at Helena. Major county was to receive the bridges across the Cimarron. New Woods coutny was to keep the court house at Alva. View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

This Day In History (July 31 & August 1)

America - On this day, July 31, 1964, Ranger 7 Takes Close-up Moon photos revealing craters only 3 feet wide. Ranger 7 radioed to earth the first close-up pictures, a historic collection of 4,000 pictures, one thousand times as clear as anything ever seen through earth-bound telescopes of the moon.

On Aug. 1, 1874, Charles Clinton Spaulding, the insurance man who built one of America's largest black-owned businesses, was born. Following his death on Aug. 1, 1952, his obituary appeared in The Times. Go to obituary

• 1790 - The first U.S. census was completed, showing a population of nearly 4 million people.
• 1876 - Colorado was admitted to the union as the 38th state.
• 1914 - Germany declared war on Russia at the onset of World War I.
• 1936 - The Olympic games opened in Berlin with a ceremony presided over by Adolf Hitler.
• 1942 - Rock musician Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead was born in San Francisco.
• 1943 - Race-related rioting erupted in New York City's Harlem section, resulting in several deaths.
• 1944 - An uprising broke out in Warsaw, Poland, against Nazi occupation.
• 1966 - Charles Joseph Whitman shot and killed 14 people at the University of Texas before he was gunned down by police.
• 1981 - The music video cable channel MTV made its debut.
• 1988 - Conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh began broadcasting his nationally syndicated radio program.
• 1995 - Westinghouse Electric Corp. struck a deal to buy CBS for $5.4 billion.

NW Okie's Ancestry Corner

Bayfield, Colorado - Since we got back to SW Colorado Rockies the middle of last week, it has been light afternoon and evening rain showers around this parts. My six "little" tomato plants have taken over my round, portable green house that probably measures 6 to 7 feet diameter. So far we have picked four small early girl tomatoes that have had a REAL BIG tomato taste. Unlike the tomatoes you buy in the grocery stores.

An Oklahoman told me that they have been having spotty rain and it was suppose to be the hottest week of the Summer with temps around 106F. I saw where Tyler, Texas reached 111F today. WHEW! That is to hot for this old lady!

I received an email from Sandie Olson that showed an ebay postcard of the 1907 Oklahoma Plaster Mills that was located in Alva, Oklahoma. The bidding has ended on that item, but if you scroll down the page you can see the photo image of the Alva Plaster Mills.

I think someone told me a few years back that the Alva Plaster Mills stood in the North part of town, South of the railway tracks and on the East side of 6th Street. Does anyone out there have an exact location of the Oklahoma Plaster Mills in Alva, Woods county, Oklahoma?

Sandie also sent us a link to another ebay item that showed an envelope that had a return address from Whitehorse and was cancelled in 1899.

Occasionally on our OkieLegacy webpages that have been up since 1997 you might come across a broken link. Amy Young was researching history topics and found such a broken link on our Fairvalley Oklahoma History Links page dated 25 November 1997. Amy found an updated article online that could be a useful replacement for the link to "The American West." That link is Online Schools Guide to the History of the American West.

If anyone else finds a broken link, we would love to hear about it. Thanks to Amy for sharing the alternative link for the History of the American West!

Good Day and Good Luck searching your ancestry! View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

Old Blaine County Oklahoma Territory

Blaine County, Oklahoma - Looking back to our OkieLegacy Archives, Vol. 7, Iss 46 this is the information that we have on the Old Blaine county of Oklahoma Territory. These are just some of the towns found in old Blaine County, Oklahoma Territory before statehood in 1907: Homestead, Longdale, Bond, Darrow, Okeene, Southard, Canton, Cantonment, Carlton, Ferguson, Seay, Bickford, Cooper, Hitchcock, Dillon postoffice (Eagle City), Roman Nose, Winnview, Watonga (county seat), Udora, Emanuel, Greenfield, Etna, Judson, Geary.

http://okielegacy.org/journal/tabloid/index.php?ID=1050">Feature #1050 -- swilbur requests the following information, "I am researching the long gone Union School district once located just south of Emanuel. Does anyone have any information or pictures of either place?" View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

VanDerVeer Family In Netherlands

Netherlands - I was doing some ancestry work this week and found this interesting bit of information attached to Cornelius Janse VanDerVeer (1623-1703), my 7th Great Grandfather, on my mother's paternal side of the Conover-Paris ancestry.

Origins of Cornelius Janszen VanDerVeer
The origins of Cornelius VanDerVeer is in question at present, one version based on the book "The Van Der Veer Family in the Netherlands" Louis P. DeBoer - Published 1913 and work by John J. Van Der Veer in 1912, which indicates that Cornelius came from Allkmaar, Holland, The Netherlands. While DeBoer's book is a good match for the movements of the Dutch people during the colonial period, the connection to the Van Borsselen family is probably optimistic. Curious is that the village of Borssele is just a few miles from Kloetinge where the other opinion indicates he's from.

The second opinion is that he may have been called Cornelius Jansz Dominicus based on a document from Dordrecht, The Netherlands dated 20 Jun 1706. This document states that Dominicus Domincussen Van Der Veer of Midwout, New York is to recover monies owed his father Cornelius Dominicus by a brother named Jacob Dominicus living near the city of Goes. Clearly within this document it refers to Cornelius Van Der Veer's family in New York and lists him as using the name Cornelius Dominicus and Cornelius Leeuw. Cornelius used the name Cornelius De Seeuw on several occasions in New York, but the use of Leeuw is somewhat of a question however since that translates to Cornelius Lion and Cornelius Seeuw translates to Cornelius of Zeeland. Zeeland being a providence in south part of the Netherlands, containing the villiages of Veere, Kloetinge, Goes, Welmelding, and Borssele, all of which have been associated with the Van Der Veer and Dominicus names.

From other unconfirmed references found, Cornelius Dominicus of Kloetinge, did have a brother Jacob Dominucus of whom was selling land on Cornelius Dominicus's behalf. In a reference to a land transaction dated 15 Feb 1658 in Wemeldinge, it refers to Cornelius being out to the county and in another reference it refers to his being out of the country and his property was heavily in debt. This may have prompted him to leave for Niew Amsterdam to seek his fortune.

Passenger list of the ship De Otter landing 17 February 1659:

• Captain Cornelius Reyers Van Der Beets
• Carel Bevois, from Leyden, wife and three children, 3, 6, and 8 years old
• Marten Warnarts Stoltin, from Swoll
• Cornelius Jansen Van Der Veer, farmer
• Jan Luycas, shoemaker, from Oldenzeel, wife and young child
• Roeloff Dircxsz, from Sweden
• Sweris Dirxsz, from Sweden

• Cornelius Van Der Veer b.~1673
• Neeltje Van Der Veer, born in Flatbush, Kings, NY. m. 13 Aug 1685 Daniel Polhemus b~1662 d. ~1730 in Flatbush, NY
• Dominicus Van Der Veer b.~1679 d. 1755 New Utrech, NY
• Jan Cornelise Van Der Veer, b. abt 1671 Flatbush, NY d. 23 Nov 1732 in Flatbush, NY m. Femmetje Bergen
• Jacobus Cornelise Van Der Veer, b. 20 Oct 1686 in Flatbush, Kings, NY
• Michael Van Der Veer, born Flatbush, Kings, NY [m. Beletje ]
• Martje Van Der Veer, born Flatbush, Kings, NY and christened 30 Jul 1682 d. abt 1718 m. 1699 John Dorlant, ch. John Darland Oct 1707, Joris Darland b. Apr 1711, Issac Darland b. Apr 1717 all in Brooklyn, Richmond, NY
• Hendrickje [Cornelissen] Van Der Veer, born Flatbush, Kings, NY and christened 7 May or 27 Aug, 1684. m.(1) Issac Remsen [ (2) Johanus Wyckoff.]
• Jacoba Van Der Veer, born Flatbush, Kings, NY and christened 20 Apr 1686. m. Jan Van Kovenhoven [ d. Monmonth, NJ ]
• Pieter Van Der Veer, born Flatbush, Kings, NY

County Seat Fight In Alfalfa County

Alfalfa County, Oklahoma - Cherokee was designated as the county seat of Alfalfa county on 16 January 1907 by the constitutional convention in session at Guthrie. BUT . . . On September 29, 1908 Ingersoll filed a petition at Guthrie, asking for a county seat election. This petition had 806 names on it, but it was held invalid on 24 October 1908, on the ground that some had signed a duplicate and that others were not legal voters. Altogether about fifty were disqualified.

Another petition was filed with Governor Haskell on October 20, 1908 containing over twenty-five per cent of the qualified voters of the county, asking for an election to vote on the county seat. Governor Haskell set the election date for January 27, 1909. At this time, the towns in the race were Cherokee, Carmen, and Ingersoll. A great campaign was waged by these three towns on the ballot contained the following number of names: Cherokee, 1450; CArmen, 600; Ingersoll, 400; Jet, 350. The chief fight was between Cherokee and Carmen, although the contest between Ingersoll and Cherokee grew very bitter. One of Cherokee's chief arguments was that the county seat should be near the geographical center of the county.

Cherokee gave the following information about railroad mileage in the county to show that Cherokee had better railroad facilities than any town in the county: "Alfalfa county has 160.76 miles of railroad distributed as follows: Rock Island, 52.31 miles; Orient, 41.82; Santa Fe, 4.51; Denver, Enid and Gulf (later purchased by the SAnta Fe), 35.01; Frisco, 27.11. 129.14 of the total mileage of the county ran through Cherokee, while only 68.93 miles went through CArmen, and 52.31 miles through Ingersoll."

The Carmen Headlight retorted by saying that their town had an elevation of 1358 feet, which was 157 feet higher than Cherokee. This made Carmen a healthier place than Cherokee. Was not Cherokee located in a frog pond?

Governor Haskell appointed Hon. Seward Mutterbaugh of Goltry to be chairman of the special election board, which was to have charge of the election on January 27, 1909. The other four members were: Cherokee, Frank Millspaugh; CArmen, W. T. Barrett; Jet, F. P. Carey; Ingersoll, Thomas Shaffer.

The results of the election was as follows: Cherokee, 1924; Carmen, 946; Ingersoll, 486; Jet, 217. Cherokee secured fifty-four per cent of the votes while it was necessary to get only forty per cent to retain the county seat. The election cost $1450. Governor Haskell issued a proclamation of February 8, 1909, declaring Cherokee the winner in the county seat contest.

It didn't stop there, though. Carmen instituted contest proceedings in the Supreme court contending that the only legal votes cast were in Eagle Chief, which gave CArmen 394 and Cherokee 7. Carmen contention was that voters were not properly sworn in, except in Eagle Chief. The Cherokee Republican claimed that the voters in the three Lincoln percents held up their hands when making affidavits that they were qualified voters.

The Supreme court was very busy in those days with county seat contests. In the Westville-Stillwell case, which involved the same issues as the CArmen-Cherokee case, the court ordered another election. This seemed to indicate another election in Alfalfa county. The Carmen followers became jubilant. The Supreme Court took a different course of action from that which they had pursued in the Westville-Stillwell case. The Cherokee Republican for May 13, 1910 says that the Supreme Court has decided to appoint a referee to look into the case, with a view to its final disposition. The Supreme court appointed a man who was agreeable to the attorneys representing both towns. Judge James W. Steen, former Judge of the District Court, was the man selected.

The Supreme court ordered Judge STeen to complete the taking of testimony in Cherokee and CArmen by June 1, 1911. Judge STeen arrived in Cherokee May 15 to begin his work. The Court ordered Carmen to put up $200 to meet the cost of the contest. Carmen readily complied.

On March 26, 1912, the Supreme Court handed down a decision which made Cherokee the county seat. The long bitter struggle lasted five years. View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe