USA > Oklahoma > Portrait and biographical record of Oklahoma; commemorating the achievements of citizens who have contributed to the progress of Oklahoma and the development of its resources, V. 2 > Part 2
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After his marriage Mr. Durham recognized the necessity for further education, and applied himself diligently to the acquisition of knowl- edge. Among other useful branches mastered by him was bookkeeping, which proved to be of great benefit in his later occupations. In the state of Mississippi he unfortunately lost his health, and was forced to seek a change of surroundings and climate. He therefore located in Tarrant county, Tex., and engaged in farming about two years, an occupation which was continued after his removal to Wise county, where he bought land and improved two farms. At the same time he continued his work of education and attended the public schools for two terms, subsequently assisting in the teaching.
In 1891 the life of Mr. Durham was turned into another groove when he located in Potta- watomie county and took a claim on section 5, township 7, range 3 east, fifteen miles southwest of Tecumseh. He soon became prominently identified with the growth of the locality, and was elected first assessor of the township, at a time when there were no roads. In 1896 he was elected county treasurer, and re-elected in 1898. As an ardent advocate of the Democratic party he accomplished much for the cause in 1894. when everything went Populist by a large ma- jority. His success in life has enabled Mr. Dur- ham to accumulate considerable property in Te- , cumseh and elsewhere, and he owns a commodi- otis and comfortable residence. He is a member of Tecumseh Lodge No. 13. A. F. & A. M., and is treasurer of the same. He is also associated with the Ancient Order of United Workmen. No. 7. When eighteen years of age he became a member of the Missionary Baptist Church, and while living in Mississippi was made a deacon of the church.
To Mr. and Mrs. Durham have been born ten children, viz .: Charles E., who died November 25. 1000; Thomas, a student at the Oklahoma
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University at Norman; Hattie; William; Nettie; Robert; Grover, who was born in Texas; Her- bert, who was born in the Indian Territory; Lela and May, both born in Oklahoma. The deceased son, Charles E., who was married and had one child, was at the time of his death employed in. Tecumseh as a clerk in the office of the registrar of deeds. Mr. Durham is one of the esteemed and progressive citizens of Tecumseh, and is . appreciated for his many admirable traits of good-fellowship and character.
1. B. ELLEDGE, a wholesale and retail dealer in groceries at Norman, is a true type of western progress and enterprise. His . un- tiring energy, prudent business methods and re- liable sagacity have all combined to make him one of the ablest business men of the territory, and in his undertakings he has met with well- deserved success.
Mr. Elledge was born on the 8th of March, 1864, in West Plains, Howell county. Mo., near Springfield, and is a son of Isaac and Elizabeth Jane (Briggs) Elledge, natives of Meigs county, Tenn. On the paternal side he is of English de- scent and belongs to an old family of East Ten- nessee. There his grandfather, Joseph Elledge. spent his entire life as a planter, and was a soldier of the war of 1812, in which struggle our sub- ject's maternal grandfather, Rev. Nathan Briggs, also took part. The latter belonged to an old southern family of Scotch origin. He was born on a plantation in Tennessee, and from that state removed to Missouri. By occupation he was a blacksmith. He married a Miss Eskridge, whose family was from Virginia and whose father lost a leg while aiding the colonies in their struggle for independence during the Revolu- tionary war. Rev. Nathan Briggs was a pioneer minister of the Baptist Church in Howell county, Mo., where he preached for over forty years. He died there when past the age of eighty. In connection with his ministerial work he engaged in farming and blacksmithing.
In 1849, when a young man. the father of our subject removed to Greene county, Mo .. becom- ing one of its pioneer farmers and blacksmiths. conducting a shop on his farm. His family were all anti-slavery people, and for over four years he served in the Union army during the Rebellion as a member of the Eleventh Missouri Cavalry, and was wounded in the knee in a battle of General Sigel's forces. He was a man of strong constitution, and was highly respected and es- teemed by all who knew him. He died January 7. 1900, at the age of seventy-one years, but his wife is still living and now makes her home in Norman, Okla. In their family were the follow- ing children: J. M., a farmer and cattle dealer
of Greer county, Okla .; William Nathan, a mer- chant of Norman, who came here April 22, 1880: J. Lee, a merchant of West Plains, Mo .; Mrs. Eliza McCall, a resident of Norman; I. B., our subject; John H., a large fruit grocer of West Plains, Mo .; George D., a merchant of the same place; and Mattie C., now Mrs. Hawkins, of Lex- ington, Okla.
I. B. Elledge was reared on the farm where he was born and educated in the common schools of the neighborhood. Later he engaged in farm- ing near West Plains, Mo., until the fall of 1891, when he came to Norman, Okla., to engage in general merchandising with his brother, William N., being later joined by their brother, George D. Together they carried on business under the firm name of Elledge Brothers for three years, when George D. returned to Missouri. Our sub- ject continued to carry on the general store with his brother William N. until the spring of 1900, when he sold his interest in the business and em- barked in the wholesale and retail grocery trade, buying out John Sullivan, successor to MI. Mc- Guiley, who was one of the original grocers of Norman. Mr. Elledge has a good store, 25x100 feet, on Main street, and carries a well-selected stock of staple and fancy groceries and queens- ware. Pleasant and genial in manner, upright and honorable in all his dealings, he has built up an excellent trade, and is to-day one of the lead- ing business men of the city. In religious belief he is a Presbyterian and in his social relations is connected with the Ancient Order of United Workmen and the Woodmen of the World. Po- litically he is a true-blue Republican.
In West Plains, Mo., was celebrated the mar- riage of Mr. Elledge and Miss Tenie Barton, who was born near Murray, Ky., and is a daughter of Wade Barton, a native of Tennessee, and a far- mer of Kentucky. Prior to her marriage Mrs. Elledge was engaged in educational work in Kentucky and in West Plains, Mo. By this union was born one child, Oval. The family have a pleasant home in the northern part of Normal, it having been erected by Mr. Elledge.
A NDERSON BRITT. Previous to locating on his claim in Cleveland county, the southeast quarter of section 17, township 9. range 3 west, Mr. Britt had seen considerable of the world, his various occupations being car ried on in the extreme south and west, and his travels extending over many hundreds of miles He thus has at his command a large fund of gen- eral information, which has proved of great benefit to him as a farmer and citizen.
A native of Tennessee, where he was born December 4. 1862, Mr. Britt is a son of Jere- miah and Malvina (Peoples) Britt. When but
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a small child, his youth was saddened by the loss of his father, who died during the Civil war. He grew to manhood on the home farm, and industriously applied himself to assisting in the family maintenance. His father had been a stock-dealer on a large scale, was fairly well-to- do, and had two farms. Anderson Britt received a good common-school education. When he was about twenty-one years of age, his mother died, and the homestead was sold. He then, with a brother, W. S. Britt, went to Parker county, Tex., where they lived for two years.
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In 1887 Mr. Britt decided to try his fortunes in the far west, and so journeyed to California, where he remained for a year. He then went to Washington, and in Seattle carried on quite a successful real-estate business, and was there at the time of the great fire. In September of 1889 he came to Oklahoma and purchased the claim which has since been his home. He was married January 28, 1891, to Bettie Lusk, daughter of George and Lizzie (Harris) Lusk, a native of Texas. Of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Britt, two only are living: Millie Mel- vina and Metta Beatrice. Mrs. Britt died Octo- ber 28, 1898, and is buried in Warren cemetery.
Mr. Britt has always been a believer in the principles and issues of the Republican party, but has never been an office-seeker. Frater- nally, he is associated with the Woodmen of the World at Norman. Prominent in the religious life of the community in which he lives, he is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, a Sunday-school worker, and contributes towards the support of the church.
J AMES F. DENISON was born in Platte county, Mo., January 19, 1850. His parents, Samuel and Elizabeth (Wheeler) Denison, were prosperous farmers and prominent mem- bers of the community in which they resided. When but two years of age their son James ac- companied them to Clinton county, and when five years of age he was taken to Carroll county, where he lived until he permanently took up his residence in Oklahoma. At the age of twenty- one he was well fitted to start out in the world for himself, having received a good common- school education, and forty acres of land, which his father left him.
December 17, 1871, Mr. Denison married Sarah Williams, daughter of Henry and Harriet (Long) Williams. Mrs. Denison was born in Iowa, and when seventeen years of age accom- panied her parents to Missouri, where she lived until her marriage. During girlhood she re- ceived a good education. On selling the land left him by his father, Mr. Denison purchased some in a different locality, and at the opening
of Oklahoma he was the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of finely improved land. In Cleveland county his property is located on the northeast quarter of section 21, township 8, range 3 west, and is one of the best claims in the locality. His success as an agriculturist is un- doubtedly partly due to the fact that he has an inherent fondness for his work and unbounded faith in the productiveness of the soil, and the possibilities which it holds out as an inducement for conscientious and practical application.
The children of Mr. and Mrs. Denison are named as follows: John E., who is a farmer south of Noble; Cora, who is the wife of W. H. Bar- bour, has one child, and lives in Lexington, Okla .; Hattie, Nora, Edith, Eunice and Belva. Mr. Denison came to the territory in 1893 and paid $2,000 for his claim, and has devoted his at- tention to general farming and stock-raising. He has been prominent in several different direc- tions, and in politics is a Democrat. At this writing he holds the office of county commis- sioner. For two years he has served as town- ship treasurer and trustee, and for four years served on the township board. He is a member of the Missionary Baptist Church.
W E. BAIN was born in Lawrence county, Mo., July 2, 1861, and is a son of John and Sarah (Garrett) Bain, who were successful agriculturists for many years. The industrious career of John Bain was terminated when his son, W. E., was but two years of age. and the family were thus left with little save the farm and their own ability and determination. Fortunately for his mother and himself, her son early developed habits of thrift and ambition, and after his father's death was of great assist .. ance to her in the management of the farm. In 1873 the family removed to Elk county, Kans .. where he lived until his nineteenth year. Owing to their straitened conditions, he was obliged to work hard from sunrise to sunset, and his early life was one round of toil. Interspersed between the farm activities, however. he man . aged to secure a fair common-school education. and thus he was in a measure fitted for the future responsibilities of life.
When twenty years of age, Mr. Bain went to the Indian Territory and assisted in the care of cattle, and was interested in this occupation for about ten years. He seemed to have a particu- lar fondness for the freedom of the plains, and was considered a typical cowboy. His next ven- ture was in the Chickasaw Nation, where he conducted a farm for about three years.
April 22, 1880, with the thousands of others also in search of unimproved lands, Mr. Bain made the run from the south line, and located
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on the claim which has since been the scene of his successful farming interests. As a prelim- inary to more comfortable lodgings, he lived in a dugout for a few months, and has since im- proved his land and made of it a profitable and pleasing investment. The little dugout has been supplanted by a comfortable two-story house, which was built in 1899, and the other improve- ments around the place are proportionately good. The claim is located on the northwest quarter of section 21, township 9. range 3 west, Cleveland county. In addition to tilling the soil, he gives some attention to the stock business and now owns a thriving herd of cattle.
In Cleveland county occurred the marriage of Mr. Bain and Mary F. Ullman, September 13, 1891. Mrs. Bain was born in Clark county, Mo., and is a daughter of Louis and Henrietta (Chew- ing) Ullman. Of this union there have been two children, Mary Lena and Claude E. The children were both born on the farm in Oklahoma. In political preferment Mr. Bain is a Republican, but has never had political aspirations. Frater- nally, he is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and of the Masonic order. With his wife, he is a member of the Christian Church.
D. W. GRIFFIN, M. D. Passing in review the prominent citizens of Cleveland county, the subject of this sketch is found to occupy a leading place in the medical profes- sion. Though comparatively a young man, he has made rapid progress in his chosen calling, and has few equals in his special department- the treatment of nervous diseases. He has spared neither time, means nor effort in the task of pre- paring himself thoroughly for his difficult spe- cialty, and is meeting with gratifying success.
Oklahoma appears to be a crucible into which has been gathered a multitude of the finest rep- resentatives of the North and South, each con- tributing his due share toward the upbuild- ing of what. undoubtedly, will be one of the noblest states vet to be admitted to the Union. The Griffins were of Scotch- Irish lineage, but the family is an old one in North Carolina. Our subject's grandfather. Hugh. Griffin, was born in Union county. N. C., and spent his entire life, seventy-four years, upon plantations in that state. The doctor's father. D. A. Griffin, is a native of Union county, and for many years has been the proprietor of a fine plantation near Lenoir. N. C. During the Civil war he enlisted and served in Company C. Fifty- eighth North Carolina Infantry. With his com- rades he participated in many of the important campaigns of the war, and at the battle of Chick- amauga was seriously wounded in the left leg.
In politics he is a stanch Democrat, and is active in all of the affairs of his own community, being a master Mason of his lodge. In religious faith he is a Baptist, while his wife prefers the teach- ings of the Methodist Episcopal denomination. In her girlhood she bore the name of Lou Bush, and like her father, Richard Bush, she claims Caldwell county. N. C., as her birthplace. He owned a large plantation there, as did his father before him. He took part in the early war with the Cherokee Indians, and his father was a hero of the Revolution. The Bush family is of Eng- lish origin, and was numbered among the early colonists of North Carolina.
Next to the eldest of ten children, and the only one of the family in Oklahoma, Dr. D. W. Griffin found it hard to leave all of the friends and associations of a life-time and the home of his ancestors to make his independent start in the far west. His parents and brothers and sis- ters continue to reside in Caldwell county, N. C., where he was born October 28, 1872. He was reared upon the old plantation, which is near the town of Lenoir, and in his youth attended private schools. His higher education was pursued in Amherst (N. C.) Academy and in Rutherford (N. C.) College. Leaving the last-named institu- tion in his senior year, he entered the University of Virginia, at Richmond, and was graduated there in 1899, with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Two years were devoted by him to the special study of neurology, and for six months after his graduation he practiced in Lenoir and vicinity. Having been appointed to his present position, that of assistant physician at the Oklahoma Sanitarium, in Norman. he came to this place and entered upon his new du- ties October 1, 1899. Here he soon became a member of the Oklahoma Medical and the Amer- ican Medical Associations, and identified himself with many local enterprises. Following in the political footsteps of his father he uses his ballot in favor of the Democratic party. Fraternally he is a Mason, being connected with Norman Lodge No. 5. A. F. & A. M. He has joined the Presbyterian Church of this city, and with a will responds to all reasonable demands upon his time, means and sympathies when his fellow- .men are to be benefited thereby.
OSIAH GALBREATH HARRIS, attorney and dealer in real-estate, loans and insur- ance, at Tecumseh, was born in Christian county, Ky., April 19, 1875. His parents, Jesse T. and Mary J. (Carneal) Harris, are natives. respectively, of the adjoining counties of Mont- gomery. Tenn .. and Christian, Ky. Jesse T. Harris was a farmer during the years of his activity, and terminated his useful life in 1892.
I'M Ellison
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The early education of J. G. Harris was ac- quired through the instruction imparted by a tutor in his father's home, and when fourteen years of age he began the preparation for college at Webb's Academy, Bellbuckle, Tenn., from which he was graduated in 1894. The following year he entered Vanderbilt University, from which he was graduated in 1897. With the de- termination to devote his life to an application of the principles of law, he went to Washington, D. C., and in 1899 graduated from the Colum- bian University.
Mr. Harris began the practice of his profession in Clarksville, Tenn., and remained there for a few months, subsequently removing to Okla- homa City, November 25, 1899. January 22, 1900, he took up his residence in Tecumseh, and has since conducted a continually growing prac- tice. He was married in Pottawatomie county May 27, 1900, to Lettie M. Hudson. Mrs. Har- ris was born in Benton county, Tenn., and is a daughter of F. C. and S. C. Hudson. Mr. Harris is a Democrat, but has not as yet taken an active interest in politics. He is a member of the Alpha Omega College Fraternity and is identified with the Methodist Episcopal Church. Those who are privileged to know Mr. Harris predict a bril- liant future for him and a prominent place among the substantial professional men of the territory.
P ARIS M. ELLISON. One of the most highly cultivated farms of Rose Hill town- ship, Logan county, comprising the south- west quarter of section 22, township 18, range 3, is owned and occupied by the subject of this sketch and has been developed by him through steady, persevering labor. Mr. Ellison is a Mis- sourian of sturdy habits, and is descended from a line of progenitors who made their mark on the soil of Kentucky, Virginia and Pennsylvania dur- ing Revolutionary days. He was born in Boone county, Mo., April 2, 1837, being the son of Paris and Nancy (Sexton) Ellison, who were na- tives of the Blue Grass state.
. The paternal grandfather of our subject was a Kentuckian by birth, but descended from an old Virginia family, while the Sexton family were from Pennsylvania, and moved to Ken- tucky at an early day. Grandfather Sexton was born there, after the removal of the family in 1819. Paris Ellison, Sr., migrated to Missouri, settling in Boone county, and sojourned there until 1848, when he removed to Platte county, later settling in Jackson county. He spent his entire life upon a farm. In 1859 he went with his family to California, remaining there some years and following agricultural pursuits. Subse- quiently he took up his abode in Nevada, and there departed this life in 1870. The mother
had passed away in 1860, during the residence in California.
During 1863 the family settled in Nevada, where Paris M. Ellison began for himself by. taking up land and farming, while at the same time he engaged considerably in stock-raising. The entire period of his residence in the far west covered about twenty-seven years. In 1875 he was elected to the state legislature from Nye county. In 1887 he settled in Jackson county, Kans., remaining there until the opening up of Oklahoma, when he made the run and secured his present property. He was married in Vir- ginia City, Nev., March 8, 1875, to Miss Evaline Roberts, daughter of John and Mary Roberts, the former a miner in Nevada.
Mr. Ellison had six sisters and five brothers. Two sisters are residents of Kansas and Oregon; one brother lives in California, another in Idaho, and the third with our subject. The other sis- ters and brothers are deceased.
Mr. and Mrs. Ellison are the parents of five children: Paris, Nannie, Thomas, Jewett, and Thurman, who are at home with their parents.
Mr. Ellison's farm is finely watered by Wolf creek. He had some difficulty in perfecting his title, but the matter was finally adjusted, and is now beyond dispute. The land is in a high state of cultivation. In politics Mr. Ellison is allied with the Democratic party. He cast his first vote for Breckenridge. He belongs to the U. P. and D. A. Society. His sons, politically, are following in the footsteps of their father.
H. DOWNING. Since coming to Cleveland county Mr. Downing has not only suc- cessfully cultivated his original claim, lo- cated on the northeast quarter of section 23, township 9, range 3 west, but has so extended his interests that more land has been required. This demand has resulted in the purchase of quarter sections in 1893. 1898 and 1900, and at the pres- ent time he is the owner of a whole section of land. This rapid rise on the part of one who in his youth had nothing to depend on but his own energy and capacity for work argues well for the perseverance and good management of Mr. Downing.
After making the run in April, 1889, from the Chickasaw Nation, a fourth of a mile distant, Mr. Downing located on his claim and put up a small box house, which served as a home until 1803, when he erected the residence in which the family now lives. He is engaged in general farming and stock-raising, and is one of the most progressive and substantial agriculturists in the township.
The early life of Mr. Downing was not unlike that of thousands of other farmer lads, who are
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reared under the supervision of industrious and painstaking parents. He was trained to be an excellent farmer, and this was supplemented by a good education acquired at the public schools. He is a native of the south, and was born in Fannin county, Tex., February 6, 1853, a son of George and Sophia (Wales) Downing. At the age of seventeen he started out in the world for himself, and in the Chickasaw Nation found for several years a satisfactory field of operation. Here he worked by the day or month, as oppor- tunity offered, and in this way managed to save a little money, which he invested in stock, his first independent possessions in the world.
The marriage of Mr. Downing and Emma Lee occurred in the Chickasaw Nation in 1879. Mrs. Downing is a daughter of Young and Minerva A. (Haynes) Lee, who were agriculturists, and industrious, worthy people. Of this union there have been seven children : William B., Beulah A., Ellen B., Charles C., Katie A., L. Frank and Everett. The first five children were born in the Chickasaw Nation; and the two youngest in Oklahoma.
In politics Mr. Downing is a Democrat, and has been prominently identified with the under- takings of his party in the territory. In 1897 he received the nomination for sheriff, and, upon being elected, served for two years. Fraternally he is associated with the Masonic order at Elm Springs, and joined that organization in 1875; he has since passed all of the chairs. In the An- cient Order of United Workmen he is connected with Norman Lodge. He is also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
J AMES M. HAY, familiarly known as Dr. Hay, was born in Bedford, Lawrence county, Ind., in 1839. His parents, J. M. and Sarah (Bates) Hay, were natives of Indiana, the former being a prominent attorney and poli- tician. It is doubtful if any of the pioneers of Medford have so substantially identified them- selves with the growth and development of the community as has Dr. Hay. With the wisdom born of long and practical experience in the af- fairs of life, he has seemed to dominate the ne- cessities of the embryo town and to infuse into its expanding possibilities the requisite strength of judgment and forethought.
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