Anyone in Okmulgee Ok. Found old Picture

Hi all, Going through some childhood stuff I came across a picture I have no knowledge of.
Written inside cover is this.
Miss Bessie Williams
Okmulgee, Okla.
Indian Territory
School Miss
Oct, 12. 1906
Anyone have relatives or kin maybe some local history knowledge
No idea how the picture got to Glennville Ca.

My wife does a lot of family history research. She says there is a website where you can post such things. It is called --------Dead Fred.com------

Somewhere, somebody will be thrilled to see that.

Howdy,

I see you're in Bakersfield. A lot of Okies ended up there during the Dust Bowl years - is that your tie to Oklahoma?

Anyhow, I like this sort of stuff and thought I'd do a little research and see if I could help ya...

From some research, Miss Bessie Williams could have been located at two sites I found. There was the "white" community and the "indian" community in Okmulgee, Indian Territory at that time in 1906 - one year before OK became a state.

A. "Whites Only Public School" -
Established by E.E. Riley in 1901, the white community established a "whites only" public school for a six month term. See link below for interesting history on Okmulgee...

http://hubpages.com/hub/Historical-Okmulgee-Oklahoma-1900-1909



B. "Indian Institutions" - Orphanage/School -
I found reference to a "Creek Orphan House" in Okmulgee - which likely served as a school as well. See page 6 of this document.

http://digital.libraries.ou.edu/whc/pioneer/papers/0000%20Hardridge.pdf


B1. Muscogee Creek Nation Tribal Government
You will find the Indian Nation governments to very helpful in any kind of research you may need help with. They are very proactive and dedicate departments to retention of tribal history. Try giving the Muscogee Creek Nation a call at 800-482-1979. Link to their website...

http://themuscogeecreeknation.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=195&Itemid=12


C. Possible Geneology:

C1. Found this reference to a Bessie (Williams) King being the momma of a fellow. She married a William Franklin King and gave birth to son (Woodrow Wilson King!) in 1912. Excerpt here:
"WOODROW WILSON KING was born Nov. 17, 1912 at Vivian, Oklahoma to William Franklin King and Bessie (Williams) King, married Jerlena Douglas at Midway, McIntosh County, Oklahoma on Sept. 15, 1935, and died at the VA Hospital in Muskogee on Feb 16, 2000. Services were Feb. 19 at the Gregg Funeral Home Chapel followed by burial in the Greenwood Cemetery.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a sister, Jessie King Day, and a
brother, Alton King. He is survived by his wife; a sister, Sybil White of Eufaula; nephews Tommy Allen Hain and Richard Todd hain, both of Edessa, TX; brothers0in-law and sisters-in-law, Jack and Theda Rushing, Albequerque, NM; C. F. Douglas, Eufaula, and John and Bessie Douglas, McAlester THE THE INDIAN JOURNAL Thursday, March 2, 2000"

Link = http://files.usgwarchives.net/ok/mcintosh/obits/obits00.txt


C2. Found reference to a Bessie Williams, but the dates are off. Maybe I missed something though in this document...
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/a/n/d/Joy-Anderson-ok/PDFGENE1.pdf

C3. Reference to a Reverend Mrs. Bessie Williams establishing a Nazarene Church in Fort Worth in 1920. I put this in, because Google had mention that the pastor returned to his home town of Okmulgee. From Google search page: "Following a revival campaign conducted by Reverend Mrs. Bessie Williams, the First ... to pastor the Nazarene church in his hometown of Okmulgee, Oklahoma. ..."

http://www.fwf.org/our-history

C4. Reference to a Bessie Williams buried at this cemetary - but again dates don't jive, but maybe helpful...
http://www.interment.net/data/us/ok/okmulgee/little_cussetah/index.htm


Anyhow, I hope some of this may be of some help to you. I think its really cool to find out more about our pasts. Let me know if you need more help.

Hey, if you find some reference to a gravesite, family - let your Okie ADV family know. We're always looking for a reason to ride. For me I really like the historically tied rides!

Good luck

wish I knew how to do a search like that!

Yep, On the Okie connection. My dad's dad was in Ca. and when my dad turned of age he moved from Oklahoma to Ca. to work in the ship yards and then into the merchant marines around 1942. I have met many Okie's in Bakersfield with mostly similar stories on traveling here.
Thanks all for the info.

If you don't mind. Keep us posted what might come of all this. Very interesting...

where there's oil fields and country music, you will always find okies.

I live in Okmulgee and own several of the historic downtown properties... there are a lot of "Williams" families here. It is interesting that the picture made it's way to California, but as someone already posted, lots of transplanted Okies out there... half my family is in Sacramento.

My dad is from Canadian OK and took us out to CA...after high school, I came back home! :huh

104 years ago I'd have hit that.

hahaa