|
Last Updated on 7/5/2003 |
Sharon's Place |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Centered on present-day Luther, OK, featuring families who lived in northeastern Oklahoma Co., southeastern Logan Co. and western Lincoln Co. when this area was still part of Oklahoma Territory. Includes some census, land, and cemetery information as well as many photos. |
||
|
Announcements The Sellers family Reunion will be held Aug. 6, 7, & 8, 2004 in Guthrie, OK. For more information, contact Pat Crawford. |
||
visitors since
November 27, 1999 -- thanks for stopping by!
This new version is presented with Special Thanks to Marti Graham, who designed and developed the original "Sharon's Place" on OKGenWeb's Oklahoma County Site to house information about the original homesteaders of Oklahoma County's Deep Fork and Luther Townships. It has been expanded to not only include information about more townships, and more families from a wider area, but also to interface with the WorldConnect Project and provide a selection of worksheets that show what can be learned by comparing information from various sources.
Luther is a still a relatively small town, the sole survivor of the early communities in Luther Township, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma. Its Founding Families include not just those who lived within the boundaries of the original town plat, or even in the township itself, but also many people who actually resided in one of the surrounding townships.
On this site, a Founding Family of Luther is defined as one whose members were living in the area before the end of World War I and:
|
|
Attended school in Luther or any of the small schools that were consolidated with Luther; |
|
|
Received mail through the Luther Post Office or any of the small offices that were absorbed by the Luther office; or |
|
|
Married into one of the above families, even though they lived in one of the surrounding townships. |
Many of these families also meet the criteria for First Families of the Twin Territories, which requires proof that they lived in the area in Territorial days. My criteria for Founding Families is much looser, because I often have found evidence that a family lived in the area during or before World War I but don't know whether they actually arrived before statehood.
Some charts for Luther's Founding Families were contributed to the OKGenWeb project before I set up this site. I'm now correcting reported errors and adding more families, working on other area studies that trace these families back to their former homes, and maintaining the database itself [smc] on WorldConnect.
Each of these pages has a modern map of the Township, plus some information about its history and geography. Some have reference lists - the closer to Luther, of course, the more information I have available to share with you. All access the same set genealogy reports on this site pertaining to the Founding Families of Luther Township, but some early families of the surrounding eight townships are also represented so I've provided linked maps for them, too. For maps of adjoining counties, and the other 16 townships of Oklahoma County, go to Area Maps. |
||
|
Northwest of Luther. Part of the Unassigned Lands opened in1889. Included Tohee. |
North of Luther. Part of the Iowa Lands opened in 1891. Included Garden. |
Northeast of Luther. Part of the Iowa Lands opened in1891. Included Fallis. |
|
Part of the Unassigned Lands opened in 1889. Includes Arcadia as well as some unincorporated settlements |
Straddled the border between the Iowa and Kickapoo Lands Included Garnettville and Servado as well as Luther. |
Straddled the border between the Iowa and Kickapoo Lands. Includes Wellston and part of the Captain Creek community. |
|
Part of the Unassigned Lands opened in1889. Included Douglas City. |
Part of the Kickapoo Lands opened in 1895. Included Ludlow and Poole. |
Part of the Kickapoo Lands opened in 1895. Includes most of the Captain Creek community. |
|
A compilation of keepsakes, like clippings from area newspapers and old school programs. It includes many friends as well as family, and has been alphabetized for easy use. |
|
| The 1900 Census | Index to Heads of Household for each of the nine townships, with some direct links to the WorldConnect database. |
|
The two lists of Homesteaders were compiled mostly for reference and include some for whom we have no further information posted - but they do include links to any available reports. The Worksheets and map compare homestead data to the 1900 census and 1907 map. Founding Families focuses on families living in the area in territorial days. The reports themselves are connected by marriages, so you can also enter the set through any individual listed in the Founding Families. There, you'll find some later-arriving families and many from surrounding townships who are not on the other lists. These families, and more, are now included in WorldConnect: smc. |
|
| Deep Fork Census Map | |
|
Heart
& Hand [First Christian Churck of Luther]
|
This started with Church history and photos, but has extended to cover the entire down and much of the surrounding area. Down Memory Lane has lots of clues for genealogists, but also tidbits of interest to nostalgia buffs. Its Photo Albums cover mostly people & places in and around Luther. Bill Walsh's Cookbooks site includes a copy of the first book published by the Heart & Hand Society of the First Christian Church [about 1918]. The contributor of each recipe is listed, so this places many families in the community at the time. |
|
Where were they from? Where did they go? Obituaries and family files often tell where people lived before they came to Oklahoma Territory. This is a collection of known locations, including links to many County GenWeb pages and the other area study I've posted. Now adding separate pages for a few emigrant groups, like families from: Bohemia. |
|
|
A narrative, written in the 1930s, about African-American settlers in this area. It starts with some who made the Run of '89 into Deep Fork and Springer Townships and continues through the Runs of '91 and '95, concluding with early businessmen who arrived after the town of Luther was platted. Lists enough individuals to be a valuable tool to researchers of any race - there are so many unrelated families in the area who bear the same surname that unscrambling them can be something of a challenge. |
|
|
Primarily obituaries, but also includes memorial cards and articles from various Oklahoma newspapers. Many contributions have been posted pertaining to Luther and the surrounding area. |
|
|
Includes some vintage photos of people from this area. |
|
| Remember Arcadia | A book published by the Arcadia Reminiscence Association in the late 1970s, one of the information sources used on this site for pioneer families of Deep Fork Township. |
|
Valley View / Luther Cemetery (offsite) |
Pictures and an article about Garnettville's Valley View Cemetery, which is now known as the Luther Cemetery. |
|
Valley View / Luther Cemetery (onsite) |
Not a traditional survey (although it does include information gathered during a 1963 survey). In the 1950s, many of the original stones were damaged by an earthquake and while most were repaired or replaced some were apparently discarded. This project uses information from all available sources to identify remaining original stones, replacement stones, and thus as many as possible of the now-unmarked graves. |
|
Other Area Links |
|
| Arcadia | Includes photos of Arcadia, including its landmark round barn. |
Please