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Indian Pioneer History Project for Oklahoma
Date: September 29,1937
Name: Eliza Elmore (Mrs.)
Post Office: , Oklahoma
Date of Birth: 1866
Place of Birth: Fall County, Texas
Father: C. A. Wells
Place of Birth:
Information on father:
Mother:
Place of birth:
Information on mother:
Field Worker: Charline M. Culbertson, Interviewer
Interview #7776  

Interview with Mrs. Eliza Elmore
Limestone Gap, Oklahoma

I was born in Fall County, Texas, in 1866. My Parents were C. A. and P. A. WELLS.

I came to the Indian Territory with my sister and brother-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Bradford HAYES and their family in 1885. Mr. Hayes was a Methodist missionary both Territorial days and after statehood. He worked as a missionary in Indian Territory and Oklahoma for thirty years.

Our trip was made in a covered wagon. We did not travel with other groups but only with my sisters immediate family.

We located on the bank of the Washita River near Tishomingo.

We leased land from Edmond PORTER a Chickasaw Indian. My sister and I did all the farming while her husband preached among the Indians.

We lived in a little log house, eighteen by twenty feet. It had a fire place at one end and there were no windows, only small shutters.

At Tishomingo, at this time there was one log store and post office. I do not recall who was postmaster or who operated the store.

All we brought with us from Texas was our household goods. The only thing I am in possession of today is some old cotton garters. These had belonged to my mother. I also have a cast iron skillet that I brought from Texas.

We went to Whitesboro, Texas to get our supplies. It took two days to make the trip there. We crossed the Washita River at COLBERT's Ferry.

We went to BYRDS mill to get out corn and wheat ground.

I had no personal friends among the Indians. I never attended any of their dances nor pow-wows.

We always had a fine gardens and orchards, also lots of wild game such as turkey, deer and hogs, and there were big flocks of prairie chickens.

I plowed and did a man's work for eleven years and knew very little of what was going on in the outside world. I stayed at home and took care of my parents as they were invalids and did not marry until I was forty-five.

Submitted to OKGenWeb by Rusty Stroup <m2759@chickasaw.com> 03-1999.

Also submitted by  Reba Morgan Alsup  RAlsup2@aol.com    March 2004 with the following note: Rev. John Bradford Hays was a well known Baptist Missionary. Interview from Vol. 23, pages 406-407, Indian Pioneer History, Grant Foreman Collection, Indian Archives Division, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.