School Days

Let's go back to Greer County, Oklahoma and take a brief look at the school for the Hughes children shortly after they arrived to the area. I apologize the images are not clearer, but are copies of copies and maybe copies of copies. If you look at the school district map, you can see the outline of District #19, the Wheatland District. W. D. and Lena Belle Hughes lived in the NE4 of Section 4 and John L. and Sarah K. lived in the NE4 of Section 33. I don't know where the school was for this district, since Section 16 was generally set aside for public education. As you can see, there is no section 16 in this district, but we can be fairly sure the school was central to the district.

In Sarah's interview in the Indian Pioneer Papers she makes one short comment about the school which is very interesting. "The children walked four miles to school and it was taught in a dugout the same as we all lived in."

Ora Holt was the school teacher for the 1901-1902 school year and end of year report is interesting, indeed. There were 60 students, 30 males and 30 females. The average daily attendance was 33. The number of days taught was 100 and Miss (Mrs.) Holt earned $40 per month.

Notice students #23 and 24, two daughters of John and Sarah - Alga and Nina. Check out their attendance record!

In the same year, William D. Hughes, an older brother of Alga and Nina was one of the three school trustees.

Ortners in Oklahoma City

Today, there were three stops in our Hughes-Ortner research. First stop was at the Oklahoma State Health Department, Office of Vital Records. We had a list of six death certificates we were hoping to find. Unfortunately, only three could be found and they were for: Sarah K. Hughes, William David Hughes and George C. Ortner. There was none for John L. Hughes, Lena Belle Campbell Hughes and Margaret Florina Burton Campbell. Since we are focusing on the Ortner family in this part of the state, I will include George's death certificate.

Our second stop was at the beautiful Oklahoma History Center. Here there is a museum and a research center. We spent several hours in the research center not finding a lot of new information since we had located so many records in the local courthouses and libraries. However, it a great research location.

In the afternoon, we drove to Rose Hill Burial Park. Buried here are Christian C. and Mary Ortner (Christian C. is a brother to George C. Ortner), Solomon C. and Nettie Ortner (Christian C.'s son), Emanuel Ortner (Solomon's brother) and Harvey E. Ortner (George G.'s son). If you got lost in all that, back up and try again.

Solomon had worked for the Southern Publishing Association, Clinton Theological Seminary (a German Seventh-day Adventist seminary in Clinton, Missouri) and for the last several years of his life, did the accounting for the Ortner Cabinet Shop in Oklahoma City.

Solomon and Nettie were members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Oklahoma City. Sadly, they both died in an automobile accident in 1968.

This is probably my last blog entry until we are able to visit Marion County, Kansas in a few days. This is where the Ortners settled when they immigrated to America.

Christian and Katharina Ortner

Another day, in another courthouse, lifting 15 pound books and finding treasures. After another quick visit to the Blaine County Courthouse, we made our way to Kingfisher, OK, the county seat of Kingfisher County.

On April 30, 1892, Christian traveled to Kingfisher to make an application for a homestead, which was in the NW4 of Section 30 of Township 18N in Range 9W. The SW4 was homesteaded by Henry Meier. Henry gave a piece of property for a church which became the East Cooper Seventh-day Adventist Church. The cemetery for East Cooper was one mile north and one half mile west. At one point in its history there were 156 members. Christian and Katharina and Abraham C. Ortner were charter members. Abraham was the church clerk.

These folk sacrificed much to share the advent message they loved. Are we as faithful?

The George C. Ortner Family

Today, we travel to Kingfisher, Kingfisher County, Oklahoma (only about 30 miles) to look for records for Christian and Katharina Ortner (George C.'s parents). That is where their homestead was located. But before we leave, I want to give you just a glimpse into the family of George and Maria. The picture above of George and Maria, we got from great grandson, Donnie Scheffler. Our thanks to Donnie and Janice for several pictures they loaned us to scan.

By the way, did I tell you George and Maria had a large family? The picture below was taken at a family reunion in 1931, the year that Alton and Emma Ortner Hughes and children were home on furlough from China where they were missionaries. Can you find them?

George & Maria Ortner

Land Patent for George C. Ortner. Notice the fingers of George's and Maria's great granddaughter. We found that copying all these documents was going to be very expensive, so decided that taking digital photos was a much cheaper option. It just meant that sometimes fingers were a necessary part of the process to hold the pages flat.

Today’s family research began in the Blaine County Courthouse in Watonga, Oklahoma looking for property and probate records. We were successful finding both for George C. Ortner. We were especially happy to find the Homestead patent for George C. for the NW4, Section 20, Township 18N, Range 11W. We were glad that we had the legal description for the properties as that is how all are indexed.

A month or so ago, a major storm (hurricane or tropical storm) came through this county and caused major damage, even taking a part of the roof off the courthouse so that many of their records got wet. These records have only been available for the public for a couple of weeks.

One of our highlights of the day was a visit to Evelyn Ortner Schnell, a daughter of George G. Ortner and granddaughter of George C. Ortner. She is Sharryn’s first cousin, once removed. She shared some of her memories of her grandparents. Grandfather was a hard worker and quite demanding, and her grandmother, Maria, was a good cook. Evelyn said she believed German cooking was the only good food.

I will close this blog with George C.’s and Maria’s obituaries. Note the number of children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Okeene Record, Thursday, March 2, 1933. Hitchcock Pioneer Claimed by Death
George C. Ortner was born July 22, 1859, in Ditel, Russia, and died in his home at Hitchcock, Oklahoma, February 22, 1933. He lived to be seventy-three years and seven months old.

In 1877 he was united in marriage to Mary Samuel. To this union were born 14 children, seven sons and seven daughters. One daughter preceded her farther [sic] in death.

In 1879 he came with his family to America and they made their home near Hillsboro, Kansas. In 1892 they moved to Oklahoma and lived in the vicinity of Hitchcock, and the last twenty-seven years they lived in town.

In 1886 he heard the Advent Message which he accepted and joined the Seventh-day Adventist church. Five of his children devote their full time to the Lord’s work.

During the last year Mr. Ortner was in poor health. On December 17 he had a stroke of paralysis from which he never recovered.

He is survived by his wife, seven sons, six daughters, twenty-five grand children, six great grand children, two brothers, one sister and many relative [sic] and friends who mourn their loss.

The funeral service was conducted from the Hitchcock auditorium by Elder J. H. Meier, assisted by Elder J. A. Wasenmiller and the elder of the Hitchocock S.D.A. church. The body was laid to rest in the S.D. Adventist cemetery near the East Cooper church awaiting the call of the life giver.

R.F. Howley, of Okeene, had charge of the funeral arrangement.

The Watonga Replublican, Thursday, April 19, 1951 Funeral Services Held for Hitchcock Woman
Funeral services were held Wednesday for Mrs. George Ortner, 92, pioneer of Hitchcock who died at the home of her daughter at Hutchinson, Kansas.

Known to many as Grandma Ortner in that community, her son George cared for her in her last illness. She moved to the city to live with Leah who preceded her in death and then lived at the home of her son Jake, for several year [sic]. She lately went to Hutchinson to stay at the home of her daughter where she died.

Sunday Afternoon Drive

Arriving in Watonga, Blaine County, Oklahoma around noon on Sunday, we were ready to begin our journey in our research into the lives of the George C. Ortner family. Emma was number twelve in this family of seven boys and seven girls. Thirteen of these children grew to adulthood with Sarah dying at four years of age.

Because of the direction we are traveling on this journey, we are taking the Ortner family in reverse, for they first immigrated to America and settled in Marion County, Kansas before homesteading in Oklahoma. George’s father, Christian and one brother, C. Christian (Chriss) came to Oklahoma, April 19, 1892, the day of the land run into this part of the Oklahoma Territory. George brought his family in 1893. This is all documented in the Homestead papers we have received from the National Archives.

Our first stop during our Sunday afternoon drive was at the home of Mr. & Mrs. Donald Scheffler, great grandson of George C. and grandson of George G. Ortner (one of Emma’s brothers). Donnie and his wife live in the last home George G. owned, having lifted the roof off then building a house around the original two rooms. We were excited when they brought out some of the old family photos and were even more excited when they let us bring those photos back to the motel room to be scanned.

When we left the Scheffler home, we punched the coordinates into our GPS for the East Cooper Cemetery where many of the Ortners are buried and headed off over paved roads and dirt roads. The East Cooper Cemetery is one mile north and a half mile west of where the East Cooper Seventh-day Adventist Church once stood. Today, all you can see is what was once the entrance pillars.

We were pleased to see the grave markers for Christian and Katharina Ortner (George C.’s father and mother) and the graves of George and Maria Ortner. There are many other familiar surnames here, as well. This cemetery is well-maintained.

Leaving the cemetery, we first made our way to the location of the East Cooper church; then following the township maps we had brought, headed west to look for the quarter section of land George C. and Maria had homesteaded. Our hope was to see the ruins of the stone house the Ortners had built. We had no trouble finding the property, and being led by the gentleman who currently owns the land, we located a few stones which appeared to be a part of the foundation of a cellar. Apparently, all the stones had been hauled away many years ago.

Disappointed that there were no house ruins, we were still happy to stand where the Ortners had worked and lived until they moved into the town of Hitchcock sometime after 1900. Today, we will search for property records to determine when they left the farm and moved to Hitchcock.

Alton Eugene Hughes - The Best and Worst of Times

Alton Eugene Hughes and his younger sister, Ruby.

As noted in the first posting on this blog, Alton Eugene Hughes was born January 17, 1898 in Altus, Greer County (now Jackson County), Oklahoma. According to a biographical sketch written by Alton’s son, Dr. Ross E. Hughes, a colporteur (book salesman) came to the area selling Christian books and sharing the Seventh-day Adventist message. Lena, Alton’s mother and Alton accepted what they heard. Alton was about 14 years old. This faith, he would profess until his death.

Alton attended Altus High School and graduated in 1917. Sometime that same year, having heard about a Seventh-day Adventist College in Keene Texas, he was baptized and headed off to Southwestern Junior College just a few months before his mother died.

Alton graduated from Southwestern Junior College in 1920. To help pay for his education, he had sold Christian literature during the summers. There was a young lady who also sold Christian literature during the summer in Oklahoma. Her name was Emma Neale Ortner. I am not sure just where Alton and Emma met, but meet they did and on May 24, 1921 they committed their love to each other in marriage.

Having moved from the "Hughes" parts of Oklahoma, we have now moved, on our family history journey, to Blaine County, Oklahoma, home of the George C. Ortners, Emma’s family. Stay tuned as I introduce you to the Ortners in the days to come.

Lorena Hughes Sewell Remembers

Haskell "Hack" Sewell and Lorena Margaret Hughes Sewell, daugther of William David and Maude Campbell Hughes

An exciting part of this research trip to was to stay with and interview the last living child of William David Hughes, Lorena Hughes Sewell of Mangum, Greer County, Oklahoma. A video camera was set up and Sharryn asked questions to probe Lorena’s family memories.


Lorena was the only daughter of William D. Hughes’ second marriage. He married Lena Belle Campbell February 21, 1897. William and Lena had five children: Alton Eugene, Ruby Algia, Claude Deane, Evelyn Beryl and Harlan Wayne. Lena died November 29, 1917. Six months later on June 2, 1918, he married Maude, a younger sister of Lena’s. They had three children: William Clay, Lorena Margaret and David Ardelle.



Ruby, William David, Claude, Lena and Alton (picture taken before Beryl and Harlan were born)

Lorena remembered how her dad was able to grow wonderful produce and sell it to stores in town. William and Maude lost the land he had homesteaded west of Altus, Jackson County, OK during the depression in 1931. The family then moved north of Granite, Greer County in Lake Creek community on the south side of the North Fork of the Red River. The rich bottom land grew great produce including water melons, and cantaloupe.

William, Lorena, Ruby, William Clay, Harlan and Maude (picture taken before David was born)

Her mother, Maude, was a great cook and like the rest of the Campbells, was a musician. She had her hands full when she married William who already had five children and then had three of her own.

Along with the produce he grew, William also planted many kinds of fruit trees some of which were apples, peaches and cherries. Like his father John, he also grew currants, which Lorena said she ate most of.

In later years, William and Maude moved into Granite on Mountain Avenue. It was here that William died Christmas Day, 1948. In time, Maude moved to California and there died December 21, 1988. William is buried beside Lena in Rock Cemetery just west of Granite and Maude was buried in Vahalla Memorial Park, North Hollywood, California.

We thank Lorena for sharing her memories and showing us the places where those memories were made.

John and Sarah Hughes - Pioneers

John L. and Sarah K. Burleson Hughes are on the right. It is believed James E., John's brother, and his wife, Edith Tabitha Burleson, Sarah's sister, are the couple on the left. (July 4, 2008 - We now know the couple with John and Sarah are James and Edith.)

In December 1888, John L. and Sarah and at least two of the children came by wagon to Greer County, Texas. Yes, it was still Texas until the US Supreme Court decided in favor the Federal Government that due to a surveying error, the land of Greer County did not belong to Texas. So, in 1896, John and Sarah went to sleep in Texas and woke up in Oklahoma Territory.

John and Sarah came by way of Doan’s Crossing near the South Fork of the Red River. After traveling two days from there, they came near to the place which later became Martha. Listen to Sarah’s description of this trip. "We stopped the second night (from Doan’s Crossing) about where the town of Martha is now. The trail was broad where cattle had passed and we camped in the middle of the road, putting up a tent. That night one of our now famous dust storms came up and blew our tent away, and in addition to nearly freezing to death we were covered with dirt, literally buried alive."

John and Sarah homesteaded a quarter section (160 acres) and purchased another quarter section near the area of Sarah’s story. Much more could be said, but John and Sarah’s obituaries in the local paper summarize their story.

(Altus Weekly News, Dec. 11, 1919) J.L. Hughes Died
J. L. Hughes died at his home 621 West Hardy Street, at 2:05 o’clock p.m. Monday, Dec. 8th, 1919.

The funeral services were held at the family residence at 2 p.m. Tuesday, conducted y Revs. J. W. Hollums and Robt. Hodgson, and Elder W. M. Green; interment in the Martha Cemetery.
Mr. Hughes was born at Rockport, Arkansas, Sept. 14th, 1851, and was 68 years, 2 months and 24 days old at the time of his demise.

He was married to Miss Sarah K. Burleson, May 1st, 1870. To this union 12 children were born, 4 boys and 8 girls. Four of the girls have died. His sons are: W. D. Hughes, Route 3, Granite, Okla., Claude Hughes, Martha, J. T. Hughes and Lonnie [sic], Route 4, Altus.

His daughters, living, are: Mrs. J. C. Jenkins, Glendale, Araz. [sic], Mrs. W. A. Stocks, Wash., Mrs. Morgan Stallings, Headrick, and Mrs. R. N. Colyar, Altus.

He joined the Methodist church when 15 years of age; joined the Primitive Baptist Church, when 28 years old, and entered the ministry of that denomination, and was one of the leading Elders of that church to the time of his death.

He moved from Grayson county, Texas, to this part of the country in 1889, and like all old settlers, he and his good wife and devoted children suffered the privations incident to the early pioneers.

He lived most of the time on his farm northwest of Altus, but was a resident of the city for a number of years.

He held the office of Township Trustee of Martha Township, was County Commissioner for 4 years. He was a member, from the Second Ward, of the first City Council, when Altus became a city of the First Class, and was President of the Council.

In all of these official positions he exercised his best judgement, applied his rugged honesty, and worked for the best interests of the people. He was familiarly addressed as "Brother Hughes," and when any one spoke of "Brother Hughes," it was known of whom they spoke.

It was while he was a member of our first City Council, that the writer learned the ability, honesty and manly character of Brother Hughes. The writer was at that time the Mayor and we know that the old saying "That to know a man fully and truly you must rub up against him" is true for our two years work together proved his honesty, faithfulness, devotion to duty and hard labor and we unhesitatingly say that if he had been let alone to do his work as manager of the Water & Light department, he would have had water flowing into the City reservoir. But he was abrupedly [sic] stopped.

During his last illness, which was caused by the gall ducts becoming clogged, he was, while enduring intense suffering, patient, conscious of his approaching demise, he was full of hope, inspired by right living and ready to answer the summons.

In his death his aged companion has lost a noble husband, his children a devoted father and society a christian and honorable citizen.

To the bereaved relatives, we tender [sic] heartfelt sympathy in their bereavement. –J.P. Orr

Altus Times Democrat, April 28, 1938. Pioneer Woman Dies Today
Funeral rites will be held at 2:30 p.m. Friday at the family residence at 311 East Walnut Street for Mrs. Sarah K. Hughes, age 84 years. The aged Jackson county pioneer died at the family home in Altus at 12:15 p.m. today following an illness of the past three months.

The rites will be conducted by Elder W. N. Green, pastor of the Primitive Baptist Church of Altus. Burial will be made in the Martha cemetery.

Mr. and Mrs. Hughes moved to this section of the country in 1888, settling in the Martha community, where they homesteaded a tract of land. Mr. Hughes died in 1919.

Surviving Mrs. Hughes are the following sons and daughters, W. D. Hughes of Granite; Claude Hughes of Tuscon, Ariz; J. G. Hughes and Lannie E. Hughes of Altus; Mrs. Clint Jenkins of Phoenix, Ariz; Mrs. Morgan Stallings of Headrick and Mrs. R. N. Colyar of Altus.

Martha Cemetery

Unlike John L. and Sarah Hughes, we made our journey from Sherman, Texas to Altus, Oklahoma in just a few hours by car rather than the long trip by wagon. Shortly after we arrived we made 0ur first stop at the beautiful Martha Cemetery, a short distance north and west of Altus. Rows of cedar trees make this such a lovely place.

Buried here are John Linaeus [sic] and Sarah Kizzire[sic] Hughes, four of their daughters: Edna, Norah (spelled two ways on the marker), Mary, Alice Hughes Baker, and a son, James C. Hughes. Ruby B., daughter of James Edwin and Edith Hughes is also buried here.

One of the problems of searching for older grave markers is that time and weather have a way of making many of them very difficult to read. Sharryn made a transcription of each of the family markers so that a permanent record is made while they still can be read. However, we found the markers of the daughters of J. L. and Sarah almost unreadable. What to do? I made a decision to try tombstone rubbing, first with pencil and paper and then a more permanent rubbing with crayon and pellon. The picture of the rubbing below was amazingly clear. Now, we could read what we could not before.

Crayon rubbing on pellon

Life was difficult and many died young in those olden days as we see in the John Hughes family. The list of those family members buried in Martha Cemetery give a picture of indescrible pain as parents laid their children to rest. Life was and is precious.

John L. Hughes -- September 14, 1851-December 8, 1919
Sarah K. Hughes -- September 15, 1853-April 28, 1938
Edna -- October 7, 1890-February 18, 1901 (10 yrs old)
Nora -- January 11, 1891-July 6, 1894 (3 yrs old)
Mary -- February 2, 1883-November 14, 1900 (17 yrs old)
Ruby d/o J. E and E. T. Hughes -- November 2, 1894-September 16, 1901 (6 yrs old)



"Even so, come, Lord Jesus." Revelation 22:20

Life Along the Choctaw Bayou

What was life like for the Burleson and Hughes families in Grayson County, Texas during the last half of the 19th century? The US census reports that among other occupations (John L. was an Old School Baptist preacher), these folks were farmers on the property they owned along the Choctaw Bayou and Cedar Creek. While we might only be able to speculate as to what life was like on the farm, there is one piece of legal evidence which offers us some interesting insights. What is this? Probate records - especially the inventories and appraisals of the estate. What do these reveal for our families?

As we spent the morning in the Grayson County courthouse in Sherman, Texas, we found the probate packets for John Missouri Burleson (Sarah K. Burleson Hughes' father) and his father, William Burleson. Both of these probate packets included very interesting inventories. They speak for themselves. So, just read, enjoy and imagine!

A Trip to the Burleson Cemetery

According to the Biographical Souvenir of the State of Texas, John L. Hughes moved from Arkansas to Texas in 1864. The story handed down in the family is that he came with a family from Arkansas along with his brother, James E., sister, Catherine (twin of James), and brother, Warner. John, the oldest of the children, eventually settled in Grayson County. (I have been unable to determine what happened to William Callison, David G.'s adopted son.)

About 13 years earlier, John Missouri Burleson, a teamster from Alabama, moved with his wife, Sarah Holcomb Burleson and several children to Grayson County, settling a few miles southeast of present-day Sherman.

In 1853, Sarah Burleson gave birth to a daughter whom the Burlesons named, Sarah Kizziah. It is Sarah who in 1870 married John L. Hughes. Her sister, Edith,born in 1853 married John's brother, James Edwin August 20, 1873. (There will be more to come concerning the lives and families of John and Sarah Hughes.)

John and Sarah Burleson are buried in the Burleson Cemetery which is located near Luella, Texas, a few miles southeast of Texas, presumably in the area where the Burlesons lived. Enlarge the tombstone photos and notice the two different spellings of Burleson. It has been said that one of first rules of genealogy is to know how to misspell your own name.

One More Day in Arkansas

The last research day in Arkansas began in the Hot Spring County courthouse. We know from the 1850 census (see earlier post) that David and Cynthia lived in Clear Creek Township in Hot Spring County before they were married, but what about after they married? John L. Hughes, son, says he was reared in Hot Spring County, but as we saw in the last post, David and Cynthia owned a lot of land in Dallas County. Where did they live?

The answer, I don't know. It seems they may have lived in both counties, most likely in Hot Spring County and then later moving to Dallas. Remember, Cynthia married Benjamin Larkin at her home in Dallas County.

The question we began the day with was, Did David and Cynthia own land in Hot Spring County? Yes. We located in the deed books at the courthouse, two records for the sale of land by David and Cynthia in 1855. They sold 15 acres of a quarter section of land to Payton Parker and the rest to E. C. Jones. The land description for this quarter section was: NW4 of Section 18, Township 6 South, Range 16 West. We were not able to discover where they had first obtained the land.

While there are still many questions to be answered about David G. Hughes and Cynthia Henson Hughes, we feel we know them better having walked their counties and handled records they saw and signed. We leave Arkansas still hoping we will yet find answers to our questions, but it has been good. Now we must explore the lives of son, John Linnaeus Hughes and his wife, Sarah Kizziah Burleson Hughes. For that we follow John's travels to Grayson County, Texas.

More Regarding David and Cynthia Hughes

The day began with more questions than answers. What would we know by day's end? A decision was made to begin our research in Dallas County, Arkansas, since there was some evidence David and Cynthia had lived there (see previous post).



The Dallas County Courthouse in an attractive old building and the ladies in the County Clerk's office were very helpful.



Led into the room with rows and rows of large books of a variety of record types (marriage, probate, taxes, etc.), we scouted the shelves to decide where to begin. I had already determined we must search for probate records. A will could offer great clues as to whether our David G.

Hughes really lived in the county. In the first index searched, we found the name, David G. Hughes. We were in luck. We found the correct page and will number in the will book and - paydirt. There was David Hughes' will written by hand 149 years ago. See it for yourself.



Notice the will only mentions, by name, the son of Cynthia's by her first marriage, William Callison. Other court records which we photographed, show that David became William's legal guardian. William Callison was 3 years old in the 1850 US Census (see previous post).

An earlier family historian, Evelyn Beryl Hughes Fraquela, Alton's sister, records David was a wealthy land owner who also owned slaves. The land records and probate inventory reveal he did own over 400 acres. We also discovered in probate records that David and Cynthia did own many slaves, for the most part one family. Another court record stated there was a male slave named Jake and a female named, Maria.

David's first land entry in the tax records was made in 1851, apparently purchased just shortly after David and Cynthia were married. The next entry was made in 1855.

David's will was recorded in May of 1858 and the probate work began in August of the same year. Had he been sick? Cynthia was named the executrix, but something very interesting happened.

On April 14, 1861, Cynthia Hughes married Benjamin F. Larkin. On May 16, A. C. Henson and E. C. Jones, securities for the estate, petitioned the court that since Cynthia had remarried, her role as administrator of the estate, should be revoked and that William Daniel, Sheriff and ex officio adminstrator of Dallas County should be appointed administrator. The court so decreed.

Apparently, one of the problems was a concern regarding Benjamin F. Larkin who, "is a man of suspicious character and a stranger in the county." The family story handed down is that there may have been foul play in Cynthia's death in October of the same year.

We leave these folks for now. On Tuesday we will be searching for any records which may be found in the Hot Springs County Clerk's office and Malvern Public Library. Check back in later.

David G. and Cynthia Henson Hughes

Before we actually begin our research vacation, I want to share how we plan to carry out this research. Everyone doing genealogy knows you start with yourself and work back through the generations and for the most part, this is what we have done. However, on this trip, the search is dictated by geography, not chronology. Leaving Alabama, our first stop will be in Hot Springs County, Arkansas. It is here, we hope to learn more about the great grandparents of Alton Hughes - David G. and Cynthia Henson Hughes.

An earlier family historian was unable to find the names of this couple, but said that this man was a doctor and a wealthy land owner in Arkansas. It was also stated he (David) was in the Civil War, "but did not fight because he was captured in the very beginning and spent the entire time imprisoned. When the war was over he returned home, and one week later was thrown from a horse and killed."

What was this man's name and how accurate is the story?

I located on the Burleson Family website (more about who the Burlesons were will come later) a posting which gave a clue that this man's name was David G. Hughes and that he had married a Cynthia Henson Callison. They lived in Arkansas. An email to the Burleson Family Association was unable to confirm the acccuracy of this information.

Later, I found a David G, Hughes and Cynthia Callison in the 1850 US Census from Hot Springs County, Arkansas and in Clear Creek Township. Are these the right folks? Notice David's occupation is said to be a teacher.







Several months later, I discovered a copy of Biographical Souvenir of the State of Texas published in 1889 online. There was an entry for J. L Hughes (Alton's grandfather), page 435. In this biographical sketch, J. L. (John Linnaeus) states his parents were David and Cynthia Henson Hughes from Hot Springs County, Arkansas. It is also reported that David, a physician, died in June 1858. That's interesting since that is three years before the beginning of the Civil War.

Since David's and Cynthia's first child, John, was born September, 1851, they must have been married shortly after the taking of this census, but to date, I have found no marriage certificate.

There are land patents for David G. Hughes in Dallas County, AR which is the county to the south of Hot Springs County. I also, found a marriage certificate for Mrs. Cynthia Hughes and Benjamin F. Larkin dated April 14, 1861. in Dallas County. The certificate also states the wedding was in the home of Mrs. Cynthia Hughes. Are these the same people of our search? While it seems reasonable, our onsight search will attempt to verify this information and locate the truth about date and cause of David G. Hughes' death.

What will we find in Hot Springs and Dallas Counties? We can hardly wait to see!

Alton Eugene Hughes - Emma Neale Ortner

Alton Eugene Hughes was born, January 17, 1898 in Altus, Greer County, Oklahoma Territory. Alton was the first of five children born to William David and Lena Belle Campbell Hughes with baby sister, Ruby following 18 months later (see the picture to the left). In order of birth were: Alton Eugene, Ruby Algia, Claude Deane, Evelyn Beryl and Harlan Wayne.

Alton's mother died November 29, 1917 and on June 2, 1918, his father married a younger sister of Lena Belle's, Maude Flurina. This union would produce more siblings in the Hughes household: William Clay, Lorena Margaret and David Ardelle.

Nothing is known regarding Alton's elementary schooling, but a college transcript indicates he graduated from high school in Altus, May 1917. Then in the fall of 1918, he enrolled as a student at Southwestern Junior College, a Seventh-day Adventist College, located in Keene, Johnson County, Texas where he was a boarder with several other young men in the home of George and Esther West. (Ruby, Alton's sister, was at the same time boarding with Ellenor Hunter just a short distance away.)

On September 12, 1918, Alton completed the mandatory WWI registration which shows Alton to be a student at Southwestern Junior College (SWJ).

Alton graduated from SWJ College in 1920. Later, he would complete a B.A. from Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Just when Alton met a very special young German girl from Hitchcock, Oklahoma, I don't know, but they were married May 24, 1921. So far, I have been unable to locate a marriage certificate for this couple, but the search goes on.

Who was this special girl? Her name was Emma Neale Ortner, daugther of George C. and Maria Samuels Ortner who had immigrated to the United States in 1878. George and Maria had emigrated from Russia with their young baby, Jacob (Jake) and settled in Marion County, Kansas. In 1893 the George Ortner family homesteaded in Blaine County, Oklahoma on a quarter section of land near Hitchcock. Later, they would move into the town of Hitchcock and it was here, Emma was born, March 22, 1899. Ultimately, there would be 14 children, seven boys and seven girls with one girl, Sarah, dying shortly after the family arrived in Oklahoma.

Back rowL-R: Ellen, Abe, Sam, Chris

Front row L-R: Leah, Maria, Elsie, George, Emma

More information regarding Alton and Emma Hughes and their families will be coming in later posts.