My name is Trish. I have been researching my family for years. I live in Tulsa.
My great-grandfather Ollie E. Stewart came to Sallisaw in the 1870s, and I cannot find anything about him. I looked in the Sallisaw history book at the Tulsa genealogy library. I just can’t believe such a small town and he lived there his whole childhood.
I have a True West magazine story about him and his family coming to Sallisaw. How his dad ate dog with the Indians. He ran moonshine from Arkansas, and he married a Jennie Harmon from Sallisaw.
I tried writing the Sallisaw historical society before and didn’t get anything. Jennie was supposed have died in a fire. She put my grandmother Reba Mae Stewart out a window along with her sister Gracie R. Stewart. Ollie wasn’t home.
Reba said some of her sisters and brothers died in fire. I can’t find anything on this event. Reba ended up in the Francis Willard home in Tulsa, and Gracie the Whitaker state home in Pryor.
The True West story doesn’t give names. The story says ma, pa, brother, etc., so I am deeply frustrated. I doubt there are any old timers left who may recall my family or if your newspaper can help me, or have record of fire. I was disappointed the historical society didn’t have a Web site. You should put the word out on that too for the people to summit all old photos and records before it’s too late and your history is lost.
Thanks for any information. My e-mail address is trishaoo@yahoo.com.
TRISHA A. DAVIS, TULSA
