 | Russett, Oklahoma |  |
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| The Joe Underwood Family by Amber Underwood
I have lots of pages about this family that deals with the Dawes Indian Roll and the ancestors who were enrolled on it. My records here at work are for around 1880-1910. Some are interesting--like I found out that Andrew’s great-grandfather, Harris Austin, was hanged by “Hanging Judge” Parker at Ft. Smith for shooting a man in Tishomingo in 1883. This story is in a book by Glenn Shirley.
Harris hid out in the hills north of Tishomingo for seven years before they sent U.S. marshals to capture him. There was a shootout and he was wounded. They took him to Ft. Smith, patched him up and hanged him along with some other men at the same time. My dad and uncles never knew anything about this, probably because his daughter was orphaned soon after, and she probably never knew exactly what happened to her father, since she was a young girl at the time. Apparently, Harris was a bad guy; his name is in the court records for beating his wife and being drunk. He lived at or near Russett in the 1880’s. I don’t know where he came from. He is the only Chickasaw Austin according to the records, so I don’t think he was really Chickasaw. I think he was Choctaw. There are many Choctaw Austins on the rolls.
His family before him is a mystery. But I do have a photo of him. His wife lived at Russett after he was hanged and his daughter, Salina Austin (Joe Underwood’s mother), lived there after she was grown and married around 1900, so I guess they were there all along. I don’t know when they came. The other side of the family—Salina’s husband was there, too. The trouble is, when you get back to the parents of people on the roll, who were already dead before 1898, there isn’t much detailed information. The rolls previous to the Dawes aren’t very useful.
This is a page I had written about Joe. There is more information, but I didn’t include current living people: JOE UNDERWOOD Chickasaw Full Blood Census card # Newborn 434 Roll # 561
BORN November 26, 1903 DIED July 12, 1983, age 79
BURIED at Russett Cemetery, OK on the west side of Tina Monetathchi’s grave. (Tina was Joe’s granddaughter, the 2 year-old twin of Gina Monetathchi. Tina drowned in a creek while at the babysitter’s house near Mannsville. Joe’s wife, Mary Jane (Hamilton) Underwood, is also buried nearby. Neither grave is marked. Joe’s brother, Noah Lacher is buried nearby, also.
PARENTS: Salina (Austin) Lewis Underwood Lacher and Hicks H. Lacher. Salina was born c. 1878 according to the Dawes roll and according to Joe, was born July 2, 1876. Hicks or Hix Lacher is listed on Chickasaw census card # 858. Salina’s parents were Harris Austin and Malinda Brown, married May 30, 1872. Salina had previously been married to: 1. Ben Lewis and they had a child, Fannie Lewis who was born Sept. 28, 1897 and died on October 13, 1900. Ben Lewis was the son of Josiah and Malinda Lewis. He was born c. 1877 and died on Oct. 15, 1899 or 98. 2. Elonzo Underwood. Their child was Matlain Underwood. She was born Feb. 24, 1901 and died c. 1902. Salina and Elonzo were married April 26, 1900. They lived at Russett at this time. Marriage license filed at Ardmore, I.T. (Book A, page 184). Salina and Matlain are listed on the Dawes roll, Chickasaw census card #947. Ben Lewis and Fannie Lewis were taken off this card after they died. Elonzo is on cc # 909. He was born c. 1878 to Houston and Zila or Jila Greenwood.
Hicks Lacher had been married first to Annie Brown on May 20, 1899 (Pickens County Records microfilm 12-58-68), and they had Myrtle and Florance Lacher, cc # 848. Annie had been married to Dixon Fulsome and they had Edmon Fulsome, b. 1893. Annie died before 1902. Annie’s parents were Jim and Polly Johnson, both dead before the Dawes roll.
Hicks was born c. 1882 and died July 23, 1940. Hicks’ parents were No-e-la-cha (Noah Lacher) and Masey, Massi or Martha Lacher (sometimes spelled Leacher). Masey is the name on the Dawes card. Another Dawes record for Osceola Jones says Martha Leacher was the mother of Hicks and his sister, Margerette. Martha married Osceola Jones after Noah died. There is a marriage record for Noah and Massi?; it is hard to determine what the woman’s name was; the handwriting is not clear. It is probably Massi.
Tishomingo County C. N. Oct. 20, 1874 CKN 14 microfilm, Vol. 79, p. 104: This is to certify that Noah and Massi was lawfully joined together in the holy bonds of matrimony on the 9th day of Nov. 1874 by John Ish tah, Preacher. Recorded on the 1st day of December 1874. [John Ishtah or Johnie Starr was a preacher who lived in a community called Estevah near Reagan.]
Another record states that Noah was married to Lucy Ahnolatubby on Nov. 9, (1874?): From the CKN 14 Vol 1 Tishomingo County Indian Territory Records: The Chickasaw Nation VS Noah Lacher and Lucty Ahnolatubby Charged with living out of wedlock. Witness: Richmond Sealy
Noah Lacha and Lucy were lawfully joined together in the holy bonds of matrimony Nov. 9th by John Ish tah. Therefore I discharge the above case. Attest: T.J. Thompson, Clerk C.P. Harris Co. Judge of TCCN
Hicks and Maggie may have had another sibling—Lilly Lacher—name found with theirs in school records for the March term of 1890.
SIBLINGS: Full brothers and sisters by Salina Lacher: 1. Mary E. Lacher, born May 19, 1906 and died March 1, 1928. 2. Freddie Lacher, born 1908 and died soon after 1910. The 1910 Oklahoma census lists Hix H., Selina, Myrtle, age 10; Florence, age 8; Joe, age 6; Mary E., age 4 and Freddie, age 2. Johnston County. 3. Edna Lacher, born April 29, 1912 and died March 25, 1991. 4. Noah Lacher, born April 6, 1915 and died July 8, 1996. Buried at Russett Cemetery. 5. Lewis Lacher, born Feb. 16, 1917 and died 1970’s (hit by a car in Ardmore). 6. John Lacher, born 1918 or 19 and died as a child after 1924 or so.
HALF-SISTERS: 1. Myrtle Lacher, born c. 1898. 2. Florance Lacher, born c. 1900.
MARRIED: Mary Jane Hamilton, born March 18, 1905 and died 1985. She was the daughter of Jincy (Reed) Hamilton and Sim Hamilton. Jincy was born Nov. 11, 1887 and died Jan. 6, 1961. Sim was born Sept. 8, 1876. He died in the 1950’s.
Jincy Reed had been married before Sim to Henderson Hamilton who could have been a relation to Sim, but this is unknown. Henderson was born 1877 and died Dec. 11, 1903.
Sim Hamilton had a daughter before Mary. Her mother was Caroline Wisdom, and they had Zora Hamilton, born Nov. 3, 1903. Sim and Jincy’s children:
CHILDREN BY MARY JANE (HAMILTON) UNDERWOOD: 1. Era Mae Underwood 2. Twins (un-named), born Oct. 28, 1924 died Oct. 29, 1924 3. Earnest Underwood, born July 9, 1926 died Jan. 11, 1927 4. Andrew “Bud” Underwood, born Oct. 27, 1927 died 2000 5. Betty Jo Underwood, born Oct. 11, 1929 died Aug. 1930 6. Geraldine Underwood, born Sept. 8, 1931 died 1988? 7. Gene Underwood 8. Baby (un-named), born Feb. 16, 1936 died Feb. 18, 1936 9. Chestine “Chet” Underwood 10. Twins (un-named), born Mar. 12, 1940 died Mar. 15, 1940 11. Ted Joe Underwood 12. Clara Ann Underwood, born July 14, 1943 died Nov. 23, 1944 13. Delores Underwood
The following is from the Chickasaw Nation publication dated March 2006.
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