Treasure Chest Thursday: Great Grandma Jessie's 1915 Common School Diploma

Jessie Luetta Halstead

A few weeks ago, one of my dad's first cousins, Ann, contacted me to see if my sister and I would like a couple of things that had belonged to our paternal great grandmother, Jessie Luetta Halstead Brittain. What a nice surprise! I thought that Cindy might like to have Grandma's silverware set, and I'm happy that she'll get to think of Great Grandma Brittain whenever she uses it.

I was most excited, however, that Ann had Great Grandma Brittain's Common School Diploma. I eagerly took Ann up on her offer to send it to me, and this is what showed up at my office a few days ago:

The document reads:

COMMON SCHOOL 

DIPLOMA

THIS CERTIFIES THAT

Jessie Halstead

has completed the regular course of study prescribed by the State

Board of Education of the State of Oklahoma and has passed

a satisfactory examination in all subjects of the Common School

Course and is, therefore, entitled to this Diploma which admits

the holder to any High School, State Normal School, the 

A&M college and all secondary colleges in

the State of Oklahoma.

Given at Oklahoma City this 5th day of May 1915

Grandma Brittain's test scores (pardon my obtrusive camera work...)

As you can see, someone had the diploma framed in double-sided glass, which was nice because Grandma Brittain's test results were recorded on the back of the document. I had a chuckle at her 70 score in arithmetic. My own former math teachers would agree that the apple did not fall far from this branch of the family!

Grandma Jessie was 16 years old when she passed her exams and received her diploma. I'm guessing that she and her family were very proud, especially since a lot of rural kids, especially girls, didn't complete their education back in those days. I don't know if she went on to high school, but she didn't marry my Great Grandfather, Andrew Lee Brittain, until after another four years, so it's entirely possible that she did continue her studies.

Grandma's diploma now hangs in my bedroom. I'm quite proud of her for her scholarly achievement -- mediocre math grade, and all!

Thanks again to Cousin Ann for sharing this treasure with me!

Not So Wordless Wednesday: Four Generations of Hunts

Here's a photo I found in my Grandma Edith's collection awhile ago. It's of four generations of her Hunt family, and I believe it was taken sometime around 1953.

On the left is my great great grandmother, Georgia Francis Ann Purser. She was born October 7, 1871, in Searcy, White County, Arkansas, and died July 14, 1956, in Henderson County, Texas. She was married to William Calhoun Hunt. 

Next to Georgia is her oldest child, and my great grandfather, James William "Earl" Hunt. James was born January 1, 1891, in Lee County, Texas, and died April 7, 1961, in Muskogee, Oklahoma. He was married to Ethel Modena Martindale.

Next to Earl is his youngest child, and my Grandma Edith's younger brother, George Lee Hunt. Uncle George was born January 11, 1927, in Oklahoma, and died November 1987 in Tulsa, Tulsa County, Oklahoma. 

Standing in front are George's two sons. I think they are Lester Wayne Hunt and James Lee Hunt, but I'm not entirely sure (if any Hunt cousins are reading this and know for sure, please feel free to let me know!). 

Tombstone Tuesday: F.H. Brittian

Frederick Harmon Brittain
(not Brittian...)

Yes, I realize that I spelled my own last name incorrectly in the title of this post. There's a good reason for that. Let me explain...

A couple of years ago, I was busy working on my Daughters of the American Revolution application, and was running into a couple of brick walls in my attempt to prove my direct lineage back to my Revolutionary War patriot, Nathaniel Brittain.

One of the issues I had was in documenting the death of my great great grandfather, Frederick Harmon Brittain (1859-1921). I knew that he had died in 1921, in Rupert, Van Buren County, Arkansas, but I just couldn't find the proof. Finally, I sent a request to the Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness website, to ask if anyone had access to cemetery records in that area (the original RAOGK site is now defunct, but a wiki workaround was created last year). Thankfully, a fellow genealogist had a cemetery record book that listed "F.H. Brittian" as being buried in the Pleasant Grove Cemetery in Van Buren County, Arkansas, and she was kind enough to scan the page and send it to me.

As you can see, Grandpa Brittain's last name is spelled incorrectly. This is actually one of the more typical misspellings of our name that I see on a regular basis (and it never fails to annoy me just a little bit). Nevertheless, it was a big help in proving my relationship to Nathaniel Brittain, and I figured it was just an error in the record keeping until a couple of days ago.

So, back when I had originally posted my request at the RAOGK site, I also posted a request for a photo of the grave on the Find A Grave website. I had completely forgotten about that query until I received an email saying that someone had fulfilled my photo request for me! Thanks to Dan McGuire, I now have a photo of Frederick Harmon Brittain's grave stone and, sure enough, the name is misspelled as "Brittian." Sigh...

Photo by Dan McGuire

By the way, this is my ancestor who, according to family lore, was wrongly put in a US Jail in Muskogee, Oklahoma, in 1900 for horse thievery (the horse's previous owner finally showed up to vouch for him). The poor guy couldn't catch a break, even in death!

Thanks so much to Dan McGuire and all of the other kind family historians out there who are willing to share documents and trudge through old cemeteries to take photos.

And, this was another lesson for me to remember to check alternate spellings when searching through documentation. It wouldn't have occurred to me to switch that "a" and "i" around, even though people get my name wrong all the time!

Wednesday's Child: Edith Vivian Hunt

Some people may think it's a chore to organize files and photos, but I'm having a lot of fun whipping my documents into shape on Google Drive. Part of the joy is getting a fresh look at a bunch of old photos of my family members and ancestors.

Here are a few photos I have of my Grandma, Edith Vivian Hunt (Brittain), from when she was a child. I'm so happy that my great grandparents, Jim and Ethel Hunt, had a camera and loved to take pictures of their family!

Edith Vivian Hunt,  born April 1, 1920, in Slick, Creek County, Oklahoma

Baby Edith, with her parents, James William (Earl) Hunt and Ethel Modina Martindale  

That's Edith on the left

Edith at 14 years old

I love her curls!

Wasn't my Grandma a pretty young lady!?

Travel Tuesday: Dad and Grandma Edith's Southwest Vacation

When my Dad, William Lee Brittain, was about 13 or so, he and my Grandma, Edith Vivian Hunt Brittain, took a trip to Oklahoma to visit relatives. On their way, they did a little sightseeing through the beautiful Southwest. I don't know who the people are who are with them. The older lady looks like she might be related to my paternal great grandmother, Jessie Louetta Halstead Brittain, so it may a relative of hers. As is often the case, there are no markings on the backs of any of the photos.

Grandma Edith and Grandpa Woodie Brittain both grew up in Oklahoma, and were married there before moving to California in 1940. Grandma Edith traveled via Greyhound Bus back home to Oklahoma often to visit her family and work on the family history with her cousin, Fritz.

Here are some fun photos of Dad and Grandma's road trip through the Southwest!

Grandma Edith on the left, and Dad on the right

Anyone up for a carriage ride?

Looks like Dad was getting ready to do some work!

Dad in the middle, and Grandma Edith on the right.
I think the gentleman on the left may have been a cousin.

Fortunately, Dad never tired of the Southwest region, and I was lucky enough to go on a couple wonderful vacations with him and Mom before he passed away. Here's a photo from one of those trips that I'll never forget!

Bill Brittain, Wendy Brittain, and Becky Bartram Brittain
I believe we were on our way to Chaco Canyon that day. 

Workday Wednesday: Great Grandpa James Hunt Working on Oil Rig

A couple of years ago, my mom gave me some boxes of photos that had belonged to my dad and my Grandma Edith. Many are of my Hunt family in Oklahoma, and there are quite a few that are a mystery to me. I sure do wish that my ancestors were better at labeling their family photos!

I did find some really neat photos that were tagged, including this one of my Great Grandfather, James William (Earl) Hunt at work on an oil rig in Oklahoma!

I think he's the one on the right, facing the camera. I don't know when this picture was taken, but I think it was in the early to mid 1920s. I know that they lived in the towns of Slick and Drumright in Creek County, Oklahoma, which both began as oil boom towns in the 1910s and 1920s.  I understand that working on oil rigs today is hard work, and I can't imagine what a job that must have been nearly 100 years ago!

(Not so) Wordless Wednesday: William Calhoun Hunt Family in Oklahoma

Here are a couple of wonderful photos that Michelle, one of my Oklahoma Hunt cousins, shared with me recently. She received them from another relative at a recent Hunt family reunion in Oklahoma. I sure wish I could have attended!

The first is of our great great grandparents, William Calhoun Hunt (1870-1915) and Georgia Frances Ann Purser (1871-1956), and their children. The second is a close-up of William that was taken from the photo and colorized.

Front (L-R): William Calhoun Hunt, Georgia Frances Ann Purser, Iva Naomi Hunt (1904-1972)
Back (L-R): James William "Earl Hunt (1891-1961, my great grandpa),
Melvin Dean Hunt (1900-1969, Michelle's great grandpa), and Clarence Edwin Hunt (1896-1973)

Wasn't he a handsome man?

Thanks to Michelle for sharing these amazing photos!

Sentimental Sunday: Great Grandma Ethel Hunt & Friends

I'm still having fun looking through all the photos that I found at my Mom's house earlier this summer. A lot of them are very simple: folks just standing and smiling for the camera. But some of them are quite entertaining and even a little puzzling.

For example, here's a picture from 1918 of my paternal great grandmother, Ethel Modena Martindale Hunt, and two other ladies (I don't know who they are). The photo was printed onto a postcard (which is apparent on the back). Written in pen on the back is "Ethel Hunt on the right" and "1918."

"Ethel Hunt on the right"

Ethel and James Hunt were married in 1918, the year the photo was taken. They were living in Oklahoma at the time (Coal County when they were married, but they had moved to Euchee, Creek County, by the 1920 US census). What's puzzling is the odd pose of these ladies. Why on earth are they laying on rugs in the dirt? It seems an odd place to sunbathe, even on what appears to be a farm. Oh, well -- it looks like they are having fun.

I just wish that I'd seen this photo while Great Grandma Ethel was still alive so I could have asked her about it!

(Not so) Wordless Wednesday: James, Ethel and baby Edith Brittain in 1920 Oklahoma

Here's one of my favorite photos from my Dad's family. It's a picture of my great grandparents, James William Hunt (1881-1961) and Ethel Modena Martindale Hunt (1896-1977), and their baby daughter, my Grandma Edith Vivian Hunt Brittain (1920-1993). It appears to have been taken soon after Grandma Edith was born (April 1, 1920, in Slick, Creek County, Oklahoma).

It looks like James is looking lovingly at his new little girl. I had always heard he was a sweet man.

I wonder if they were living in the tent. There appears to be furniture inside it, and the person taking the picture seemed to make sure that he or she got the entire tent in the shot. The 1920 US census, in which they were enumerated in January of that year, shows them living next door to James' brother, Melvin Dean Hunt, and his wife, Veatrice. Perhaps the tent was on their land? James and Melvin were both laborers in the oil fields, and not wealthy, so it's entirely possible that the young couple made their first home in a tent. By the 1930 census, both couples had moved from that area. Makes me feel grateful for the four solid walls and roof that my parents were always able to put over our heads.

Wedding Wednesday: James & Ethel Hunt's 1918 Marriage Record

I solved a mystery this week! I had been trying to figure out exactly when and where my paternal great grandparents, James William Hunt (1891-1961) and Ethel Modena Martindale (1896-1977), were married. Based on census documents and what I already knew, I figured it was before 1920 and somewhere in Oklahoma.  I had been looking for a record under both of their names together, as well as separately. It finally occurred to me (duh!) that Great Grandma Ethel had been married prior to this union, and I wondered if I might have more luck searching under her married name: Ethel Mackey. BINGO!!! A quick Google search led me to the Coal County Genealogical Society, where I found an index of THIS:

It's the Application For Marriage License, the Marriage License and the Certificate of Marriage -- all in one document. Once I found the index, I quickly sent off my $5 donation and a request for a copy of the document. Within a week, this wonderful record showed up in my mail box and I can now see that James and Ethel Hunt were married in Coalgate, Coal County, Oklahoma on January 16, 1918. Ethel was 21 years old, and James was 27 years old. They both resided in Centrahoma, Oklahoma. It appears that they showed up at the courthouse, applied for the license and got hitched by a Justice of the Peace there all on the same day.

James and Ethel raised three children: my grandma, Edith Vivian Hunt Brittain (1920-1993), Edgar James (Bud) Hunt (1922-2004) and George Lee Hunt (1927-1987). James died on April 7, 1961, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Ethel married a third time to Joe Gordon Dobbs (as kids, we knew and loved her as Great Grandma Dobbs). Joe passed away in 1964. Ethel died at the age of 80 on August 3, 1977, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Even though she was three times a widow, she was a cheerful lady who was always happy to spend time playing with my sister, Cindy, and me when she visited my Grandma Edith in Livermore, California.

I'm now hunting for the marriage records for Ethel's first and third marriages, and I've learned my lesson to not just rely on maiden names in my searches, especially when I know that one of my female ancestors has been married more than once!

Mystery Monday: Who Are These People?

I've been scanning hundreds of photos and documents that my Mom gave me last weekend. A lot of them came from my Grandma Edith's family: the Hunt clan in Oklahoma. Many have Grandma's own handwriting on the back, identifying who is in the photos as well as the date and, in some cases, where the photo was taken. I could kiss her for this! However, she wasn't terribly consistent in her documentation, and there are a bunch of pictures that are a complete mystery to me.

 Here's one such photo:

Are any of these men my Oklahoma Hunt relatives?

I don't recognize who any of these men are, but I have some clues:

• I strongly believe that this came from the Hunt family, and that there's likely at least one Hunt man in this picture.
• My great grandfather, James William Hunt (1891-1961), was an oilfield worker in Oklahoma, and the clothing on these men appear to be soiled with, possibly, oil. 
• They are also standing in front of a pipe -- could it be part of an oil pipeline? 
• I don't know the year of the photo, but from the clothing, it appears to be sometime in the early 1900s -- probably after 1910, but before 1930.

If James William Hunt is one of the men in the picture, I can't see him. It's possible that he's one of the guys in the rear whose faces are a bit concealed.

Are any of my Hunt cousins out there looking at this? If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas regarding who is in this mystery photo!

Sunday Obituary: James William Hunt 1891-1961

James & Ethel Hunt

Here's the obituary for my paternal great grandfather, James William "Earl" Hunt. He died before I was born, but my dad knew him well and had fond memories of him as a grandpa.

James was a New Year's baby: born January 1, 1891, in Lee County, Texas, to William Calhoun Hunt and Francis Georgia Ann Purser. He married Ethel Modena Martindale in around 1917, and they raised three children: my grandma, Edith Vivian Hunt Brittain (1920-1993), Edgar James "Bud" Hunt (1922-2004), and George Lee Hunt (1927-?). James passed away on April 7, 1961, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Mystery Monday: Why was Frederick Harmon Brittain in Jail in 1900?

I have a few mysteries in my family, and this one has me really vexed. My paternal great great grandfather, Frederick Harmon Brittain, is listed twice in the 1900 United States census:

• On June 1, 1900, in Township 1, Creek Nation, Indian Territory, at the US Jail in Muscogee, Oklahoma (yes, in jail)

• Between June 16 and June 21, 1900, in Township 16, Creek Nation, Indian Territory, at home with his wife and children  

Here's Frederick listed in the US Census on June 1, 1900. He is enumerated as a "boarder" with many other men (and one woman "boarder"!) in the facility. Ages ranged from a 14-year-old boy to the 60-year-old Indian woman.

Listed on June 1, 1900, in Twp 1, Creek Nation, U.S. Jail Muscogee, Indian Territory

Here he is listed on or after June 16, 1900 (the enumerator neglected to include the date on several pages, but the page before notes June 16, and several pages after start at June 21).

Listed on or after June 16, 1900, in Twp 16, Creek Nation, with his wife, Mary J. and kids

(You can click on the images to see a larger view)

There are two main questions (and some follow-ups!) that pop into my head regarding Frederick:

1. How, why and when did Frederick (aka Frank or Fred) ended up in jail? Was it for a violent crime? Or, perhaps, was he a debtor? He was a farmer, so it couldn't have been for a "white collar" crime.
2. Why was he listed twice in the census? Was he released from prison after June 1, and therefore counted at home a couple of weeks later because he was now settled back in with his family? Or, did Mary Jane or one of the kids mistakenly tell the enumerator he was home because they thought he wouldn't be counted in jail? OR, could someone have told the enumerator that he was at home because they were ashamed that their husband/father was in jail?

Frederick Harmon Brittain (front, center) with his and Mary Jane's children

In addition to using my crack Google search skills, I've also contacted folks at several historical societies in Oklahoma (including the Oklahoma Outlaws Lawmen Association), as well as the Muskogee County Court House and the Muskogee County Jail and Sheriff's Department. I've also searched through the Oklahoma newspaper archives I've been able to find online via Archives.com, Genealogybank and other websites. I've also spent plenty of time searching on Ancestry.com.

You might have noticed that Frederick is listed, in both instances, as residing in "Indian Territory." This is because Oklahoma still was not a state in the Union until 1907. The Curtis Act, adopted by the U.S. Congress in 1898, abolished the Native American tribal court system and set up a federal judicial system in Indian Territory with three separate districts. A U.S. jail was built in Muskogee and served the Cherokee, Creek and Seminole nations, including anyone who lived within this district. I don't know exactly when Frederick and his family moved to Creek Nation in Indian Territory, but I'm guessing it was sometime during the Oklahoma Land Grabs that happened between 1889 and 1895. 

I'm told that a major issue with finding out how Frederick landed in the pokey is because his incarceration was in 1900 (although, I have no idea when it started), but Oklahoma wasn't a state until 1907. Finding documented information in Oklahoma before it became a state can be problematic. I've been told by people from various agencies that many official records from before statehood either didn't exist or were destroyed.

I'm not giving up on solving this mystery, but I am having to rethink it. I'm hoping that someone at the Oklahoma Genealogical Society might be able to offer some help. Perhaps, I might take a vacation day soon and visit the Family Search Library here in San Francisco to see if they can help point me in some good directions. Who knows, at some point I may need to make a visit to Oklahoma!

Here's some more vital information about Frederick Brittain and his family. Anyone else have some good ideas for helping me solve this puzzle? 

Frederick Harmon Brittain
b. Jan 20, 1859, in Keokuk County, Iowa
d. Feb 6, 1921, in Van Buren County, Arkansas

Parents:
Milton Price Brittain (1822-1898) and Nancy Garriott (1828-1912)

m. Mary Jane Rooks (1st wife) on Sep 14, 1879, in Lowery City, Missouri
b. Mar 3, 1862, in Grundy County, Missouri
d. Mar 28, 1904, in Lincoln County, Oklahoma

m. Sarah Frances Young (2nd wife) in 1906 in Stroud, Creek Nation, Indian Territory
b. Jun 8, 1866, in Benton County, Arkansas
d. 1960 in Yakima, Washington 

Children with Mary Jane Rooks:

• Infant Brittain 1880-1880
• Nellie E Brittain 1881-1882
• Mary Olive Brittain 1883-1917 
• Melton Park Brittain 1885-1967 
• Sarah Serina Brittain  1886-1981 
• Andrew Lee Brittain  1888-1954 (my great grandfather)
• Fredrick Harmon Brittain  1889-1943 
• Robert Ellis Brittain  1891-1965
• Ruben Franklin Brittain  1893-1967
• Allouise L Brittain  1895-1974 
• James M. Brittain  1896-1899 
• Alice Blanch Brittain 1901-1977

Children with Sarah Frances Young:

• Georgia L Brittain 1905-?
• Willie E Brittain 1908-1910
• Jessie Brittain 1914-?

Happy Birthday, Grandma Edith!!

Edith Vivian Hunt
b. April 1, 1920

My paternal grandmother, Edith Vivian Hunt Brittain, was born on this date, April 1, in 1920. And she was no fool! Since I've been following in Grandma Edith's genealogy footsteps, I'd like to take a moment to honor her memory.

Edith Vivian Hunt was born in Slick, Creek County, Oklahoma to James William "Earl" Hunt and Ethel Modina Martindale Hunt. She was the older sister to Edgar James "Bud" Hunt and George Lee Hunt. She grew up in Oklahoma, and that's where she married my grandfather, Woodie Leroy Brittain, on August 18, 1938. They then moved to California shortly after that, settling in Hayward. There, Grandma and Grandpa had one son: my dad, William Lee Brittain, on October 28, 1942.

Grandma and Grandpa stayed in the East Bay Area, eventually moving to Livermore. This is where my sister, Cindy, and I spent most of our time with Grandma Edith, and where our fond memories of her live. Grandma Edith was a wonderful grandmother! She was a bit childlike, herself, so she had no problem keeping up with Cindy and me, and seemed to love playing with us for hours on end. Here are some of my dearest memories of spending time with Grandma Edith:

• There was a pond near their house in the Springtown neighborhood of Livermore, California. Grandma would save up the ends of her bread loaves until Cindy and I came to visit. Then, we'd walk over to the pond and feed the ducks. If we were lucky, Grandma would let us walk across the street to the 7-11 and get a Slurpee and some candy!
• Grandma loved board games and often played Chinese Checkers and Monopoly with us. The Monopoly games were often marathon events, but Grandma had endless patience (and/or stamina!) and usually stuck with us to the end of each game. 
• Grandma Edith and I shared a love of black licorice. One of our favorite things to do was to buy a pack of the really long, skinny licorice strings and unfurl it. Then, each of us would take an end and start nibbling until we met in the middle with a sweet kiss. 
• Grandma's southern cooking! Oh, she made the best fried chicken and pecan pie and homemade biscuits and... Everything she made was wonderful. She also liked to fry her eggs in about an inch of bacon fat (I know -- could have had something to do with the hardening of the arteries she eventually suffered from). She was also great at letting Cindy and me "help" in the kitchen, and she often let me sneak sips of her coffee when Mom wasn't looking. 
• Her passion for genealogy. Grandma spent hours researching Grandpa Woodie's and her family histories. This was long before personal computers and the Internet. Grandma did it "old school style." I remember sitting with her while she read letters from cousins (near and distant) comparing notes on their research and answering questions for one another. I loved hearing about her regular trips to Oklahoma to visit her family there. I'm indebted to Grandma Edith for her dedication and hard work on our family tree, and for planting the genealogy seed that eventually grew in me.

Grandma was also a breast cancer survivor, and battled that beast with bravery. She eventually was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease at some point during my teenage years. It was brutal for all of us to watch her decline and see her once curious mind and playful disposition deteriorate. She finally passed away on June 2, 1993, but we really lost her long before then. She's buried at the National Cemetery in San Bruno, California, and I'm lucky that I live near enough that I'm able to visit and pay my respects fairly often. I still miss Grandma Edith, and I'm proud to honor her on this special day.

Grandma Edith with me and my little sister, Cindy

Wedding Wednesday: Milton Price Brittain & Nancy Garriott

Nancy and Milton Brittain

Milton Price Brittain and Nancy Garriott were my paternal GGG grandparents. Milton (b.  6/20/1822 in Rockcastle, Barren Co., KY; d. 2/19/1898 in Payne Co., OK) and Nancy Garriott (b. 11/10/1828 in Clark Co., IN; d. 7/2/1912 in Kirbyville, Taney Co., MO) were married on January 25, 1843, in Henry County, Iowa. He was 20 years old, and she was just 14 years old.

Below is a copy of their marriage record in the Henry County Iowa Recorder - Marriage Book A (pages 73 & 74). As you can see, Milton's sister, Marina, was married on the same day to her husband, John Hooker. Thank goodness for that, because both records together were instrumental in helping me to prove Milton's connection to his father, Parks Brittain, in my D.A.R. application.

Milton and Nancy had 11 children, and at least two of them died as toddlers. Milton was a farmer and a baptist minister before they moved their large family to Indian Territory, likely around the time of the Oklahoma Land Rushes of the 1890s. 

I know, it's really hard to decipher, even at the original size. Took me awhile to transcribe, but here's what is written in the document for both marriages:

1843, January 25/182

Milton Brittain & Nancy Garrett

Consent of father of Brittain given in writing, proved by oath of John Garrett. Consent of father of Lady given in person.

Territory of Iowa, Henry County Set -- I hereby certify that on the 25th day of January 1843 at the house of John Garrett of said county I solemnized the rites of matrimony between Mr. Milton Britton, aged 20 years, and Miss Nancy Garrett, aged 14 years, both of said county of Henry. Given under my hand date above.

Wm. Thrash, JP

Recorded 2nd February 1843

E. Killpatrick, clerk

1843, January 25/183

John Hooker & Marina Brittain

Consent of John Garrett given in person for John Hooker. Consent of Parks Brittain, father of Lady, given by certificate, proved by oath of Milton Brittain.

Territory of Iowa, Henry County Set -- I hereby certify that on the 25th day of January 1843 at the house of Parks Brittain of said county I solemnized the rites of matrimony between Mr. John Hooker, aged 19 years, and Miss Marina Britton, aged 17 years, both of said county of Henry. Given under my hand date above.

Wm. Thrash, JP

Recorded 2nd February 1843

E. Killpatrick, clerk

Sunday Obituary: Jessie Luetta Halstead Brittain

Jessie Luetta Halstead Brittain was one of my great grandmothers on my dad's side. Great Grandma Brittain was born on September 13, 1898 in Indian City, Payne County, Oklahoma. She was married to Andrew Lee Brittain, and was mother to Woodie (my grandfather), Audrey, Pauline and Evelyn.  She died on July 10, 1974, while on a trip home to Oklahoma to visit family.

My sister, Cindy, and I were lucky that we got to know Great Grandma Brittain during her visits to California.

Cushing Daily Citizen, Oklahoma
July 11, 1974

Mrs. Brittain

Mrs. Jessie Luetta Brittain, 75, former resident of Lincoln County and sister of Myrtle Halstead, 1006 E. Oak, died Wednesday morning following an apparent heart attack. Mrs. Brittain had been visiting in Cushing since Monday from her home in Lebanon, Oregon.

Visitation may be made at The Fairley Home until noon on Friday, when Mrs. Brittain will be transported to Oakland, California, where funeral services will be directed by the Grant Miller Mortuary of Oakland.

A native of Oklahoma, Mrs. Brittain was born September 13, 1898 in Lincoln Count, the daughter of the late William and Nancy Halstead. She was married to Andrew Lee Brittain in September 1918 and they made their home in Lincoln County until they moved to California in 1940. Following the death of Mr. Brittain in 1954 she has made her home in Lebanon, Oregon.

Great Grandma Brittain and me

Those who survive include: a son, Woody Brittain, Livermore, Calif.; three daughters; Mrs. Claude (Audrey) Turner, Lebanon, Oregon, Mrs. Vernon (Pauline) Pearson, Porterville, Calif., and Mrs. Frank (Evelyn) McDonald, Hayward, Calif; one brother; Elmer Louis Halstead, Chandler, Oklahoma; her sister; Miss Myrtle Halstead, Cushing; 14 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.