I have been searching in vain for connections to my great grandmother Ida Staton born Aug 1879 in Missouri. Several people have said she is included in the Staton book - which I have. To date nothing in the book seems to lead to any connections. The Ida's listed just don't make sense. My Ida married John Churchwell 2-22-1899 in Protem, Taney, Mo. The marriage license says she was born in Missouri. She was over 18 at the time, so there is no parentage listed on the license. I know that my grandparents lived in Big Creek Mo in 1900, then moved to Arkansas. They were also in Oklahoma for some time. My great grandfather John was born in Tennessee. The family moved to Locust Grove Ark when he was quite young.

According to the family history there is some Indian somewhere in the family. Supposedly my grandmother had problems when she had to have her leg amputated because of the Indian connections, but to date I have found nothing to support that. This is what her five children always told us - including my mother who is living.

Ida died in the 1930s – probably about 1935. I have a photo of Ida and John taken in 1932. My mother was born 1936 and she knows that Ida died relatively near the time she was born – a year or so either way. I am not sure if she died in Oklahoma or Arkansas – it is one or the other. Nobody seems to know for sure. Some believe that she died near Tahlequah OK. This is possible since I know that my grandparents lived in Hulbert OK at the time and had been there for a while. They moved from Drumright not too long after the 1930 census. Both my mother (1936) and her older brother (born 1932) were born in Hulbert – and several of my cousins (in the early 1940s). I also know that several other family members lived in the area.


I did find a Jinsy Staton married to Samuel Laffoon in Tidwell, Taney, Mo in 1891. This is relatively close proximity to Protem. Her name may actually be Jennie. There is also a Ben Staton - born 1874 in Missouri - married to Maud living in Drumright, Creek, OK in the 1920 and 1930 census. My grandparents (Ada Churchwell md James Wm. Wright daughter of John and Ida) lived in Drumright Creek OK at the exact same time. All three of these Ida, Jinsy and Ben list the father's place of birth as US and the mother in Arkansas. The ages of these persons and info I have found so far makes me think there may be a connection but so far I haven't been able to find anything. I can find nothing in the Staton book that makes sense.


Does any of this sound even remotely familiar?