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Indian Pioneer Papers - Index

Indian Pioneer History Project for Oklahoma
Date: November 19, 1937
Name: Bertha Abercrombie
Post Office: McAlester, Oklahoma
Residence Address: 
Date of Birth: 1877
Place of Birth: McClain County, Kentucky
Father: William T. Braine
Place of Birth: 
Information on father: buried Pleasant Valley
Mother: Sarah Braine
Place of birth: 
Information on mother: buried Kentucky
Field Worker: Charline M. Culbertson
Interview #: 12306

I was born in McClain County, Kentucky, in the year 1877. My parents were William T. and Sarah Braine. Father is buried at Pleasant Valley, Near Kiowa, and Mother is buried in Kentucky.

I came to the Indian Territory when I was ten years of age. We came from Kentucky to Arkansas then to the Territory and located at Wardsville in the Choctaw Nation. Our trip was made in a wagon, driving an ox team. We did not travel with other groups as so many did. We had started to Texas but stopped in the Territory to visit in the home of Judge Ward and it was he who persuaded my father to locate here.

The first few months we lived here we were compelled to live in a tent until my father built us a double log house with box kitchen. It had a fireplace at one end where Mother did all her cooking.

You were able to raise most anything you wanted. You could kill plenty of wild game and have fresh meat at any time. There were herds of wild cows in the woods and you could drive a cow up and pen it and have plenty of good milk and butter. The prairie chickens covered the prairies. We bought a venison ham for a dollar.

I shall never forget how afraid I was of the Indians when we first entered the Territory. An Indian squaw with her papoose spoke to me one day and told me not to be afraid, that she liked little girls so after that I felt less afraid.

Father did all his trading at Kiowa; Alex Thompson and E. H. Culbertson owned the only two stores in town. Our old home place was located where the iron foundry is today. Father hauled freight from the depot to the two stores. There were two churches, the Baptist and Methodist in Wardsville.

I received my schooling at Stringtown as I went there and stayed with a family named Gip Railey. The school was north of where the school house is today. Our teacher was Ethel Close. Our school building was one box room. We had rough plank boards to sit on and box desks. We used the McGuffey books; however, I am in possession of one of the old Blue Back Spellers.

The only old relics I have are my father's watch and his meat scales.

Our camp meetings were attended at Reynolds about five miles south of Kiowa. The minister was the Reverend Mr. Johnson and the interpreter was Kennedy.

Transcribed for OKGenWeb by Moody Dawson, May 2002.