OKGenWeb Notice: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Presentation here does not extend any permissions to the public. This material may not be included in any compilation, publication, collection, or other reproduction for profit without permission.
The creator copyrights ALL files on this site. The files may be linked to but may not be reproduced on another site without specific permission from the OKGenWeb Coordinator, [okgenweb@cox.net], and their creator. Although public information is not in and of itself copyrightable, the format in which they are presented, the notes and comments, etc. are. It is, however, permissible to print or save the files to a personal computer for personal use ONLY.


Indian Pioneer Papers - Index

Indian Pioneer History Project for Oklahoma
Date: March 9, 1937
Name:  Mr. J. J. Pettigrew
Post Office: Pauls Valley, Oklahoma
Residence Address:  
Date of Birth: January 4, 1861
Place of Birth:  Texas
Father:   L. A. Pettigrew
Place of Birth:  Missouri
Information on father:
Mother:   Missouri Whiteside
Place of birth:   Missouri
Information on mother:
Field Worker:  Maurice R. Anderson
Interview #: 1094?

Story told by Mr. J.J. Pettigrew, born January 4, 1861 on John Wallace Plantation, 12 miles west of Corsicana, Texas.

After my father L.A. Pettigrew came out of the Civil War we moved to Hampsted, Texas. My father and mother died in Texas. I came to the Indian Territory in 1885. I only stayed a short time. I was a young man and wanted to see some of the country. I stayed one night at Cherokee Town, Indian Territory. There were a few houses and two or three stores, a stage barn and a hotel. Cherokee Town was located about five miles north of where Wynnewood, Oklahoma is now. I went back to Texas and married. In 1890 I came back to the Indian Territory bringing my wife and children. We came through in a wagon with four mules pulling it. This time I stopped at Wynnewood after they put the railroad through. Cherokee Town, moved to what is now called Wynnewood.

I went to farming on what is known on the Harmon farm. We sent our children to a small log school house, called Roady (Ready) school. We had church services at this log school house. We had a Union Sunday School, John L. Roady (Ready) and myself were the trustees of the Sunday School.

I only moved twice. My chief occupation was farming. I raised lots of cotton, for 120 to 125 bales a year. I have sold corn as low as ten cents a bushel, oats for fifteen cents a bushel and wheat for forty cents a bushel.

My wife died in 1918. After the break up of my family I went into business at Wynnewood, operating a wagon yard and boarding house, during the oil boom at Pernell. 

In Apache Oklahoma, I owned the Blackwell Hotel. After leaving there I ran the City Cafe at Minco, Oklahoma. Sold out there and bought the Rainbow Hotel and Cafe at Sulphur, Oklahoma. Sold out there and came to Pauls Valley where I now live on Highway 77 south of this city.

Mr. J.J. Pettigrew is the father of 12 children and has lived to see them all married.

Transcribed for OKGenWeb by Brenda Choate.