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Pioneer Papers Collection
Garvin County Indian Pioneer Papers
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Cora Anderson
Interview
Field Worker: Maurice R. Anderson
Date:
Name: Cora Anderson
Residence: Paoli, Oklahoma
Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:
Father:
Mother:
Mrs. Anderson
states, "My husband, Reverend James W. Anderson came to Indian
Territory in 1898, settled at Stroud, Oklahoma, and preached to the Sac and Fox
Indians for two years". He was known as the Christ man. He was a personal
friend of Isaac McCoy, a Sac and Fox preacher. Isaac McCoy
would interpret for my husband. I was there the first night he preached to the Indians,
they sat very quite, and after my husband closed the night services they lined up and came
by him, the leader of them handed him a sock full of silver dollars. I think there was 100
in it. They would give him a sock full of dollars about every 3 or 4 months. I believe
that was when they would draw their money. Isaac McCoy's wife and I were
good friends. She would take me around with her to visit other Indian women and they were
very friendly to me. I have had them want to trade their babies for mine, or they would
point at my baby and say something. Mrs. Isaac McCoy would tell me that
they wanted my white baby.
I had three boys at this time. After we were there about one year I used to make pies
and my oldest son, then eight, would sell them to the Indians. They would buy every pie I
made.
I remember one time an Indian man was drunk. He passed our house and whooped, and waved
to my husband, the next day the Indian and Isaac McCoy came to our house,
McCoy said the Indian wanted my husband to talk to the Big God for him,
so my husband prayed for the Indian and when he was through praying, the Indian wanted to
pay him, but instead my husband told McCoy to tell him to come back anytime he wanted to
be prayed for that he was welcome, my husband said he never did hear of that Indian
getting drunk again.
In 1900 we moved back to Berry County, Missouri, my husband's place of birth in 1870,
lived there until 1907 came back to Oklahoma and settled at Paoli, Oklahoma Garvin County.
My husband went to work for Mr. Lee McCrummens as a farm hand and in 1908
when the Washita River was so high, my husband went from Paoli to Pauls Valley which is
eight miles in a rowboat. He lived in and around Paoli, Oklahoma until his death in 1935.
He raised a family of 9 boys and two girls. He lived to see seven of his sons wear
Uncle Sam's Uniforms. Reverend James W. Anderson was a sergeant in Co.,
L. Infantry, under James R Medlock, two of his sons lost their lives in
the World War. This family has several medals won on this side and in France. He was very
proud of the medals. On March 17, 1935, he was buried beside his two sons in Paoli
Cemetery, Garvin county."
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