OKGenWeb Navigation
| Home | Families | Schools | Snapshots Of The Past | Shoe Box Photos | Pioneers | OKGenWeb | USGenWeb |

An OKGenWeb Project

Contributed by: Joyce Potter

 

doss1.gif (193607 bytes)

Picture was taken in 1868. The Doss family.

This picture is of my great, great, grandfather, Henry Lee Doss. b. March 20 1833 in Tuscaloosa Co., Alabama.
He died Jan. 25, 1892, in Grady Co., Oklahoma.  His wife Wiltha Ann (Clements) was born Jan 19, 1838, in Tuscaloosa Co., Alabama and d. April 1, 1871.

The children in the picture, are L-R top:
John Hamlet Doss b. May 28, 1867,  tall boy standing is Julius Asbury Doss b. July 13, 1855. The girl on the right, is Mary F. Doss b. 1858. The little girl between standing is Bashaby E. Doss b. 1864. I don't know the young child on his lap. The picture was probably taken in 1868, in Lawrence Co., Missouri

John Hamlet Doss was born in Alabama. At the age of 9 his family moved to Joplin, Missouri. The family raised horses and some cattle. The Doss families were hard working, musical, loving and adventures. John married Sadie Belle when he was 20, in Joplin, Missouri. By 1888 they had their first child, Henry Leroy Doss, named after his grandfather, Henry Lee Doss.

When the family heard of land opening up in Oklahoma, known as Indian Territory, they all packed their wagons and belongings along with their finest horses and breed stock and headed for the border of Missouri and Oklahoma. 

Henry and John were known to raise some of the finest race horses in the country. It was not uncommon to find them early morn or late afternoon gearing up for a race. On May 18, 1889, 12 noon, the race was on.  John and several of his kin ran in the race that made history.

Oklahoma Land Rush

   They settled where the land was lush and green where a stream ran though it and the wide open spaces they felt was a good place to raise their families. They tore the wagons apart and used the timber and canvas to built a dug out 10' x 10' and 4' deep. They covered the walls with timber and along with the timber they cut, made for a warm and snug little home. In the next year. They built them a fine country home. Working the land and raising horses kept everyone in the family busy. Schooling was important to Sadie Belle, so when the work was done, each evening they read from the Bible. On their day of rest, they would gather together and tell stories and sing, especially old hymns and James Richard played the mouth organ while John fiddled.

( John Hamlet Doss) part 1.