Mittie's Journal, 1941: My Father and Mother

It was serendipity

to have Mittie's Journal to read and share in 2008. The calendar days of 1941 are the same as 2008. Richard received the Journal from his mother, Fannie, and gave the Journal to his cousin Betty in spring 2008. This great-granddaughter first had it in hand in July 2008. For a few weeks it was transcribed to email for family. Mittie's Journal blog began October 12, the anniversary of the day Mittie and Rufus landed at Gip, Oklahoma 1892 in open prairie. Check out that Journal entry. It is a blessing to share this Journal with others. To stay in the matching year the remaining Journal days appear in the Journal Archive as they are posted. Thanks for stopping by. The 1936 journal and part of 1937 is also available for transcribing. Work in progress.

Mittie Stephens Cobb pioneer journal: My Father, George W. Stephens, was a merchant and he followed the Rail Road as it advanced North & West. Father come to Ardmore in 1885, then moved to a farm 14 miles Southeast of there, and opened a Store and Post Office known as Stephens P.O. not far from Hewitt.

My Mother was a descendant of Pocahontas of historical fame. My Father was a cousin of Frank Yoakum, President of one of our Rail Roads that traversed this great and lovely state of Oklahoma. The Yoakums were Texas Pioneers. They were educators, founders of schools, coming from Tennessee. They were Scandinavians crossing the Ocean a few generations before.

Journal, to be continued.

Mittie Stephens Cobb told her family that her grandmother was kin to Pocahontas, related to the Rolfes. She spoke of her grandmother Eliza Matilda Harless, born 1820, daughter of Mary Broce and step daughter of Israel Harless of Montgomery County, Virginia. Eliza Matilda married James Sarver 9 October 1838, Montgomery County, Virginia, and died 7 November 1888 Lee County, Virginia.

Is Mary Broce the Pocahontas descendant or the unknown father? This is unknown. There may not be evidence for these family legends. The resource list collected may help others.

Research included Pocahontas Trails, the quarterly newsletter of the Pocahontas Trails Genealogical Society 1983-1993, started by Carolyn Burke, Lakeport, CA. Many family tales recorded there began with "Grandmother said."Pocahontas Trails included research that Thomas Rolfe may have had other children than Jane, and accounts of descendant from Pocahontas' sister, Niketti.

Resources

Brown, Stuart.E. Jr.; Myers, L.F.; Chappel, E. M.; Pocahontas Descendants. A revision and enlargement of the list as set out by Wyndham Robertson in his book, Pocahontas & Her Descendants. The Pocahontas Foundation, P.O. Box 431, Berryville, VA 22611. 1985. 443 pages ($49.50)
Brown, Myers & Chappel, Corrections & Additions to Pocahontas Descendants. The Pocahontas Foundation, 1992. 182 pages.
Burns, M., Pocahontas Blood. Index to Wyndham Robertson's Pocahontas and her Descendants. The Virginia Tree, Silver Spring, MD, 1983. 16 pages.
Moore, Elizabeth V. & Richard Slatten, "The Descendants of Pocahontas: An Unclosed Case", Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, August 1985, Vol 23 #4, pages 3-16.
Pocahontas Trails Genealogical Society, Pocahontas Trails Quarterly. published January, April, July, October, 1983-1990 by PTGS. Editor, Carolyn Burns, Lakeport, CA 95453.
Robertson, Wyndham, Pocahontas and Her Descendants. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, (1887) 1986.