Lula Brannon Briscoe, ca. 1903. Courtesy of the Brannon/Briscoe family
It’s time for Episode 6 of “Voices from the West,” our blog series featuring audio recordings of historical documents from the Museum’s Dickinson Research Center.
Our goal is to show that history is more than a timeline. At its core, it’s about people. And not just the famous and infamous, but the everyday and ordinary. If you missed previous episodes, you can start here.
About Lula
The oldest of six children, Lula had moved with her family from Texas to the Chickasaw Nation in 1898. They settled in Sugden, a small community near today’s Texas border that consisted primarily of farmers. She married Robert Willis Briscoe and together they had five children.
Listen Now
[audio mp3="https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/6-10271903-1.mp3"][/audio]
Sources: Oklahoma Marriage Records; The Frederick Leader (January 10, 1907);
The Waurika News (March 13, 1903).
The Hughes Children in 1902 (L to R): Etolia, Ophelia, Gilmer, Harmer, and Viola. Courtesy of the Marbut Family.
Fun Facts
In early 1903, love, liquor, and envy prompted a crime that hit close to home for Lula and affected two of her friends. Joe Lobdell was on his way to see Etolia Hughes when he was attacked by another interested suitor, Charles Glenny. Joe survived but required 27 stitches and several weeks to recover. He and Etolia married on September 24 th and paid Lula a visit the following month. Charles appealed the county court’s verdict, posted a $1,000 bond, and fled the Territory as a fugitive. He was captured three years later in Wichita Falls, Texas.
