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Mayberry

Mrs. Charles C. Mayberry Collection

Mrs. Charles C. Mayberry Collection, 1860-1901
2 folders and one book
Location: 0622; 0157
Accession #: H.173

Introduction

The Mrs. Charles C. Mayberry Collection consists of correspondence written in Cherokee from various locations in the Oklahoma Indian Territory to Claremore. Nearly all letters are addressed to Dave Hendricks and postmarked between 1899-1901. It is possible most of the letters are written by Richard Wilkerson, a son-in-law to David Hendricks.

Biography

Research was conducted concerning one of the names mentioned in the collection and a brief biography of Richard Wilkerson is included below. Any further information is appreciated.

Richard Wilkerson
Richard Wilkerson, a full-blooded Cherokee, was born in the Choctaw Nation on August 26, 1866. He was the son of Thomas and Lizzie (Tenewey or Foster, the former the Indian name) Wilkerson. Thomas had left his family in the Choctaw Nation to join the South during the Civil War, and returned at the end of the war. Thomas died when Richard was only six months old, and Lizzie died in 1885.

Wilkerson was raised in the Canadian District of the Cherokee Nation. He entered the Male Seminary in Tahlequah which was a national school conducted by the Cherokee Nation. Within three years Richard was well-versed in the English language. He learned to farm and stayed in the Canadian District until he was twenty-four. He moved to the Cherokee Strip before 1893, and when the area opened he was the owner of eighty acres of land. By 1895, he was living outside of Dewey, owning 450 acres and several oil wells on his property.

Wilkerson was a well-known farmer, democrat, and member of the Baptist Church at Sugar Mound. He was affiliated with Bartlesville Lodge, A.H.T.A., and was a Master Mason. He married Anna Hendricks in March 1891. She was the daughter of David and Martha (Manning) Hendricks of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, both full-blooded Cherokee.

It is believed that the letters in this collection are written by Richard Wilkerson to his father-in-law David Hendricks.

Source:
Thoburn, Joseph B. A Standard History of Oklahoma: An Authentic Narrative of its Development from the Date of the First European Exploration down to the Present Time, including Accounts of the Indian Tribes, both Civilized and Wild, of the Cattle Range, of the Land Openings and the Achievements of the most Recent Period, Volume V. The American Historical Society, Chicago & New York, 1916.

Scope & Content Note

This collection contains a total of fourteen letters and envelopes, four postcards, and one shopping list/invoice. All but one letter is written in Cherokee, and it is not clear who is the author of the letters. Nearly all are addressed to David Hendricks of Claremore, Indian Territory, and postmarked or dated between 1899 and 1901. Letters have not been transcribed from Cherokee into English. A Cherokee Bible accompanied the collection as well.

Subject Terms

Personal Names:
Hendricks, David W.
Wilkerson, Richard

Subject Headings:
Cherokee language
Correspondence
Postcards

Processing Information

The collection was acquired 1969 through a gift from Mrs. W.L. Pember whose mother, Mrs. Charles C. Mayberry, discovered the letters and bible in an attic. The collection was accessioned on April 4, 1980. The current guide was written and updated online by archivist/librarian Laura Anne Heller on February 22, 2010. Individuals interested in translating the letters from Cherokee to English are welcome to contact the archivist/librarian to discuss options.

Preferred Citation

Mrs. Charles C. Mayberry Collection, Box ##, Folder ##, Dickinson Research Center, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Container List

Series 1: Mrs. Charles C. Mayberry Collection

Series 1: Mrs. Charles C. Mayberry Collection
Items have not been cataloged in the Image Archive Database, and none have been scanned yet.
Box/Folder # Accession # Folder Title/Description
loc: 0157
Box 08, Folder 09 H.173.01 Itse Kanohedv Datlohisdv Ugvwiyuhi Igatseli Tsisa Galonedv utseliga. : Digalvquodi Goweli Diniyelihisdisgi Unadatlegv Watsiniyi tsunileyvtanvhi. Nuyagi Digaleyvtanvhi. American Bible Society, 1860. Co-authored by Samuel Austin Worcester (1798-1859), Elias Boudinot (d. 1839), Stephen Foreman (1807-1881), and C.C. Torrey. Printed in the Cherokee syllabary. 408 p. ; 19 cm. [Title page date incorrect; actually published in 1861 or 1862.] Other title: Cherokee Testament. This rare book is in the Library Catalog.
loc: 0622
1/5 8 letters (7 written in Cherokee, 1 in English), 8 envelopes (with multiple postmarks), and 1 postcard (written in Cherokee). 1899-1901.
H.173.02A Letter in Cherokee. Dated March 22, 1900, Texanna, Indian Territory. Written to Mr. Dave Hendricks, Claremore, IT. [1]
H.173.02B Envelope for March 22, 1900 letter in Cherokee. Claremore, IT. First postmark: Illegible. Second postmark: March 23, 1900, Claremore, IT. Addressed to Dave Hendricks. [1]
H.173.03A Letter in Cherokee. Dated August 7, 1900, OH Ranch, Indian Territory (Lawton, IT). Written to Mr. Dave Hendricks, Claremore, IT. [4]
H.173.03B Envelope for August 7, 1900 letter in Cherokee from Richard Wilkerson, Lawton, IT. First postmark: August 8, 1900, Lawton, IT. Second postmark: August 9, 1900, Claremore, IT. Addressed to Dave Hendricks. [1]
H.173.04A Letter in Cherokee. Dated June 16, 1900, Lawton, IT. Second page notes “OH Ranch, IT.” Written to Mr. Dave Hendricks, Claremore, IT. [2]
H.173.04B Envelope for June 16, 1900 letter in Cherokee from Bartlesville, IT. First postmark: June 19, 1900, Bartlesville, IT. Second postmark: June 20, 1900, Claremore, IT. Addressed to Dave Hendricks. [1]
H.173.05A Letter in Cherokee. Dated May 27, 1900, Lawton, IT. Written to Mr. Dave Hendricks, Claremore, IT. [1]
H.173.05B Envelope for May 27, 1900 letter in Cherokee from Starvilla, IT. First postmark: May 28, 1900, Starvilla, IT. Third postmark: May 28, 1900, Webbers Falls, IT. Third postmark: May 29, 1900, Claremore, IT. Addressed to Dave Hendricks. [1]
H.173.06A Letter in English from J.M. Lunceford (Blackwell, Okla.) to David W. Hendrix (Claremore, IT). Dated May 8, 1900. Inquires about arrival of attorney and questions concerning a specific lot. [1]
H.173.06B Envelope for May 8, 1900 letter in English from J.M. Lunceford. First postmark: May 14, 1900, Wagoner, IT. Second postmark: May 15, 1900, Claremore, IT. Addressed to Dave Hendrick. “Wagoner” handwritten on front of envelope. [1]
H.173.07A Letter in Cherokee. Dated January 13, 1899, Claremore, IT. Written to Mr. Dave Hendricks, Claremore, IT. [1]
H.173.07B Envelope for January 13, 1899 letter in Cherokee. First postmark: January 13, 1899, Muscogee, IT. Second postmark: January 14, 1899, Claremore, IT. Addressed to Dave Hendricks. [1]
H.173.08A Letter in Cherokee. Dated January 29, 1899. Signed by S.A. Conesan (?). Written from “Chrlsra, IT” Or maybe Claremore, IT. Possibly written to Dave Hendricks. No accompanying envelope. [1]
H.173.08B Envelope labeled as a match to letter January 29, 1899, but postmarks do not match. Envelope from Cherokee, NC, to Mrs. Charley Hendricks, Claremore, IT. First postmark: May 17, 1901, Cherokee, NC. Second postmark: May ?, 1901, Whittier, NC. Third postmark: May 30, 1901, Claremore, IT. [1]
H.173.09A Letter in Cherokee. One side dated June 19, 1901, Claremore, IT. Second side dated June 22, 1901. [1]
H.173.09B Envelope with illegible first postmark from unknown location. Second postmark: June 24, 1901, Wagoner, IT. Third postmark: June 25, 1901, Claremore, IT. Addressed to Dave Hendricks. [1]
H.173.10 Postcard in Cherokee. Dated September 12?, 1900. Postmark: September 1900, Choteau, IT. Addressed to David Hendricks, Claremore, IT. [1]
1/6 5 Letters (written in Cherokee), 5 Envelopes (with multiple postmarks), and 2 Postcards (written in Cherokee). 1899-1901.
H.173.11A Letter written in Cherokee. Dated June 29, 1900. O-H Ranch. [3]
H.173.11B Envelope for June 29, 1900 letter. First postmark: June 30, 1900, Lawton, IT. Second postmark: July 1, 1900, Claremore, IT. Addressed to Dave Hendricks, Claremore, IT. [1]
H.173.12A Letter in Cherokee. No date. Possibly May 1900 as suggested by following envelope. [1]
H.173.12B Envelope (possibly for letter with no date). First postmark: May 8, 1900, Lawton, IT. Second postmark: May 8, 1900, Wann, IT. Third postmark: May 10, 1900, Claremore, IT. Addressed to Dave Hendricks, Claremore, IT. [1]
H.173.13A Letter in Cherokee. Dated February 23, 1900. Signed by Mr. James Martin, Texanna, IT. Cherokee Nation, Canadian Dist. [1]
H.173.13B Envelope for letter February 23, 1900. First postmark: February 23, 1900, Texanna, IT. Second postmark: February 24, 1900, Claremore, IT. Addressed to Dave Hendricks, Claremore, IT. [1]
H.173.14A Letter in Cherokee. Dated February 24, 1900. [1]
H.173.14B Envelope for letter February 24, 1900. First postmark: February 24, 1900, Wann, IT. Second postmark: February 25, 1900, Claremore, IT. Addressed to Dave Hendricks, Claremore, IT. [1]
H.173.15A Letter in Cherokee. Dated May 20, 1901. [1]
H.173.15B Envelope for letter May 20, 1901. First postmark: May 1901, Texanna, IT. Second postmark: May 22, 1901, Claremore, IT. From David Hendricks, Texanna, IT, addressed to Mike Hendricks, Claremore, IT. [1]
H.173.16 Postcard in Cherokee. Dated November 5?, 1899. Postmark November 1899, Coon, IT. Addressed to Dave Hendricks, Claremore, IT. [1]
H.173.17 Postcard in Cherokee. Dated October 10, 1900. Postmark October 1900, Chocteau, IT. Addressed to Hon. David Hendricks, Claremore, IT. [1]
1/7 Shopping list/invoice. 1893.
H.173.18 Shopping list. Cleas Johnson, In a/c with J.A. Neilson, Claremore, I.Ty., June 15, 1893. Lists items for months March, April, and May. Notes balance due. On reverse side: Charley Johnson, Cleas Johnson. [1]
1/8 1 Postcard (written in Cherokee), 1 Letter (written in Cherokee), 1 Envelope (with multiple postmarks). 1900.
H.173.19 Postcard in Cherokee. Postmark November 4, 1900, Dewey, IT. Addressed to David Hendricks, Claremore, IT. [1]
H.173.20A Letter in Cherokee. Dated May 23, 1900. [1]
H.173.20B Envelope for letter May 23, 1900. Postmark May 24, 1900, Claremore, IT. Addressed to Dave Hendrix. [1]

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