Benjamin L. Bourland, b-1837 Holly Springs, Marshall Co MS to Rachel C. Davis [1813 KY-c1851 Lamar Co TX] and William Howard 'Bill' Bourland [1811 Hopkins Co KY-Apr 2, 1860 Cedar Mills, Grayson Co TX, m. Aug 30, 1831 Trigg Co KY].  Ben died after the 1878 Pontotoc County, Chickasaw Nation, I.T. census, where he is listed as a white male living alone, but probably died after the 1889 murder of Joe Fisher reported in Duncan [now Stephens Co OK].

m,1. c1857 to Ruth Amanda 'Manday' Jones, b. 1841 MS to Elvira (Love) Jones Willis Worthington (Nov 3, 1821 Pontotoc Co MS-Aug 9, 1894 Willis, Pickens Co, Chickasaw Nation., IT) and Aldridge W. Jones. Elvira born to Sarah Ann Moore (d-1837 MS) and Henry W. Love (1785 [now] Marshall Co MS-1847 Colbert, Panola Co, Chickasaw Nation, I.T.)

m,2-in Sabathany, Parker Co TX to Ruth Anna Newsom, b-1836 Indiana, dau of Sarah Casey [Dec 31, 1812 DE-Jun 16, 1895 Veal Station Cem, Parker Co TX] and Stephen P. Newsom (1797 Delaware-before 1880 Parker Co TX cen, m-1833 Kent Co, DE); Anna probably died between the 1910 and 1920 Pontotoc Co OK cen, when she lived with her son Charles Bourland.

&&&&&&&&&&&

           children by Ruth Amanda Jones

           children by Ruth Anna Newson

1. Henry Watson Bourland, m-1883 to Frances Emiline Dutton [1863 TX-1943 Madill OK]. Issue, 6 ch: Ben Frank Bourland (1889-1958 Maricopa Co AZ) m-Maude Eliz. Sizemore; Bessie Lela Bourland (1892-1974 Marshall Co OK) m-Luther Henson; Wm. Robert Bourland (1895-1940 Marshall Co OK) m,1-Bertha M. Sizemore, m,2-Mabel Morgan; Charles Howard Bourland (1901-1957 OK Co OK) m-Vera Lynn.

3. James Levi Bourland, m-c1887 in prob Cornish I.T. (now Ringling, Jefferson Co OK) Mary Elizabeth Williams [Feb 1873 Collin Co TX-Feb 9, 1909 Duncan, Step Co OK], dau of Ann Elizabeth Chattick [1849 LA MS MS-May 1883, buried Collin Co TX] and Daniel Outerbridge "D.O." Williams, Sr. [1841 AL NC NC-1905 buried Gainesville, TX], Kissiah McDonald [b-1799 NC] and James Daniel Williams [1802 NC-d. aft 1870 Jackson Parish LA cen, m. Oct 26, 1836 Green Co AL]. Ann Elizabeth born to Eliz Gordon [Jun 5, 1827-Jan 28, 1887 Plano, Collin Co TX] and Wm Monroe Chaddick [Jan 14, 1820-Nov 28, 1889]. Issue, 11 ch:

&&&&&&&&&&&

a10. Rennie Melvina Isanona Bourland, m,1-Price Phillip 'Bud' Williams ... "Jess Gann paid $25 for her box at a Pie Supper... she was a beautiful girl." per Bessie Williams Gray of Duncan OK. Issue, 3 ch: Don Phillip Williams; Jimmie Buchanan, 2 ch, Lois Howard, 2 ch.

1838 Republic of Texas, Benjamin L. Bourland's father, Wm. Howard "Bill" Bourland, moved to Texas when he was age one.  By 1841 they lived on the Sulphur Fork of the Red River in Lamar Co TX.

1840 Adams Co IL cen, Quincy

         Stephen Newsom — 0-1-0-0-0-1 male — 3-0-0-0-1 female
          John Newsom       — 1-0-0-0-1 male    — 1 fe age 15-20 maybe Stephen’s brother

1850 Pike Co IL cen, twp 4S ran 7W, Nov 29, 1547-1564 Stephen Newsom 53 DE, farmer $300; Sally Casey Newsom 48 DE; John Newsom 16 DE, farmer; Ruth Newsom [Bourland]14 Indiana; Mary Newsom 12 IN; Louise Newsom 7 IL; Wm. Newsom 4 IL; Lafayette Newsom 4 IL; Sarah Newsom 2 IL; Austin Newsom 7/12 IL.

1850 Lamar Co TX cen, p623(302), Pct 9, 475-475, Wm. H. Bourland 38 KY farming $20,000; Rachel C [Davis] 37 KY; Margarie S. [Beckham Martin], 17 TN; Mary E. [Moody], 15 KY, Benjamin L. 13 MS, Nancy A. [Reeves] 10 MS; Amanda B. [Brown] 7 TX; Matilda [Roff] 5 TX; Gordentia W [McKinney] 2 TX (fe)

1853 Grayson Co TX, Ben L. Bourland’s father, Wm. H. Bourland, moved to Cedar Mills; represented Grayson Co. in Texas State Legislature.    Earlier, his father was elected November 12, 1843 to represent Lamar County in the Texas House of Representatives where he was elected the 2nd Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives.

1857 Ben L. Bourland m-Amanda Jones, dau of Elvira Love and Aldridge Jones. per Garland's Chickasaw Loves, p34f.

1857 Pickens Co, Chickasaw Nation I.T., Dec 28. Pickens County records book , p59

"Writ issued for the arrest of Benjamin Bourland. Charged with the murder of a white man by the name of T.G. Ragin [Gilbert Ragin]. After due return being made to the County Court, the said Benjamin Bourland was released by order of the judge. Who came to the conclusion that he had no right to keep the prisoner confined as he was a white man and the man he killed was also a white man. This the 28th of Dec. 1857. Josiah Brown, County Clerk of P.C.C.N."

Editor’s note:   Gilbert Ragin owned a successful grocery store in Clarksville TX complete with "... Port Medeira; Cordials; French brandy; champagne; Black and Cayenne Peppers; pickled lobsters, sardines and herring; Boston Crackers; dried fruit ..." per The Northern Standard, Aug 2, 1845.

              In 1857, Gilbert Ragin probably took a wagonload of goodies to Fort Arbuckle, I.T. that was being refurbished. Since this well-advertised refurbishment attracted skilled workmen of all stripes, it is probable that this set the stage for Benjamin L. Bourland to meet Gilbert Ragin.

     Widow of Gilbert Ragin: 1860 Red River TX cen p118: [widow] Mary A. (Donoho) Ragin, b-1833 [ME, MO, or LA] $7,000, $25,000; Eliza Iseriah Ragin, b-1848 TX; Gilbert Ragin, b-1853 TX; Charles Ragin b-1857; Mary W. Donoho b-1808 TN. ... Mary Ragin m-1863 Red River Co TX to Wm. Pryor Cornelius; Gilbert Ragin, Jr. m-1879 Red River Co TX to E.L. Cheatum. Gilbert Reagan b-1851 TX on 1880 Rains Co TX cen p173.

    "Ragin, Cary - Bowie County - Feb. Term 1846 - Gilbert Ragin, Adm." per Bowie County, Texas Probate Announcements found in The Northern Standard, Clarksville, Texas. extracted by June E. Tuck.

1860 Jack Co TX cen, p6(365). Jul 18, Jacksboro, 665-673, N.T. Nix 29 IL $900, $400; Paulina [Bourland, 1st cousin] 28 KY; Ben Bourland 23 KY $400 farm laborer. ... Ben L. Bourland on 1859 Jack Co TX tax list.

1860 Grayson Co TX cen, p128(197), Sep 3, Sherman P.O., 831-859, B.L. Bourland 22 MS, farm laborer; Ruth A. [Jones] 22 MS; Henry 2 TX; .Matilda 9/12 TX (b-Jan 1860)                    (Ben is listed twice in the 1860 U.S. Census).

1860 Parker Co TX cen, p69 (451); Beat No. 5; P.O. Newburg; Aug 25th; 480-483 S. Newsom 63 DE, male, white, farmer, $800, $300; S. Newsom 49 DE, fe, white, domestic; W. Newsom 16 IL, male; L. Newsom 12 IL, fe; S. Newsom 8 IL; fe; E. Newsom 8 IL, fe; B. Bedwell 19 MO, fe; D. [Daniel Parker Newsom] 21 IL

1860 Red River ... Benjamin L. Bourland's wife died.  Ben carried baby Henry in a box, crossed Red River on horseback and reached the home of relatives where he left Henry.   Mrs. Britt Willis acted as a "wet nurse". per family tradition.   ...   (This Willis family were Ruth Amanda Jones'  relatives, not his relatives.)

1860 Grayson Co TX, Oct 11 .... Phillip B. Beckham [wife Margery Bourland] paid $600 to his bro-in-law, Ben L. Bourland, to settle the estates of Rachel (Davis) Bourland (1813-1852) and W.H. Bourland (1811-1860).

1861 Grayson Co TX .... Ben L. Bourland enlisted in 3 Texas militias, then Confederate 11th TX Cavalry, Co A..

1876 Willis, Chickasaw Nation I.T., "Ben L. Bourland resurfaced ONCE.  W. Floyd Nolen used to spend many hours riding horses and talking with his grandfather, Henry W. Bourland. Henry said that when he [Henry] was about age 18 or 19, his dad, Ben L. Bourland, came by and talked with him for about an hour. Ben said he had to leave because the law was right behind him (but Henry didn't say why) and he [Henry] never saw him Ben again."

"[I] figure Hanging Judge Parker of Fort Smith AR was after him." per DeWayne Erwin of Kingston OK quoting Wm. Floyd Nolen. See above Dec 28, 1857 arrest warrant for Ben L. Bourland.

1878 [Old] Pontotoc Co, Chickasaw Nation, I.T., Ben Bourland, white resident among the Chickasaws living alone...this Ben Bourland was son of Rachel Davis and Wm H. Bourland. Ben was the widower of Amanda Love [Jones, b-1841], and the father of Henry Bourland [1858-1929] of Willis OK." per Garland’s Chickasaw Loves, pp34f and Chickasaw Dawes Card No. 488. Martini's Who was Who among the Southern Indians, A Genealogical Notebook, 1698-1907.

1880 Parker Co TX cen, ED: 136, p1(385); Pct 2; Jun 1; 1-1 Long, R.G., 39 TN farmer; Ella Newsom Long 28 IL keeping house; Lulu Long 1 TX; Sarah Casey Newsom 63 DE, mother-in-law; Lou Bedwell 18 IL, niece, seamstress

1889 Pickens Co, Chickasaw Nation, I.T. Duncan [now Stephens Co OK], Feb 2. "... Joe Fisher was killed at Duncan, Chickasaw Nation, on the 2nd by a cattleman named Bourland." per Fort Smith Weekly Elevator (Fort Smith AR, Feb 16, 1889) and Chickasaw U.S. Court Proceedings, 1887-1890.

Editor’s note: It is believed Joe Fisher’s family lived in Velma for the 1890 Pickens Co IT census, in the vicinity of the 20-square-mile Colbert Block Ranch, owned by widow Nancy Bourland Colbert (1845-1913).  Many Bourland relatives, including William Howard ‘Chickasaw Bill’ Bourland (1847-1904) and probably this Ben L. Bourland, came to help Nancy manage this 20 square-mile ranch..

          Chickasaw Bill Bourland’s son, "Michael Fraiser Bourland, was born Sep 4, 1893 on Wildhorse Creek, near Marlow, I.T."   Earlier, Nancy Bourland Colbert was raised in the home with Chickasaw Bill Bourland after her parents died in 1852 when she was age seven.  In the late 1890s, Chickasaw Bill Bourland was elected Secretary of the Chickasaw Nation charged with the task of doling out land allotments to proven Chickasaw residents   This was the most powerful man in the Chickasaw Nation since he could have assigned non-contiguous allotments to a family, i.e., the children's allotments miles apart or assigned poor farm land. 

1890 Pickens Co, Chickasaw Nation, I.T. census (now Marshall Co OK)...... 51500 Bowlin, Charles 20, Lebanon, son of Ben L. Bourland, with Wm. Howard Bourland (1811-1860) descendants as neighbors.

1900 Pickens Co, Chickasaw Nation, I.T. cen, twp 1S ran 2E, ED138-p22(p297), Davis, Jun 19 .....Charley Bowlen, 30 MO MO IL; Ana (Newsom) Bowlen, May 1845, [age] 55 Illinois Ireland Ireland, had 2 live births, 2 ch living.

1900 Pickens Co, Chickasaw Nat, I.T., twp 2N ran 5W (now Duncan OK), ED165-21A, 21B(296A, 296B) Jul 4th, 315-324 James Levi Bourland, 1862 TX IT IL, owns home, m-13 years; Mary (Williams) 27 LA MS MS, 5 live births, 5 ch alive; Maude, 8 IT; Anna, 6 TX; Leslie, 4 IT; Howard, 4 IT; John 1 IT.

1905 The Duncan Banner [now Duncan OK], Feb 3, 1905. "Died: At his late residence two miles southwest of Duncan Feb. 1, 1905, James Bourland, of pneumonia. Deceased leaves a wife and eight small children.".

1909 Stephens Co OK, Duncan, Feb 9...... Mary Elizabeth (Williams) Bourland died leaving 8 orphans.

1909 McIntosh Co OK, Checotah, Aug 20....International Order of Odd Fellows Lodge 97: Widows’

                    & Orphans’ Home:

         Howard Bourland admitted Aug 20, 1909 dismissed Oct 15, 1912 at own request b-Jan 15, 1897

         Ines Bourland       admitted Aug 20, 1909 dismissed Jan 2, 1917 honorably discharged b-Jun 1, 1899

         Paralee Bourland  admitted Aug 20, 1909 dismissed Nov 1918     to live with sister, b-Sep 8, 1900

         Rennie Bourland  admitted Aug 20, 1909 dismissed Feb 18, 1919 transferred to Carmen, b-Apr 8, 1903

         Jimmie (fe)           admitted Aug 20, 1909 dismissed Oct 15, 1912 transferred to Carmen, b-Jul 5, 1904

Lelon Morris, Route 3, 16568 State Hwy 76, Lindsay, OK 73052, loismrrs@yahoo.com

Holly Jo Stotts Robertson, 7 Sherwood, Duncan, OK 73533

Judy Munns Newman, Duncan, OK, lnewman1976@hotmail.com

James Levi Bourland

(1862-1905 Duncan, I.T.)