Thomas with unknown friend
(tom is sitting on the right side of the picture)
Archibald is of the McPherson Clan. The Gaelic spelling for Archibald is Gilleasbuig. The Archibald (McPherson Clan) Coat of Arms is Blue, Red, Black and Grey plaid.
It was a custom to name the first son after his father and the first daughter after the wife’s mother. Therefore it is assumed that his father was also Thomas. (Assumption made by Curt and Madge Archibald). (*1)
(Note from great-great-grand-daughter Cathy: Tom is the third son, so therefore this assumption is disproved).
It was a custom to name the first son after his father and the first daughter after the wife’s mother. Therefore it is assumed that his father was also Thomas. (Assumption made by Curt and Madge Archibald). (*1)
(Note from great-great-grand-daughter Cathy: Tom is the third son, so therefore this assumption is disproved).
Thomas had 3 brothers and 2 sisters who came to America with him as teenagers.(see story below, written by his grandson Thomas Curtis). They settled in Pennsylvania and probably worked as coal miners there. Tom later moved to Oklahoma territory, which was, at that time, called Indian Territory.
Thomas John Archibald (Sr) came over from Scotland as a young man of 19 or 20 in 1868 or 69 with his siblings.(*1) They worked their way over on a ship. Tom located in Sharon, Pennsylvania and later sent for his mother, “Annie” (Mary), at a later date (this information does not agree with the information that she came to America after 1869). They lost track of one brother (probably William) the names of the other two were David and John aka Jack.(*1)
His parents:
Thomas Archibald(1809-)
Mary Lyons ( -1862)
Thomas’ siblings were:
(It is obvious to me that I am missing some information here, and I would really appreciate anyone sharing what data they may have).
The information I have on the siblings of Thomas is as follows:
1) William Archibald (this must be the brother who disappeared after coming to America with Tom and his siblings)
DOB: 24 May 1840 Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK
DOD: 14 Jul 1920 Tuckersmith, Huron, Ontario, Canada
Married Mary McLean (-1924) on 24 Jun 1865
2) Janet Archibald
DOB: 9 Jan 1843 Scotland
DOD: unknown
Married James Cuddie (1843- )in Kilsyth, Stirlingshireshire, Scotland, UK
3) Margaret Archibald (probably the one that came to America with Tom)
DOB: 13 Jul 1845 Kilsyth, Stirlingshireshire, Scotland, UK
DOD: unknown
Married William Hardie 18 Jul 1862 in Kilsyth, Stirlingshireshire, Scotland, UK (Can this place and/or date be correct?)
4) John Archibald (nickname: Jack. He came to America with Tom)
DOB: Jul 1847 Kilsyth, Stirlingshireshire, Scotland, UK
DOD: unknown
Married to Jane Young on 29 Apr 1869 (possibly in America)
Tom is here in the birth order
5) David Archibald (came to America with Tom)
DOB: 9 May 1852 Kilsyth, Stirlingshireshire, Scotland, UK
6) Jean Archibald (died before her siblings came to America)
DOB: 7 Feb 1854 Kilsyth, Stirlingshireshire, Scotland, UK
CHISTENED: 19 Mar 1854 Kilsyth, Stirlingshireshire, Scotland, UK
DOD: 16 Sep 1868 Kilsyth, Stirlingshireshire, Scotland, UK
7) Agnes Archibald (this one came to America with Thomas)
DOB: 1 Aug 1857 Kilsyth, Stirlingshireshire, Scotland, UK
She married a man named Dairyman.
8) James Archibald (died young)
DOB: abt 1859 Scotland
DOD: abt 1860 Scotland
Thomas John Archibald Sr. vital statistics:
 |
| Thomas John Archibald Sr. seen here in his Masonic Uniform |
DOB: 18 Jun 1849 (or 1850) Kilsyth, Stirlingshire, Scotland, UK
CHRISTENED: 22 Jul 1849 Kilsyth, Stirlingshire, Scotland, UK
DOD: 11 May, 1928 McAlester, Pittsburg, Oklahoma (age 78)
Cause of death was miner’s lung.
Personality: A well liked person. He loved to sing and drink. He was quite gruff (children could easily annoy him). *1
Occupation: Tom was a coal miner in Pennsylvania and then he owned a couple of mines in the small township of Archibald, Oklahoma. Tom was the first postmaster in 1901 at age 51, the township was therefore named Archibald after him. (*1) The township of Archibald is now only a memory.
http://books.google.com/books?id=KpAmsIFdutAC&lpg=PA11&ots=yv4zb1mYTT&dq=postmaster%20of%20Archibald%2C%20Oklahoma&pg=PA11#v=onepage&q=postmaster%20of%20Archibald,%20Oklahoma&f=true
http://books.google.com/books?id=KpAmsIFdutAC&lpg=PA11&ots=yv4zb1mYTT&dq=postmaster%20of%20Archibald%2C%20Oklahoma&pg=PA11#v=onepage&q=postmaster%20of%20Archibald,%20Oklahoma&f=true
First Marriage:
Eunice Watkins
DOB: 24 Jun 1850 Wales
DOD: 1882 McAlester, Pittsburg, Oklahoma at age 32
Cause of death: due to complications of childbirth.
Cause of death: due to complications of childbirth.
Physical description: Eunice was very tiny, measuring 4’ 10” tall.
Children of Thomas and Eunice:
1) Thomas John Archibald Jr.
DOB: 6 Apr 1873 Sharon, Mercer, PA
DOD: 25 Mar 1949 Huntington Beach, Orange, CA age 76
Cause of death: heart and miners lung. *1
(did he also work in the mines in Oklahoma, maybe as a child?).
(did he also work in the mines in Oklahoma, maybe as a child?).
Personality: Outgoing, witty, loved to sing and dance. He was self-educated.
Occupation: He and his brother-in-law Arch Walters had a Vaudville act for a very short run. Tom was 5’ 6 ½” tall. *1 He worked in the oil fields of California.
Occupation: He and his brother-in-law Arch Walters had a Vaudville act for a very short run. Tom was 5’ 6 ½” tall. *1 He worked in the oil fields of California.
2) Edwin A. Archibald
DOB: 25 May 1875
DOD: 6 Aug 1875 age 2 months
3) Agnes M. Archibald (Martin)
DOB: 1876 in PA
DOD: unknown
Cause of death: died of TB of the bone.
Cause of death: died of TB of the bone.
Personality: She was kind and very quiet. She was very small.
4) Mary Elizabeth Archibald (Barrett)
DOB: 4 Oct 1879 in PA
DOD: 15 May 1968 age 89
Cause of death: She fell in bathtub and never completely recovered from a head injury. *1
Personality: She was friendly but liked to run things. She had no children.
Occupation: Worked in the Masonic Home for Boys. *1
Occupation: Worked in the Masonic Home for Boys. *1
5) Anne Archibald Javins/Feeney 1
DOB: 23 Feb 1882 Indian Territory, Oklahoma
DOD: 1969 in Washington DC age 85 died of natural causes *1
**The 1930 US Census show Anna as divorced and living with her brother Thomas and his family. It states that she was born in Ohio in about 1882 and living in Huntington Beach township at that time, and her name was Anna Javins. She was married one other time (before or after Javins is unknown to me) to a Mr. Feeney, date unknown.
Personality: very nice, “gabby” and friendly. Known as Aunt Nan to her brother Tom’s kids. *1
When Eunice died of childbirth complications after her 5th child, Tom had to take the children to live with his sister in Pennsylvania. Eventually he took them back to Oklahoma to live, and married his second wife Molly, a one/sixteenth Choctaw Indian. 1
Second marriage and family:
Married Mary Ann (Molly) Wicker (a widow) sometime after 1882. 1
DOB: 13 Apr 1861 Indian Territory, Oklahoma
She was a member of the Choctaw Indian Tribe.
She was a member of the Choctaw Indian Tribe.
DOD: unknown
Molly had been married twice before. Her first husband died young and was the father of Maude R. Wicker. Her second husband was shot and killed shortly after they were married. Molly was a good mother to her step children. She’s the only grandmother that Tom Jr’s children remembered and loved. 2
Her daughter from her first marriage:
Maude R. Wicker (Samples)
[the mother of Mary Polk]
In July 1903 Thomas was adopted into the Choctaw Indian tribe because of his marriage to Molly.
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Tom and Molly had 4 children together and one adopted daughter:
Tom and Molly had 4 children together and one adopted daughter:
1) Margaret (Maggie) Archibald (Simpson)
DOB:
DOD: died of Cancer (type unknown)
Personality: quiet.
2) David C Archibald
DOB: abt 1892
DOD:
Personality: Talkative, not very ambitious. He was a guard at the McAlester Prison, OK. for many years. *2
https://www.familysearch.org/search/recordDetails/show?uri=https://api.familysearch.org/records/pal:/MM9.1.r/9XWL-W33/p_515223281
(Note: I believe this is the same David, or possibly his son, who helped write the original document, (of which Cathy Jo Archibald Gillice has a copy). *1
https://www.familysearch.org/search/recordDetails/show?uri=https://api.familysearch.org/records/pal:/MM9.1.r/9XWL-W33/p_515223281
(Note: I believe this is the same David, or possibly his son, who helped write the original document, (of which Cathy Jo Archibald Gillice has a copy). *1
3) Eleanor (Ella, or Nell) Archibald
DOB: abt 1897
DOD: 1977 age 90
Personality: She was very outgoing. She could be haughty at times.
Interesting note: Her first husband was shot. *2
Interesting note: Her first husband was shot. *2
4) Henry (Harry)
DOD: 2 Jan 1899 in McAlester, Pittsburgh, OK
DOD: abt 1904 age 5, he died from Flux *2
*Helen (adopted). Helen was an adopted daughter. Her mother was dead and her father was killed in a mine accident where Tom worked in McAlester, OK. *1
1880 US Census information:
Home in Hickory, Mercer, PA
Children listed as: Thomas John, Agnes M., Mary Elizabeth, Anna.
1900 US Census information:
Shows Tom Archibald living in Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory, OK
1903
Paperwork shows Tom becoming a Choctaw Citizen because of his marriage to Molly.
Residences from US Census
1880 (Age: 31) Hickory, Mercer, Pennsylvania, United States
1900 (Age: 51) Township 6, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory
1880 (Age: 31) Hickory, Mercer, Pennsylvania, United States
1900 (Age: 51) Township 6, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory
1910 (Age: 61) Bucklucksy, Pittsburg, Oklahoma
Sources:
*1) Information from T.C. and Madge Archibald, now both deceased.
*1) Information from T.C. and Madge Archibald, now both deceased.
[a copy of these papers is in the possession of Cathy Jo Gillice Archibald Gillice]
*2) Elsie Archibald Rowley and Nell Archibald and Dave Archibald, now all deceased.
3) 1880 US Federal Census
4) 1900 US Federal Census
5) 1910 US Federal Census
6) Ancestry.com (you can go here is you are a member of this site).
Excerpt from The Archibald Family History,
written by T.C. Archibald and Madge Archibald.
“Thomas came over from Scotland in the late 1860’s with two sisters and three brothers as teenagers. They worked their way over on a ship. Tom located in Sharon, Pennsylvania and later sent for their mother, Annie, at a later date. One sister’s name was Agnes the name of the other is unknown. Their married names were Dairyman and Hardy. They lost track of one brother. The names of the other two were David and John (Jack). The Father died in Scotland.” “Tom was married twice. His first wife, Eunice was from Wales and was very tiny (4’10”). Eunice died after her 5th child, from childbirth complications. When this tragedy occurred Tom had to take the children to his sister’s in Pennsylvania. Eventually he took them back to Oklahoma to live and then married his second wife, Mary Ann (Molly), a one/sixthteenth Cherokee.” **2 (Note: this is an error, Molly was Choctaw.)
“Mary (Molly) had been married twice before. Her first husband died young. He was the father of Maude Sample. Her second husband was shot and killed shortly after they were married. Molly was a good mother to her step-children. She’s the only grandmother that Tom Jr.’s children remembered and loved.” (written by Molly’s grandson Thomas Curtis Archibald) *1, *2
Interesting information about McAlester, Oklahoma:
McAlester is a city in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 17,783 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pittsburg County. It is currently the largest city in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, followed by Durant. The town gets its name from J.J. McAlester, who later became Lt. Governor of Oklahoma and was immortalized as a character in the novel True Grit, which was then made into feature films in 1969 and 2010.
**Interesting note: Thomas Ernest Archibald, great grandson of the immigrant Thomas John Archibald, met John Wayne in the Bi-Mart store in Bend, Oregon (where he worked at the time), and John Wayne played in the movie True Grit. Small world, right?
1 comment:
Actually, Mr. Wayne was in Bend filming Rooster Cogburn, which was the sequel to True Grit.
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