William Jasper Bruton (William Jasper Taylor Bruton)

WilliamJasperAndMaryL.Goss

This picture sourced from Sally Eichorn Collection.

• Individual Picture Notes

• Death Notes
  • Sulphur Cemetery
    Hartshorne
    Pittsburg County
    Oklahoma, USA

• General Notes
  • William Jasper Taylor Bruton, bd. 1832, Wayne Co. KY, dd. 1918, Hartshorn Okla, bard. Sulpher Cemetery near Hartshorn    Married 3 Dec 1852 Clay Co. MO
    
    WILLIAM JASPER TAYLOR BRUTON - Later to become a well educated school teacher, in 1849, he and a brother of Mary Goss (later Jasper's wife) named Bill, left MO to seek gold in Calif. When they had crossed Indian Territory and most of New Mexico, they were chased for several days by either Apache or Comanche Indians. They gave up their pack horses to throw off the Indians, and would hide at day and traveled at night to turn back and return to a safe area. Needing money when they returned through Indian Territory, they stopped in the Kickapoo Nation to work, and Jasper took a liking to Kickapoo life style. He returned to MO and finished his education, but eventually he brought his wife and family to Indian Territory again. He established and taught at the first formal school in the Kickapoo Nation and also taught Choctaw Indians. He was eventually talked into coming to Johnsonville by Judge T. V Johnson who was also an early employer and friend to William Franklin Chandler. He worked as a bookkeeper for several coal mines, and served as a "circuit pastor" traveling on weekends to provide worship services in a number of different towns.  Source: Dan Chandler, 11th child of William Franklin.
    
    Another interesting family story is that James Streeter Chandler and Jasper Bruton agreed to support William Franklin Chandler during the land run of 1889 that opened the part of Okla. where Okla. City is now. W. F. had fast horses, so the plan was that, since WF was only 17 and too young to file a claim, the two older men would travel by wagon, and then file the claim that WF found. But they got lost, and W. F. had to guard the land overnight with a rifle and two 45 pistols until morning. When they still had not found him by the next morning, he eventually let a man named Colcord have the land in trade for a good pack horse and other valuables. Today there is a street and building in downtown Oklahoma City, near the area of the federal building bombing memorial, named for Mr. Colcord. A book written by Mr. Colcord mentions that he bought his lot in Oklahoma City from "a cowboy".  Source: Dan W. Chandler as told to him by William F. Chandler.

Wife's Pictures

WilliamJasperAndMaryL.Goss

This picture sourced from Sally Eichorn Collection.

• Picture Notes