Thad Wesley
Littleton was born in
Pottawatomie County
near Earlsboro
to John Wesley
Littleton and
Edna
Blanch
Helm on August
23,
1896.
His
father died
while he was
a
young
boy, and
his
mother
married
Dock
David
Dyer. He
soon
moved with his
family to
Oklahoma City. He
attended
public
schools in
Oklahoma
City. He
married Alma Leventon on
December
4,
1920. Thad soon
opened a car
lot
and
went into
business for
himself. His
business soon
expanded
from a
small lot
to the
Littleton Chryster
Plymouth that was
located on
S.E. 29th across
from
Tinker Air
Force Base.
Along
with
his
business he
also
owned
many rental
properties. Thad
was a well
respected
individual
by
those in
the business world and
all others who knew him. He
and his
wife
had many
children:
Delores, Thad Jr.,
Stanley Ray,
Jimmy,
Bill,
twins- Tom
and
Dick,
and Betty. Thad
and Alma
were
married 69
years at
the time of
his death
on
March 9,
1989. He
was buried
at
Memorial Park
Cemetery.
[submitted by
Linda
Craig]
Milton
W.
Reynolds
was
born in
Chemung
county, New
York,
May
23, 1833.
Most of
his early life
was spent in
Michigan,
whither his parents moved when
he
was but three
years old. He
was
educated at the
University of
Michigan. In 1857 he
migrated to
Nebraska
and located
at
Omaha.
He farmed,
edited a
newspaper
and
took an
active
part in
politics, serving
two
terms
in the
Nebraska
Legislature. He
frequently
acted
as a
special
correspondent
of
eastern
newspapers,
and it was
while
acting
in
that
capacity that he visited the
peace council at Fort
Smith
in the
fall of 1865, and
also
that
of
the
Medicine
Lodge
in the
fall of
1867.
His
interest in
the
Oklahoma
country
thus dated
from a
comparatively remote
period.
In 1865
he
moved
from
Nebraska
to
Kansas, settling at
Lawrence
and,
six
years
later, at
Parsons, at
both of
which
places
he was
engaged in
the
newspaper
business.
He
represented
Labette
county in the
Kansas
Legislature,
and also served
one
term as a
regent of
the
University
of
Kansas. His
interest
in
the Indian
Territory
was always active. As
early
as
1872, in a
magazine
article
entitled
"The
Indian
State," he
outlined the
future
development of
what
is
now the
State of
Oklahoma
with
a
remarkably
prophetic
vision. He is
said to
have
written
more on
the Oklahoma
question
than any
other single
writer,
especially in
his work
as a staff
writer on
the
Kansas
City Times,
much
of
his writing
appearing
under the
nom-de-plume
of "Kicking
Bird." He
came to Guthrie, April 22,
1889,
where he
aided
in the
publication of the Daily
State
Herald for
a few
months.
In
July
following
he
established
the Edmond
Sun, and,
a few
weeks
later, he
selected a
homestead
near Edmond.
He
took an
active
part in
the affairs
of the
new
Territory.
August 5, 1890,
he was
elected
as
member-at-large to
the
Territorial
House of
Representatives.
His
death
occurred four
days
later.
[Source: "A History of
Oklahoma"
by
Joseph B.
Thoburn and Isaac
M.
Holcomb, Doub
&
Company, San Francisco, 1908,
Page
186 - Submitted
by
Jim
VanDerMark]
On April 15, 1917, James Cully Stevens and Aran Lee
Arndt Stevens became parents of their first child, a son,
J. C. Stevens. He was born in
the log cabin of his grandparents, William M. Arndt and Mary Ellen
Jones Arndt, in the Blue Community, about six miles west of
McAlester, Oklahoma. He died March 31, 1984 in Oklahoma City and
is buried in the Bethany Cemetery, Bethany, Oklahoma.
He worked on his father's farm as a
small boy with his younger brothers while their father, who was a
Minister of The Gospel, was holding revivals.
At about the age of 11, he and his brother, John, age 9,
were out working on the farm. A neighbor on the
next farm asked the boys what they planned to do.
The man acted a bit amused and in disbelief when they told
him that they were going to plant the crop, harvest it, and store
it in the barn. The man was amazed when that
was exactly what they did! J. C. and all of the children were very
devoted to their parents. Their sister, Mary
recalls, J. C., staying home from school often to help their
mother with the household chores and smaller children.
The family moved to California in 1936
when J. C. was 19 years old to seek employment as many Oklahoma
families did at that time. He met and married
Pauline Grace Payne on June 19, 1938 in Lamont,
California. He carried the same picture of her
in his wallet for 47 years and said, "She was the prettiest girl
that he had ever seen." They became parents of
one daughter, Charlotte, and five sons, Johnny, David, Paul,
Michael, and Samuel. It has been said that the
best thing a man can do for his children is to love their Mother
and that he did! They were inseparable all their married
life. J. C. was a self-educated
man having only a formal 8th grade education.
He was an avid student of the Bible, taught himself
trigonometry, and took many correspondence courses.
He was a master of many trades, a journeyman carpenter, a
salesman, a bridge builder, etc. His brother,
Monroe, recalls that when he was employed by Boise Cascade, they
begged him to stay with them, that he could rise to any position
in their company but J. C. was a country boy at heart and after so
long of a time in the big cities, he would have to move
on. Corporate work was not his idea of the
freedom that he always craved. After my
brothers and I were grown, we had fun recounting all to the
schools that we had attended. J.
C. was happiest when he was in the great outdoors.
He loved to go hunting for deer and bear in the mountains
of Idaho. He, his best friend and
brother-in-law, Fred Griffith, along with several of their church
friends went camping and hunting many years. He
also loved riding horses and owned several over the
years. It was an activity that he and son David
enjoyed very much together. He and Pauline
would go riding often even in their late fifties when they lived
in Idaho. They enjoyed growing vegetable
gardens and canning all the wonderful things that they
grew. He loved nature and was enthralled with
the beauty of God's wonderful world. The tears
would flow as he was so much in awe of the beauty that had been
created for us to enjoy, a legacy that he passed on to his
children. He loved his children
and grandchildren. He taught his
granddaughters, Kimberly, Lori, Michelle, and Tricia to ride
horses when they lived in Idaho and became very close to
granddaughter, Shari Schneider, when he and Pauline moved back to
Oklahoma. He loved going to the fair to see all
of the new products and animals. He and Shari
would go to the Oklahoma State Fair every night.
He loved his little granddaughters, Cheryl and Sara and
grandsons, Brent and John. J. C.
was a great speaker and passionate about all that he
believed. Dr. Charles Farr of Oklahoma City
asked him to speak at a conference that was held at the Myriad
Center in regard to the medical practice of chelation.
Doctors from California and many people that were
interested in learning about this procedure were
there. Several doctors were on the program to
speak, also. It was quite a boring meeting
until it was J. C.'s turn to speak. He got a
standing ovation!J.C.'s most important
work in life was as a minister of The Gospel of Jesus
Christ. He was an ordained minister, holding
many revivals, Bible studies, officiating at weddings and
funerals. Wherever he went, he would spread the
Word of God. He had many friends
who loved and appreciated his life. I've heard
many wonderful compliments about my father over the years but the
one that says it all was from a friend who had not had such a
father. He said, "It would have been wonderful to have had a
father that I could have loved and respected as you and your
brothers love and respect you dad.
"Written by: Charlotte Stevens
Schneider, Daughter
Pauline
Payne Stevens was born, September 9, 1920, at
Wagoner, Wagoner County, Oklahoma, the daughter of Chauncy Smith
Payne and Grace Lenore Yeary Payne. The family moved to California
in 1931 during the Great Depression to find work as many
Oklahomans did at that time. Mother had many funny stories of
their travels to California. She, her parents, and two brothers
made the trip on Route 66 in a little Model T. She remembered that
the Model T wouldn't make it up some of the hills on the way so
they would all have to get out while Grandpa backed up the hills.
Then they would all get in a go a little further until they
reached California. It took quite awhile for them to get there.
She met J. C. Stevens in Shafter, California at a skating rink and
they married June 19, 1938. He was from McAlester, Pittsburg
County, Oklahoma, not far from her hometown of Wagoner, Wagoner
County, Oklahoma. Their marriage was one that was made in heaven.
They were truly soul mates. J. C. said, "She was the prettiest
girl that he had ever seen." He carried the same picture of her in
his wallet for the rest of his life. They were inseparable all
their married life. Six children were born to them, Charlotte,
Johnny, David, Paul, Michael and Samuel Stevens.
Pauline was a
talented homemaker. She was a wonderful cook and loved to sew. She
made dolls for all of her granddaughters and made clothes for
herself, as well. She loved to garden, both vegetables and
flowers. She canned a lot of vegetables that she grew and was very
good at fixing any small appliance. Nothing was thrown away until
she tried to fix it. Her greatest attribute was her faith in Jesus
Christ and the life that she led before others. She was a
wonderful Christian woman and always had good things to say about
everyone. I often heard her praying while doing housework. She was
a wonderful Mother and wife. She was of The Pentecostal faith.
Survivors include, her husband, J. C. of the home: a daughter,
Charlotte Schneider, of Oklahoma City; 4 sons, David Stevens, of
Yukon, Paul Stevens, of Tuttle, Michael Stevens, of Oklahoma City,
and Dr. Samuel Stevens of San Leandro, California and 9
grandchildren. She was preceded in death by a son, John Cully
Stevens.
Pauline was the 8th great-granddaughter of Pilgrim
John Howland. May God rest her sweet soul.
Daughter, Charlotte
Stevens Schneider
