Raffety Family Payne County Oklahoma Biographies

Oklahoma Biographies

Historical Timeline for the Raffety Family
By Sherri Raffety Hale
Excerpt from the book titled "The Raffety Family Tree". Written by Sherri Raffety Hale. Published (privately) 2007.

A considerable amount of information on the Raffety family can be found on ancestry.com, genweb.com as well as sherrihale.com. For the purposes of providing information specific to the state of OKLAHOMA, I will condense this article to include details regarding the Raffety’s of Oklahoma and only highlight the lineage. For complete information, including photos, visit one of the sites mentioned above.

In 1733, Thomas Rafferty (1733-1780) was born in Ireland.

In 1750, Thomas Rafferty arrived in Nansemond, Virginia from England. Most Irish traveled to America through England. Few traveled directly from the ports of Queenstown, Ireland or Glasgow, Scotland.

In approximately 1751, it was determined that Thomas Rafferty was married to his first wife with whom he had five sons. His children with his first wife are as follows; Thomas Rafferty (1752-1835), William B. Rafferty (1753-?), John Rafferty (1754-1825), Richard Rafferty (1756-?) and James Rafferty (1757-1776).

John Raffety/Raffety (last name misspelled in the Revolutionary War) moved to Guilford County, North Carolina and then to Kentucky. His son William Raffety (1772-?) was married in Virginia and later had a son named Thompson Raffety who was born in North Carolina in 1799 and died in Cabool, Texas County, Missouri. Thompson and his wife Elizabeth Henley’s son, Sterman Admiral Raffety, was born in Kentucky and is buried at Stubbs Cemetery in Missouri.

More about Raffety’s in Missouri.
Sterman Admiral Raffety (1832-1885) who was born in Kentucky on January 13, 1832, is a 5th generation Raffety, originally Rafferty, in America. It should be noted here that family members generally knew Sterman Admiral Raffety as S. Admel Raffety and some suspected his name might be Samuel Admel Raffety. U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 shows his legal name was Sterman Admiral Raffety and his wife’s name Amanda Minnis (1836-?). She was born April, 23, 1835 in Illinois and died in Cabool, Texas County, Missouri on May 9, 1928. We know her father was born in Kentucky. She is the first person in our family lineage for which we have a photograph of. In fact, we have two photos of her with her family, one professional and one taken in Joplin, Missouri in 1909. According to the 1880 United States Federal Census, we know that Sterman Admiral and Amanda were farmers in Clinton, Texas County, Missouri. He died on August 13, 1885 in Missouri. They both are buried at Stubbs Cemetery. (photo available at findagrave.com under S. A. Raffety)

Sterman and Amanda had eight children all born in Missouri:

John Alexander Raffety who was born in Crawford County, Missouri on September 5, 1860 and died in Cushing, Payne County, Oklahoma on January 9, 1944; Cynthia Elizabeth Raffety (1863-?); George Washington Raffety who was born in Howell County, Missouri on December 10, 1865 and died October 21, 1952 in Ralston, Pawnee County, Oklahoma; Charles Madison Raffety who was born in Lebanon, Miller County, Missouri on June 13, 1869, and died October 19, 1942 in Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee; Mary Ann Raffety (Rookstool) who was born November 4, 1869 and died January 1, 196 in Kansas; James Wesley Raffety who was born August 25, 1872 and died February 11, 1947 in Atchison, Kansas; Andrew Edward Raffety who was born July 24, 1875 and died July 29, 1954; Thomas Franklin Raffety who was born in Mountain Grove, Wright County, Missouri on April 3, 1876 and died March 4, 1948 in Watsonville, Santa Clara County, California. The 1880 U.S. Federal Census record indicates this Raffety family lived in Clinton, Texas County, Missouri at the time.

As stated before, Sherman and Amanda’s third child, George Washington Raffety (1865-1952) was born on December 10, 1865 in Howell County, Missouri. He died on October 21, 1952 in Ralston, Pawnee County, Oklahoma. According to census reports, at the age of 15, George Washington Raffety lived with his parents in Clinton, Texas County, Missouri and was working on the farm.

According to George Ellsworth Raffety (1918-2007), George Washington Raffety moved to Joplin, Missouri and later married Lorana E. Inman (1870-1916). Lorana was born on April 18, 1870 in Missouri and died on May 25, 1916 in Joplin, Missouri. Her death certificate can be easily located online at the Missouri archives. Also, her marriage certificate indicates that her mother Eliza Rustin Inman signed consent for Lorana to marry George as she was under the age of 18.

At age 35, George Washington Raffety lived in Shoal Creek, Newton County, Missouri with his wife and six of their children. They had a boarder by the name of Walter Gibson, age 20, living with them at that time per the 1900 U.S. Federal Census. At age 44, he and his family, including 16 year old Lloyd Ellsworth Raffety (born May 29, 1893, died March 21, 1960) lived in North Wichita, Lincoln County, Oklahoma. At this time, George Washington Raffety and wife Lorana had nine children. Their children include: William Jess Raffety born July 6, 1886 and died in August of 1940 in Cushing, Oklahoma; Dwight Elmer Raffety who was born December 9, 1889 and died January 21, 1960 in Smartsville, California; Everett Leslie Raffety who was born March 8, 1891 and died October 20, 1969 in Ralston, Oklahoma; Lloyd Ellsworth Raffety, Elizabeth A. Raffety born September 9, 1895 and died in August of 1979 in Marysville, California; Elsie Raffety who was born September 29, 1897 and died in 1902; Elva Raffety who was born August 21, 1901 and died on November 11, 1993 in Norman, Oklahoma; Mary Alice Raffety who was born on January 30, 1904 and died November 6, 1977 in Texas and finally Charles Edward Raffety who was born September 16, 1908 and died November 23, 1975 in Coachella, California.

George Washington Raffety had three sons to enlist in the military. A World War I Draft Registration Card from 1917-1918, indicates that Dwight Elmer Raffety, age 27, working as a miner and married, enlisted in the war. Also, Andrew Edward Raffety, age 43, enlisted in WWI. As indicated on card number 1406, file number 37, Lloyd Ellsworth Raffety, age 24, also enlisted in WWI. A U.S. World War II Draft Registration Card from 1942 indicates that Dwight Elmer Raffety, age 52, working for Pacific Gas and Electric Company, married to Pearl B. Raffety, enlisted in the war.

At one point in time, George Washington Raffety owned a farm that was just north of Kendrick, Oklahoma. It was while living on his father’s farm in Kendrick that Lloyd Ellsworth Raffety (1893-1960) met his future wife, Ruby Ethel Flynt (born August 22, 1896, died August 8, 1968). Ruby’s family lived in the southern part of Kendrick, Oklahoma. As a point of reference, Ruby’s parents, Isaac Flynt (1851-?) and Josephine Daub Flynt (1856-?), come from Winston Salem, North Carolina. George Ellsworth Raffety recalls that the Flints settled about 50 miles east of Wichita, Kansas. Josephine’s sister and brother-in-law also settled in the same area.

Later, oil was discovered on the land and the sister and brother-in-law became very wealthy. As a result, their children were educated in Europe. However, prior to the discovery of this oil, Isaac and Josephine moved to Kendrick, Oklahoma in 1889. Consequently, they missed any opportunity they may have had for striking oil in Wichita. After the Flints moved to Kendrick, they later gave birth to Ruby on August 22, 1897. A note about the spelling or misspelling of the Flynt name, census records indicate their last name being spelled both Flint and Flynt. Ruby’s death certificate indicates Flint as the spelling.

Before Lloyd and Ruby met, Lloyd’s mother, Lorana Inman Raffety (1870-1916) became very ill and his father moved the family back to Joplin, Missouri. As a result of this illness, Lorana died in 1916. It was after the Raffetys returned to Kendrick that Lloyd and Ruby met.

According to George Ellsworth Raffety, after Lorana died, George Washington Raffety sold the farm and moved to Cushing, Oklahoma where his brother John Alexander Raffety (1861-?) lived. Years later, John Alexander Raffety died. After his death, George Washington Raffety moved to Ralston, Oklahoma with the help of his son and daughter-in-law, Everett E. Raffety (1891-1969) and Ester.

George Washington Raffety later died of injuries he incurred from a car accident. He and his son Lloyd Ellsworth Raffety were traveling when the accident occurred. He was buried in Joplin, Missouri with his wife Lorana. A newspaper clipping for George Washington Raffety reads as follows:

Actual text: George Washington Raffety was born December 10, 1865, in Howell County, Mo., and passed away October 21, 1952, at the age of 86 years, 10 months, 11 days at a hospital in Cushing where he had been since receiving a broken hip in an auto collision October 5. In 1887 he was married to Lorena Inman and to this union was born four boys and three girls. D. E. Raffety, Smartsville, Calif.; C. E. Raffety, Indo, Calif.; L. E. Raffety, Carter Nine, Okla.; and E. L. Raffety, Ralston, Mrs. Orville Combs, Marysville, Calif.; Mrs. Ray Kemp, Ada, Okla.; and Mrs. H. C. Cook, Shawnee, Okla. In 1908 he brought his family to Oklahoma. His wife passed away in 1916. He came to Ralston from Cushing about nine George Washington years ago. Funeral services were held at the Davis Funeral Home in Cushing, Thursday, Raffety October 23. He was buried beside his wife at Joplin, Mo. on Friday. Besides the sons and daughters he leaves to mourn his passing 34 grandchildren, 31 great grandchildren, a brother A. E. Raffety, Colorado Springs, Colo.; one sister, Mrs. Mary Rookstool, Springfield, Mo. Those from Ralston who attended the funeral for Mr. Raffety Thursday were Mr. and Mrs. Walter Barnes, Mr. and Mrs. R. C. Queen, Mrs. Henry Robinson, Mrs. Joe Henkel, and Mrs. J. R. Welker.

Shortly after Lloyd Ellsworth Raffety (1893-1960) returned from Joplin and subsequently met Ruby, they were married on March 28, 1917, in Chandler, Oklahoma. After they married, they moved to Joplin, Missouri so that Lloyd could work in a zinc mine. They were hard-pressed for money and Ruby was pregnant with George Ellsworth Raffety (1918-2007) when the mine was shut-down for the winter. Therefore, they were unable to move back to Oklahoma where their families lived. It was under those circumstances that Lloyd’s boss loaned a cabin to them for the winter. The following March 13, 1918, George Ellsworth Raffety was born. Within three months following George’s birth, they moved back to Kendrick. George Ellsworth Raffety heard many tales of how his parents had nothing but turnips to eat that entire winter. Lloyd and Ruby had only two children, George Ellsworth Raffety (19182007) and Betty Lorene Raffety (1923-1927). Lorene was born on December 30, 1923 in Burbank, Oklahoma. Unfortunately, she died at the age of three on September 11, 1927.

Many of this line of Raffety’s moved from Missouri to Oklahoma and then on to California. George Ellsworth Raffety (1918-2007) and his wife Maxine Anna King Raffety (1918-1988) retired in Cumming, Forsyth County, Georgia.