Oklahoma resources are growing, little by little, but there are some gems out there that continue to be vastly underused. I believe the Oklahoma Indian-Pioneer Papers, digitized and online through the University of Oklahoma Western History Collections, should be an early stopping place for anyone with EITHER early Oklahoma settlers in the family OR if you believe you might have Cherokee relatives. I found my mother-in-law’s uncle who had given a statement about early life in the Verden area and wrote about that find last year.

I am always on the look out for clues about collateral branches of Dave’s Williams family. The Landrums who migrated from Virginia to eastern Tennessee and the Missouri are one of them.

I decided to search the Indian-Pioneer Papers to see if there were any hits for Landrum. There was one, for Charles F. Landrum, and, while I don’t believe he is part of my husband’s family, I want to share his interview, as he is a Cherokee, born in 1869. His memories are an absolute gold mine for his descendants.

His interview is only a page and a half, but I would be over the moon if this were my family:

Interview of Charles F. Landrum, Cherokee, 1933

What more could you ask for??? Remember, too, that Native Americans had no written language so there are no vital records to be found. Researchers have to think outside the box to locate pertinent information.

I urge you to check out this collection if you have Oklahoma family members, whether members of the Cherokee Nation or pioneer settlers.