The Larkin (Lark) Patrick Williams Family

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Larkin Patrick Williams 1851 (married Ida Melvina Burress (Roberts)) → Altus Oleva Williams 1896 → Altus married Adrian Alford Colbath 1893 → Oleta Colbath 1917 → Oleta married O.S. Lanham (see The Oran Stroud Lanham Family 1916)

Figure 1. Lark P Williams Family Tree

Figure 2. Larkin Patrick Williams Fan Chart

Larkin Patrick WILLIAMS ^[1] was born in May 1851 in ,, Texas, USA. He died on 29 Nov 1931 in Lazbuddie, Parmer, Texas, USA.

A son of William Patrick Williams and Elizabeth (Boles) Williams.

Figure 3. Larkin Patrick Williams

Figure 4. Ida Melvina Ellen (Burress) Roberts

Figure 5. Ida Melvina Ellen Roberts Fan Chart

Larkin married ^[1] Ida Melvina Ellen ROBERTS ^[1], also called Ida Belle, daughter of William J. ROBERTS and Sarah Elizabeth Jane WILSON about 1893 in Vernon, Wilbarger, Texas, USA. Ida was born about 1865 in ,, Texas, USA. She died ^[1] on 21 Oct 1949 in Hess, Jackson, Oklahoma, USA.

Figure 6. Ida Belle Williams, circa 1939

Lark grew up on the wild frontier in Texas. He carried with him a gun to school, and once shot an Indian trying to attack the school building. At the age of 14 he was already wearing two 45’s. He joined a cattle drive and made the long trip from Texas to Kansas. When his days on the cattle drive ended, Lark came to Old Greer County, Oklahoma Territory, and settled on a tract of land a few miles south of the South Greer School, in the Hess area.

He lived in a half dugout and looked after the Wagoner Cattle company, of Vernon, Texas, interests at Doan’s Crossing on the Red River into Oklahoma Territory, as a cattle inspector. His job was to keep trail drivers from running off with Wagoner cattle. He had several shooting scrapes with rough customers from Texas who did not appreciate his interference with the cattle herds.

Doan’s Crossing is located on the south side of Red River, some 18 miles north of Vernon, Texas, near Hess, Oklahoma, where the cattle drives crossed the Red River into Oklahoma Territory on the Adams or Western Trail, which began at Uvalde, Texas, through Vernon to Doan’s Crossing, continuing on by Navajo, which is a few miles northeast of Altus, Oklahoma, and on to Dodge City, Kansas.

More cattle were driven over this trail than both the Goodnight and Chisholm Trails. In 1885 alone, there passed through Doan’s Crossing 300,000 head of cattle, 200,000 head of sheep and 190,000 horses. A monument stands at the side of the old Doan’s Store, commemorating the early cattle drives with 58 different brands which marked the cattle passing Doan’s.

In the mid 1920’s Lark and Ida, with Altus and Jack Freeman and children and Vi and Les Muse and family, loaded up and moved from Hess to Lazbuddie, Parmer County, Texas, which is a short distance east of the New Mexico state line. Most of the county was still prairie land, with no trees or wood to burn for heat, so the main thing they had was cow and buffalo chips and corn to burn in the stove for heat. Lark was one of the first farmers in the areas to grow cotton in this area.

Figure 7. Larkin P. Williams, on the farm

According to the probate filed in Parmer County Court, Larkin Patrick died 29 November 1931, and is buried at Lazbuddie, Texas.

Figure 8. L.P. Williams Tombstone

His tombstone reads:

 Larkin Patrick Williams
 1851-1930
 A Texas Trail Driver

Figure 9. Ida next to a Ford in 1944

Ida died 1949 in Oklahoma City and is buried at Hess, Oklahoma. (21 October 1949)

They had the following children:

(i.) Daughter, Myrtle Elizabeth WILLIAMS was born on 20 Sep 1894 in Hess, Jackson, Oklahoma, USA. She died on 30 Dec 1907 in Hess, Jackson, Oklahoma, USA.

(ii.) Daughter, Altus Oleva WILLIAMS was born on 11 Nov 1896. She died on 20 Feb 1932 at Hess. She married No. 1 Adrian Alford Colbath and No. 2. James J. (Jack) Freeman, who was born 1892 and died 1928, and is buried at Lazbuddie, Texas. (see The Adrian Alford Colbath Family 1893 for details).

(iii.) Son, Paul WILLIAMS was born on 03 Aug 1899 at Hess. He married Mattie Colbath, a half sister to Adrian A. Colbath. Paul and Mattie had two daughters; Willie and Wanda, and five sons; Norman, Estle, Leroy, Laverne, and Paul lane Williams. Paul died 25 June 1930 and is buried at Lazbuddie, Texas. Mattie presently lives in Ashville, North Carolina with Willie. Joel, a son from Willie’s No. 1 marriage also lives at Ashville.

(iv.) Son, James B. (Bud) WILLIAMS was born on 12 Oct 1901 at Hess. He died about 1960. He married Mary Kirby, and they had one son; Lee Dwight Williams. Bud died ca 1960 at Ft. Supply, Oklahoma. Mary and Dwight both presently live in Borger, Texas.

(v.) Daughter, Bessie Mae WILLIAMS was born on 05 Sep 1904. She married J. Rouster Fulcher, and they had two daughters; Donaleta and Paula, and seven sons; Johnny Lee, Lynn, J. B., Jimmy Bob, Foy and twins, Harold and Daryl. Johnny Lee died at birth. Rouster died. Bessie Mae later married a Thornton. At the present time Mae lives in Harlingen, Texas with daughter Paula Gossett. Harold and Daryl live in Clovis New Mexico.

(vi.) Daughter, Viva WILLIAMS was born on 07 Nov 1907 at Hess. She married Leslie Lee Muse, 10 November 1922 at Tillman, Oklahoma ^[2] and they had one daughter, Marquetta, and three sons: Charles Leslie, Billie Joe and Wayne Muse. Leslie L. Muse died 18 Mar 1980 in Waco, McLennan, Texas. Vi lived at Elm Matt, Texas, also Marquetta, who married Charles Allgood.

Figure 10. L-R: Front: Vi, Bessie, Mae, a cousin; Back: Paul, James, Altus

The probate ^[3] reads:

 IN RE: THE ESTATE OF L.P. WILLIAMS, DECEASED.

 IN THE COUNTY COURT OF PARMER COUNTY, TEXAS.

 TO THE HONORABLE JUDGE OF SAID COURT:

 Now comes your petitioner Ida Williams, who resides in Parmer County, Texas, the surviving wife of L. P. Williams, deceased, and respectfully shows to the court the following:

 That L. P. Williams, husband of your petitioner, Ida Williams died in Parmer County, Texas, on November 29, 1931.

 That L. P. Williams left surviving him his wife, your petitioner herein, Mrs. Ida Williams, and the following children, to-wit; Altus Freeman,  formerly Altus Williams, now a widow and being a female and about thirty-five years old, having been born on November 11, 1896; J. B. Williams, a male person born on October 12, 1901; Mae Fulcher, a female person, formerly Mae Williams, about twenty-seven years of age, having been born on September 5, 1904, and is now the wife of Rouster Fulcher; Viva Muse, a female person about twenty-four years old, having been born on November 7, 1907, and is now the wife of L. L. Muse.

 That before the death of the said L. P. Williams, Paul Williams, a male person, born on August 3, 1899 and died on June 25, 1930 and left surviving him his wife, Mattie Williams and 7 children as follows, to-wit; Willie Williams a girl of about 13 years old, Norman Williams a boy about 12 years old, Wanda Williams a girl about 10 years old, Estler Williams a boy about 8 years old, LeRoy Williams a boy about six years old, and Laverine Williams a boy about 4 years old, and Paul Lane Williams a boy about eleven months old.

 That there is a community estate existing between the said L. P. Williams, deceased, and your petitioner, Ida Williams.

 That the said L. P. Williams, deceased, died intestate and was at the time of his death a resident of parmer County, Texas, and said community estate, consisting of land and personal property, is situated in Parmer County, Texas.

 That said community estate between the said L. P. Williams, deceased, and your petitioner, Ida Williams, is charged with an advancement of $4,000.00 heretofore made by your petitioner to purchase and improve the real property belonging to your petitioner and her said deceased husband.

 Wherefore your petitioner asks the court to appoint three appraisers to appraise said estate and that she be duly appointed survivor in community as made and provided by the laws of the State of Texas.

 Ida Williams
 Petitioner

Figure 11. Ida’s Gravestone

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1. Oran Stroud Lanham’s Family History Research, October 1984.

2. Ancestry.com. Oklahoma, County Marriages, 1890-1995. Original data: Marriage Records. Oklahoma Marriages. FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, UT.

3. Probate filed in Parmer County Court by Ida

Updated on 01 Jan 0001