Tales of outlaws are interesting but genealogists like to keep facts honest
EDMOND — Rick Johnson saw a photo of a house in a book titled “Oklahoma Treasures and Treasure Tales” by Lawton native Steve Wilson, and a light bulb went off in his head.
He was transported back to when he was 10 or 12 years old and remembered his mother telling him she was born in a house owned by the outlaw Frank James, brother and partner-incrime of Jesse James.
He was about to embark on a grand historical adventure.
“I recognized that house in Fletcher, Oklahoma, and I thought, ‘Well, that’s probably the house my mother was born in.’”
Johnson started doing genealogical research in 1986, about seven years before his mother died, and started his research on the James gang about two years ago. His only regret is that he didn’t ask his mother more questions about the story of her birth.
“I didn’t take notes, and I didn’t pursue it — didn’t ask questions — because I didn’t know who Frank James was. I didn’t know who he was until later in life … but then again I still didn’t pursue that when she was living.”
Johnson knew that his mother, Mildred Louise Shilling, was born in 1924 in Fletcher, so he researched Caddo County census records online. He learned that Frank James and his wife, Ann, had lived in the same township several years before his mother was born.
On June 19, Johnson gave a presentation about his research during a meeting of the Edmond Genealogical Society. Andrea W. Aven, first vice president and program chairman of the society, has a theory as to why so many people came to hear what Johnson had to say.
“There’s this fascination with the James brothers,” she said. “Some of it is the scandal and the crime and curiosity, and that … there’s a connection certainly in Oklahoma. I think it’s all those things combined that pique people’s interest.”
Aven said genealogists are detail-oriented and focused on the hard facts; they are clear-eyed about not romanticizing people.
“People enjoy a good story, and sometimes people have a tendency to emphasize the good parts of some of those notorious characters because it may enhance the story,” she said.
Aven said it is common to overlook, or in some cases subconsciously deemphasize, the bad character traits and misdeeds of people due to their notoriety and status. But in the genealogy group, she said, “we’re interested in the facts.”
“What’s great for us as genealogists is that there’s a lot of records out there,” said Lori Davidson, a professional genealogist. “And so it makes it a little bit easier for us to find what truth there is.”
It is important to find a balance between creating an enticing story about outlaws and sticking to the hard truth of the matter, Davidson said.
“With these outlaws (they represented) not really great things, but it’s still a part of our history, and people want to be associated with history and what happened,” Davidson said.
Johnson was unable to confirm with absolute certainty that the photo he saw in the book is the house where his mother was born, but he has a strong conviction that’s the one.
“So I believe it’s true,” he said. “That’s what I believe.”
Johnson explained his motivation for doing thorough genealogical research.
“For the most part I’ve done it for my mother … for her memory because she would want me to do it.”
Johnson hopes to pass on his love of Oklahoma history to his children and grandchildren. He loaned a signed copy of Bob Burke’s “Oklahoma’s 100 Greatest Athletes” to his 10-yearold grandson, who liked it so much he “couldn’t get it back from him.”
So Johnson emailed Burke, who sent Johnson’s grandson his own signed copy.