James Harrison BRANSCUM ^{3 4}

  General Notes:

Per Rhonda (Branscum) Woodard (e-mail dated 19 Oct 1999):

". . . My Greatgrand father was James Harrison Branscum, Barney Branscum was the older brother and Beatty (Branscum) Anderson Taylor was his sister. He also had a sister named Mary Branscum and one listed as Ann Branscum with a question mark after her name. I assume they weren't sure of the Ann, this could be your Rebecca A, however I don't know about any William. Most of our information has been passed down from the older generations, of which there are few left but I will tell you what we have been told. James Harrison Branscum got into an argument with his stepmother and hit her in the head with a frying pan, he left home before his dad got back because he was afraid of what he would do. His sister, Beatty, lived in Indian Territory and he went to live with her, we have heard he was either 13 or 17 when this happened . . . James (or Jim) went to live with an indian tribe in Eastern Oklahoma, he was their intermediary with the white settlers. Needless to say he was pretty good friends with the Indians . . . James Harrison Branscum died in 1937 and is buried on a "mountain" that he homesteaded in Eastern Oklahoma. It's the same place I grew up. The nearest town is named Fanshawe, Oklahoma (about 10 miles) and our family still owns all the land on the mountain and the valley below."

Per Dwight Branscum (e-mail dated 31 Dec 2005):

"James Harrison Branscum homesteaded over 500 acres of property in Le Flore Co., I.T. in approximately 1884. This territory is at the edge of the Sans Bois mountain range at Latitude 34.96 N, Longitude 94.85 W, near the existing city of Fanshawe, Oklahoma. It is believed J. H. Branscum acquired the property through trade with the Choctaw, for he was known to trade and barter with the Indians during this time period. The first recorded name and legal survey on an existing deed in this area was J. H. Branscum's youngest son, John Wesley Dixon Branscum. (It's believed J. H. passed the property on to J. W.) James H. Branscum's descendants continue to own the property he settled in this area, between Coal Creek and the mountain above. J. H. Branscum's elder son's (Charlie's) house still stands at the top of the mountain.

"This mountainous property remains unsettled and is heavily wooded with huge pine and oak trees. Most of the property is not cleared, brier patches tend to grow thickly throughout the forest areas. The soil is a clay like consistency, thick with red sand stone. This native rock was often used as building material, commonly seen in the older structures in the area. An old horse drawn plow remains in a field at the foot of the mountain. Judging from the condition of the blades, this was not easy soil to turn. It's believed J. H. Branscum and his sons farmed the land and cut timber as an occupation.

"Wildlife is still plentiful. Quail, turkey, white tail deer and wild hogs still thrive. Rattlesnakes, coyotes, ticks and chiggers also exist in abundance. This land is beautiful, but the climate is harsh. Southeastern Oklahoma tends to have extreme heat in the summer and equally extreme winter climate. Visiting this unspoiled land is like stepping back in time. It makes one appreciate these pioneer's ability to survive." ³

  Research Notes:

Contrary to his siblings, James' surname is always spelled "Branscum."

  Burial Notes:

For directions to Hicks Chapel Cemetery, see ftp://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/ok/leflore/cemeteries/hicks.txt.

James married Martha ASKEW about 1884.^{3 4} (Martha ASKEW was born on 19 Apr 1869 in Kentucky,^{5 6} died on 24 Jan 1948 near Fanshawe, Le Flore County, Oklahoma ⁶ and was buried in Hicks Chapel Cemetery, near Fanshawe, Le Flore County, Oklahoma ⁶.)