Your Guide To LeFlore County Oklahoma Genealogy Part of the OKGenWeb Project

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Submitted by Thompson, Gilbreath Researcher, Bruce, Dec 2002.

Bio of Benjamin F. Thompson of Bokoshe, LeFlore County, Oklahoma: Benjamin was born May 3, 1855 in Beech Grove, McLean County, Kentucky. No documented proof on who was Benjamin's parents. The 1900 census of the Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory reflects that Ben's father was born in Kentucky and his mother in Virginia. Benjamin died at his home on November 17, 1907 in Bokoshe, LeFlore County, Oklahoma. According to the newspaper obituary, he was buried in the family plot on his property. Today, that land is the Old Bokoshe Cemetery on the north side of town.

The first documented record of Benjamin is with his marriage to his first wife, Mary "Mollie" Warren in Daviess County, Kentucky on December 21, 1871. The next earliest record is the 1880 U. S. Census which shows Benjamin, Mollie and two of their 3 children in Job, McLean County, Kentucky. The known children of Benjamin and Mollie were -

Richard Melvin Thompson, b. October 15, 1871, Daviess County, Kentucky, d. February 16, 1951, Beech Grove, McLean Co., KY,  married Maymie E. Warren and had 7 known children

Sawney "Sonie" Albert Thompson, b. September 1, 1876, Kentucky, d. July 9, 1950, San Diego, San Diego County, California

Benjamin Franklin Thompson, Jr., b. July, 1880, married Hilda Timmins and had 2 known children

Benjamin and Mollie moved with the children to Colorado and decided to return to Kentucky when on the return trip they crossed Indian Territory. Benjamin decided to stay in the Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory and Mollie wanted to return to Kentucky. Mollie took the children and returned to Kentucky and Benjamin settled in what became Bokoshe, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory.

The next written record of Benjamin is a marriage to a Choctaw Indian woman named Nancy Crowley McFarland in 1888 in the Choctaw Nation. Benjamin and Nancy had two daughters.

Minnie M. Thompson b. April, 1890, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory (Choctaw Tribal Enrollment # 7248) Choctaw 1906 Census Card 2496

Bessie Thompson b. April 11, 1893, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory, d. March 22, 1938, Reck, Carter County, Oklahoma married Robert Lee Dumas and they had 5 known children

The third marriage record of Benjamin was to Rebecca Clementine Gilbreath on June 30, 1895 in Fort Smith, Arkansas. It appears that Benjamin and Rebecca met in Bokoshe, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory. Rebecca was living in Bokoshe with her parents Lawson and Rachel Gilbreath according to documents of births and deaths in the Gilbreath family. Lawson and Rachel Gilbreath moved their family to Indian Territory between 1885 and 1889. Rebecca's sister Julia and brother Lafayette Gilbreath and a couple of other Gilbreaths are buried in the Carriker Cemetery in Bokoshe.

It appears that Benjamin was enrolled as a member of the Choctaw Tribe while married to his second wife Nancy McFarland and that is how he acquired his land in the Bokoshe area. Benjamin is listed on the Dawes Commission Rolls of 1896 with enrollment number 276. He apparently kept the land after the divorce or was allowed to keep his Choctaw citizenship after the divorce. Benjamin worked as a stock trader / dealer and a merchant.

The Choctaw Herald reveals that Benjamin owned a meat market and a community hall that he rented out for public events. The hall had a seating capacity of 300 people. The town also was competing to be the county seat in the new state of Oklahoma when it would be formed in 1907. A front page article shows that Benjamin sold (with 2 other people) 219 acres to the town to be used for county purposes if the town would win the coveted title of county seat.

Benjamin's home, according to the newspaper obituary was one and one half miles north of Bokoshe in "Ole Town". It states he was buried in the family plot on his property. However, today it is the Old Bokoshe Memorial Cemetery and Benjamin's grave is in the middle of the cemetery on the highest point of the hill. The property is on a high hill north of Bokoshe and overlooks the entire valley. A long time resident stated that his home was located on the north edge of what is now the cemetery. From the cemetery you can look east to see the location of the Carriker Cemetery. The burial place of the Gilbreath children.

Benjamin and his third wife, Rebecca Gilbreath, had four known children. The children were:

Donia Thompson, b. October 5, 1896, Bokoshe, Indian Territory d. March 24, 1979 m. John Arbuckle Wylie on October 7, 1914

Hester J. Thompson b. July 19, 1898, Bokoshe, Indian Territory d. December 7, 1944 m. Doyle W. Rodgers

Richard Franklin " Buck " Thompson b. January 16, 1901, Bokoshe, Indian Territory d. September 28, 1976, Sulphur, Murray County, Oklahoma m. Oma Valeria Grissom on December 8, 1920, Wilson, Carter County, Oklahoma

Lois E. Thompson b. October 12, 1903, Bokoshe, Indian Territory m. J. E. Martindale

Benjamin was a member of the Woodsmen of the World and he has a woodsmen headstone which is about 5 feet tall. Further research is continuing on Benjamin in the Bokoshe area and the Kentucky area for more information on him and to find his parents.

According to relatives, Benjamin died after being thrown from a horse. The newspaper obituary says he died at his home after a long illness on November 17, 1907.

NOTE: at some point this land was apparently deeded to Bokoshe and made into the community or town cemetery and known as Old Bokoshe Cemetery

Mr. Benjamin Franklin Thompson Died Sunday 

Sunday morning at o'clock, Mr. B. F. Thompson died at his home in Old Town, one and one half miles north of Bokoshe. Death, while not unexpected by the family and numerous friends, comes as a relief, as Mr. Thompson had been sick for over two months. 

His long illness commenced with fever which later developed several complications and for some time it has been known that he could not recover. 

Mr. Thompson was one of the pioneer citizens of Oklahoma, having come here from Kentucky many years ago. He came west and first went to Colorado, but did not like that country and started back to his Kentucky home, but stopped in Indian Territory, where he leaves many personal friends. 

Besides a wife he leaves nine children to mourn his death. 

The funeral took place Monday at noon at the residence, burial at the family grave yard. Rev. T. M. Craws officiating. 

Benjamin F. Thompson was born in McClain County, Kentucky, fifty-two years ago, and has been living in Oklahoma twenty-six years. He was a member of the Baptist church and the Knights of Pythias and Woodsman of the World. 

We join the many friends of the family in extending our sympathy.

09-30-2012 information submitted by James Hannahs   Ben was born in 1850 near Rabbitsville, Logan county Kentucky to Beverly Allen Thompson and Catherine Epley, from North Carolina. Catherine died in 1861 and Beverly remarried when Ben was 11 to Nettie Simmonds. After the War broke out in 1861 they were harassed by confederate sympathizers in the southern part of the state so they moved north to McClean county Kentucky.

July 26, 1906  Choctaw Herald, Legal Opinion Two Different Law Firms Pronounce the Titles Good To Bokoshe Real Estate -- Both Firms are Authority on Land Titles in the Indian Territory -- of Interest to Persons Holding Lots in Bokoshe	click image for larger view
click image for larger view	July 26, 1906 Choctaw Herald Across the top is an advertisement Benjamin and his partner run on their business's. He had a meeting hall he rented out that seated 300 and a store called "The Union Meat Market".
Nancy McFarland (far back right), Nancy's son, Bessie (Thompson) Dumas (hat), others are Nancy's children with Mr. Womack.	Nancy (McFarland) Thompson
Nancy (McFarland) Crowley's Enrollment Papers, p 1 of 2	click image for larger view
click image for larger view Left to right - Lady sitting with the infant in her lap is Rebecca, infant in Rebecca's lap is Lois E. Thompson, b. October 12, 1903 in Bokoshe sitting between Ben and Rebecca is Donia Thompson, b. October 5, 1896 in Bokoshe standing behind Donia is Hester J. Thompson, b. July 19, 1898 in Bokoshe and of course Ben with Richard F. "Buck" Thompson, b. January 16, 1901 in Bokoshe. The lady behind Ben & Buck has not been identified but I believe she and the lady behind Rebecca to be Gilbreaths or Gilstraps.	Rebecca Clementine (Gilbreath) Thompson Daughter of Malissa Gilstrap and John Gilbreath Gilbreath researcher: Sue Hearon