Scenic View: Williams And Whitfield

I remember vividly when we were younger how excited we all were to go out of town. 

Our parent’s  Frank and Zepher Williams packed a few things and headed west out Buckeye Road. 

The road was lined with huge Pecan trees and acres and acres of crops or cotton depending on the season.

After travelling so far we would come upon a large house located on the left side of the street and turn into the yard. 

The Whitfield Cousins yard!!!

 What seemed like hours back then would only take about 15 or 20 minutes now. The route in later years changed from Tollison to Glendale when they decided to hang up their hats to a more peaceful and less stressfull life. 

I personally think a stretch of Lower Buckeye Road should be named "Whitfield Road" because of the impact the Whitfield’s had on the area with their Dairy Farm.

Every time we went I always liked to go out back where they kept the cows and watched the milking process.

Don’t ask me why because I am only a little bit country. You know, like fishing and maybe throwing one or two handfuls of chicken feed to some chickens at my aunt Carmena’s in Texas.

When the season came to harvest watermelons it seemed like there were millions and millions in this young girls eyes.

We also got to taste the fresh fruit of a couple straight out of the ground.

Years later my brother Theodore, Cousin Billy, Prudy, Fulbright and others from Phoenix would go and help pick the ripe ones. I imagine this was many of the young guy’s first jobs to get pocket change.

Inside the house were two people that held the glue together; Otto and Thelma Williams Whitfield.

Aunt Thelma was the cousin to Frank. Her father Palmer and Frank’s mother Mary were sister and brother. 

As a kid we grew up calling the elder’s Aunt and Uncle but the kinship line here was cousin.

As I look back at the good times we had as kids I am reminded that we all came from somewhere and how the roads traveled all had a scenic route.

How these two met, I have no idea. I know that Aunt Thelma was the child of Palmer Williams from Cold spring Texas and Mary Erma Harrison Williams from Huntsville Texas.

Scenic Texas: The Williams Home View 

According to this census Easter was the mother of ten children with only six living at the time. Here is the exerpt for a better view.

I later learned that Otto was the child of Frank and Roxie Settles Whitfield who lived in Oklahoma but married in St. Francis County Arkansas.

They just happened to be the parents of another favorite of mine Uncle George Whitfield.  

Scenic Oklahoma: The Whitfield Home View

In the 1920 census Otto is listed as ten years old

This is the excerpt of the 2nd page showing the rest of the Whitfield family for a better view. 

Thelma Williams: The Very First View

Born to parent’s Palmer and Mary Harrison Williams.  Thelma entered the world in Galveston Texas on March 25^th 1914 where she joined her other sisters Gertrude, and Bernice and her brother Garcia.

Thelma’s dad worked for the Railroad as a section chief.

By 1920 the Williams family lived in Beaumont Texas where the job still had Palmer working for the railroad and supervising others while Mary 

while Mary worked in the home.   

Further research states that Mary was the mother 13 and here are a few more certificates.

The 1923 City directory in Beaumont has them living probably on Railroad property for those that worked for them as evidenced by the address on Plum at the SW corner of the GC& SF Railway. (click to enlarge)

Scenic View: Fast Forward To The Maricopa Forty

We see here that according to the 1940 census the Whitfield’s are already living and farming in Tollison on Lower Buckeye Road.

                                 Ancestry 1940 census Maricopa County Arizona 

The Blessed Scenic Route: It’s Amazing!!!

Both the Whitfield’s Otto and Thelma are gone on to Glory. I don’t have to imagine or wonder if they are living together in the rooms of many mansions.
As long as they were together on earth,  I know they are resting in perfect peace in Heaven.

                        Sing for the Whitfield's Dotty Sing this amazing song!

Mariah At The Wheel In Oklahoma

I am not saying that Mariah was the only one at the wheel because I know that a higher power had first dibs, but I swear she had a hand on where she wanted to take me.

Mariah knew that I was going back to Phoenix and may get on my job looking for her. I keep saying that I am done looking for her but I don't think she believes it. I had settled on the fact when I went to Utah that she did not want to be found. Everyone who knows me also know that I have a Mariah fetish so saying I am done is a big deal for me.

We were in Oklahoma City for the home going services for Al Mitchell, the father of my daughter Tish and grandfather of her two children Taylor and Tyler.
Lorie,the next door neighbor and friend helped drive the grands and I to the city and for that we are eternally grateful.

She could have chosen to be doing a million other things. My daughter had gone up earlier in the week and we knew that some of the pain would be relieved if her children were near. Lorie sensed that and shared her feelings.

We had a nice drive going, settled in at the hotel, attended the services and now it was time to drive back home. My daughter had a standby airline ticket for Monday but we thought it better to have her come back with us.

Someone mentioned that granny would be anxious to get back to her computer and genealogy.. That was the first mistake made. She, meaning Mariah must have heard those words...Computer and Genealogy

First off my daughter always sets her alarm because she has to get up, ready herself for work, and get Tyler ready for school. The same thing goes for Lorie the neighbor and for Taylor the college kid.

We discussed hitting the road leaving for Phoenix from Oklahoma at 8:00 o'clock Sun Morning.

That meant getting up early, having a good breakfast and be on our way. The car was filled with gas and all bags were packed except for the things needed in the morning.

Why did all three forget to set their alarm? If my sister had not called about 8:30 A.M. we would all still have been sleep. Sluggishly we did what we had to do and started on our way. My first vision was a Nana-nana-nana being whispered in my brain and thoughts; (Mariah, she's at it again I silently said)

We were headed to I 40 and we all relaxed knowing we could take the 40 West all the way to the Heber Arizona turnoff and head on home to Phoenix.

The road was so smooth. we passed Tinker AFB and pointed to the old planes that sit out front.

As we drove on, Lorie and I started to count all the casino's we wished we could stop at. We jokingly talked about taking bathroom breaks at them all and putting a nickle in the machines on the way out.

We passed signs that I had become familiar with in my genealogy circles. Signs such as Eufala Oklahoma, where i reflected on the Hutchinson's who had come from there to Phoenix.

The sign that said Muskogee turn off, was where I thought about my friends the Stevenson's who also came to Phoenix.

When I saw the sign Cherokee I thought about Angela Walton Raji and her research with the Five Civilized tribes. Ft Smith was another sign we saw, that reflected Arkansas and I again thought about Angela because that was her home town.



As we were driving along an amazing thing happened, Tyler my grandson needed to go to the bathroom. He said that he could not wait.

If there had been a tree near a house and close to the side of the road I wonder if he still could not wait.

My suspension is that he would chose the back of the tree instead of the lil house that some of us used way back in the day

As we looked for the nearest exit after crossing the beautiful lake Eufala we saw the Checota turnoff and headed to the facilities.

After we stretched, got back in the car, and headed back to the Interstate, my daughter stared at the sigh and said, "Are we headed in the wrong direction, we are supposed to be on the I 40 West not East."

Did I hear that "nana-nana" sound again in my head. You bet I did! Mariah was at work again. She had her hands on the wheel.

I suspect that she even knew that that wheel was not a wagon wheel and all the bumps in the road was not country roads with holes in them.

All those pastures with the one lone cow standing by themselves and the rest were all huddled further down had turned into cows all lumped together as a group.

Mariah more than likely planned that too.

All the lone standing oil wells had become numerous. Those should have all been sighs to let us know the direction was wrong, but noooooo, Mariah had the wheel.

Speaking of oil wells, this is a picture of grands standing in front of a working well smack dab in the middle of a grocery store parking lot.

No signs of Altus, Weatherford,or Chickasha turn-offs I was familiar with because Mariah was at the wheel; the wheel of my mind that is.

When I did not blame Mariah for all my troubles she was elusive, so now that I blame her, she is more elusive than ever.

What's a 3rd great-granddaughter to do? How can you compromise with that nana-nana sound I think I hear in the recesses of my mind? What happened to my favorite saying about not letting anyone rent space in your head?

Oh yeah, I prayed, talked, dug through, shuffled papers, let it alone, came back to it; got help from those who were not Mariah groupies and those who were; I prayed some more, left it alone again and again. Just last week I said I was done for good with my genealogy research where Mariah was my focus point. After all, I had other people I could research.

I could look into my Burks,Dickerson/Dixon's,Lester's,Griffiths Daviss/Davis,Sims or numerous other Texas ancestors. Others like Ware,White,Cooper,Jefferson,and Pierce over in Grimes and Fayette County Texas.

I could even continue reading one of my favorite books by Randolph B Campbell titled "A Southern Community in Crisis; Harrison County Texas, 1850 - 1880" that I rely on for information.

Ha, but she blew it when she took the wheel and took us 120 miles out of the way.


I am back on the chase Mariah even though I don't know your maiden name for sure. I think its Wells but verifying that is as hard as finding you in 1870 and 1880.

Just so you know that I say what I mean, I am outing you again. You were found in the 1900 and 1910 census in Harrison County Texas.

1900 Census partial lines

1910 Harrison County Census Partial lines

I could put the whole census page up but I want to single you out just like you have been trying to trick me for the last twenty plus years.

You were married to Lawrence Taylor and had one son Joseph who was the stepson to Lawrence.

Mariah, you were born between 1840 and 1854 according to the census in Texas. If I can find you in 1870 and 1880 I could narrow that down but you have the upper hand on that one. For now that is!

Ducking as I say "Nana-nana-nana" back at you and Oh, I love you much and you can take that to the bank MARIAH!!!