Person:Cynthia Chastain (1)

Cynthia A.Chastain marr. W.T. Adams after 1911. Severl records mention her as a "Beautiful Indian girl". She applied Oct.4, 1911 at Ottawa Co.,OK for pension; stated son Byron born Apr. 7, 1899: witnesses Eli and Alice James; Notary Public = Jesse P. James. Also petition Oct 5, 1911 at Ottawa Co., OK by Frank R. Taylor of Todd, Craig Co, OK witnessed Cloid G. Braught dec'd Aug.3, 1911. Also see Widows Pension petition of Aug.18,1911 stating her first marriage to C.G. on Oct. 19, 1882 by Rev. Johnson near Prairie City, I.T. (Indian Territory - now Bartlesville, OK) and have child under 16yrs, Byron, born April 7, 1899 near Fairfield, OK; witnesses= Birdie N./A? Abney and James Cox. On Jan 11, 1919 Cynthia started receiving monthly pension payments of $25 per month.

   In Josephine Campbell's will she identified family of Cloyd G. Braught as: widow Cynthia A. Braught (remarried to Mr. Adams) and children: Florence Dial, Ollie Watts, Charles C. Braught, James Braught, Z.Williams Braught, R.Tibbits Braught, Lola Hoak, Byron Braught, and Cretal Braught.

Craig Co., OK 1910 Census Twsp#7, pg.4551-3A Show Cloid,70,marr#2 (this marr. 27yrs); wife Cynthia age 46, first marriage, 7children (5 living: note that this record of 5 living is confusing because I can document 6 living in 1910; only Spurgeon had died by then), born in AR, parent both born in GA. Children: Lela, 23 (teacher pub. school), Tibbits,19,farmer; Crete,dau.15 born 27Aug1894 + Creelia?, Byron,b.7Apr1899.

  Marriage license of Mrs. C.A. Braught, age 50 of Fairland to William T. Adams, 64 of Bartlesville on 28 Nov. 1913 - See Afton American and 1913 Miami (OK) Record Herold, pg.1,col.1.  LDS record of this family by Kip Myers includes another child named Spurgeon, b. 1Jun 1892 and gives Creta Lozetta also a child of this marriage b. 27Aug1894 and married to Wm.McGarder (or McGorder), b.1894.  See LDS Ancestral File v.4.10 (Nov 1992) listing Cynthia Arzella Chastain as spouse of Cloyd Godfrey Braught.  Listed adjacent to that record was Cora Brought, b.1895 with spouse Joseph W. Eckinger, but there is no evidence of any relationship to Cloyd and Cynthia except adjacent record listing.
   During 18 Jul 1997 visit to the Ottawa County, OK area (Miami, Fairland, Afton, -- also Oswego and Chetopa, KS) and inquiries (Red Marshall, elder resident) at Fairland, OK, mentioned that there were Chastains who had lived there by the name of Tibbits and John.  Folks there could not recall Cynthia or C.G. Braught.
See Cloyd G. grave photos taken at Afton, OK.  Miami, OK library cemetery records list grave sites as Mt. Hope Cemetery Lot Section 3 (cemetery had no section markers, but librarian advised that Section 1 was to right of entrance and Braught graves were on edge of Sec. 3 across path from Sec. 4).  It was important to note that wife Cynthia was not buried at Afton (she had remarried at Bartlesville and was likely buried there about 1918, only 5 yrs after her marriage #2 to Wm. Adams).
   Remember that one news article claims she died 1918 at age 75 of broken heart over her son, T.R.'s conviction and sentence  to death, and another claims she was still living in Afton at the 1919 date of T.R.' s execution.  Finding her death data in Bartlesville, OK should clarify this matter rather easily. The death date used here is based upon the article that she died before he was executed.
   Extensive report in "Cherokee by Blood" record series, pg 27 and 336-37 report Cynthia A. Brought of Afton (claimant #20233), 3 children, rejected as proven Indian blood although proven that her grandfather, Pleasant Watts, (son of Jos. Watts, whose father was John Watts who had a brother named Thos. Watts and that Thomas had a daughter, Polly Terrell (applicant #3635), who had been declared blooded Indian) was a signer for the Cherokees in the treaty of 1805.  Giving testimony at Fairland,OK Alice Neoma Weir James (claimant #16041) claimed that her grandfather was also Pleasant Watts, also called William Watts. and that her mother was Judy E. Chastain, nee Watts, born in GA, died 1884 at age 52 in Indian Territory.  That family moved to I.T. before the war (Civil War).   That record refers to another court case called "Cynthia A. Brought, et al VS Cherokee Nation".  Cynthia signed her testimony at Vinita, OK Oct. 12, 1908.

See 1860 Iowa Census for Levi Chastain at Eden Twp. Decatur Co., IA (pg 111) and William Chastain at N.E. Twp. of Orange Co., IN (pg 561). These locations are very relevant to both Braught and (in very particular) Bruner data. North of Paoli, IN is a Chastain Funeral Home (2002).