Greetings fellow researchers!

Over the last several months I have been gathering necessary documents to apply for as many First Family recognition’s as I can. It has been quite a project organizing the mountains of data I have – and I filled in a few blanks as I went. It’s also been very rewarding as I continue to learn more about my family and the journeys that took them from the shores of Virginia to the wilds of the west. I also realized I had information that allowed me to go back even farther than I originally thought when I started this project.

So far I am excited to share that I have been recognized as a First Family of the Twin Territories of Oklahoma! This one was the easiest to apply for because I only had to go back 119 years and prove Oklahoma residency before 1907. My dad was born in Oklahoma and his grandparents were married there, before Oklahoma became a state. At that time they lived in Indian Territory, Oklahoma.

Tomorrow I am mailing five additional applications:

• Territorial Certificate for Arkansas, must have proof of residency before 15 Jun 1836. My great x4 grandfather, Jehoida Jeffery, moved there in 1816 according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas; however, the earliest proof I could find was from 1818. That still works. (Circuit Court Record White River Township, Independence County, Arkansas, 8 July 1818)
• Arkansas Certificate for Civil War Ancestry. My great x 3 grandfather, John Menan Martin, served as a private in the 14th Arkansas Infantry, Company I.
• Territorial Certificate for Missouri, residency before 10 Aug 1821. James Jeffery, my great x5 grandfather (Jehoida’s father) settled in the Louisiana-Missouri Territory in Sept 1809, land deed in the District of Cape Girardeau, on the road leading to New Madrid, MO area. I had heard family stories for years that we had family living in New Madrid when the big earthquake of 1811/1812 hit.
• War of 1812 Certificate for Missouri. Jehoida Jeffery was a private in Capt. Peter Craig’s Company, United States Rangers, Cape Girardeau County, MO. (Record found at Missouri Secretary of State, and Mary Jeffery Bounty Land Warrant No. 14937)
• Prairie Pioneer for Illinois, residency before 3 Dec 1818. Jehoida Jeffery and his wife Mary lived in Illinois before moving to Arkansas in 1816/1818. The 1850 and 1860 census for White River Township, Izard County, Arkansas has the birth state for Elijah Jeffery as Illinois. Since my family connection to the Jeffery family has been documented for Missouri and Arkansas, this one is easy.

The next states I will pursue are Kansas, Kentucky, and Virginia. I have information for a First Family application for North Carolina – but they charge $300! I’m still considering that one. (The other states charge $10-$30)

This has been a fun project to work on. The United States will be celebrating our 250th birthday as a country this year. I’m proud to know that the Martin family (wives too) was here through it all. Now I know where my adventurous spirit comes from!

Happy Researching

Deborah