Reviews

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 www.oiwu.org  ( Order of Indian Wars of the United States)                                                                                           

Farmersville Times

Duncan Banner (OK), copy of original                                                            e-mails from readers

More Book Reviews

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 Lawton Constitution, Jun 27, 2005.

Bourland defends Red River

Texas northern frontier was rife with raids by marauding Indians. Several punitive counter raids were led by James G. Bourland, the first as early as 1841. During the Civil War he organized the "Border Regiment" and patrolled the Red River region. In 1864, he was placed in control of all Confederates troops on the northwestern frontier. His influence was felt from Fort Cobb down to Red River.

Patricia Adkins-Rochette has chronicled Colonel Bourland’s life in her new book, Bourland in North Texas and Indian Territory During the Civil War. This massive, 1,000-page tome, however is much more than the story of Bourland.  Rather Rochette has used his life as a framework to outline the Civil War era events from the South Canadian River to the Fort Worth area.

To better understand Bourland’s role during the Civil War, Rochette found it necessary to study all the Red River area Texas Militia brigades and the brigade at Fort Worth.

Her work is based on the Bourland Papers which consist of about 200 documents, which she transcribed. Contained in the papers are 225 militia listings of seven North Texas brigades along with brigade correspondence. The militia listings and correspondence are provided as appendixes.

Also in the appendixes are the entries from The Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies citing Fort Arbuckle and Fort Cobb that do not mention Colonel Bourland. Other appendixes include complete texts of Confederate treaties in Indian Territory, rosters of Stand Watie’s First Cherokee Regiment, and John Jumper’s Seminole Regiment, a study of the Tonkawa Massacre at Anadarko in October, 1862 with survivor lists, organizational charts for Texas State Troops and Indian Territory military posts and hideouts.

Rochette is to be congratulated for her supreme effort in making this material available. If your ancestor lived in the Red River region during the Civil War era, you will want to examine this book, even if your ancestor was not associated with Colonel Bourland.

Included in this book is a one-hundred page every-name index. The new resource book has been added to the Family History collection of the Lawton Public Library. For more information about the book, go to the website, bourlandcivilwar.com.

Paul Follett, Genealogy Department of the Lawton Public Library. To contact Paul, email pfollett@cityof.lawton.ok.us or write SWOGS, P.O. Box 148, Lawton, OK 73501.

Museum gets new book

After a riveting resume of the book by the author, complete with slides and overview, the new book Civil War in North Texas and the Indian Territory by Patricia Adkins-Rochette, was purchased by the McClain County Historical Society.

The book is available for viewing at the museum. In the event of numerous researchers, viewing periods may be limited by the curator, said Joyce Rex, curator of the museum.

The 1,000-plus page collection of historical facts and events includes data on pre-Civil War tension, militia lists, activities in the Indian Territory and forts, a tremendous collection of maps and eyewitness accounts as they happen and often, from more than one account.

Adkins has done a tremendous amount of research across the country to spotlight what went on in this area in a time period not chronicled by newspapers and eyewitness accounts.

From the Texas State Archives (organization of Texas Rangers) to War Department records of the Civil War, personal and private collections, even our own historical society’s 1890 Census of the Chickasaw Nation, I.T., she has included something for everyone.

The museum is open weekdays, noon to 4 p.m., except for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, when it will be closed Thursday and Friday. It is located at 203 Washington Street in Purcell.

The historical society’s Christmas open menu luncheon will be held Tuesday, December 13, at 11 a.m. at Kendall’s. To make reservations, call the museum at 527-7883.

Pauls Valley Democrat, Sep 11, 2005.

Adding a real gem

We are the very proud recipients of a wonderful research tool. One of our very loyal patrons gave us a copy of Bourland In North Texas & Indian Territory During the Civil War: Fort Cobb, Fort Arbuckle and the Wichita Mountains  .

Patti Adkins-Rochette is the author/ compiler of this magnificent 800-page volume.

It is well indexed, has great pictures and is an absolute "labor of love". There are over 50 pages about Fort Arbuckle alone, but the thing I find that will probably be the most help to researchers is the name index.

Great addition to our genealogy/ history research section.

"Bookmarks" column by Julia Embree

Patricia Adkins-Rochette, 580-252-2094
1509 Shadybrook Lane
Duncan, OK 73533

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Review by Donald Jones

This compilation study is monumental in both it's effort and scope. It is a veritable treasure trove for anyone researching the Texas frontier and the Indian Territory in the period immediately before, during, and after the Civil War; and it's copious rosters, name indexes, primary source materials, and maps are not to be found in any other single volume or work.

As with any other research that involves such a massive amount of primary material, (which in most cases had to be deciphered and transcribed by hand, with no cross references available), there are some typos and misspellings, but the author has an established and ongoing system of additions and corrections in place, in order to accommodate updated editions and mailings.

While it's value to the researcher lies mainly in it's source material and the unparalleled compilation of the major and minor players in Texas history during the period covered, (along with their local, county, and state level military, quasi-military, and ranger affiliation); it's value to the average reader lies in the chosen overview material, detailing the hardships of, and interrelationship between, Texan and Indian, and Texan and "Yankee." This overview, along with it's bibliography, will act as a catalyst for the reader, and compel him or her to pursue the subject matter in more narrative and subjective form.

This reviewer heartily recommends this work to historians everywhere, to anyone with a love of history and the Civil War, and to anyone who has an affinity with Texas.

Donald Jones
Research Historian

DJNJPI@aol.com