Life History

Notes

• Grover Cleveland Christian went by the name Cleve.  The 1900 censuslists Cleve as Cleveland.
  
  1900 Federal Census, Cass County, Texas, 13 January, Justice Precinct3, District 22, page 13A, Hse/Fam #40
  Christian, D Z  Head  W M  Feb 1858  42 Widowed MS England AL Farmer
  Christian, Walter  Son  W M  Nov 1879  20  TX MS TX Farm Laborer
  Christian, Jack  Son  W M  Jan 1883  17  TX MS TX Farm Laborer
  Christian, Cleveland   W M  Apr 1884  16 TX MS TX Farm Laborer
  Christian, Ora  Dau W F Apr 1887  13  TX MS TX At School
  Christian, Minnie Dau W  Sep 1878  F 10 TX MS TX At School
  
  In 1910 Cleve is working on his own, boarding with an older man,Benjamin Fletcher.  He is now in Mountain View township (but not MtView town) in Kiowa County, Oklahoma.
  
  1910 Federal Census, Kiowa County, Oklahoma, 13 January, Mountain ViewTownship, District 142, page 5B, Hse #244, Fam #249
  Christian, Cleve C  Boarder M W 24 TX US US Farmer
  
  In 1918, Cleve registered for the military draft.  He gives hisaddress as Bismark, McCurtain, Oklahoma, but his wife Sallie's address(registered as nearest relative) is Mountain View, Oklahoma.  Heregistered at Idabel in McCurtain County.  He had kinfolks in Idabel.I later learned he owned a ranch there.  His occupation in the draftregistration is given as Stockman.  In 1920, he is enumerated withSallie and his children in Mountain View, and he is described there asa Rancher.
  
  1920 Federal Census, Kiowa County, Oklahoma, 13 January, MountainView, District 142, page 5B, Hse/Fam #40
  Christian, Cleve   Head  M W 36 TX TX TX  Rancher
  [Other sources report his father born in Mississippi, including HaroldChristian's family information]
  Christian, Sallie Wife   F W 26  OK TX TX
  Christian, Cleva daughter F W 7 OK TX OK
  Christian, Harvey   son  M W 4  OK TX OK
  Christian, Vernon  son  M W 5mos OK TX OK (makes him born about July1919)
  
  In 1918, Cleve registered for the military draft.   In June of thatyear he registered in Idabel, the county seat of McCurtain County,Oklahoma, in the southeast corner of the state.  He gives his addressas Bismark, McCurtain, Oklahoma, but we know that he maintained hisprimary residence in Kiowa County, Oklahoma, in the west central partof the state.
  
  In his draft registration he gives his wife Sallie's address(registered as nearest relative) as Mountain View, Oklahoma.  Further,we have seen that in 1920 he is enumerated with Sallie in their homein Mountain View, Kiowa County.  They are enumerated in Kiowa again in1930.
  
  I interpreted his occupation in the draft registration as Stockman.To clarify this, I was later informed by Charles O Christian, adescendant of Cleve's cousin, that Cleve owned a ranch near WrightCity, Oklahoma.  In January 2008, Charles reported to me that hisfather had told him of an incident in which Cleve had been a member ofa sheriff's posse and was injured in a shootout with a criminal theposse was pursuing.
  
  More details of the event unfolded as Charles talked with his brotherabout this and traced down newspaper articles about the incident.News stories reporting this incident in two local papers specificallystate that Cleve lived in Mountain View but owned a ranch near WrightCity.
  
  Two stories in local McCurtain County papers detail the story, theValliant Tribune and the McCurtain Gazette (Idabel).  The storiesappeared in the issues of Wednesday, 16 August, 1922.  The incidentoccurred on August 14, 1922.
  
  An article in the McCurtain Daily Gazette, Idabel, Oklahoma, said hewas at the ranch on business when a shooting occurred and he was askedto join a posse.  On Sunday late afternoon 13 August 1922, a man namedClayton Thompson had killed two people on a farm owned by Sheriff BudFelker's brother. Cleve owned a farm next door to Felker's farm.  Thiswas about 6 miles north of Wright City, Oklahoma, in McCurtain County.
  
  Cleve, as a member of the posse, was driving the car containingSheriff Felker, a deputy named Richard Jones and Cleve's friend JohnBowling on their way to arrest the shooter in Wright City, Oklahoma.It seems that Cleve was asked to join the posse because he knew theshooter.  The sheriff also knew Thompson.  They met Thompson walkingon the road into Wright City, with a 30-30 rifle in his hand, whichhad been used to kill the farm manager and an 18-year-old worker.
  
  The four men approached Thompson in Cleve's car, and spoke with himinitially.  However, Thompson shot the sheriff twice, killing him withthe first shot.  A 3rd shot hit Cleve in the lower abdomen.  Before heran out of ammunition, he shot Bowling in the shoulder. The shootergot away from this encounter, but was later shot by Deputy Jones as heresisted when Jones tried to apprehend him.  Thompson died the nextday in the jail at Idabel, Oklahoma. Cleve and Bowling were taken tothe Broken Bow, Oklahoma, hospital, where they recovered.
  
  On Wednesday after the Monday shootout, the Valliant Tribune reportson Cleve's condition:  "Cleve Christian was shot through the body andprobably fatally wounded."  Cleve did recover, however.  The McCurtainGazette reported that Cleve was initially paralyzed from the waistdown, due to the inflammation and trauma, but the doctor's said hewould fully recover, he apparently did.
  
  A later article (date uncertain) in the Valliant paper reports thatCleve passed through Valliant, Oklahoma, en route to Enid, Oklahoma,stating he was able to walk but still weak and that the bullet wasstill in his body. This story also states that the bullet which hitCleve was not the third one as the earlier story said, but the secondone which hit Sheriff Felker in the back, went on through his body andhit Cleve.  The first shot, in Felker's temple, had killed him.  As heslumped forward, the second shot hit him in the back.
  
  The sheriff was in the back seat of the car, with his window downtalking to Thompson before things got wild.  Cleve was driving thecar. This would mean that the bullet had to go through the sheriff'sbody, the front seat and into Cleve's body.  Perhaps the velocity of a30-30 shot could do this.
  
  Charles says, "I think Cleve came by to see my Dad when he got out ofthe hospital because my brother remembers Dad talking about Cleve notbeing able to walk very well."
  
  1930 Federal Census, Kiowa County, Oklahoma, 9 April, Dill, District4, page 5B, Hse #101, Fam #102
  Christian, Cleve  Head  M W 46  TX MS MS  Farmer
  [Note that birthplace of both parents has changed!]
  Christian, Sallie Wife  F W 36  OK TX TX
  Christian, Cleva daughter F W 17 OK TX OK
  Christian, Harvey  son  M W 14  OK TX OK
  Christian, Vernon  son  M W 10  OK TX OK
  Christian, Harold  son  M W 7  OK TX OK
  Christian, James   son  M W 5  OK TX OK
  
  Both of Cleve's parents are reported as born in Mississippi in 1930,but Texas in 1920.  Family sources and other sources indicate Cleve'sfather was born in Mississippi and his mother in Texas.
  
  At some time after this census, Cleve and Sallie moved to Chickasha.They are listed in the Chickasha city directory in 1938.
  Chickasha City Directory 1938, p 52
  Christian Ceve (Sallie) farmer h 1108 W Minnesota av
  
  Chickasha was their residence when Cleve died the next year in anOklahoma City hospital.  His death certificate tells us he was still afarmer while living in the town of Chickasha.
  
  Cleve's cousin Charles O Christian obtained a copy of Cleve's deathcertificate for me in April 2008.  Here are some details from thecertificate:
  
  Death Certificate of Grover Cleveland Christian
  Oklahoma State Board of Health, issued 21 February 1939
  
  Died in Polyclinic Hospital, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Dr Anson Clarkin the Medical Arts Building signed the death certificate.  Dr Ansonhad been Cleve's attending physician since June 1934.
  Cause of death Uremia and Bilateral Renal Calculi
  Removed for burial in Chickasha, Oklahoma, undertaker W P Brown
  Residence Chickasha; occupation Farmer
  Parents D Z Christian, born Mississippi and Lizzie Petty, born inTexas
  Informant Neil Yates (brother-in-law, husband of Mary Netty JenkinsYates, sister of Cleve's wife Sallie Hester Jenkins Christian.

Sources

• 1. Harold K Christian, Pedigree Chart, January 1990
• 2. Rosehill Cemetery (Chickasha, Oklahoma) Registry
  • http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/ok/grady/cemeteries/rose03.txt
• 3. 1900 Federal Census, Cass County, Texas
  • 13 January, Justice Precinct 3, District 22, page 13A, Hse/Fam #40
• 4. 1920 Federal Census, Kiowa County, Oklahoma
  • 13 January, Mountain View, District 142, page 5B, Hse/Fam #40
• 5. 1910 Federal Census, Kiowa County, Oklahoma
  • 13 January, Mountain View, District 142, page 5B, Hse #244, Fam #249
• 6. 1930 Federal Census, Kiowa County, Oklahoma
  • 9 April, Dill, District 4, page 5B, Hse #101, fam #102
• 7. Death Certificate of Grover Cleveland Christian
  • Oklahoma State Board of Health, issued 21 February 1939
• 8. Chickasha (Oklahoma) City Directory 1938
  • p 52
• 9. Jenkins Family History by Harold Keith Christian
  • Name: Location:http://objgenealogy.com/articles/josephsanfordjenkinshistory.pdf;;
• 10. 1920 Federal Census, Kiowa County, Oklahoma
• 11. Social Security Death Index
• 12. 1920 Federal Census, Le Flore County, Oklahoma
  • 13 January, Mountain View, Kiowa, Oklahoma, District 142, page 5B,
• 13. Ancestry Trees
  • Sally Sue Christian,