Dear Paul:

 

I just finished reading some of your articles on Keota via your "Keotechnology".  Well done,

beautiful sites. 

 

My mother and father were born (1911) and raised in Keota.  My father's name was Bruce

Elliott GINGLES (pronounced like "jingles").   His parents came from Arkansas in 1898 to IT

and settled a mountain 5 miles east of Keota.  They established their home and the GINGLES

Schoolhouse up on the mountain.  It was known as GINGLES Mountain.  I noted in one of

your articles your reference to "Jingle Mountain". I just felt I needed to let you know so you

could correct "Jingle Mountain" to GINGLES Mountain. 

 

My father graduated from Keota High School in 1931.  His father owned the grocery store

in town-- the store that has the name BONHAM in tiles in the front door's threshhold.  He

was Bruce Albert GINGLES.  He owned the GINGLES Grocery for a number of years, then,

in 1935 he died, and my father had to come home from college to take over proprietorship.

 

My mother was Margaret MERRIMAN.  Her family had a house in town (which is still there). 

She graduated from Keota High School ini 1929.  After two years at the Tallaqua teachers

college she returned to Keota where, at first, she taught in an Indian school, then she taught 

primary grades at  the Keota School for the rest of the depression years.  She and my dad

married in 1939.  When the war came the end of 1941, they sold the store and moved here

to San Diego where my dad built airplanes and my mother did secretarial work for the war

effort. 

 

My mother's father was S. A. ("Gus")  MERRIMAN, Esq.  He was a school teacher, lawyer,

and musician.  He wrote the civil laws for Haskell Co.  I understand, from a cousin, that his

original handwritten documents are still in the basement of the county courthouse.  He originally

came to IT Choctaw Nation in 1895 as a teacher.  He spoke Choctaw and taught in the

Choctaw Schools at first, then taught the English-speaking settlers' children.  My grandmother,

Pearl BUTLER, was one of his students, and upon her graduation and 18th birthday, they married. 

Thank you for your ear...

 

Respectfully,               Sheila GINGLES Lorenz