DEMA ADELINE (HANKINS) SKELTON
(January 22, 1894 - November 26, 1966)
Dema Adeline (Hankins) Skelton/John H. Hankins & Louiza Price (Jackson) Hankins/Moses Terrell Jackson & Cordelia (Nichols) Jackson/Franklin Jackson & Rebecca (Harris) Jackson/William R. Jackson & Unknown (Humphries) Jackson

Dema Adeline (Hankins) Skelton (pronounced "Deemie"), aged 72, was born January 22, 1894 in Gillham, Sevier County, Arkansas to John Hankins and Louiza (Jackson) Hankins.

Dema Adeline Hankins married Roy Lee Skelton on January 28, 1912 in Millerton, Oklahoma. I was told that the John Perry Skelton Family and the John Hankins Family lived just across the road from each other in Millerton, and that's how Roy and Dema Hankins met...they were neighbors.

Roy and Dema only had two (2) children. Their first child was born on March 24, 1913 and died on January 22, 1984 at almost 71 years old. That child was my mother, Beatrice Evazee (Skelton) Baker (Valliant, McCurtain County, OK Cemetery). Their second child, Clyde Edward Skelton was born on January 3, 1922 and died on his 75th Birthday, January 3, 1997 (Joe Slater Cemetery, Wright City, McCurtain County, OK).

Dema (Hankins) Skelton's parents were John H. Hankins and Louisa Price (Jackson) Hankins. (both buried at Wheelock Cemetery, Millerton, McCurtain County, OK) Her maternal grandparents were Moses Terrell Jackson and Cordelia (Nichols) Jackson. Her maternal great grandparents were Franklin Jackson and Rebecca (Harris) Jackson.
Her paternal grandparents were James Monroe Hankins, Sr. and a Sarah Ann (Daniel) Hankins.

Her brothers and sisters were William Henry Hankins (1881-unknown), Mattie frances (Hankins) (Miller) Farris (1883-1978), Clevincy Elminie "Minie" (Hankins) (Kimble) (Burks) (1884-1913), Annie Lannam (Hankins) Barnett (1885-1968) Clora Ethel (Hankins) Dotson (1890-1972), Rebecca "Becky" King (1892-1968), Cordelia "Cordie" (Hankins) (Roden) Hatch (1897-1972), Comer R. Hankins (1899-bfr 1910), Ollie (Hankins) (Mahon) Bramlett (1902-1978) and Ada (Hankins) McCafferty (1907-1945). We believe that Comer Hankins and and another infant son had already died before 1910. There were 12 children born to John Hankins and Louiza (Jackson) Hankins...9 daughters and 3 sons.

Dema and her husband, Roy Lee Skelton celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary in 1962 and had been married 54 years at the time of her death. If she washed the dishes, he would dry, and if he washed the dishes, she would dry. They worked together very well.

"Granny" loved her grandchildren and all children. She always seemed to have candy and gum available. She cooked on an old wood cook-stove and still wanted to use it, even though she could have had a new gas stove. She had a pie safe and cooked lots of pies. She liked to sew and made some beautiful quilts. She used an old wooden quilting frame that would let down and roll back up to the ceiling. She and Roy did the laundry with a wash tub and rub board on the east side of their house in Mt. Zion Community, just southeast of Valliant, OK.

I don't believe that Dema Skelton was that religious, as I never heard her quoting scriptures or anything, but she certainly had high morals when it came to how women dressed. When watching television, if she saw a woman who was scantilly clad, she would politely get up and turn off the television. She would be appalled, for sure, if she had lived to see some of the things they now have on T.V. She also thought it was a disgrace for women or girls to wear shorts or pants! I think that somehow, if she had lived, she would have finally adapted to all those things, as everyone else has done. lol

Some of the places (all in McCurtain County) that Dema and Roy Skelton lived were Millerton, OK; Farmers' Hill Community, southeast of Valliant, OK, Mt. Zion Community, just southeast of Valliant, OK; Wright City, OK, and they were living back in Mt. Zion Community when they both passed away. Roy had retired from working at Dierks Lumber Mill in Wright City, OK. Earlier on, in the years around 1939, Roy and Dema grew Cotton and Peanuts. This was before he got the job at Dierks and they had moved to Wright City, OK.

Dema (Hankins) Skelton had Diabetes for a very long time and was in pretty bad health the last years of her life. She had lots of problems with her legs. The facts were that when she was a young girl, whe was dragged by a horse, which injured the front of both legs, and later she fell though a wooden porch and injured them again. They never would heal completely, and she had to keep them bandaged a lot. The skin on the front of her legs turned black.

When she passed away on November 26,1966 in Hugo, Choctaw County, Oklahoma Hospital, she had just had a leg amputated...she lived only a couple days after that.

Dema Adeline (Hankins) Skelton was a very nice and caring lady...

Helen (Baker) Foglesong, her granddaughter