James Benjamine Atchley Family by Ellouise Atchley Bumpass

James Benjamine Atchley was born October 7, 1874 in Trenton, Jackson County, Alabama, to Benjamine William and Sarah L. (Martin) Atchley. His family were farmers. He had brothers and sisters; Betty (Atchley) Lane, Jane Atchley, Mary (Atchley) Preston, Nancy (Atchley) Taymon, Fannie Lou (Atchley) Justice, Lillie May (Atchley) Jones and William Joseph Atchley.

James married Margaret Elizabeth Kennedy, August 1, 1899 in Jackson County, Alabama. Margaret Elizabeth Kennedy was born June 23, 1884 in Trenton, Jackson County, Alabama to Richard Grant and Milicent Gemima (Williams) Kennedy. James and Margaret lived near their families in Trenton. They had three children born at Trenton. Only one survived. The other two are buried in Old Bottom Cemetery (aka Webb Cemetery) at Trenton both graves have no tombstones but both have stones marking their graves. The one who lived was Richard Franklin (1900 US Census has Richard Franklin Atchley listed as Nathan. The census was taken in June and Richard Franklin was born May 28, 1900.)

In December 1902 (confusing since their third child was born in 1903 and died in Trenton), James and Margaret packed up their family and all their belongings, put them on rail cars and made the long trip to Indian Territory, to settle near Wynnewood. They went back to Alabama for a short time in 1907. By 1910, they were back in Wynnewood. In 1911, they moved to Omaha, Morris County, Texas, with Margaret's parents. They did not like it here, either, so they moved back to Wynnewood.

In 1916, it was time for James and Margaret to settle down and raise their family, which had grown by five. They bought land in Coyle TWP, which is present day Iona. Here they had four more children born to them, making a total of twelve, nine living. they remained here and raised their children, saw them all married, and watched the arrival of their grandchildren. Jim farmed and raised livestock. they sold the extra for money to buy the things they could not produce. They had plenty of help on the farm with all the children. Leroy, said they always had good food to eat. He remembered carrying his lunch to school, and trading his good ham and biscuits for peanut butter and crackers. As a treat for the children, when they would make a trip by wagon, to Wynnewood or Sulphur, James would buy them a box of crackers and a pound of cheese, for lunch, I remember spending the night with Grandma when I was a little girl, and sleeping in her homemade feather bed and waking up in the morning to fluffy biscuits, fried rabbit and gravy. In 1946, James and Margaret moved to Roosevelt, Oklahoma. Three of their children, Horace, Leroy and Grace and their families had moved there to farm. James died at Hobart, May 27, 1949. Margaret stayed here until 1943. She moved near Dougherty, near Leroy, who had just lost a young son. She moved to Davis in 1959, and remained here until her death, January 20, 1966, after a long and happy life. James and Margaret are buried in Oaklawn Cemetery in Wynnewood.

Page 232 Oklahoma Historical Society Murray County Book