Joseph Johnson Lindley was the first born child of Thomas Jefferson Lindley and Martha Elizabeth Branson. His siblings were:
Eli Duncan Lindley
1866 – 1944
Novellar Claudiua Lindley
1869 – 1934
Belle Lindley
1871 – uknown
Thomas Jefferson Lindley
1880 – unknown
Charles Randolph Lindley
1882 – 1939
On November 26, 1882, in Dexter, Cooke County, Texas, JJ married a beautiful young lady named Mary Rebecca Cole. Together they had eight children, the first of whom, Lilly, died in infancy:
Lilly Lindley
1883 – 1884
Thomas Elijah Lindley
1886 –
Josie Matilda Lindley
1888 – 1945
Lelah Matson Lindley
1890 – 1975
Rhoda Gertrude Lindley
1893 – 1977
Charles D Lindley
1895 – 1908
Jodie Lawson Lindley
1898 – 1986
William Frank Lindley
1901 – 1981
Sometime around 1889 with two children in tow, the family moved to Pontotoc, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory, which later became Oklahoma. Mary gave birth to five more children in Oklahoma and worked side by side with her husband JJ on their ranch while raising their large brood of children. All of the children, including the girls, learned to ride and shoot, which were handy skills to have back then.
JJ Lindley was my grandmother, Opal May Smith's, grandfather. She said he raised "blooded" horses and could handle any horse and broke them himself. He used to drive a handsome team of horses hitched to a nice wagon. All of JJ's kids could ride horses but after one of the Smith boys fell off a horse, catching his foot in the stirrup leathers, and was dragged to death, JJ would not allow any of the kids to ride with a saddle any more until they grew tall enough to reach the stirrups. They had to ride bareback. I believe it was Thomas Sherman Smith's son that was dragged to death and is buried in the Dripping Springs Cemetery, Maud, Oklahoma. http://www.okcemeteries.net/pott/dripspr/drippingsprings.htm
Opal said that she used to hide behind the chimney of JJ's home and peek around the corner to watch him as he danced outside by himself in back of the house. She said he was quite a good dancer. It appeared to be similar to Irish Step Dancing, she said.
Joseph also served as a detective for the Cattlemen's Association, tracking stolen herds, which meant his wife and baby Lilly were alone a lot. In addition to his ranch and raising/breaking/trading horses, he was a tailor who made men's suits. He was the only man with unlined suits because he never had time to line them. Since he made more money ranching he didn't do the tailoring long. He could make silver trimming for the horses' harnesses too.
JJ was in demand with all the little girls of the family because he could braid their hair with four strands instead of the usual three, a talent picked up no doubt from braiding horses' manes and tails.
JJ was a member of the Masonic Lodge for 39 years and they officiated at his graveside service.
According to JJ's obituary, he died peacefully in his sleep in Alex, Oklahoma after suffering from heart trouble for many years.
Eli Duncan Lindley
1866 – 1944
Novellar Claudiua Lindley
1869 – 1934
Belle Lindley
1871 – uknown
Thomas Jefferson Lindley
1880 – unknown
Charles Randolph Lindley
1882 – 1939
On November 26, 1882, in Dexter, Cooke County, Texas, JJ married a beautiful young lady named Mary Rebecca Cole. Together they had eight children, the first of whom, Lilly, died in infancy:
Lilly Lindley
1883 – 1884
Thomas Elijah Lindley
1886 –
Josie Matilda Lindley
1888 – 1945
Lelah Matson Lindley
1890 – 1975
Rhoda Gertrude Lindley
1893 – 1977
Charles D Lindley
1895 – 1908
Jodie Lawson Lindley
1898 – 1986
William Frank Lindley
1901 – 1981
Sometime around 1889 with two children in tow, the family moved to Pontotoc, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory, which later became Oklahoma. Mary gave birth to five more children in Oklahoma and worked side by side with her husband JJ on their ranch while raising their large brood of children. All of the children, including the girls, learned to ride and shoot, which were handy skills to have back then.
JJ Lindley was my grandmother, Opal May Smith's, grandfather. She said he raised "blooded" horses and could handle any horse and broke them himself. He used to drive a handsome team of horses hitched to a nice wagon. All of JJ's kids could ride horses but after one of the Smith boys fell off a horse, catching his foot in the stirrup leathers, and was dragged to death, JJ would not allow any of the kids to ride with a saddle any more until they grew tall enough to reach the stirrups. They had to ride bareback. I believe it was Thomas Sherman Smith's son that was dragged to death and is buried in the Dripping Springs Cemetery, Maud, Oklahoma. http://www.okcemeteries.net/pott/dripspr/drippingsprings.htm
Opal said that she used to hide behind the chimney of JJ's home and peek around the corner to watch him as he danced outside by himself in back of the house. She said he was quite a good dancer. It appeared to be similar to Irish Step Dancing, she said.
Joseph also served as a detective for the Cattlemen's Association, tracking stolen herds, which meant his wife and baby Lilly were alone a lot. In addition to his ranch and raising/breaking/trading horses, he was a tailor who made men's suits. He was the only man with unlined suits because he never had time to line them. Since he made more money ranching he didn't do the tailoring long. He could make silver trimming for the horses' harnesses too.
JJ was in demand with all the little girls of the family because he could braid their hair with four strands instead of the usual three, a talent picked up no doubt from braiding horses' manes and tails.
JJ was a member of the Masonic Lodge for 39 years and they officiated at his graveside service.
According to JJ's obituary, he died peacefully in his sleep in Alex, Oklahoma after suffering from heart trouble for many years.
Joseph Johnson Lindley was the first born child of Thomas Jefferson Lindley and Martha Elizabeth Branson. His siblings were:
Eli Duncan Lindley
1866 – 1944
Novellar Claudiua Lindley
1869 – 1934
Belle Lindley
1871 – uknown
Thomas Jefferson Lindley
1880 – unknown
Charles Randolph Lindley
1882 – 1939
On November 26, 1882, in Dexter, Cooke County, Texas, JJ married a beautiful young lady named Mary Rebecca Cole. Together they had eight children, the first of whom, Lilly, died in infancy:
Lilly Lindley
1883 – 1884
Thomas Elijah Lindley
1886 –
Josie Matilda Lindley
1888 – 1945
Lelah Matson Lindley
1890 – 1975
Rhoda Gertrude Lindley
1893 – 1977
Charles D Lindley
1895 – 1908
Jodie Lawson Lindley
1898 – 1986
William Frank Lindley
1901 – 1981
Sometime around 1889 with two children in tow, the family moved to Pontotoc, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory, which later became Oklahoma. Mary gave birth to five more children in Oklahoma and worked side by side with her husband JJ on their ranch while raising their large brood of children. All of the children, including the girls, learned to ride and shoot, which were handy skills to have back then.
JJ Lindley was my grandmother, Opal May Smith's, grandfather. She said he raised "blooded" horses and could handle any horse and broke them himself. He used to drive a handsome team of horses hitched to a nice wagon. All of JJ's kids could ride horses but after one of the Smith boys fell off a horse, catching his foot in the stirrup leathers, and was dragged to death, JJ would not allow any of the kids to ride with a saddle any more until they grew tall enough to reach the stirrups. They had to ride bareback. I believe it was Thomas Sherman Smith's son that was dragged to death and is buried in the Dripping Springs Cemetery, Maud, Oklahoma. http://www.okcemeteries.net/pott/dripspr/drippingsprings.htm
Opal said that she used to hide behind the chimney of JJ's home and peek around the corner to watch him as he danced outside by himself in back of the house. She said he was quite a good dancer. It appeared to be similar to Irish Step Dancing, she said.
Joseph also served as a detective for the Cattlemen's Association, tracking stolen herds, which meant his wife and baby Lilly were alone a lot. In addition to his ranch and raising/breaking/trading horses, he was a tailor who made men's suits. He was the only man with unlined suits because he never had time to line them. Since he made more money ranching he didn't do the tailoring long. He could make silver trimming for the horses' harnesses too.
JJ was in demand with all the little girls of the family because he could braid their hair with four strands instead of the usual three, a talent picked up no doubt from braiding horses' manes and tails.
JJ was a member of the Masonic Lodge for 39 years and they officiated at his graveside service.
According to JJ's obituary, he died peacefully in his sleep in Alex, Oklahoma after suffering from heart trouble for many years.
Eli Duncan Lindley
1866 – 1944
Novellar Claudiua Lindley
1869 – 1934
Belle Lindley
1871 – uknown
Thomas Jefferson Lindley
1880 – unknown
Charles Randolph Lindley
1882 – 1939
On November 26, 1882, in Dexter, Cooke County, Texas, JJ married a beautiful young lady named Mary Rebecca Cole. Together they had eight children, the first of whom, Lilly, died in infancy:
Lilly Lindley
1883 – 1884
Thomas Elijah Lindley
1886 –
Josie Matilda Lindley
1888 – 1945
Lelah Matson Lindley
1890 – 1975
Rhoda Gertrude Lindley
1893 – 1977
Charles D Lindley
1895 – 1908
Jodie Lawson Lindley
1898 – 1986
William Frank Lindley
1901 – 1981
Sometime around 1889 with two children in tow, the family moved to Pontotoc, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory, which later became Oklahoma. Mary gave birth to five more children in Oklahoma and worked side by side with her husband JJ on their ranch while raising their large brood of children. All of the children, including the girls, learned to ride and shoot, which were handy skills to have back then.
JJ Lindley was my grandmother, Opal May Smith's, grandfather. She said he raised "blooded" horses and could handle any horse and broke them himself. He used to drive a handsome team of horses hitched to a nice wagon. All of JJ's kids could ride horses but after one of the Smith boys fell off a horse, catching his foot in the stirrup leathers, and was dragged to death, JJ would not allow any of the kids to ride with a saddle any more until they grew tall enough to reach the stirrups. They had to ride bareback. I believe it was Thomas Sherman Smith's son that was dragged to death and is buried in the Dripping Springs Cemetery, Maud, Oklahoma. http://www.okcemeteries.net/pott/dripspr/drippingsprings.htm
Opal said that she used to hide behind the chimney of JJ's home and peek around the corner to watch him as he danced outside by himself in back of the house. She said he was quite a good dancer. It appeared to be similar to Irish Step Dancing, she said.
Joseph also served as a detective for the Cattlemen's Association, tracking stolen herds, which meant his wife and baby Lilly were alone a lot. In addition to his ranch and raising/breaking/trading horses, he was a tailor who made men's suits. He was the only man with unlined suits because he never had time to line them. Since he made more money ranching he didn't do the tailoring long. He could make silver trimming for the horses' harnesses too.
JJ was in demand with all the little girls of the family because he could braid their hair with four strands instead of the usual three, a talent picked up no doubt from braiding horses' manes and tails.
JJ was a member of the Masonic Lodge for 39 years and they officiated at his graveside service.
According to JJ's obituary, he died peacefully in his sleep in Alex, Oklahoma after suffering from heart trouble for many years.
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