Oklahoma Rocking

By TAPS. - About Me - E-mail this page - Add to My Favorites - Add to Blog List - See other blogs in Family & Parenting

Thursday, December 18, 2025

9. Off To Roff

Every single time that Ben Sanders was under the weather, it was due to a respiratory ailment of some kind. Everyone worried because those who knew and loved him were aware that all twelve of his siblings, his birth mother and her sister and mother, all died of consumption or other respiratory... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, December 17, 2025

8. And I Only Have Eyes for You

They first saw each other at the County Fair at Tishomingo amidst the hoop-la of the Carnival. And from the time that Ollie Simpson saw Ben Sanders' dark wavy hair all slicked down, his blue eyes flashing at her, his white teeth in the midst of a big grin, she was hooked. She tried to feign an... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, December 16, 2025

7. We Are Finally Getting There

The Oklahoma Indian Territory of 1900 was a land of enchantment for the two men who had never before been there. From the time they left the Arkensas/Oklahoma border heading west, they bumped along with loaded wagon from town to town, mountain to valley, river to plain, remembering and enjoying... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, December 15, 2025

6. The Valley of the Vapors

In the forested hills of the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, the hot springs bubble, spout, steam, flow and pour down and out of the cliffs, over boulders and clefts, on down to the Lake Oachita, just as they have done since the beginning of time. The thermal waters flow out of the ground, a million... Sign in to see full entry.

5. Metamorphosis

Music and an interest in politics were now B.A.'s main interest in life, not counting his little church in Mena and his son. His son, 4 year-old Ben was his greatest joy in living. "That's my boy!" he would say to anyone who smiled or noticed him. He was determined to give him every opportunity in... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, December 14, 2025

The Arkansas Traveler

Ben was left, at age 40, with a newborn son, a wagon with supplies, a faith in God, and not much else. He named his son Aaron Benjamin, called him Ben, and from that point on he went by B.A. Sanders for himself. The doctor helped him find a cabin, and knew of a lady that could help him with the baby... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, December 13, 2025

3. Count Your Blessings

It was the month of October when they left the only home they had known together. They made a last visit to the cemetery on the hill above the church and said a teary last goodbye to their children. They prayed over the names on each marker and thanked God for the time that they had with each of... Sign in to see full entry.

2. The War Was Over

It was over, but nothing was the same. Having seen an over-abundance of death and dying in the wake of the more than 3,200 battles and skirmishes fought in what was probably the most divided state in the Civil War, the Sanders brothers of Tennessee were ready to fight for life and living. They... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, December 12, 2025

"King Cotton Reigns"

The State of Tennessee was the last State to leave the Union and join the Confederacy at the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. Tennessee furnished more soldiers for the Confederate Army than any other State and more soldiers for the Union Army than any other Southern State. The sons of James and... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, December 11, 2025

XI. Everything In Its Own Time

At the last years county fair Ivory had found himself a wife. She was a hard-working, sweet little thing and the family loved her. When they found themselves expecting a baby, they wanted a place of their own. They moved off to Roff in the Chickasaw Nation Indian Territory thirty miles from... Sign in to see full entry.

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