A.N. and Addie McCauley Blackard were married at Addie's parent's home in Bethelhem, Ms. on 12/19/1900. The children born in Ms. are Gecrge Jefferson 12/O2/l901 Dewitt Franklin 05/07/1903 Eunice Lucille 03/15/1905 Eddie Mae O2/25/1907 Drew McCauley 12/17/1908 Elma Fae 11/03/1910 Elva Gae 11/03/1910 Sammie Harrison 01/29/19l2 In 1912, it was decided to move to Oklahoma. Grandpa Blackard (Andrew Jefferson) had already been out to: look at the land. A. N. (Drew) went first to Mount Pleasant, Texas and then went to visit some cousins (the Harrisons) at Seed Tick Crossing, known as Roy Roberts Road. He came to Valliant and bought 100 acres and two houses for $2500.00 from a Mr. Sisk. Aunt May and Uncle Dewitt moved to Oklahoma first, Aunt May was Addie's sister who was married to A.N,'s brother Dewit. A. N. followed in January, 1912. He rented either a boxcar or a cattle car on freight train and brought one or two milk cows, ten mules and the furniture from MS. A. N. rode in the caboose. The train traveled tbrouah Springfield, Missouri before going to Valient In December of 1911, probably on Christmas Eve, Drew Mc picked up A.N.'s new axe and accidently cut his toe off. The toe was found and the Doctor sewed it back on. They were told to leave it wrapped, but Addie checked it two or three days later and it had turned black. They returned to the Doctor and the toe had to be cut off again. When it was time for Addie to go to Oklahoma, she set off with seven children, age ten and under. Jeff was ten and went with her instead of with A.N. because, be could help carry Drew Mc who wasn't walking well because of the cut off toe. Eunice was almost seven and remembers helping with the twins, Eddie Mae was five and probably helped with the twins also. Drew Mc was three and still recovering from the cut off toe. The twins Fae and Gee, were fifteen months old and not walking yet, Sammie was an infant, only six weeks old Addie's brother, Frank, brought them all to Memphis to catch the train, When the time came for the train to leave, he just couldn't let Addie make the trip lone with all of the children, so be got on the train with only the clothes on his back and rode all the way to Oklaborna with her, Eunice remembers that they were a bunch of kids who bad hardly ever seen trains and cars. She remembers the train ride and all of the cars. Addie had a terrible headache and Eunice remembers,a kind lady helped them when they changed trains, They arrived in Valliant on 3/15/1912 which was Eunice's 7th. birthday. Aunt May had supper ready when they arrived that night. At the time, Aunt May and uncle Dewitt lived not far up the road from A. N. and Addie. They all visited a lot, Life would have been really hard for the sisters, Addie and May, if they had not all moved to Oklahoma at the same time. A. N. and Addie's first house in Oklahoma was small with just four rooms. This house was torn down ind a large two story home was built. Three sons were born to A. N. and Addie after the move to Oklahoma. They are: Willie Elon 08/13/1914 Ernest Odell 04/13/1919 Otis Derrel 08/08/192l A. N. grew cotton, corn and sorghum cane, He had a sorghum mill and would make syrup for other farmers on a 1/2 basis He would make the sorgham for then and keep half of it. In the fall of 1928 a cook stove fire caught the two story house on fire and it was destroyed. Addie was washing clothes in the branch, Eunice was picking cotton and some of the kids were in school or working away from home. A. N. and some neighbors were building a barn. Mr. Ponds was near where Frank's home is today and said be could hear the fire roaring. He came over in his Model-T Ford. Frank did not learn about the fire for two or three days after it happened. The home which stands today was built in the winter of 1928-29. This is the home that the grandchildren and great- grandchildren remember and where we still gather as a family, ninety-four years after the marriage of A. N. and Addie which started this wonderful family. At last count and as accurately as possible, A. N. and Addie had eleven children, twenty-five grandchildren, fifty-five greatgrandchildren, twenty-four great-great-grandchildren and inlaws, cousins and friends too numerous to count.