died in Texas in 1926. He had a wife and seven children. He moved his family from Tennessee to Texas
in the late 1800's, arriving in Texas after 1893. All the basic information you learn when you
first begin the family tree....
and basically kinda cut and dry......
Going back over my notes recently...and doing a bit more research I discovered that John Brooks
worked for the railroad...( I had been told by other Brooks researchers that we had lots of rail road people in our family ,but I never had any proof that my Brooks was a railroad man too !!)
In fact he lists his occupation as a Grader for the railroad.
I also discovered that in the 1900 census they are living in a tent at Fort Gibson , Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory...
Living in a tent ? Sounded strange to me too till I did some more research and discovered that a lot of towns did not exist until the Land Rush....
The Land Rush Of Oklahoma...1889, April 22nd ...at noon that day ...thousands of people rushed
out to claim land....
I have yet to figure out why my long ago relatives who came from Tenn....through Missouri than
to Texas went to Oklahoma. Maybe John was of one the many men who were laying track for the railroad
into Oklahoma...( Oklahoma did not become a state till 1907)
Maybe they went to claim land....but since all his family ended back up in Texas in the next few years I doubt that...
His wife died along the way to Oklahoma...and is buried in the county next to where I live now...years ago we found the cemetery where she is buried...and her headstone....the lone Brooks headstone stands alone.
