Theodore Berryhill - Creek Nation - Dawes Commission Submitted by David Morgan dmorgan@efn.org ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net/ *********************************************************************** Theodore Berryhill was born in Buchanan County, Missouri, 20 October 1874. Theodore attended school for a while in Buchanan County, then his parents, George W. and Arianna Berryhill moved to the Creek Nation, Indian Territory. His parents settled in the Stone Bluff area. Theodore educated himself by acquiring books and educating himself at home. He may have attended one of the Indian schools for a while. When Theodore was seventeen years old, with his brother William, he moved out of his parents home and chose land for himself, according to his rights as a Creek citizen. Theodore wanted to farm and chose land a little west of the land his cousin, Ida (Berryhill) Glenn, had chosen. Another Indian had chosen this land and Theodore paid him fifteen dollars to let him have this land, not knowing that this would become part of the famous Glenpool oil strike. Oil was found of Theodore's land and he became very wealthy. Theodore Berryhill married Rilla Wilson in the Creek Nation. Theodore became a minister of the Independent Holiness Church. In 1907, Theodore moved his family to Sapulpa, Oklahoma. He also had a large ranch in Claremore. Theodore used a lot of his money helping those in need. Theodore Berryhill died in Sapulpa and is buried in the Sapulpa Cemetery. I have two death dates for him, but I have no idea which date is correct: one for 11 June 1911, and the other for 20 September 1924. Following is an excerpt from an interview with Robert D. Pitts, done by Grant Foreman in the "Indian and Pioneer History" of Oklahoma, done as a Public Works Project, on 22 December 1937. "I knew all the prominent people of Claremore during those days & one of my best friends and frequent visitors was WILL ROGERS. BERRYHILL and Roaker were the biggest ranchers in that section there and GLEN BERRYHILL, a son of REVEREND MR. THEODORE BERRYHILL, of Claremore, owned the land where the first oil wells were drilled in the Glenpool field. The field was named for Glen Berryhill." I am not sure that the Glenpool Oil Strike was named for Glen Berryhill. I believe it was named for Glen's cousin, Ida (Berryhill) Glen, who had the biggest oil strike in the Glenpool area. Following are the Creek Census Cards of Theodore Berryhill and his children: Dawes Name age sex DIB Father Mother No. Card No. 772 P.O. Mounds 31 Aug 1899 2519 Berryhill, Theodore 24 M 1/8 Geo W. Berryhill Arie A. 2520 Lony Love dau 3 F 1/16 No. 1 Rilla 2521 Jackson G. son 2 M 1/16 No. 1 Rilla 2522 Ollie dau 2 wks F 1/16 No. 1 Rilla New Born 987 P.O. Sapulpa 987 Berryhill, Ves 4 M 1/16 Theodore Berryhill Rilla 988 Earl 2 M 1/16 Theodore Berryhill Rilla --- The Story of John Berryhill and Elizabeth Derrisaw and Their Descendants This is an unpublished manuscript done by Thelma Nolen Cornfeld before her death in 1996. Her daughter Barbara gave me permission to put her research online. David Morgan