The fourth issue of 2025 features an extensive look at Oklahoma’s long and storied road to statehood and beyond, plus many tips for finding genealogical and historical records – the Sooner State, as it turns out, has a treasure trove waiting to be explored! Feature articles include:

● When Red Meant Radical: Oklahoma Red Dirt Socialism - This article was inspired by discovering my great grandfather once ran for office in the Territory as a Socialist. In America the rise of Progressivism, the idea that social reform can bring about the betterment of society, began around 1890 and was advocated strongly until around 1920. Woodrow Wilson, America’s most progressive president, shepherded the country through a tumultuous period of economic, political and geopolitical change.

● A Wild Ride Through Divided Territory: Oklahoma and the Civil War - While the national debate over slavery raged throughout the nation, Oklahoma, then known as Indian Territory, didn’t really have much of a “dog in the fight”. After all, the most contentious issues facing America were rooted in states’ rights, and Indian Territory, although home to many slaves, was only slightly affected. Still, as it turns out, the territory would play a pivotal role as Confederates plotted a takeover – from north to south and east to west.

● Dying (or Lying) to Get on the Dawes Rolls (or how my ancestors were Indians one minute, and the next not so much) - More than a few people tried to (and succeeded, at least initially) to get on the Dawes Rolls. While some were already living in Indian Territory, some were living elsewhere. Such was the case of the extended family of my third great grandmother, Elizabeth Louisa Boone Hensley Brummett Dodson.

● Mining Genealogical Gold: Finding Historical Oklahoma Records (and the stories behind them) - Every state in the United States is unique, and no matter whether it’s been around since the nation’s dawning or came in near the “tail end” as the 46th, each and every one has a long and storied history. Oklahoma is no exception, and as it turns out there are extensive collections of records and historical data to complement your research.

● Too Tough to Die (no matter how old she really was) - This woman, known to the country throughout the 1930s until her death in 1946 as “Aunt Lizzie Devers”, was quite a character. To research her entire life, however, would be a monumental challenge for even the most experienced and wells-seasoned genealogist. In fact, it appears there is only one person at Ancestry.com who has attempted and there is no guarantee as to its veracity.