The life of John B "Johnnie" Cline

 John B. Cline was in many ways a mystery.  No one knows who his parents were or where they came from.  Family lore has it that John's father was wanted for murder and escaped prosecution by fleeing from the "north".  Whatever that means!  He also changed his name from "Miller" to Cline"  The story has been told that he was from Dutch origin.  However, no one I have tested on that line has any Dutch ancestry.  So that could be a lie or John simply had no idea.  In various census records John tells the census workers that his father was either from Tennessee or just from the US. (being very vague)  His mother was listed as either being born in Arkansas or Tennessee.   So it is anyone's guess what the true story is.  

 John Cline


John was born on October 4, 1846 and in various censuses he gives either Mississippi or Missouri as his place of birth.  I lean more to Missouri.   We have no idea if he had any brothers or sisters.  He has not been found on the 1850 or 1860 census records, but he does show up on the 1870 census married to a Sarah Catherine Cline (McKinley).  They lived in Cooke County Texas with the closest post office being in Gainesville.  He was employed as a farm laborer and she was listed as "keeping house".   One of the census' questions was to list if they had been married in the past year and they did say they had been married in November of 1869.

 

Gainesville,  Texas  from the Morton Museum of Cooke County, Gainesville

   
On September 29, 1871, Sarah gave birth to Jacob A. Cline in Wise County Texas.   Sarah either died in childbirth or died not long after giving birth to Jacob, since John was remarried  by 1872.  It is not known where Sarah is buried, but my guess it is either in Wise or Cooke County Texas.  

 

JACOB CLINE


John remarried on May 29, 1872 to Nancy Elizabeth Davis in Cooke County Texas.  They both show up in the 1880 census living in Wise County Texas.  Jacob is nine years old and he now has a sister, Lucy Ann Cline, who was born on the 18th of July 1876.  John is listed as a farmer and Nancy is listed as "keeping house".   John and Nancy had one more child, Rhoda W. Cline, born on December 16, 1880.

 

Nancy Elizabeth Davis Cline 

 

For some reason (was he hiding?) John does not show up in the 1900 or 1910 census records.  However, his wife Nancy shows up living with her daughter in the 1910 census and tells the census worker she is a widow.  ( I have seen them lie on the census records before, so I am not surprised)  Maybe John was in jail, but that is just a guess.  They both show up again in the 1920 census as living in the Confederate Old Soldier's home in Ardmore, Oklahoma.  The building still stands in Ardmore today, but is just called the Veteran's Home.  I did find the following old pictures of the building.  



In 1910, the state of Oklahoma provided the funds to build this home for confederate veterans in Ardmore and it was finished in 1911.  It provided a place for veterans and their wives to lived until 1942. It is the only confederate home still standing in the US.  

 

Rhoda Cline Casy and John Casy

John's daughter Rhoda died at the age of 36 in Muskogee, Oklahoma in June of 1917.  She left behind two young daughters, Edna Rose and Elva M. Casy.  

John's other daughter Lucy Ann Cline was married three times and had nine children.  She died in Oilton, Oklahoma on January 17, 1956.  

 

 


   

 

 Nancy Cline, John's second wife passed away in Creek County Oklahoma on February 13, 1924.  She is buried in the Jennings Cemetery in Pawnee County.  

 

John and Nancy Cline 


   John is next found in the 1930 census living with his daughter Lucy Ann and her husband Hiram Holland near Felker, Arkansas.   I don't think the family lived in Arkansas long because three years later John passed away on January 8, 1933 in Oilton, Oklahoma and is buried in the Jennings cemetery. 

We recently visited the Jennings cemetery and found the graves of his wife Nancy, daughter Lucy Ann Holland and his grandson Bill Caldwell.   Find a Grave states that John is also buried in Jennings cemetery.  There is not a headstone for him but next to Nancy's grave is a slap of stone with no markings.  I am going to assume that is where John is buried.  

 

Nancy Elizabeth Davis Cline



 Nancy's stone has fallen off it's base, which it makes it hard to locate.   



          Lucy Ann Cline Holland Grave

 
 
Between the grave of Lucy Ann Holland and Nancy Cline is a little stone marker.  This, I believe is marking the grave of John Cline. 


 
 
 
To the right of Nancy's grave sits the grave of John and Nancy's grandson William "Bill" Caldwell 



 



     
 

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