>> I'd like to know what else you run accross on Jacob, my gggg grandfather, and his son John W., my ggg grandfather. John's son Franklin Pierce West, my gg grandfather, operated the ferry on the Canadian south of Briartown and he and Sam Starr (husband of Belle Starr) killed each other in a shoot out at Whitefield. Frank West was married to Nancy Ella Brewer (my gg grandmother), sister of Capt OHP "Perry" Brewer of the 2nd Cherokee Mtd Vols (Adair's Rgt). Our webmaster, Jim Martin, and I are 'double cousins' so we share a common ancestry on both sides of our families.<<

Great to "meet" you, so to speak. ;) I'm Robert Timothy West, and I go by "Tim". I was born in Tulsa, though I wasn't there long. My father was James Robert West, who similarly went by "Bob". He was born in Warner, OK, still right there in the area we're discussig, South of Fort Gibson . My grandfather was William Emmet West, a cowboy who nonetheless traveled to places like Tibet, China (multiple times) and Haiti, and worked for some years for Frank Phillips at the Woolaroc Ranch, the Phillips spread in Oklahoma, before it was a museum with statues of the Old Settlers and Belle Starr. That means that my g-g-grandfather was this guy, William Moseley West:

Which means we share ancestors from his father John W. (I'm betting "Wesely") back. And mysteries.

My father had this photo printed mounted in an oval frame, it's in my living room now. Little kids recognize the photo; they think it's me with a mustache. Friendly-looking guy, huh? ;)

He lived up to his visage. The family oral tradition, the story I grew up hearing, was that "Bill" West was buried without his head, that having been taken as "proof" by the bounty hunter that finally got him.

Never let it be said that our family lacked for interesting characters.