Before I fell in love with genealogy I loved working with wood. We ended up moving and I didn’t have a good place for a work shop. I was working putting a roof on my deck outback and fell two steps off of a ladder and broke my hip. My wife made a huge mistake and taught me how to use a computer. Before I retired I repaired copying machines for a living. A copier you can push a button and something happens. Not so with a computer. The stupid thing ask you if you are sure you want to do that. Of course I’m sure I want to do that or I wouldn’t have told you to do it. But any way I have learned an awful lot in 4 ½ years and still learning and I can’t quit chasing my ancestors. I knew my Fathers name of course and I knew my Grandfathers  name and I knew he was born in Missouri. I knew my Grandmothers maiden name. That was about all I knew about my Fathers parents. My Mother always said that my Grandpa Spratt was a very kind and gentle man. He died in 1946 a year before I was born. So I never knew him. My Mother did not like her mother in law for some unknown reason. The only reason I can find is my Mothers family came from the south and my Grandma Spratt “ The Cass family” came from Ohio and her Father was a Prisoner of War at Andersonville Prison during the Civil War. That is the only reason I can find for them not getting along. Maybe my Grandma Spratt made a comment about my Mother’s family being Rebels.

But my Grandpa Andrew Johnson Spratt didn’t have such an easy life either. He was born January 1 1867 in Clay County Missouri which is just north of Kansas City. By 1870 census his Father was not around . I will get into that story in another episode. He was living with his Mother a half brother and a sister. We are not sure if this sister was a full sister or a half sister because this is the only census we have her in . She was listed as a Spratt but so was everyone else in this census. Later on the half brother was listed as an Oldham. But Andrew finally met a woman named Elma Viola Cass and they were married August 24 1886 in Franklin County Kansas.

Andrew Johnson Spratt and Elma Viola Cass Spratt

This is the only picture I have of them together.

 Soon they had a son named William LeRoy “Roy” born December 27 1887 Then there was Estella Verline “Stella” Born July 30 1895 both of these children was born in Franklin County Kansas. Andrew and his family decided to move to Arkansas. They moved to Sugar Loaf Township of Sebastion County Arkansas near Fort Smith and Myrtle Gertrude was born May 15 1898. In July 1899 Andrew setteled on 40 acres of land to homestead it .  January 22 1901 Aldo Irvine “ Archie” was born. And April 28 1903 Victor Murdock “Doc” was born . In July 1904 Andrew’s Homestead was signed and his 40 acres was all his. Then September 28 1905 Walter Johnson was born and April 15 1907 Mary Nancy “ Nannie “ was born. I guess this 40 acre farm was getting too small for Andrew and his growing family. They didn’t live very far from Oklahoma and the news traveled fast. Oklahoma  became a new state in November 1907 and their was a lot of land for sale cheap. Andrew talked to his younger brother in law who had just got married in 1902 and they decided to move to Oklahoma together.In March 1908 they loaded up in a wagon and started on there journey to Oklahoma. They made it to Pittsburg Crawford County Kansas. The reason I know that is that is where Andrew’s sister in law died on the way to Oklahoma.  We are not sure which way they traveled after that but we do know they made it to Ellis County Oklahoma by May 16 1909 because that is when my Father Kenneth Charles Spratt was born. In the 1910 census Andrew was listed as a Farm Laborer and renting his home. His brother in law George Cass didn’t live very far away and was listed a widow and a servant. I guess Ellis County Oklahoma didn’t suit Andrew’s blood too good because when the 1920 census came around he was in Crawford County Arkansas the next county to the south of where moved from listed as a farmer. Then in 1930 Andrew , his wife,and his youngest son ( My father ) had moved to Payne County Oklahoma and Andrew was listed as a Section Hand on the Rail Road. Andrew died in 1946 in Davenport Lincoln County Oklahoma. His wife went on to live until 1955. They are both buried in the Davenport Cemetary. Andrew never lived with his Father but he had to have know him somewhat because when Andrews wife ( My Grandmother ) there was a big fight between the brothers and sisters ( Their children) over what to do with everything. Such as family records . One of the son’s had came and caught some of the daughters taking papers out back and throwing them in a fire to burn. One of them was Andrews Father’s Civil War Records that was written on sheep skin. The son tried to save it but was too late. So Andrew had to have known his Father some. The story will be more clear when the “Rest Of The Story” is told.