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JIM WILKINSON and DOROTHY
(DEWITT) WILKINSON
Jim
Wilkinson born 18 Feb. 1906, near Hitchcock, Blaine Co., Okla.,
Indian Territory, son of Bert O. Wilkinson of Harrison Co., Mo., and
Pearl (Thrasher) Wilkinson of Edgar Co., Illinois; and Dorothy Helen
DeWitt were married 4 July 1931 at Van Buren, Ark. Dorothy, born 7
March 1905, daughter of W. L. “Till” Dewitt and Minnie (Tyler)
DeWitt of Elliott, is a descendant of pioneer families who came to
the Elliott community in 1868 and 1883. She was born on the farm
formerly owned by I. H. Page where the Wilson Post office was
located, later owned by T. D. Tyler, W. L. DeWitt, and jointly owned
with her sister until Maude’s death 13 Nov. 1977. Dorothy now owns
the Century farm but resides in Oklahoma City, Okla. at 2519 N. W.
66 St. Dorothy has lived in Oklahoma since June 1929 when she
accepted a position as Speech Instructor at Oklahoma State
University.
Jim
graduated in Dairy Manufacturing, School of Agriculture, Okla. State
University; managed the Quality Milk Co., Fort Smith, Ark.; and
became Asst. Manager of the Oklahoma City Branch Wholesale Dep’t of
Wilson and Co., Meat Packers, until health forced his early
retirement in 1958. A Flying Master Sergeant, B-24 Bomber, Engineer
Gunner, he completed 50 missions as the oldest air-borne, combat man
in the 15th Air Force.
Dorothy
received her B. A. degree in 1926 from Grinnell College; taught
English and Speech in the Elliott High School 1926-1928; and
obtained her M. A. in Speech at the University of Michigan in 1929.
By 1933 she had become an Assistant Professor at Oklahoma State
Univ.; however, as an economy move, Speech Therapy was discontinued,
and she as a former Faculty Advisor to the Blind and Deafened,
entered the field of Social Service. In 1934, on a Government
Scholarship, she attended the School of Social Work at Tulane
University; New Orleans, and later at the University of Oklahoma.
She continued in Social Work for 10 years. As Associate State
Employment Director, W. P. A. she resigned to enter W. W. II
American Red Cross Hospital Service – first as Asst. Field Director,
WAC Hospital, Des Moines, Ia., followed by the position of Field
Director, Red Cross, McClaskey General Hospital, Temple, Texas. As a
social worker, she was first certified by the American Academy of
Social Work in 1933-34.
When Jim
completed his 50 missions with the 460th Bomb Group, 15th
Air Force, and was to return to the States for reassignment as a
Gunnery Instructor in Boise, Idaho; Dorothy returned to Okla. City
and began employment with the Air Force as an Organization and
Procedured Analyst, in Management Services. She retired from Civil
Service in 1956, and except for two years caring for her aunt,
Pauline Tyler Townsend in Tulsa, she has devoted all of her
available time to Genealogical or Family History research as an
instructor, lecturer or consultant; and research for original
records as evidence about her own ancestors’ backgrounds. Her
objective is to teach more people to help themselves in finding more
of their ancestors. “One doesn’t find time, you have to make
or steal time”, she says. “Everyone has and needs ROOTS.”
In order
to increase her knowledge, she enrolled in Genealogical Research,
American University Graduate School, Wash. D. C. in 1965; in
non-credit Genealogical courses, Imperial University, London,
England, in 1977; and again this spring in London when she
researched Vital Records, and Non-Conformist Church Registers at
Englands’ Public Record Office, London. She also had some work at
Edinburgh, Scotland.
Dorothy, since
1965, has been in WHO’S WHO, AMERICAN AND CANADIAN WOMEN, as a
Genealogist. She is a Fellow of the Texas State Genealogical
Society, Life-time Honorary Member of the Oklahoma Genealogical
Society, and Honorary “Miss Kitty”, Dodge City, Kansas—an honor
awarded by the Kansas Genealogical Society. The Texas and Kansas
honors were awarded because of her work in behalf of their Military
records. Her favorite project now is the growth of the Genealogical
Historical Collection at the Elliott Public Library. Toward this
objective, she presented two 18-hour courses in Genealogical
Research, co-sponsored by the Elliott Library and Iowa Western
Community College, Council Bluffs, in November 1978; and will
present another series this year at the Second Annual Elliott
Genealogical Institute. Although Jim is not a genealogist, he shares
and helps with Cemetery and Court House Records, and transportation
of their portable genealogical library, where needed in connection
with workshops and seminars.
Dorothy
has also devoted much time in Chapter, State and National Vice
Chairman, Lineage Research efforts, to helping DAR applicants find
their Revolutionary Ancestors—1776-1783 being her favorite period of
American History. She became a DAR in January 1930, National Number
259017, on the Robert Coe line; however she cites John Stanclift,
Senior, Conn. Line, the grandfather of Sarah Eliza (Stanclift)
DeWitt as the DAR or SAR ancestor from whom her DeWitt Stanclift
relatives descend and Thomas Wilkinson, Revolutionary Soldier, New
York line from whom her Wilkinson relatives (by marriage) descend.
(This line is in the process of being proved.)
Although
Dorothy has lived in Oklahoma 50 years, she has kept in touch with
her Elliott students, friends, relatives and their later
generations. “Once an Iowan, always an Iowa”, she says, “and Elliott
will always be back home.”
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