Re: Alexander SWEETEN (SWEETON)
-
In reply to:
Re: Alexander SWEETEN (SWEETON)
1/13/00
I have a picture of my great uncle willy with his applewood hand made fiddle he was an elderly man in the photo I would guess taken in the 1920's, My grand father was Thomas Jefferson Sweeten also a fiddle player,grand father ran away from home when he was seven years old from somewhere in Arkansas His mother part indian was my great grandfathers second wife. In 1958 my father James Jefferson Sweeten was born at Valliant, OK May 26, 1912. Told me of a story that emigrant ancestor could not speak english or was too ill from the voyage from Europe to communicate with the officials at emigration and was given the name sweeten,sweeton,or sweeden, unknown if he was saying his name or saying he came from Sweden that he lived with indians and married a full blood the one of the children who had five sons owned a plantation in Tn. But at the end of the civil war of the four brothers headed west or north being run out by carpet baggers the fifth moved to Arkansas and is my great great grandfather My dad said one of the four brothers name was Alexander, I was only seven at the time my father told this story to me and he only told me once. I am positive about the name Alexander, and I think one may have been Samual, Dad called me Sam for a nickname.I have been searching old papers for my Greatgrand fathers name Tom(Thomas Jefferson Sweeten)died before I was born, My brother Carl and my mother met some folks in Portland, Oregon ten years or so back and gave them a copy of a census report from the early 1900's With the father being listed as Elex Alexander Sweeten. I will try to remember more or maybe I will find some missing links,Herb