Augustus Theodore Orcutt

Augustus Theodore Orcutt was born October 20, 1875 in Sycamore Township, Montgomery County, Kansas, the third son of Seymour Woodford and Martha Ann Yocham Orcutt. To family and friends he would be known as Dode, but to his children, their families, and many neighbors, he was known as Dad Orcutt. Although over thirty years have passed since his death he is still remembered as having been a good man, and for his beautiful flower garden in the Terlton, Pawnee County, Oklahoma community. A man of the highest moral character, superior farming ability, and fairness in all his dealings with his fellow man, he was and is still held in respect by those who knew him.
Mr. A.T. Orcutt and Miss Eiffel May Stevenson were united in marriage on Dec. 21, 1904. On their marriage license it states A.T. was 29 yrs. old and Eiffel was 16 yrs. old. They both list their town of residence as Catoosa, Indian Territory. Their marriage license was obtained at Claremore, Indian Territory, and they were married that same day by James M. Jackson, a Minister of the Gospel. Eiffel was the grandaughter of Joe and Delilah Russell, the daughter of Benjiman A. and Martha (Maggie) Russell Stevenson, all early day settlers Edgar,Pawnee County, I.T.
A.T. was always a farmer. On the 1900 Census for Coweta, I.T., he is listed as living with his brother Dolph and his occupation is farm labor. His father, Seymour Woodford, died June 17, 1901 at Oakland, AR. After his father’s death, his mother,Martha, and the rest of the family moved to Indian Territory. A.T. probablyhelped them move and stayed with them until he married. The following story has been told of how A.T. and Eiffel met.
A.T. was farming and hired Eiffel’s father, B.A. Stevenson, to work for him. A.T. met and fell in love with Eiffel, and asked her to marry him, but there was already another man in her life. The man was an Italian, and had black curly hair, and Eiffel wanted to marry him. Eiffel’s mother, Martha, wanted her to marry A.T. because he was such a good worker and she felt that he would be the best provider for her. So her mother told her that the Italian had some negro blood in him and if Eiffel married him they would have spotted children. She convinced her to marry A.T., but on her wedding night she cried to go home to her mother. It wasn’t long before Eiffel changed her mind about married life and she and her husband Dode were raising both crops and kids in the Old Indian Territory that was soon to become the State of Oklahoma. Eiffel died in 1934 and Dode lived to be 89, having died in 1964, at Cleveland, Pawnee County, Okla.

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Copyright 2008 Kimberly Martin
LAST_MODIFIED: August 2008