Return to Biographies > Home

Callie Pritchett

(Half sister to John Thomas Partain)

The following is from a hand-written story about my grandfather, John Thomas Partain’s sibling. The account was written by my cousin Ola Fern Ford Speer (daughter of my aunt Callie Partain Ford). I got a copy from my cousin Flossie Evans (daughter of my uncle John Partain) who received it from Ola Fern Ford Speer.

Callie Pritchett was born in Independence County, Arkansas (possibly the city of Heber Springs) in 1877. Her mother was Great Grandma Partain, her father was Bill Fowler, a carpetbagger, who raped her mother in the year of 1876. She was given the name of Callie Pritchett. She was a half-sister to Grandpa John Thomas Partain.

Two men kidnapped Callie when she was three years old. They took her to Seligman, Missouri. The 1880 census of Seligman shows she was registered there.

Grandpa John Thomas Partain rode his horse to Seligman to try to locate his half-sister, Callie. He found her at one of the many springs of water near the town. She was carrying water to the house where she lived, ¼ mile away. This was the year of 1887. Callie was ten years old. She wasn’t allowed to go to school, as she was a work-hand on the farm.

Grandpa Partain told her to put on two dresses the next day when she came to get water, and he would be there to meet her and take her home with him. He kidnapped her, took her to Fayetteville, Arkansas. She lived there with Grandpa’s oldest brother, Bill Partain and his family, until she married Fred Jenkins.

Callie married three times:

1. Fred Jenkins (they had two daughters)
2. Bill Fortner, and Indian (they had one daughter)

3. Marion Sebolt. Sebolt had a daughter by a previous marriage; her name was “Dovie”.

Of the three daughters Callie had, one was named “Alvie” but the last name is unknown.

I remember Aunt Callie well. We always call her “Aunt Callie” although she was actually our Great Aunt. Mom called her “Aunt” so, it was only natural that we children did also. I remember going to a big family reunion at her house. She lived in Sallisaw, Oklahoma. We lived at Cross Roads, near Stigler. Dad took the wagon. We kids rode part of the way and walked part of the way. I remember having a new pair of shoes. It was fun walking in my new shoes. Mom took lots of food; fried chicken, etc. Lots of Partain relatives were there. One family came in a covered wagon.

Aunt Callie told us about knowing Pretty Boy Floyd, the famous Oklahoma outlaw. He was from Sallisaw. She held him on her lap many times when he was a baby, and as a small boy. She knew his parents well.

Aunt Callie died in Sallisaw and I suppose she is buried there.”

Return to Biographies > Home