Originally written 13 Aug 2012
Updated 12 Feb 2020 and 27 Mar 2020
For generations in my family, it was a rumor that my great great grandfather, John Lafayette Vaughan, had some personal connections to and/or was a friend/associate of the infamous outlaw Belle Starr and her family. This bit of family lore was shared with me at a young age, and after asking my great aunt and one of her first cousins, I ended up with solid proof of this friendship/association, and after that, came into even more information.
Years ago, I met a cousin who had heard similar stories about John Vaughan being associated with Belle Starr, stories which were relayed by his grandmother, John Vaughan's daughter Lou Ona Vaughan White. But he was under the impression that certain factions of his large extended family (Lou had many children, and subsequently many grandchildren) did not believe this family legend, and thought Lou was just making it up. So I thought I would begin sharing the information I have in hopes that anyone else descended from John Lafayette Vaughan wondering about his connection to Belle Starr could find this and enjoy it as much as I have. I have since updated this information as-needed.
Originally, I had three pieces of evidence concerning John Vaughan's ties to Belle Starr: typed testimony from his daughter Lou Vaughan White, mentions of him in Glenn Shirley's
Belle Starr & Her Times: The Literature, The Facts, and the Legends (1990), and a photocopy of a newspaper article published in the McAlester News-Capital titled "
Death of Belle Starr Recalled", a piece by Baird Martin which was a re-telling of an article written by Charles H. Cowles some 35 years prior to the revision. Cowles had actually interviewed John Lafayette Vaughan about Belle Starr and her death. Unfortunately, my photocopy was undated, though I was able to figure out it was published about 1967-68, and Martin did not cite the date of publication for Cowles' original article, so short of sifting through every page of the news paper for two years I had no way to find the original full interview.
Fortunately, in January, 2020, a librarian at the McAlester Public Library named Christopher Elliott took the time to dig through recently-digitized issues of the McAlester News-Capital to find the original article for me. The digital version of the paper is only accessible on-site at the library, so I could not go through it myself from my residence in Michigan. But after playing with several terms in Martin's rehashed article, he located and sent me the original. I have published a full transcription of the full interview here:
https://thesaltofamerica.blogspot.com/2020/03/john-lafayette-vaughan-and-belle-starr.html
Finally, a few years ago, a grandson of the aforementioned Lou Vaughan White found a tintype photo he had been looking for: a picture of John Lafayette Vaughan with Sam Starr, husband of Belle Starr. This was the strongest evidence yet of a connection between John and the Starrs-literal photographic proof. But it was still difficult to put the entire figurative picture of John and the Starr family into context without that interview, and now with all these things together, the evidence of their relationship speaks for itself.
All of this information, along with everything else I have collected on John from records and testimony from his grandchildren and other relatives by blood and marriage, has culminated in the biography of John Lafayette Vaughan which I will present here. I feel the information within it is complementary to the testimony he gives in his above-linked interview, and together they paint an interesting picture of a fascinating individual.
Biography of John Lafayette Vaughan
by Nathan Vaughan Marks
John Lafayette Vaughan was born July 19th, 1866 in Pope County, Arkansas. He was the son of Stephen Clinton Vaughan and Amanda Smith Napier. His father contracted chronic diarrhea during the Civil War, and it ailed him so badly that he was hardly able to work, and thus his family lived at near poverty-level. His grandfather, Archibald Hubbard Napier, was a well-known doctor (likely holistic doctor, rather than an MD) in the area and cared for Stephen until his death, at which time Stephen was cared for by a slew of other doctors, most notably a Henry Jones.
Amanda Smith Napier, mother of John, wife of Stephen, and later wife of Henry Jones.
Stephen Clinton Vaughan, Missouri 8th Cavalry (USA)
John was born at a time of great strife in Pope County, Arkansas. A year prior to his birth, his uncle Captain Archibald Dodson Napier was named sheriff of Pope County at the end of the Civil War, and was subsequently murdered as the first victim of what became known as the Pope County Militia War, which essentially was a local guerrilla war fought between local Union loyalists and Southern sympathizers. The violence in the area became so intense that many families felt compelled to leave the area, including the Vaughans, who settled in Conway County, where his father died of his ailment in 1880. The next year, John and his mother left for Indian Territory, where John was largely left to his own devices, and spent time with Indians and area outlaws. His mother Amanda later became involved with and eventually married one of his father's previous doctors, Henry Jones.
Archibald Dodson Napier and his wife Mary Elizabeth Vaughan. Dodson was the brother of John's mother Amanda and Mary was the sister of John's father Stephen.
The information on John's early life is confirmed both by his own testimony and a brief write-up on the Vaughan family history by his daughter, Lou Vaughan White. "
John Lafayett Vaughan rode a horse into Oklahoma when he was 14 years old, he weighed 85 lbs. He lived with and around the Indians for 9 years, then he rad around with some outlaws. He rode with Belle Starr, he was sweet on her daughter, Pearl." It is worth noting that she spelled Lafayett without an 'e' at the end as it is typically found. The family record kept by John's mother spells his name without the 'e' which may be why Lou opted to spell it that way. In nearly all other circumstances in John's life, Lafayette was spelled with an 'e' at the end.
John himself reported in a 1934 interview with the McAlester News-Capital that he was "turned loose" in Indian Territory in 1881 at the age of 15.
“I could be a good boy. I could steal. I could kill. I had no school; no education. Instead of trying to study mathematics and penmanship, I studied horsemanship and gunmanship. But I always managed to keep the good will of the good people. I was born in National park in the Ozark Mountains July 19, 1866. My father was a soldier four years in the Union army and my uncle, Capt. [Napier], also. After the Civil War, my uncle was killed from the brush by a mob while he was sheriff. My father was dead. I was brought here by my widowed mother and older brothers. I rode horseback quite a bit and I practiced shooting and got to be pretty good at it. I have killed many a deer, turkey, and squirrel with a six-shooter."
This is John in his early-to-mid teens. This was probably taken about the time he arrived in Oklahoma. Courtesy of his granddaughter, Colleen Vaughan Allen.
John's associations with famed outlaws Tom Starr and Belle Starr are well-documented. He was reportedly friends with Tom's son and Belle's husband, Sam Starr, and heard the shot that killed him, and was present in the aftermath of Belle's death. From his 1934 interview:
“I lived on the place of Martin Crowder, an aged Indian, 40 miles northwest of McAlester on the Canadian river five miles from Tom Starr’s home, and this aged man became very friendly with me and told me what Tom Starr had imparted to him. ... I lived there on the Crowder place and I heard the shot that killed Sam Starr. I was within a mile of the spot where he met death."
As it is in many families that descend from colorful characters, rumors and legends about John have been told for generations. Some have been debunked while others have been seemingly confirmed. One legend about John that has not been proven or disproved is that prior to his first recorded marriage, he had taken an Indian bride and had a child by her.
This is similar to an additional legend that he may be the mystery father of Pearl Starr's daughter, Flossie. In 1887, Belle sent her daughter Pearl away to have an illegitimate child she had been impregnated with, a girl named Flossie who was born in April of 1887. John would have been about 21 years old and still unmarried at this time, and he admits that Pearl was his date to a number of dances when he was a young man, so its not something that can be entirely ruled out, but also can't be proven. Per his 1934 interview:
"I went to [Belle's] place lots of times and carried her and her daughter, Pearl, to dance. I carried Pearl to a good many."
Sam Starr, husband of Belle and son of Tom, on left. John L. Vaughan on right. Courtesy of Jerry White.
Likewise, no record of this supposed Native child has ever been established. But the legend contends that in the 1980s, John's daughter Lou received a phone call from a woman claiming to be a long-lost half-sister by John's relationship with her Indian mother. The caller's name is not known today. Stoking the fires of this legend is a newspaper clipping saved by descendants of the Lou White family that some believe could be a clue to this mystery child. On 11 Sep 1988, a letter to the editor of the McAlester News-Capital included the following tidbit:
"My mother is approaching 90 years and certainly qualifies of at least respectful attention. Having been borned of an Indian mother and a red-headed, blue eyed father, who, by virtue of having been raised by the Indians bears a Cherokee roll number. Her papers claim she was born north and east of Scipio."
Now John Vaughan certainly does not have a roll number, but he was red-headed, blue-eyed, and lived northeast of Scipio in Ulan 90 years before this letter's publication. He also resided with Indians as a teenager and young man. How many people in that vicinity could meet all that criteria? Not very many, but the letter-writer and his mother's origins remain a mystery. It was signed "Wakana Hanunwau". It is apparently and Indian or even Hawaiian name, but records for a person with this name have not been located, nor has any substantive evidence of a long-lost child of John Vaughan. Some legends are destined to remain so.
John in his early-to-mid 20's. This is likely what he looked like at the time of Belle Starr's death. Courtesy of Colleen Vaughan Allen.
John married Sarah Ann "Eva" McCarty on July 9th, 1892 near Scipio; she bore him two children, Mattie Mae in 1892 and William Riley in 1895. (My research concerning her mysterious parentage can be found here:
http://thesaltofamerica.blogspot.com/2017/08/using-dna-to-solve-family-mystery-sarah.html.) When Eva went into labor with their third child, John left to get help, and returned to find her and the newborn dead. By this time, most of his family had moved to Oklahoma as well; his brother Stephen died at Whitefield in 1885 and his mother Amanda near Thurman in 1891, and his brother Archibald settled nearby him in the Scipio area while his brother Thomas settled in McIntosh County.
Grave of Stephen Barnabas Vaughan, brother of John, at Whitefield Cemetery. Died 1885.
It was while visiting his brother Thomas that he met his brother's sister-in-law, Leona Waller. "[John] and Leona met and fell in love over the breakfast table the first day Leona was in [Oklahoma]. Leona was engaged to a boy named Wells in Arkansas. [John] and Leona ran away to get married, they swam the Canadian River on horseback, they were married at Hullowe, near Scipio [Note: There was a town named Hullowe in Pittsburg County, but they were actually married in Indianola, however, the minister who married them was named Hugh Low, which is probably what led to the confusion]." (Source: Family History by Lou Vaughan White) They were married on February 23rd, 1898.
Further rumors about John revolved around his association with various outlaw gangs, supposedly including the Dalton gang. No one was sure exactly what the extent of his relationship with these groups might have been. Some have been adamant that he never participated in illegal activities, while others are certain that he did. There are several John Vaughans who were arrested and tried (and some sent to jail) in Fort Smith, Arkansas from 1880 to 1900 for various illegal activities in Indian Territory and northwestern Arkansas, but it has not been confirmed whether any of these John Vaughans were John Lafayette Vaughan or not. However, even beyond his own assertions of his connections to Belle Starr and her crowd, there is documentation of his presence in the aftermath of her death.
In 1990, Glenn Shirley and the University of Oklahoma Press published
Belle Starr & Her Times: The Literature, The Facts, and the Legends. Much of the information concerning Belle Starr's death stemmed from witness accounts of various neighbors of Starr, and residents of the surrounding area where she was murdered. John, who went by "Fayette" or "Fate" as a shortening of his middle name Lafayette, was mentioned by name in the testimonies of three individuals.
p. 237: Alice (Mrs. Joseph) Tate, who lived a mile from the ambush scene and a half mile from Edgar Watson, heard two guns [shots] in the evening about half an hour by sun. "
My husband & Billy England were standing out back of house talking when guns fired. Ben Statham came to our house about dark & told us, & me & my husband & Fayette Vaughn & Billy England went down from our house."
p. 237-238: Ray England, who lived two miles from the White place and a half a mile from Watson, was well acquainted with Belle but he had not seen her for a month until
"I seen her dead at Alf White's. Fayette Vaughn on the 3rd day of February 1889 at after dark came to my house to let me know she had been killed and wanted the neighbors to go & take care of her.."
p. 239: Turner England also received news of the killing Monday morning: "
Fayette Vaughn brought me word...I went over there...seen blood in road, seen tracks of man I thought done shooting..."
These short excerpts do not give a lot of information as to the extent of Vaughan's relationship to Starr, but they still help flesh out his involvement in the scenes after her death and corroborate the statements in his interview to an extent, though it should be noted that these neighbors claim the shooting occurred in the early evening, while Vaughan said it took place at 2:00 in the afternoon.
John divulged several interesting details about what led to Belle's death and his involvement in the aftermath of it in his 1934 interview. He reported that Belle's son got mixed up into some horse-stealing because of a neighbor by the man of Edgar Watson. Belle threatened to have Watson prosecuted for getting her son into trouble, and he vowed to kill her. Though historical authorities today contend that Belle Starr's killer is unknown and unproven, John insists that it was Watson. After her killing, he reports that he and some other associates investigated the scene of the crime themselves and he shared his conclusions.
"There was brush along the fence for quite a ways and there was an open place in the rail fence. Where the brush stopped there was a small walnut tree on the inside of the fence. That is where Watson hid. He let her pass him and then fired on her. I could see the place where she was shot as the horse stove his feet into the ground there. Three buckshot ranged from her shoulder to her heart. She stuck to the horse about 30 or 40 feet. Then there were the tracks. I could see where he had jumped the fence. She rode sideways all the time. I never saw her without a nice dress. She fell on her right shoulder and arm. There were the tracks where he ran up and shot her in the side of the face with a load of fine shot. She was not dead then, for she had raised her hand to protect her face. He shot the ring from her left ear and we never could find it.
We sat up with the body that night. In the morning, when it was good and light, I looked over the ground. There was shotgun paper all over the tracks of the horse where they stove in."
John also reported being directly involved in Belle's burial proceedings and present at her funeral: "Another man and I dug the grave, three feet, and then others came and helped finish it. She was buried in a nice wooden coffin and a walnut box to set it in. The lumber was taken from the house in which I lived. Edgar Watson had the nerve to attend the funeral and help throw dirt on the coffin. He went in the house and came out with a coat and I thought he had an ashen color to his face."
The Starrs were not the only people on society's fringes with whom John is purported to have been rubbing elbows. Several years ago John's granddaughter Dale Vaughan Sitter was working as a nurse in McAlester when she got to talking with a patient. When he found out she was a Vaughan from the Ulan area, he reported remembering her grandfather. He said that John acquired some of his land from an Indian outlaw named "Natchabull". Further research indicated the man was referring to Allen Narchubby, who was more of an extremist than an outlaw.
Allan Archibald AKA Allen Narchubby was a member of an extremist Choctaw faction called Snake Indians. Per Dr. Kenny Brown, "The Snake Indians were traditionalists who were against land allotments. Allen Archibald was a traditionalist Choctaw who had joined the much-noted Snake Indian movement, refused to take allotment, came under arrest for his activities, and died in jail after suffering the humiliation of having his hair shorn." The story from the aforementioned stranger to Dale Vaughan was that John was present when the authorities came to take him to jail and supposedly signed paperwork giving the rights to his allotment to him, but since Archibald refused to take allotment, the story did not make very much sense.
Documentation provided by Dr. Brown, however, proves that John rented land (most likely farmland) from Allen Archibald, and then from his son Smedlow after Allen's death even though he was just a young boy; Dr. Brown posits that since Allen's wife was Creek on Choctaw land, John could not rent from her. As a white man, John could not own land at this time and had to rent from a Native. A possible translation of the story from the stranger combined with the known facts could be that Allen told John he could buy his land from him, and perhaps John did buy the land once white men were able to purchase Indian land in the Indian Territory. Dr. Brown cites Choctaw Nation Records, Bound Volume #425, Tobucksy County Permits and Licenses, 1899-1905 for the four images of permits between John L. Vaughan and the Archibald men over a four year period.
Dr. Brown reports that once Archibald was arrested and later perished, he "left behind two Muskogee Creek widows who came from the nearby Creek Nation. They also soon died, leaving several parent-less children who were eventually rounded up and sent to an orphanage." Before Archibald's children were rounded up, the federal government sent an Indian Agent to the area where John was living to investigate reports of Archibald's children running wild without care or supervision: Josanna, age 15, Smedlow, age 10-11, twins Cain and Abel, age 8, and a girl called "Etta", "Adda", or "Belle", about age 4. All but the youngest girl were Archibald's children; "Etta" was born after Archibald's death in 1898, reportedly an illegitimate child of Archibald's widow and an unknown white man. The children were occasionally looked after by an older sister, Elsie, age 17, but she came and went and often left them alone for long periods.
Children of Allen Archibald. Cain, Abel, Etta, Smedlow. Taken at The Murrow Indian Orphan’s Home. Courtesy of The Baptist Home Mission Monthly, Volumes 30-31 via Google Books.
Benjamin Mossman, Esq., came from Muskogee in May 1908 to Indianola. A Mr. Herstein had reported his concerns over the unsupervised children, and Herstein took Mossman to "J. D. Vayghan", whose name he later spells as Vaughan. There were no other Vaughans near Indianola at this time, and Dr. Brown believes Mossman was referring to J. L. Vaughan. Mossman reported that Vaughan
"has lived in that part for fifteen years and speaks both Choctaw and Creek. He took us, by boat, two miles up a river or creek then two miles on foot along trails and through forest to a one roomed log hoval [sic] where what remains of the Allen Archibald family exist."
Mossman continued:
"The roof is open with holes and the chinks between the logs are mostly gaping. The floor is of earth. There are no beds, but piles of some sort of rag-looking stuff and parts of blankets on the ground serve as such. ... There is no one to care for this little brood unless Elsie can be credited with that office. She is reported to have "gone wrong" and frequently absents herself for days or weeks." Archibald had married a woman unable to have children, so he married her sister as well who bore him his children. Both died in the years following his death and no one took responsibility for the children until Mr. Mossman intervened at this time.
Mossman posited that perhaps Judge George W. Choate, who lived nearby, might accept guardianship of the children. Further, he reported:
"Mr. Vaughan stated to me that he would willingly adopt Etta if she were given him by the courts." But neither of these scenarios played out, and all the children were sent to an orphanage for Indian children.
John in his late-20's-to-early-30's. Courtesy of Colleen Vaughan Allen.
John and his second wife Leona went on to be parents of seven children, six of whom lived to adulthood. Their first, Early Coatner Vaughan, died in 1907 at the age of 8, and was buried next to John's first wife Eva, their newborn baby, and John's brother Archibald in Choate Prairie Cemetery near Ulan. The others were, in order: Sampson Lafayette, Lou Ona, John Dodson, Charles Teddy, Nicey Jewell, and Dewey Miles. After giving birth to Nicey in 1909, Leona became very ill; it took her years to recover. When she finally had, she became pregnant with Dewey. Giving birth to Dewey nearly killed her; she apparently actually died momentarily after his birth before being resuscitated.
Leona Waller Vaughan with Sampson on her lap and Early Coatner to her side. Only known photo of Coatner, who died at age 8.
John and his family, circa 1909. John is in the middle next to his wife, Leona Aden Waller. In the back are his children from his first marriage, Mattie Mae and William Riley "Bill" Vaughan. To his right are his sons Sampson Lafayette and John Dodson Vaughan. To his left is his daughter Lou Ona Vaughan, and on Leona's lap is his son Charles Teddy Vaughan.
Leona was never the same after that. She was able to nurse Dewey, but was unable to hold him during, so Lou would. She was able to cook for the family, but unable to do any lifting or major housework. In 1919, she was diagnosed with Pellagra, a devastating disease most common in 3rd world countries, typically caused by a vitamin deficiency; it can lead to a plethora of serious side effects, including but not limited to skin lesions, insomnia, weakness, sensitivity to sunlight, mental confusion, and eventually dementia. (Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pellagra). The doctors decided to try and cure her by cleansing her system with vials of rattlesnake venom. Her screams of agony proving too much to bear, John left the house mid-treatment to go down to the Scipio Creek to pray. When he returned, he found she had died on the second-to-last vial of venom with Lou by her side.
Another hardship befell the Vaughan family not long before Leona's death. John's oldest son, Bill, had married and had John's first grandchild, a little girl named Essie. John was reportedly very taken with the little baby. But she died, at apparently less than a year in age, and was buried out at Choate Prairie where John's first wife, two children, and brother also lie. His granddaughter Sharon White recalls being told that after Essie's death, John vowed not to allow himself to get too attached or close with any other grandchildren because the loss had effected him so deeply he could not bear another one.
Always looked to by his family, John persevered and led them through these hardships. He re-married in 1920 to Florence Bell Lytle, and continued to work on the farm, which he purchased with pension money he received for his father's Civil War service. He drew that pension from the time he was 14 until he was 21, and used the money to purchase his home near Ulan, Oklahoma; a small portion of the oil rights that land garnered remains in the Vaughan family to this day. He spent much time with his grandchildren, who all viewed him with awe and admiration.
Around the same time or shortly after his marriage to Florence, John was named one of two judges in Scipio Township. He presided over the Union Prairie precinct within the township, which later became Ulan. He would have heard only minor local cases. He held court in the Union Prairie/Ulan schoolhouse. His court clerks were J. P. Grantham and W. T. Rye.
Ulan/Union Prairie School, 1926.
In addition to his own children and grandchildren, John took on the responsibility of raising step-children and other children who did not belong to him. When they married in 1920, Florence brought to John's home a 17-year old son, Raymond, 14-year old daughter Vertie, 11-year old daughter Clara, and 35-year old Maude, who was disabled. He helped care for Maude until her passing in 1932, and also regularly took in Florence's children and grandchildren when the need arose. In addition, school census records show that John was the guardian of Zular Westmoreland in 1926-1927. Zular was a son of Fannie Waller, a deceased sister of John's deceased wife, Leona. So even though he shared no blood with Zular, he took him in and had him in school for at least two years.
John Lafayette Vaughan circa 1920 with a jar of moonshine.
John's inclination to take in both Zular Westmoreland, and before that little Etta Archibald, in addition to his children and step-children is a testament to his nature. There have been conflicting reports in the family about John Vaughan's personality and character. His granddaughter Glenda reported that she was told John was a hard, mean, cruel man. Other grandchildren, including those who met him as children, reported him to be kind, doting, and of a cheerful disposition. As with anyone, perceptions of him surely varied based on the eye of the beholder, but most parties describe John as a compassionate, family-oriented man. His willingness to take in children that do not belong to him seemingly supports that illustration of the man.
John Lafayette Vaughan circa 1930. Note his earrings and the pistol strapped to his side, for which he well-known among his grandchildren.
The aforementioned Kenny Brown was the son of Leona Dickens Brown, a neighbor of the Vaughans who grew up in their area. Late in life she wrote a memoir about her childhood home and the people she knew, and she wrote of John Vaughan:
"There was another family who lived on Scipio Creek, northwest of Ulan. Their name was Vaughan. Where Mr. Lafayette Vaughan came from I never heard, but he was a good friend of Grandpa Dickens and my father. He was red headed, had a handle bar mustache, wore gold rings in his ears, a red bandanna handkerchief around his neck, and a big black stand up crown black hat."
At one time he said he rode with Belle Starr and her gang. Anyway, he knew some of them. He always said that he heard the shot that killed Belle Starr. My father always said that Mr. Vaughan (they called him Fayette) was superstitious. He always believed in stories about black cats and whipperwills singing or calling close to the house.
Mr. Vaughan had a good house or home, and we never knew how he managed to have a good place, land, and buildings. I remember he had a big pond and kept ducks. He had a big garden spot and an orchard, also a big yard with big trees. He usually celebrated his birthday by having a big crowd around, drinking and playing marbles, then a dance at night.
He had been married three times; his first and second wives died. By his first wife he had two children, a son, Bill, and a daughter, Mattie. ... My parents knew the second Mrs. Vaughan, and they liked her a lot. She and Mr. Vaughan had several kids--Sampson, Lou, Charlie, Nicie, and Dewey. We called Dewey "Cutter." Then after the second Mrs. Vaughan died, he married a widow that he had known for a long time. She lived at Blocker, and she had several kids. Her name was Autrey.
John L. Vaughan and his third wife, Florence, with their Model T Ford.
... The third Mrs. Vaughan was a short and heavy woman. Mr. Vaughan had a Model T Ford. He and Cutter would ride in the front seat, and she would ride in the back. I think he had the first car in the country around Ulan. People traveling in wagons would have to get a way out to the side of the road whenever they met Mr. Vaughan, for the teams to the wagons would get frightened and run away."
Lou Vaughan, John L. Vaughan, and Ola Autrey.
In 1937, his son John Dodson Vaughan came down with pneumonia, and died at his home, leaving behind a widow and three children. His death proved too much to bear for John. He was always the prototypical male role-model: strong and invincible, feared and admired; devout, stern, fair, and kind. He was not a man easily shaken. But after having buried two wives and two children on top of all the other losses he had suffered throughout his lifetime, the loss of his beloved son John Dodson Vaughan finally broke him. He had to be carried out of the funeral.
This is a picture of John Lafayette's son, John Dodson Vaughan. This picture is noteworthy because the 30/30 Winchester rifle John is holding belonged to his father, as did the 1897 Model Winchester Shotgun leaning up against the house to the left of the dog. When John Lafayette died in 1944, his pistol was passed down to his grandson J.L. White, the 30/30 to his son-in-law Tony White, and his shotgun to his son Sampson Vaughan.
After his son died, John saw to it that his fatherless grandchildren were well-taken care of. They would often walk to his farm to hear him to tell his stories for hours, some of which were so scary that Dewey would have to walk them home afterword. John's daughter Colleen had vivid memories of him and his kindness, including one night when they stayed at his home during a thunderstorm, and John comforted her when she was afraid of the lightning. He was a soft-spoken man, but one whose presence filled any room he was in, and a man who was immeasurably cherished by his family. He died September 20th, 1944 and was buried next to Leona in Ulan Cemetery.
McAlester News-Capital - 21 Sep 1944 - Page 2
J. L. Vaughan, of Ulan, passed away last night after a short
illness. He had resided in this vicinity for the past 50 years.
Mr. Vaughan was born July 19, 1866, in Arkansas.
He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Florence Vaughan, three
daughters and four sons. These are Mrs. Mattie Smith of McAlester, Mrs. Lou
White, Detroit, Mich., Mrs. Nicie [Ross], Bakersfield, Calif., Willie Vaughan,
Wewoka, S. L. Vaughan, McAlester, Charlie Vaughan and Dewey Vaughan, both of
Ulan. There are also several grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements, not yet complete, will be announced
later by Humphreys who have charge.
Left to right: Charles Teddy Vaughan, Nicey Jewell Vaughan, John Lafayette Vaughan, Dewey Miles Vaughan, Lou Ona Vaughan, and Sampson Lafayette Vaughan. Taken circa 1940.
John Lafayette Vaughan in the late-1930's-to-early-1940's.
This is the Colt .45 pistol that belonged to John Lafayette Vaughan. He kept it at his side always, though none knew why with certainty. Most believe he was worried someone might come for him one day either because of something he knew or something he'd done, and he would have had to take care of them.
John Vaughan family in front of their home near Ulan, year unknown. John to the right.
Gathering of Vaughan and Kelton families, late 1920s/early 1930s. John left and to the middle with his famous hat and mustache.
John second from the left with various children and in-laws, likely in the mid-to-late 1930s.
John Vaughan family in front of their home, year unknown. John in middle with rifle. Courtesy of Jerry White.
