COMANCHE — A family’s history many times is laid to rest with one member when they die. For the Pruitt clan, that history is a rich part of Oklahoma’s history and they hope others will find their story as fascinating as they do.

It all begins with one woman who was born Nov. 5, 1839, in LaGrange, Ga. and was buried in the Comanche’s Fairlawn Cemetery, Oct. 18, 1926. Yet, until this week, visitors to the cemetery would not have even known the name of the woman buried in the Pruitt plat.

Now 83 years after Orentha Eliza Sultana Hudson Pruitt’s death, a newly-laid headstone tells its viewers and curious onlookers only the basic facts. It also bears a photo image of her.

What the headstone doesn’t reveal is that Orentha is one of Oklahoma’s pioneers and that around 1880, she also drove somewhere from 450 to more than 800 cattle into the southwest region and staked a claim in Indian Territory.

The cattle bore the OES brand, which is registered in DeQueen, Arkansas. She didn’t do it alone, but with her husband, Thomas Jefferson.

On Thursday, a group of the Pruitt descendants traveled from around the region to witness the headstone and pay tribute to a woman they only know from family lore and genealogy research that has been passed down through the years.

They commonly refer to her as OES.

Stephens County rancher Jimmie Pruitt is the great grandson of Orentha and he delights in sharing the historic legacy of his great grandparents.

“She is the first of our line of Pruitts into Oklahoma and they settled into Orr, in Indian Territory,” Jimmie said. He loves to brag about their quest, exclaiming over the volume of cattle they drove up. And he enjoys sharing family tales.

One of those tales is how his grandfather died.

“Thomas Jefferson had been bitten by a rabid skunk and requested his family lock him in the cellar just in case,” Jimmie said.

After his death, Orentha ran the ranch, which spread into Texas, along with the help from some of her nine children.

Their names are all listed on the headstone.

One of them is also buried in the same plat, though Orentha’s husband is buried in the Leon Cemetery. Other children are buried in cemeteries such as Cornish and Ringling.

Following the line of who descends who can get quite puzzling, even for those of the Pruitt clan.

Great-great-great granddaughter Dana Pruitt Boyd, of Ardmore, and great-great granddaughter Marcella Smith of Love County, nearly confused themselves in trying to remember the lengthy line of ancestors and how they all were related. Iris and Ted Pruitt were also there.

Orentha is Ted’s great grandmother and Iris, even though she is married into the Pruitt clan, was extremely instrumental in getting the headstone, said Jimmie.

“Several people donated to it,” Iris said. For Iris, just seeing the completed headstone was a joy. Many times she noted how thankful she was that the person who they commissioned for it did such a “great job.”

Dana said her interest into the history of the family started about 30 years ago and when she met Jimmie, they maintained the connection and both grew to enjoy the stories they uncovered.

“His granddad and my great-great granddad were brothers,” she said. Dana is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution Ardmore chapter, and a retired teacher. She taught three years in Texas and 25 in Oklahoma.

Great-great-great grandson Clint Risner Pruitt drove in from Dallas, Texas, for the day, which he described as historical.

“It means a lot. She was the matriarch of the Pruitt clan, a very large clan, that came into Indian Territory,” he said. Jimmie’s wife, Betty, was also there.

The tribute day also gave the Pruitt descendants a chance to meet. It was the first time the group was together. Jimmie credited Dana for bringing them together and admitted some of them had only just met for the first time this week. Those familiar with Jimmie know he holds fast to the legacy of his land and family. And he’ll tell those who don’t know.

“I’m very strong family oriented,” he said.

Orentha’s headstone reveals she died on the Pruitt Ranch in Comanche. Jimmie’s land is situated in the Velma community, but extends nearly to Comanche.

In researching the history of Orentha, the family learned that she came from a wealthy family that documented everything, including the items she left Louisiana with. Even her childhood schooling was documented, Dana said.

For Marcella, paying tribute was one of those things hard to describe.

“It meant alot because my grandfather died one day and his grandmother, OES, died the next day. I never met him and this is a way for me to connect,” she said. “My mother is 94, she’s still living.” Marcella and Clint are first cousins.

The group spent time visiting, sharing notes and snapping photographs before they were ready to head south to Jefferson County for more cemetery stops. But before their departure, Dana pulled out a book that she was planning to have everyone sign as a gift to Jimmie.

She found the book, which is full of Carter County history, during some research and upon opening it, discovered a 1905 photograph of Jimmie’s father. The book is a newer book that had been compiled using old photographs and records to document Oklahoma history and families. The photograph was of Ernest A. Pruitt and John H. Pruitt (Jimmie’s father) on horseback at Cornish on the Washington ranch during IT days. John broke broncs for Bill Washington for seven years on the ranch. It’s also interesting to note that Jimmie’s great grandfather also has legacy as a soldier in the Spanish-American War, Dana said.

“He was awarded a federal land grant. The historical preservation of a name, a family and bringing history is important, she said.