John Henry Pittman(Pitman) was born Nov. 8, 1847 in Morgan Co. Tennessee and had one brother, Lemuel. They were orphaned at an early age. Both enlisted in the Union Army March 1864 and served in the Illinois Militia. Lemuel never married and died in Collin Co., Texas around 1899.

At the end of the Civil War, John married Elizabeth Ann Cannedy of Greene Co Illinois on June 12, 1866. Elizabeth Ann was born Jan. 19, 1850 , the daughter of James Calhoun "Carroll" Cannedy and Temperance "Tempie" Spradley Cannedy Woodman. From there they moved to McKinney Collin Co. Texas, where they lived for 20 yrs. then to Rhonda, Wilbarger Co. Texas.

John would load his family into a covered wagon and follow the race track circuit thru Texas, Arkansas, and Illinois, where he raced his horses and made a good living for his family.

In Oct. 1897, John sold off all his stock except about 75 head of cattle and horses which he drove across the Red River. He first settled next to a creek and began building a rock house but the water came up knocking one of the covered wagons over. Realizing the snakes were so bad, he decided to find higher ground. He finally settled approximately 1/2 mile west and 4 1/2 miles south of Gould, Oklahoma where he built a fine frame house.

Once or twice a year, all the men of the Pittman/Pitman family would each bring their wagons and together travel to the Red River, North of Hollis to cut wood. One wagon was loaded with bedding and enough food to last as many days as was needed. The rest of the wagons were filled with cut logs. One load would have to serve the entire winter.

When John filed for his civil war pension under Pitman, he could not be located, so following a suggestion from his daughter Lucy, he made application under Pittman whereby they found his records. He gave his children the option of using either spelling. Some changed to Pittman , some did not.

Out of 10 children, 8 survived. William Carrell born 1868 in McKinney Collin Co. Texas, Sylvester Leroy 1872 Greene Co. Illinois, Wesley Alonzo 1875 in Greene Co. Illinois, John Franklin 1879 in McKinney Collin Co. Tx., Effa Jane 1881 in McKinney Collin Co. Tx., Mary Agnes 1883 McKinney Collin Co. Tx., Oscar Albert 1885 McKinney Collin Co. Tx., Lucy Elizabeth 1887 Harold, Wilbarger Co. Texas.

Elizabeth Ann died March 15th, 1908 and John Henry died Feb. 20, 1926 while in a hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas. Both are buried in Liberty Cemetery.

The Pittman Family were owners of the first Thrasher in Greer Harmon Co. Ok.It was shipped to Quanah,Texas by railroad and 32 head of horses were needed to pull it across the Red River into Oklahoma Territory….