“J. I. BALCOM, who lived north of Hollis on the PULLIAM farm near McKnight, is moving to Erick, where he bought one of the best farms in that part of the country.”

Hollis Post-Dispatch, January 13, 1918

Welcome to this research portal on the ancestors of Euel Balkcom and his parents John Ira Balkcom and Ida Lucinda (Baldwin) Balkcom. They were among the early white settlers of western Oklahoma.

This branch of the Balkcom family was originally from North and South Carolina, with descendants settling in Alabama and Georgia.  J. I. and Ida were born in Alabama shortly after the Civil War and met as neighbors in Dale County, Alabama.  Affected no doubt by the harsh post-war economic conditions and unrest, they joined the westward migration of many southerners, moving by wagon to Grand Saline, Texas in 1900. They likely engaged there in farm work for wages or worked as tenant farmers. In just a few years, in 1906, they ventured further to the Oklahoma Territory, initially working on a farm near the town of Hollis before buying their own farm near Erick. There they raised cash crops while otherwise living a largely self-sufficient life, producing much of their own food including garden vegetables and livestock such as cows, hogs, and chickens.

The family raised four children – Mae (1897-1989), Euel (1903-1981), Thelma (1905-1971), and Jake (1909-1961). All lived their adult lives in this part of southwest Oklahoma.

This researcher is the youngest son of Euel and Zela (Franks) Balkcom.