My aunt told me a story today that was recently relayed to her by my great uncle Jack. Jack's father was Thomas Washington Williams and he was born around 1869 in Missouri.

It seems that Thomas Williams was involved with a group of rustlers around 1884 (or mid 1880's). Apparently these rustlers were caught by a posse and were doomed to be hung. One of the posse members was Thomas Harvey. Mr. Harvey, noticing that Thomas Washington was young (only 15), decided to take him home to let him work off his crimes. He ended up living with the Harveys for many years.

Thomas Washington Williams ends up marrying Thomas Harvey's daughter Esther Mahaley Harvey about ten years later. They were married in Cleveland County, OK in December of 1894.

I am not sure who the other rustlers were or if they were members of the Williams family. Jack seemed to think that this took place in Oklahoma as that is where the Harvey's lived.

This is a long shot, but I thought that I would post the information in case it was familiar to anyone. Thanks.

Thanks for sharing this interesting story. Did the story tell if the other rustlers were hung? Harvey could have belonged to an organization such as the Anti Horse Thief Association, and if so, his name could have appeared on a membership list somewhere.

Good luck.

According to the story from my great uncle Jack the rest of the men were hung. Thanks for the tip. I will let you know if I found out more information.