O. C. Standifer, M. D.
103 1-2 Main St.
Elk City, Oklahoma

Dear Doctor:-

There is a Chas. Herbert at Austin, Texas, that I know nothing about, a Lilburn E at Spur Texas, who is my 1st cousin, in addition to your bunch.  These are the medical Standifers listed in the AMA Directory.

Needless to say I am very interested in your bunch.  And you are right in saying that they are not so common,.

The di significance, as my crowd has it, is that a couple of brotheres fell out and one of them changed his name to di so that folks wouldn't think they were kin.  That apparently happened in the old country.  My bunch also came from Scotland or England but probably earlier than yours and settled about Cumberland Gap.   Israel Standifer was the original in this country, I think, and he had twelve sons and named them after the twelve tribes. My Grandfather Dr. J. M. Standifer was the son of Daniel.  He was born in Tenn and was an army surgeon, and served in the Mexican war.   Later he came to Texas, and laid out the post of Ft. Worth.  After leaving the army he took up land in Wise County Texas about 1855.  I do not know who his first wife was, but there was a streak of insanity in the family, and most of the children from that union went insane or were peculiar in some way and their children seem to have the same taint.  His second wife was an Edwards.  Of that union there were 5 children, Ripley who died rather young but left several children; John E, who was a physician; Tom E, the father of Lilburn E, who was also a physician; and Belle and Sally.   Belle married a Fields and left children, but Sally died childless.  John E was my father.

Some of old Israel's sons went North, some South, East and West, but as I get it they were none of them very prolific.  Dr. Barney Brooks of Vanderbilt University had a Standifer for mother.  Those that came West mostly made peace officers and doctors; one of the former William was a cattle detectice for the Old Spur ranch and was drygulched by Pink Higgins in 1871.  Some were lawyers; Ike was a RR att'y and became very wealthy; I do not know whether he is still living or not.

The bunch that moved to MO is the only one I know much about.  They did not make professional men except that there were a number of peace officers among them.  One of them is and has been sheriff of the county and adjoins the one I lived in for many years but I have never met him.  Some of them live up in the lead and zinc territory about Miami, Okla.

From what you say in your letter Doctor I believe that we must have some of the same blood but of course much diluted.  If you had let out that some of them were fighters and mean as the Devil, as well as physicians I'd know so.  Up to my generation nearly all of them killed someone in a fight, Dad killed a couple and was deputy sheriff when 18 years old down in the country where Ueshel was held when they kidnaped him several years ago.  It was tougher then.  Tom killed three when he was a young man.

Me, now, I'm a peacible sort of bird, but have the very bad habit of saying just what I think about anything or anybody whenever I'm asked, that sometimes makes knots grow on my head, but I haven't killed anyone yet.

I practice medicine and surgery in a town of 6000 people but the biggest part of my practice comes from farming and ranching people.  I seem to get along better with those close to the soil.

I have 4 children, 3 girls and a boy.  The boy is 12 and is interested in scouting and the other boy activities that I don't know what he will do.   The others are girls.  My boy may make a physician but he will never make a surgeon and be happy at it.  He can't endure to see anything suffer.  Perhaps the original "ornery" streak is getting bred out.

L. E. at Spur Texas is about the same sort of an animal that I am except that he is more of a gentleman, and has studied Dale Carnegies book.  He is 47, and I am 45.  All of the older generation are dead.  He has only one child, a girl and there is little possibility of him having another unless he gets another wife, as she has very bad health and came very close to dying at the last confinement.

Doctor, I can't tell you how much I enjoyed hearing from you, and if you ever get out in the short grass county, please come in and see me.

O. C. Standifer, MD

There isn't much use carrying on the old feud so the de's listed are: Fred W, Lubbock Texas; Joe M, Tama Ia; Rufus Edd, Dunlap Tenn.  There arn't many of them either.