Stone Gardens: A simple grave on Nubbin Ridge holds the remains of one of Oklahoma's early Masonic leaders

Thomas Jefferson Wells

Thomas Jefferson Wells was born on February 17, 1852, in Johnson County, Illinois, the son of Julius Gipson Wells and Icy Ann (Van Cleave) Wells. His mother died when he was only about six years old, around 1858, leaving his father to raise the family in the rural Midwest.

Young Thomas grew up in an era of westward expansion and opportunity that would eventually draw him far from his Illinois roots.

In 1869, at the age of seventeen, Wells married Martha Jane Burgess (1853–1895). The couple began their life together in Arkansas, where many of their children were born.

Together they raised a large family--historical records indicate at least sixteen children--reflecting the robust household norms of frontier farming families in the late nineteenth century. Among their known children were Cora E. Wells (later Lemmons, 1885–1937), Esker Wells (1892–1912), and others who would help establish the family’s presence in the growing territories to the west.

By the early 1900s, the Wells family had migrated into the Choctaw Nation in Indian Territory, settling in what would become Le Flore County, Oklahoma. They appeared in the 1900 census in the Choctaw Nation Reservation (Pushmataha area) and by 1910 were firmly established in Bokoshe Township. This move placed them at the heart of Oklahoma’s transition from Indian Territory to statehood in 1907. Like many settlers of the period, Wells engaged in the demanding work of homesteading and agriculture in the rugged hills and valleys around Bokoshe.

After the death of his first wife in 1895, Wells remarried Martha Matilda Self (1879–1967). Their union produced additional children, including Julius Henry Wells (1911–2003), who would later live and die in the same Bokoshe community. The blended family continued to thrive in rural Le Flore County, contributing to the social and economic fabric of the young state.

Beyond his roles as husband, father, and provider, Wells achieved notable prominence in fraternal organizations. In 1924–1925 he served as Most Excellent Grand High Priest of the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Oklahoma. This high office represented the pinnacle of York Rite Masonry in the state and reflected both his personal dedication and the respect he commanded among his fellow Masons.

Royal Arch Masonry had deep roots in Indian Territory, and Wells’ leadership came during a period when the fraternity helped forge community bonds across the newly formed state.

Wells lived through profound changes: the closing of the frontier, Oklahoma’s statehood, the economic challenges of the early twentieth century, and the onset of the Great Depression.

He remained rooted in Bokoshe until his death on August 9, 1934, at the age of eighty-two.

He was laid to rest in Nubbin Ridge Cemetery, just outside Bokoshe in Le Flore County-- peaceful hillside burying ground that holds many of his family members, including his son Esker and later descendants.

Thomas Jefferson Wells embodied the classic American pioneer story: born in the Midwest, forged by early loss and hard work, drawn westward by opportunity, and ultimately anchored in Oklahoma soil.

Through his large, multi-generational family and his leadership in the Masonic fraternity, he left a lasting imprint on Le Flore County. His life bridged the pre-statehood Indian Territory era and the modern Oklahoma that emerged from it, a quiet but enduring legacy commemorated on his headstone and carried forward by his descendants in the hills he called home.