John Preston Roark; b. 9/15/1815, d. 1845, was my ggg grandfather.
Emily Love was my ggg grandmother.

At this time it is not known to me where John came from.

He married two Chickasaw sisters. Polygamy was commonly practiced among the Chickasaw at that time.

John married his first wife, Sarah Love on 1/28/1841. He and Sarah had a son, James L. Roark 4/29/1842. Sarah died 3/3/1847.

John's second wife was Sarah's sister, Emily Love. He and Emily had a son, Benjamin Franklin Roark.

Both Sarah and Emily Love's parents were Isaac Love and Eliza McKinney.

The family self-emmigrated with a party of Chickasaw from Mississippi to Oklahoma in 1844, settling in the Chickasaw District of the Choctaw Nation. On the muster roll, he is listed as male - age 10-25. With him was a female - under 10, and two females aged 10-25. One theory is that the muster roll is in error and that it should read - one male under the age of 10, which would be James L. Roark.

John and Emily had a son, Benjamin Franklin Roark. John died circa 1845. Emily then married David Calhoun Burney. David and Emily had a son Edward Sehon Burney.

JOHN PRESTON ROARK - Descendants

Benjamin Franklin Roark, b. 5/10/1845, was my gg grandfather.

He married Frances Elizabeth KEMP, daughter of Joel I. KEMP & Mariah COLBERT, Jul 22, 1865[3]. Born Mar 18, 1849 in Oklahoma. Died Nov 5, 1939. Buried in Calera, Bryan County, Oklahoma.

They had two children, Mariah Clementine Roark and Alphonso Bailey Roark.

Benjamin farmed land that Elizabeth's father had let him have. He was to work the land with her brother on the halves. Benjamin died suddenly one day during a visit to Elizabeth's parents. According to Elizabeth... he had been in fine health before.