Adrian Cartright "Ade" JUSTUS
1882 - 1965

Birth: 8 Apr 1882 Tahlequah, Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory (OK)
Died: 25 Jan 1965 Tahlequah, Cherokee Co., Oklahoma
Buried: Ross Cemetery, Park Hill, Oklahoma

Father: Asberry McKindery JUSTUS, b. 3 Aug 1848, Henderson Co., North Carolina, d. 24 Aug 1928, Claremore, Rogers Co., Oklahoma
Mother: Nancy A. STEPP, b. 17 Sep 1852, North Carolina, d. 3 Mar 1885, Park Hill, Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory
Married: 6 Sep 1874 Greene Co., Missouri

Married 1: Marie Kjerstina (Mary) NISSEN LEERSKOV, b. 16 Oct 1891, Eureka, Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory, d. 26 Feb 1982, Vinita, Craig Co., Oklahoma
Married: 16 Oct 1907 Tahlequah, Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory
Divorced: 2 Sep 1938 Cherokee Co., Oklahoma

Children:
1. un-named female JUSTUS, b. 15 Aug 1908, Tahlequah, Cherokee Co., Oklahoma, d. 15 Aug 1908, Tahlequah, Cherokee Co., Oklahoma
2. Detlev William JUSTUS, b. 10 Jul 1909, Tahlequah, Cherokee Co., Oklahoma, d. 2 Mar 1983, Tulsa, Tulsa Co., Oklahoma
3. Gertrude Eril JUSTUS, b. 23 Jan 1911, Tahlequah, Cherokee Co., Oklahoma, d. 26 Aug 2000, Tahlequah, Cherokee Co., Oklahoma
+4. Truman Elwood JUSTUS, b. 10 Dec 1913, Tahlequah, Cherokee Co., Oklahoma, d. 21 Apr 2005, Tahlequah, Cherokee Co., Oklahoma
5. Roxie Marie JUSTUS, b. 25 Mar 1923, Tahlequah, Cherokee Co., Oklahoma
6. un-named female JUSTUS, b. 13 Mar 1929, Tahlequah, Cherokee Co., Oklahoma, d. 13 Mar 1929, Tahlequah, Cherokee Co., Oklahoma

Married 2: Lottie L. ROBERTSON, b. 13 Jul 1890, Arkansas, d. 22 Apr 1968, Tahlequah, Cherokee Co., Oklahoma
Married 20 Feb 1944 Tahlequah, Cherokee Co., Oklahoma

Notes: ◦Mary and Ade were married by Rev. Joe Thompson of the Presbyterian Church of Tahlequah in the parlor of the D.N. Leerskov home on October 16, 1907 and lived in the home for a short time afterwards. After selling part of Mary's allotment at Owasso, they built a house on her forty acre allotment on the hill just to the south of the D.N. Leerskov home. Except for during the year of 1914, when the family lived in the D.N. Leerskov home, the Justus family lived in their home on the hill until 1920, when they rented their home to a Mr. and Mrs. Harris and moved off the mountain to a valley farm, where they could do grain farming. (*)

After the death of Nancy Leerskov on January 4, 1925, the Justus family moved back into the D.N. Leerskov home. Ade was justice of the peace, and assistant game warden, in addition to helping Detlev Leerskov sell his fruit in Tahlequah. After Detlev's death in 1928, the family moved to the Will Thompson land south of Tahlequah, where the Ozark Nursery is located.

The family lived in their home south of Tahlequah until late 1936 when Mary, with son Truman and his wife Jackie, drove to Phoenix, Arizona for Truman's health. Mary continued on by bus to Los Angeles, California where she was met by her sister Vina Doherty and her family. Mary lived with Vina, and several weeks later, John "Coon" Phillips met her there. He and Mary proclaimed their intentions to be together "from here on out" in John's words. Mary had her niece Rachel mail her wedding ring back to Ade.

Several weeks later, Mary and John rented a small house on 52nd Street, Los Angeles, about a block and a half from Vina's house. Mary worked at Park Laundry where Vina was working. She and John lived in Los Angeles several months before they bought a car and moved to Parker, Arizona. They both worked there for several years before moving back to Oklahoma.

John and Mary Phillips resided at Vinita, Oklahoma and lived in the Phoenix Apartments for sometime before moving into a house of their own. They established "Phillips Furniture" in Vinita which had begun as a second hand store. They ran the store until several years before Mary's death on February 26, 1982.

[Source: wadeprater.com]