John Silas Rainwater, Sr. & Nancy Catherine Vest

John Silas and Nancy Catherine Rainwater

John Silas Rainwater, Sr. was born on 21 April 1872 in Casey Co., Kentucky, the son of Giles R. Rainwater (originally Welcome Giles) and Sarah Jane Emmerson. He was one of eight siblings. In 1894, he married Nancy Catherine Vest. His brother, Durham, would marry Nancy’s sister, Hattie, a few years later.

John and Nancy Rainwater were the parents of nine children, most of whom were born in Casey Co., Kentucky. Around 1905, the family moved to Oklahoma, in search of work in that region’s oil fields. John Silas Rainwater died in Okmulgee, Oklahoma in 1960, his wife, Nancy, having died five years prior. They are buried in Morris Cemetery, Okmulgee Co., Oklahoma.

It has been said of John Silas Rainwater that he was “the type of man who would have every button on his shirt done up, even on the hottest day of the year.”

Credits
This original photograph is owned by Russ Groover, who also contributed the biographical information.

© 2018 Russ Groover
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