“He played the chimes each noon until his eightieth year”- Rev. SCALES
The Reverend SCALES that was mentioned in yesterday’s blog is, I believe, John Grover SCALES (and not his son, J. Grover SCALES, Jr). John Grover, Sr., was born 17 April 1889 in Eucha, Delaware, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). He was born to George Washington and Martha A. “Mattie” CHANDLER SCALES. George and Mattie’s other children include Joseph, Lillie, Louisa, George, Anna, Mary, Hellen and Zelma. Reverend SCALES married Catherine “Katie” Mae WHITLEY. Reverend SCALES’ WWI draft registration describes him as having blue eyes and brown hair. According to information found, he was 1/17 Cherokee through his father and his mother was Caucasian. However, on the Final Rolls for the Cherokee, his mother is listed and not his father.
Reverend J. Grover SCALES rose to prominence as a Baptist preacher in Oklahoma. In the 1940’s, he was pastoring Commerce First Baptist Church in Commerce, Ottawa, Oklahoma. Prior to pastoring, he held a number of positions in Delaware County including Superintendent of Public Instruction 1910-1912, Treasurer 1916, and he was elected County Judge 1918 and 1920. (Information pulled from Emmet STARR’s book History of the Cherokee Indians and Their Legends and Folk Lore). There are a number of websites that mention or discuss Reverend SCALES and a Google search is highly recommended to anyone researching this family.
Reverend and Katie SCALES’ family included James R., J. Grover Jr., and Laura Elizabeth. J. Grover Jr. passed away at age 20 in New York and Laura passed away at age 19. Reverend SCALES passed away in 1971 in Oklahoma. A touching sentiment about Reverend SCALES can be found at http://www.wfu.edu/chaplain/tour/inscriptions.pdf where it says that the Reverend played the chimes every day at noon in his church until his 80th year. He appears to have played a significant role at the Cherokee National Male Seminary and was a beloved pastor at the Baptist Church in Shawnee, Oklahoma as well.
Rest in peace, Reverend SCALES.