Choska Talfa Research Room

Welcome!

Choska Talfa loosely translates to Post-Oak Place in the Mvskoke (Creek) Language

About
The Choska Talfa room houses works pertaining to territorial, state, and indigenous histories. We also have archival resources and microfilm readers, and offer access to Ancestry.com (Library Edition), Fold3, Heritage Quest, and Newspapers.com.

Becoming the Choska Talfa Room
Formerly known as the Genealogy Room, library staff began organization of the room’s vast but unorganized special collections in 2021. We created the Fus Fixico Classification System to provide for better collocation and equitable representation in the room’s collections.

Current Projects
Cataloging of archives pertaining to local history, Steve Russell (Cherokee) papers, consideration of cataloging of Richard Ray Whitman (Euchee) papers, digitization of local yearbooks. *Open to digitization efforts with others*

Using the Research Room

The Choska Talfa Room is open to all! For specialized 1:1 assistance, please call the library to make an appointment with library staff. Research queries may be sent to bplgenealogylibrarian@gmail.com and will be answered on a first-com, first-served basis.

Rules
Materials are available for in-house use only. Ask for assistance to access locked archival materials and to use microfilm readers.

Requests
Please sign our guest book! 🙂

Need Help?
Contact bplgenealogylibrarian@gmail.com for research inquiries.

Available Resources

Archives & Special Collections

From the Steve Russell Papers to first edition works by Indigenous historians Angie Debo and John Joseph Matthews; a complete collection of Chronicles of Oklahoma to a rare editions of the work Hell on the Border, we’ve got some pretty cool resources. Through the generous support of our charitable trust, BLBI, we provide access to Fold3, Ancestry Library Edition, HeritageQuest, and Newspapers.com

Microfilm

Scroll through over 100 years of Bristow newspapers and find obituaries, wedding announcements, birth announcements, advertisements and so much more!
Also available are a few newspapers from Depew, Oilton, and Sapulpa, as well as some select US Federal Censuses.

Article Citation: April 1, 1915 – The Bristow Record

Yearbooks

Only viewable on request
Come in and flip through our collection of yearbooks from Bristow High School! The earliest yearbooks we have are from 1924 and 1927, way back when the annual was called The Wildcatter instead of The Log! Some copies are viewable online in our Digital Collection!
You never know what you will find!

Cemetery Records

Need help locating a grave in the Bristow City Cemetery? We can help you out! Come in and tell us the deceased relative’s name and we’ll look them up in the cemetery’s lot index and pinpoint the location on a map for you.

City Directories

Not sure if an ancestor lived in the Bristow area way back when? You might be able to find their name in an old directory. We have copies of directories from 1925 to 1939 and some original phonebooks from 1966 to 1997.

Obituaries

If you’re having trouble finding an obituary or just don’t know how to get started, we have a great resource that can help. In our collection, we have 45 binders full of obituary transcriptions, all handwritten by a wonderful local lady. The obituaries are organized in alphabetical order by surname, and for some articles, there are footnotes about their lives and who they were!

Local History

Looking for information about local history in general? Well you’re in luck! In our Choska Talfa Research Room, you can find books and binders FULL of information!

Our collection includes:

C. H. Purdy Diary
A diary chronicling the happenings in the early days of Bristow between 1898 and 1915
Company G – National Guard
A compilation of newspaper articles regarding the local National Guard unit from 1946 to 1959.
Local Family Histories
Some families in the area have donated binders full of their stories, pictures, and research. Maybe you’ll find a relative among them!
County Histories
We have county and city history books from across the state! Our Creek County books include Drumright, Shamrock, and Sapulpa.
AND SO MUCH MORE!!!

How Can You Help?

We are always seeking volunteers. We also hope to hire a Local History Librarian in the near future.

Donations
Do your donations pertain to tribal, state, or local history? We may be interested. Contact the library (918) 367-6562.

Volunteers
Are cherished and welcomed. Call or come by the library for a Volunteer Application.

Contact the Reference Librarian

📧	bplgenealogylibrarian@gmail.com
📞	(918) 367-6562

Our ProQuest Links

While Ancestry can only be used here at the library, Newspapers.com, Fold3, and HeritageQuest can all be used at home using your library card! Just click on the images below and type in your card number.