Re: Stricklin Oil - Harris County, Texas
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In reply to:
Stricklin Oil - Harris County, Texas
James Strickland 4/07/06
Dear James,
You are referring to the the Wilson Strickland mess.
Wilson was born in Georgia, went to Texas with a cousin when it was still part of Mexico.He was granted some land by the Mexican government, then he disappeared.Many years later, oil was discovered on the land.Humble Oil and Refinery Co didn't know whom to pay the royalties to, so they deposited them in a trust account, which quickly built up into the millions.In about 1940, there was a court case to determine who were the owners.The land was assigned to the Vince family, Wilson Strickland's cousin's heirs, but they did not get the mineral rights... or the millions.
Meanwhile, Stricklands all over the South were busily manufacturing family bibles that recorded dear old Wilson as their lost son.All those phony bibles, along with a lot of real genealogical history, were shipped to Texas and are now rotting and decomposing in some court repository.This is the reason Strickland genealogy is so difficult to establish.
All we know for sure is that Flora Strickland married Richard Vince in Tattnall County GA.Their son was Wilson's cousin who went to Texas with him and ended up with title to the land.So we know that the real heirs are from the southern GA branch of the Strickland family... but whether any of them could prove relationship and claim the royalties has never been publicly acknowledged. I understand that the case is now settled, but the settlement has never been disclosed.
For more info, I recommend John F. Wise's website.
Guy Strickland
More Replies:
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Re: Stricklin Oil - Harris County, Texas
Maggie COUGHLAN 9/08/09