The Oklahoma County Clerk land records date back to 1890 and contain many historic documents that tell the story of Oklahomans who settled here and have made Oklahoma a great State. Some of the records also contain the signatures of famous people who have had some connection to Oklahoma County. As we celebrate Oklahoma’s Centennial next year, I plan to share some of the interesting history that can be found in the records of the Oklahoma County Clerk’s Office.

John Wayne is one such celebrity. He was born Marion Morrison on May 26, 1907 in Winterset, Iowa. John Wayne was an actor who was larger than life appearing in more than 200 films over his 50 year career. He won a “best actor” Oscar for his role in “True Grit” in 1969. He died in Los Angeles, California on June 11, 1979 from lung and stomach cancer.

How did John Wayne have a connection in Oklahoma County? It was through his daughter Mary Antonia (Toni) Morrison LaCava who lived here with her husband Donald LaCava. They purchased a home in the Biltmore Estates subdivision on June 10, 1959. They sold their home on April 29, 1961 and held the mortgage of the new owners.

Don LaCava assigned the real estate mortgage to his father-in-law, John Wayne, on July 15, 1963. The mortgage was subsequently paid off and John Wayne signed the release on May 13, 1966.

John Wayne was honored in Oklahoma City at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 1974 when he received the “Great Western Performer Award”. There is an exhibit about John Wayne’s career in the Hall of Great Westerners.

We will soon have all of our land records from 1890 to present available to the public on-line. Genealogy is one of the fastest growing hobbies in the United States. Although you may not have a famous actor such as John Wayne in your family tree, it will be much easier to trace your family history through our county land records. We plan to have these public records available on our web site sometime during the month of December.