Where does the Prichard surname come from?

The Prichard surname was a venerable name well before one of its scions, Lev H. Prichard, became a well-known figure among Oklahoman business men, as well as well-known across the American business world in the first half of the Twentieth Century.

Prichard Surname - Family Name

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Early Days of Oil in Oklahoma State

Oil in Oklahoma was first discovered in 1859 by accident, at a location near Salina, in what was then Oklahoma Territory. The oil came for from a well that had been drilled for salt.

 

Vintage postcard shows large rock with the words, THE FIRST COMMERCIAL OIL WELL IN OKLAHOMA COMPLETED APRIL 15, 1897. Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
Vintage postcard shows large rock with the words, THE FIRST COMMERCIAL OIL WELL IN OKLAHOMA COMPLETED APRIL 15, 1897. Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

In 1907, shortly before Oklahoma formally became a state, it produced the most oil of any state or territory in the United States. (more…)

Welcome to the Prichard Family website and blog

Welcome to the Prichard Family website and blog!

Prichard Family, Christmas, Circa 1940
Prichard Family, Christmas, Circa 1940
Lev H. Prichard Sr.
Lev H. Prichard, Sr.

Our website is intended to be an online museum dedicated to one influential family that has lived in Oklahoma and Texas for multiple generations.

In memorializing this family and their work in commerce and in their communities, this online museum is also illustrating a family that is representative of the early days of the oil and gas industry and it demonstrates in microcosm the overall impact of the oil boom upon the states of Oklahoma and Texas.

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