r parents and friends. When, therefore, any one,
reared in the home of poverty and educated in the school of "hard
knocks," rises above the unfavorable limitations of his surroundings and
achieves a noble career of eminent usefulness in church or state, he
merits commendation.

The subject of this sketch is a good illustration of the self-made man.
He inherited good lungs, a strong voice and a splendid physique. He is
really a physical giant, his stalwart frame towering upward six feet,
and tipping the beam at 265 pounds. His erect and dignified movements
have made him a commanding figure among his people. His constant
endeavor to promote their best interests has made him a popular leader
among them. A slave by birth and denied the privilege of books and
papers, lest he should learn to read, his eager desire for knowledge led
him to devise ways and means of self-education, to enable him to rise
above the fetters that bound him in youth. His successful career as a
minister of the gospel, serving the same people amongst whom he was born
and raised during the entire period of his active ministerial life, was
as unusual and worthy of special commendation, as it was long and
useful.

Wiley Homer was born March 1, 1851, in the south part of the Choctaw
Nation, known as the Red river valley. His parents were Isam McCoy and
Adaline Shoals, who lived about three miles northeast of the present
town of Grant. As his parents were called after the family name of their
masters, in accordance with the usual custom in slavery times, he was
called "Homer" after the name of his master, John Homer, a full-blood
Choctaw.

LEARNING THE ALPHABET

His self-education began, when at fourteen, he was employed as a cowboy,
to herd cattle on the little prairies and hunt them, when scattered
through the timber. The timber was a general pasture for the cattle of
everybody, and their ownership was told by the brand which consisted of
the initial letters of the owner's names, burned on the hip, or back of
each. It became necessary for him, to learn how to distinguish these
brands, one from another, for he was sometimes asked to hunt the cattle
of other people. To do this he began by drawing the outline of familiar
brands in the dust or sand, where the ground was smooth, and then on
slips of paper. In a short time, the list on the paper slips included
the brand of every owner in the settlement, and nearly all the letters
of the alphabet.

A ma