Wella Mae (Platt) and
James Gordan Nixon
Contributed by Richard Bradley and Arlie Nixon
Wella Mae Platt Nixon was the third daughter and fifth child born to Papa and Mama, arriving on May 7, 1895. She was the second child born on the new homestead near Crystal.

Papa (C. C. Platt) was the Treasurer of the Bethel School District, helped to build the Bethel School and was instrumental in the hiring of James Gordan Nixon as its' Principal and teacher. As a student at Bethel School in 1912, Wella had Jim Nixon as her teacher. After that year he moved to northwest of Pawnee and taught at the Masham school. He must have been very taken by Wella, because he would walk to Pawnee, take the train to Casey and then walk to the homestead to court Wella. They were married on June 12, 1913, in Stillwater. Wella was eighteen and Jim, ten years her senior.

James was born April 26, 1885 in Kansas to Caleb Hetherington and Kate A (Algire) Nixon. Caleb was born in Houghton Le Spring, County Durham, England
Caleb H. and Kate A (Algire) Nixon
Wella and Jim Nixon
C.C. Platt was instrumental in building Bethel School in 1900.


Jim Nixon taught here from 1912 to 1924.


Vi lived with Wella & Jim and taught here in 1924.


Arlie bought the school after his folks died and rocked up their house with the stone.
Students and faculty at Bethel School:1 Elizabeth Platt, 2 Margaret,
3 Harmon, 4 Wella, 5 Vi, 6 Jim Nixon (teacher) 7 Raymond
Jim was teaching in Ralston when son Arlie James was born May 22, 1914. Two years later, they were in Stillwater when Iola Faye was born, April 14, 1916.
Iola Faye Nixon
Arlie and his two dogs with Nellie the pony.
The Nixon farm, one half mile north of the Platt Homestead.
Wella in 1948
Sister Vi, Mom Annie Platt, Jim and Wella Nixon
Jim bought 80 acres from Papa only a mile from the Homestead, moved a one room house on to the land and, after adding two rooms to it, farmed through the Depression years. He died of cancer on October 5, 1948 and was buried in the Pawnee cemetery. Wella left the farm immediately, leasing it out. Arlie moved to it a short time later and lived there for nearly 50 years.

Vi's daughter Martha remembers spending the night with Wella in her apartment in Bartlesville in about 1950.

Wella moved to Denver in the early 1950's and worked for sister Elizabeth as a real estate saleslady. She bought a house there and lived in it only a short time when she suffered a fatal stroke on February 12, 1953. She is buried with Jim in the Pawnee Cemetery.
Iola, Max (later divorced)
& baby Kenny
Arlie Nixon in the Service