Posted By:	J. Ferrin
	Email:
	Subject:	Thurman W. Balding, a.k.a. "Skeeter Baldwin" of the Cook Gang
	Post Date:	January 05, 2008 at 22:59:06
	Message URL:	http://genforum.genealogy.com/balding/messages/56.html
	Forum:	Balding Family Genealogy Forum
	Forum URL:	http://genforum.genealogy.com/balding/

1. THURMAN W.3 BALDING (WILLIAM2, LEWIS1) was born 01 January 1867 to William Balding and Elizabeth (Hummel) Balding in Morgan County, Ohio, and died 02 March 1936 in Sun City, Barber County, Kansas. Thurman W. Balding, also known by the nicknames "Skeeter" and "Tull", was a member of the Cook Gang of outlaws in the Indian Territories. The gang was led by Bill Cook who was born in 1873 and his brother James, born in 1877. The most famous member of the gang was Crawford Goldsby, also known as Cherokee Bill. There is currently only one page on the internet, an article from the NY Times about the prison sentence of Thurman Balding having been commuted by T.R. Roosevelt, which identifies him as a convicted member of the Cook Gang. There are, however, many web pages and books which mention him by his alias, "Skeeter Baldwin", and his membership in the Bill Cook Gang. You can find a page which I have just put online about him here: http://www.rootsweb.com/~ksbarber/balding_tw.html His father's obituary can be found here: http://www.rootsweb.com/~ksbarber/balding_w.html