Oral History  is the best tool to start any search, however it does have its flaws.  Grandma may tells you the family lived in Adair, is that Adair County or Adair Township in Mayes County.  The same would hold true for other names like  Carter which is a county and a township in Beckham County. The census records are separated into groups by state, then by county then by townships. Researching for an ancestor on the county level provides a smaller region than that of a state search as a township search would further narrowed.  You should also concern yourself with the boundary line that may have changed over time, changes that may affect your search area.  The following is an Index of Oklahoma Townships in 1930. This list has also been crossed reference giving an alphabetical listing of Counties where they are located.  Some names from Oral Histories do not exist today, the following Link may aid you in identifying the Names of those locations to day. Ghost Towns of Oklahoma A listing of some Ghost and almost forgotten Townships are also included here follow link below.