Lydia Newberry, Daughter of Caldonia Newberry, Daughter of Ben Love

The petition of Lydia Newberry  requesting to be transferred to the blood roll, is a significant one. It is Lydia's petition, that reflects the history of another significant family of litigants and advocates for Chickasaw Freedmen. Lydia submitted a petition to transfer to the rolls of Chickasaw Freedmen, in 1906 and it is revealed that through her mother's lineage as well as her father's that she had a very strong blood tie to the Chickasaw Nation.

Lydia's parents were Caldonia Newberry and Wiley Newberry. Her mother Caldonia was the daughter of Ben Love, who signed one of the early treaties, for removal to the west. On her father's side, Lydia, also called Liddy was the daughter of Wiley Newberry, who was the son of Suckatubbee (Sakktabbi), a full and recognized Chickasaw Indian.

The entire petition is included in this case because as well known as Ben Love was among Chickasaws, it is remarked that his name was not on a roll of Chickasaws by blood. This would be the case because prior to the Dawes Roll---there was no roll known as a roll by blood among Chickasaws. Furthermore, Ben---Benjamin Love was from the prominent Love family in the Chickasaw Nation, and he was brother to Robert Love both sons of the well known Thomas Love, from the years before removal.

And another page found in the document outlines part of her genealogical pedigree.

On the documents from the Enrollment cards of the Dawes Commission, Liddy's name appears on the car with her mother Caldonia Newberry. The family was a large one and their names appear on Chickasaw Freedmen 235. The official slave holder of Caldonia, was Chickasaw Elsie Newberry. Lydia's name appears as Liddy Newberry.

On the card she identified her father as Chickasaw Ben Love, and her mother an enslaved woman known as Mariah Love. Liddy's father was Wiley Newberry and it is her father who is said on the petition to have been the son of Suckatubbee. Several grandchildren are also listed on the card for Caldonia's family.

The official interview is presented as a summarized statement, and once again, one sees the statements pertaining strictly to the name of the Chickasaw slave holder. Family ties or connections to recognized Chickasaws goes unaddressed in the summary. 

Cleary the information that Caldonia's father was Chickasaw, had to be taken recorded by the stenographer,  because on the card--it identifies in every case that the name father was never "owned" by anyone--because the father was Chickasaw or Choctaw Indian. In this case--the father was Chickasaw Indian and it was noted also on Caldonia's card.

The petition of Lydia Newberry, and that of the family of Caldonia Newberry to transferred to the roll by blood was was not approved, and they remained on the Freedmen roll. However, clearly the information on their lineage that extended back generations, to persons well known before removal was not included, nor made part of the official file. However these families had a strong identity and relationship not only within their family circle, but also to other families within the nation. They could share the names of their ancestors prior to removal and their sense of who they were remained intact.

The descendants of Lydia Newberry, daughter of Caldonia Love, daughter of Ben Love, have a legacy that goes back further to Thomas Love, The descendants of Lydia Newberry and all of Caldonia and Wiley  Newberry's children  extends back to Suckatubbee (Sakkitubbi), and others still in Mississippi. The families also overlap with other families such as that of Bettie Ligon, head Litigant in Equity 7071 case. Bettie was the daughter of Robert Love, a brother to Ben Love--Caldonia Newberry's father.

This African-Chickasaw family is a strong one with proven ties in multiple directions. Theirs is a strong legacy that continues, and the Newberry Ligon, Jackson lines that descend from Caldonia and Wiley have a strong identity deeply rooted in Chickasaw history. Their legacy continues for they were the children of their Chickasaw fathers.