The Choctaw Freedmen of Garrett's Bluff Texas

 

Choctaw Freedman Card #473
Matilda Williams & children
Garetts Bluff Texas

Community Research is a remarkable way to learn more about one's ancestors. By studying the community one is able to learn about the families and the people with whom the family engaged. During the era of the Dawes Commission, many families appeared in front of the commission, together, often traveling long distances to meet with the Dawes Commission officials. Traveling in groups offered safety in numbers, especially if the distance took longer than a day, and required resting in rural areas to create campsites before continuing the journey. 

Since many Freedmen traveled to the Dawes Commsion hearings in a group, one has an opportunity to study the community, because the names of all who lived in each household were captured as well as others who lived nearby. In many cases when browsing through Dawes Cards, you will see card numbers in subsequent order of people from the very same community. So, recently, I became curious about a community of Choctaw Freedmen who lived near the Texas state line, and who used the post office in the Garret's Bluff area. Their cards suggested that they lived in Johnson County

Going through the Dawes cards, I came upon a cluster of card reflecting Choctaw Freedmen who lived near Garrets Bluff.  The cards indicated that most of them were reisdents of Jackson County in the Choctaw Nation right on the southern border, and but they lived closest to the Garretts Bluff Texas post office.

There were at least 17 households of Choctaw Freedmen in the Garretts Bluff area.  The Dawes Cards reflecting this population were numbered as follows: 472, 473, 475, 476, 477, 478, 479, 480, 481, 482, 484, 485, 486, 488, 490, 493, and 506.

Heads of Household:
Cooper Green   - Card 472
Matilda Williams - Card 473
Louisa Wilson  -  Card 475
Ed Freeman Card  -  476
Cynthia Henricks Card - 477
Maria Jones  -  Card 478
Lena Lewis - Card 479
Henry Buckner - Card 480
Helen Davis - Card 461
Dora Cole - Card 482
Sarah Wilson - Card 484
Ben Roebuck - Card 485
Hannah Roebuck - Card 486
Louisa Moon - Card 488
Will Freeman - Card 490
David Freeman - Card 493
Simon Williams - Card 506

Card 472: Cooper Green, Sarah Green, Daniel Cole

Card 473: Matilda Williams, Jack Buckner, George Wilson, Charley Williams, Rosa Williams, Hattie Halford

Card 475: Louisa Wilson, Annie Wilson, Gertrude Wilson, James Wilson, Elon Franklin Wilson

Card 476: Ed Freeman, Georgia Ann Freeman

Card 477: Cynthia Hendricks, George Freeman

Card 478:  Maria Jones, George Jones, Henry Jones, Ed Jones, Cherry Johnson, William Jones, Vinie Jones, Bessie Jones, Anna Jones, Nero Jones, Anna Johnson, Nana Johnson, Dana Jones

Card 479: Lena Lewis, Grover Lewis, James Lewis 

Card 480: Henry Buckner

Card 481:  Helen Davis, Matilda Davis, Sidney Davis, Willie Davis, Jessie Davis

Card 482: Dora Cole, Georgia Haywood, Ada Haywood, Johnnie Haywood, Nathan Haywood,  Mattie Haywood, Sweetann Cole

Card 484:  Sarah Wilson, Virginia Roebuck, Adeline Roebuck

Card 485: Ben Roebuck, William Roebuck, Ella Roebuck, Isaiah Roebuck, Frances Roebuck, Osborn Thompson

Card 486: Hannah Roebuck, Bennie Roebuck

Card 488: Louisa Moore

Card 490: Will Freeman, Elnora Freeman, Lurinda Freeman, Lorena Freeman

Card 493: David Freeman

Card 506: Simon Williams

The family of Maria Jones of Garretts Bluff Texas
Chooctaw Freedman Card #478

Since these families were placed on the Dawes Roll, that means that they did receive land allotments in the Choctaw Nation. Did they remain in Jackson County Oklahoma? Or did their proximity to Garrets Bluff eventually lead them to settle in Texas or beyond? More can be learned about these families to see where they may have settled after statehood. However, there is another part of their family stories to find which might be found in their tie to the state of Texas.