Freedmen Descendants With Choctaw Blood Denied Due to Policies Based on Race

 At the Senate Hearing on Capitol Hill in July of this year, representatives of Five Tribal Nations, addressed the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on issues pertaining to the Freedmen of the Five Tribes. I attended that hearing, and sat directly behind the speakers. It was quite disappointing to listen to the words of the Choctaw Nation representative. Mr. Michael Burrage who made the statement that Choctaw citizenship is an issue about blood, and not about race.

Was Attorney Burrage speaking from what he truly believed to be true? Was he simply giving spin that he is paid to give? Or was he possibly honestly unaware of cases where numerous people identified as "Freedmen" had Choctaw fathers---who have the blood he spoke about. Is he not aware that they are still considered to be outsiders and not welcomed?   

Here is such an example of a Freedman who had Choctaw blood.

Ardena Darneal, Daughter of a Choctaw Indian:
This is a case where the daughter of a well-known Choctaw was not put on the blood roll, nor was her mother able to place her on the roll of the tribe to which her daughter was born. Because her mother's line came from Chickasaws slaves. The name of Ardena Darneal is actually found on a Chickasaw Freedman Card.  But Ardena had a Choctaw father.

On the front of the Dawes enrollment card, a note appears about Ardena's mother Fanny. The hand-written note clearly states that the mother Fanny Parks, is "Separated from Silas Darneel, a Choctaw Indian." 

Chickasaw Freedmen Card #927
Fannie Parks and children

Close up of notation on front of Dawes Card

Some time ago, Verdie Triplett, the grandson of Ardena Darneal, applied for citizenship in the Choctaw Nation. He was denied. He applied because he has a proven lineage by blood to a known Choctaw. He submitted all required documents including the card referring to Ardena's father. He proved in his application that he had the "blood" that Attorney Burrage spoke about. But yet, he was denied, even though lineal descent was proven.

Was it because the mother Fanny was on a Chickasaw Card? But her card proved the blood tie of her daughter to a still living Choctaw, and Ardena was the daughter of a Choctaw Indian. And if Verdie Triplett can prove that he is a lineal descendant of Silas Darneal a Choctaw and that he has the frequently mentioned blood---why is he not a citizen?

Was it because the child's father did not put her on his card?  That can't be the case,because Fanny, the Freedwoman was not allowed to enter the tent of blood citizens, even though her daughter clearly had her father's blood.  Attorney Burrage states, the case has to be proven of lineal descent. Mr. Triplett proved lineal descent through vital records connecting him directly to Ardena. And it is clear that Fanny Park's Ardena's mother told the Commission, who the child's father was and a notation was recorded on the card. Lineal descent was proven. Ardena had Choctaw blood, but was never put on the blood roll. But the question then arises: What is wrong with Ardena's blood?

Or------------is it possible that the issue is in reality, one of race and not blood? Indeed this question must be asked, because in case after case, those with Choctaw fathers were not admitted. The one thing in common that they had was that in almost every case, the mother was of African descent. The race of the mother extended to the child and was then used against them, thus preventing Ardena, and all of her descendants from Choctaw citizenship forever.  But Ardena was clearly one-half Choctaw and the attorney told the Senate Committee on Indian Affair, that lineal descent must be proven and that it is all about blood!  

Attorney Burrage pointed out that there are black people who are members of the tribe. But he did not point out that these are descendants of inter-racial marriages that have occurred in recent years. 

The final reason to exclude Freedmen when all other excuses are exhaustd is the use of the word, "sovereignty." Is sovereignty a "code word" for the right to exclude the very people who were enslaved in the same nation? Is that the action of an honorable and "proud" people?

Ardena Darneal, like her mother Fanny was put on the final roll as a descendant of slaves. Her blood tie to a Choctaw  meant nothing to the Dawes Commission and it means nothing to the Choctaw Nation, today. Her placement on the Freedmen roll also meant that she would only receive 1/8th the amount of land that blood-roll citizens were given.

In other words, blood-roll Choctaw were allotted 8 times more land (320 acres) than their former slaves (40 acres). And now today, descendants of  "blood-roll" Choctaws are still punishing the descendants of those they enslaved by not even giving them citizenship in the land where their ancestors lived, toiled and died.

In fairness, is it possible that today's tribal officials are simply unaware of these cases? If so, then shouldn't this issue be reviewed to right a wrong?

Would Attorney Burrage not agree that Ardena Darneal's blood tie is there, and that Mr. Triplett and his children are deserving of citizenship? 

Mr. Triplett still lives in the same neighborhood in Le Flore County that his Darneal cousins who are Choctaw citizens live. They know each other as cousins, but yet "sovereignty" or prejudice does not allow one part of Silas Daneal's descendants to be recognized a citizens while others from the same man, are citizens. Yet they are ALL Choctaw people. 

Would be Mr. Burrage become an advocate for descendants of this half Choctaw child to be a  citizen today?  Sadly, this is not the only case, for there are so many more. 

A Question of Morality

Why not address the moral issue of mistreating former slaves and their descendants?

The immorality of the policy of a blood tie should be addressed. When it comes to the right of citizenship of a people held in bondage for generations, how can the composition of their blood cast them out of a place that their ancestors earned?

A question to Attorney Burrage---are you truly comfortable with that?

Choctaw Freedmen had the same home as those on the blood roll and the roll of "inter-married whites" with whom the tribe has no issue. The Freedmen had no other home! The Freedmen themselves had been immersed in the same culture, language, foodways and had to abide by the same laws. So how  canone justify denial of a people who were a Choctaw people, because they don't have the slave owner's blood?

To the Choctaw Nation---Is that who you really are? The policy based on looks and blood---when the former slaves had no other home is a racist policy, a cruel policy and vicious policy!  If that is the case, and if that is what you are, then come forth in your truth and speak to it. On the other hand, if that is not the spirit of the Chahta Proud, then exhibit the courage of the ancestors and do what is right. 

The country that funds the Choctaw Nation is the United States. And the United States did not stipulate in the 14th Amendment that former slaves had to have the blood of their slave holders to be American citizens. So how does the Choctaw Nation practice and consider their blood policy to be one of sovereignty or intergrity, or righteousness?  Especially even when Freedmen descendants prove their blood ties--they are still denied.

Does the Choctaw Nation wish to truly be recognized as a community embracing prejudices of the Old South? If so, say so and let the world know that is who you are. If that is not who you wish to be, then reach back to the hands that reached back to you, in 2021, resulting from Chief Batton's Open Letter. 

Doing the right thing is not that hard.

If He Was Sincere.....

Image of Open Letter from Chief Gary Batton

 Over a year ago, Chief Gary Batton of the Choctaw Nation published an open letter about launching an initiative to look into the possibility of Choctaw Freedmen citizenship. However, since that time many people have sent letters to the Choctaw Nation, expressing an interest in engaging in the "meaningful conversations" with him that he implied was to occur. 

To this date, no one has received even a form letter from the Choctaw Nation, saying "thank you for your letter". No response, no acknowlegement, nothing. Last year, one Freedman descendant with family in SE Oklahoma, was able to establish a cordial relationship by phone with one of the tribal officials in the capitol. However, in late spring she made a call, and was suddenly told that the tribes attorneys  had advised them not to engage with callers about Freedmen.

So--the tribe is now "lawyered-up" in anticipation of some kind of adversarial action coming from Freedmen descendants?  Really? So the question has to be asked--was the open letter not sincere ? 

This year, several of us attended the hearing on July 27th with the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs,  and we were able to listen to the spokesperson on behalf of the Choctaw Nation speak about issues of blood, insisting their policy has nothing to do with race. The counsel clearly was unaware of the dozens of Freedmen families whose spouses, or fathers were Choctaws by blood. Perhaps he did not know that  their blood was intentionally left off the final Dawes roll, although their Choctaw fathers were named on the enrollment cards!  This gesture forever cast those Choctaw Freedmen who truly had blood ties, into a category of "Freedmen", forcing them to forever wear some kind of "stain of slavery" ---a stain put upon them by the tribe---not by themselves. Clearly this is all about race, and NOT about blood. 

Michael Burrage telling the Senate Committee that their policy has nothing to do with race.

And at the hearing, many of us were left wondering---if Chief Batton was sincere--could he not have come or did the chance of having a meaningful conversation with descendants of Choctaw Freedmen make him avoid the hearing?

Earlier this year when a Freedmen descendant attended a local event, and this person had the chance to meet the current chief and ask about the issue regarding Freedmen citizenship. The response was simply that not too many letters had come in about it, far less than what they had expected. And that was all.

So the initiative that the chief himself was to launch was based upon an unstated quantity letters to come from Freedmen descendants? The question is asked again----Was the initiative that the chief mentioned in his open letter dependent upon receipt of a specific number of letters by Freedmen to be sent to his office?

If THIS was the issue---his OPEN LETTER would have stated so that is, if he was sincere.

One can only surmise the following:

*If he was sincere no quantity of letters should not have kept him from doing the right thing.

*If he was sincere, the initiative said he would launch would have unfolded.

*If he was sincere, he would honor his word "....We see you. We hear you."

*If he was sincere, he would see us now---he would see us today---because still part of the same nation, still sharing the same history, and still walk and live among Choctaw people as Choctaw people

*If he was sincere, he would allow selected Freedmen descendants to meet with him.

*If he was sincere, he would come and look us in the eye, shake our hands, and sit down with us, all as members of the same community and learn that we are not different from each other.

*If he was sincere, he would have honored his word to meet us, talk to us have meaningful dialogue with us. 

Had he been truly sincere, we would not now feel that an empty gesture was tossed at us in a cruel hollow gesture of words unanwered and requests ignored.

Sadly, time has shown us that what we believed was sincere, truly was not.

Excerpt from the 2021 Open Letter of Chief Batton
(To date, no one has been able to meet with him, nor engage in any dialogue with him.)

* * * * *

An 1880 Appeal for Help from Choctaw Freedman

In the years after the Civil War, the plight of Freedmen of both Choctaw and Chckasaw nations was one of trying to neogiate freedom in a somewhat hostile community that did want them to enjoy such freedom. Some experienced acts of violence against them, while others simply found themselves of a difficult day to day situation of having to negotiate with others for assistance. Theirs was a constant struggleto simply carve out a living  in an unpredictable post Civil War Choctaw Nation. With time, some Freedmen turned to church leaders, and many found occasiaonl assistance from the AME Church and also the Baptist convention as well.

  In 1880, one of the Freedmen, Nelson Coleman an emerging Choctaw Freedman leader, reached out to AME Church Presiding Elder James Sisson for his assistance with the plight of Freedmen in Indian Territory.

On a recent trip to the National Archives, a letter was found written by Coleman to Rev. James Sisson, a high ranking leader in the AME Church. A follow up letter by Sisson was also found. An image of Coleman's letter appears below, followed by a transcription of the letter.

Letter from Nelson Coleman to AME Elder James Sisson, 1880
National Archives Record Group 75, Entry 604

Transcription of Letter:

Brazil Station, Choctaw Nation

August 29, 1880


Elder Sisson, Dear Friend

    I received your kind and welcome letter yesterday and was glad to get to read a few lines from you, but so sorry to hear that you have been in such bad condition, but I am in hope that you will soon gain your strength back and that we may see each other again face to face. My wife is not in very good health at this time present. All the people is well, I think. I have not heard no complaint.
   I hope that you will tend to that matter for me as soon as possible and send me answer as it concerns me and all of my race of people that live in this territory. We know you to be kind and faithful to us. I hope that you will do the best you can for us. You will please write to me just as soon as you can hear from that matter. So with such few remarks I will close my letter for this time. This leaves us all well. Hoping to hear from you again soon.                                   
                            Yours truly friend

                             Nelson Coleman


Several weeks later, Elder Sisson reache out to the Secretary of the Interior in Washington DC.

Letter from James Sisson to Sec'y of Interior
November 1880
National Archives Record Group 75, Entry 604

Transcription of  Sisson's Letter

                                                                                                              Atoka, 
                                                                                                              Indian Territory
                                                                                                              October 5, 1880

Honorable Charles Schultz
Sec'y Interior
     Washington D.C.

           Dear Sir:

                      The discomforts to the colored people; from the threats of some of the Choctaws are very great: many are kept from improving plantations, of being told that all the colored people are to be driven out of this nation by Choctaws. Could your department settle this matter fully and acceptably to all parties, it would be a great blessing.

                                                                                              Respectfully,
                                                                                              James F. A. Sisson
                                                                                              Presiding Elder
                                                                                              Oklahoma District
                                                                                              Indian Mission Conference
                                                                                              African Methodist
                                                                                              Episcopal Church
 

***** ***** *****

Although both letters are simple letters they reflect the difficult times and issues that Freedmen faced years after slavery was abolished. Some lived with threats and others lived in fear of being driven away from the only place they knew as home.

Sadly, the saga of Freedmen from the Choctaw Nation is one that continues to this day. Both letters above were  written a full five years before citizenship would ever come their way, and the Freedmen at that time were asking questions and seeking their rights then, just as they do today, in the 21st century where today, Freedmen--descendants of Choctaw-held slaves are alienated from the nation of their ancestral nation. No other reason can be except that they come from the enslaved members of the Choctaw nation. And today as descendants of slaves, even those whose ancestors were Choctaws who fathered children, they are kept away, for no other reason than their color, and the slave status of their ancestors.

In the 1980s descendants of the same people, found themselves once again an unwanted people, who had never done anything to merit the alienation demonstrated to them. And now, in the 21st century, and a full year after a letter from the head of the Choctaw nation, Chief Gary Batton, promised to look into the issue of citizenship for them, the gesture has become a hollow one as no one has even had the courtesy of a response to their efforts to reach out to the nation.

Nevertheless, we honor all who worked on the behalf of Freedmen from both Choctaw and Chickasaw nations. Their story continues and their strength is ever enduring. Their story continues to be researched and their stories are being told.

Rare Census Record Reveals Early Roots of Choctaw Freedman Family

 A rare 1890 census document is found in a collection of records from the Choctaw Nation. On that record is found the name of the Hall family, of Choctaw Freedmen. Thomas Hall, his wife Rachel, and his sister Charity are on the document. What distinguishes the record is that the applicants are elders, all over 70 years of age, placing their years of birth in the 1820s! Their ages indicate that they were born several years before Choctaw Removal in the early 1830s. 

The Family of Thomas Hall, Choctaw Freedmen 
Typically, when researching records of the Freedmen of Indian Territory, the enrollment cards which are part of the Dawes records, are studied. In this case, the family of Thomas, Rachel, and Charity Hall, are found on Enrollment Card #435.

The National Archives at Fort Worth; Fort Worth, Texas; Enrollment Cards, 1898-1914; NAI Number: 251747; Record Group Title: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs; Record Group Number: 75  (Choctaw Freedman Card #435)

On the reverse side of the card the names of Thomas and sister Charity's parents are revealed: 

Source: Same as above. Image shown is reverse side of card.

Sam and Nancy Hall are their parents. In many cases with elders who were Choctaw Freedmen, the names of parents are not always recorded, but in this case they were. Rachel, Thomas' wife also identified her own parents, who were Ben Seward and Phillis Seward. It is stated that they were actually somewhere in Texas. But the interview from the Application Jacket reveals that most of their entire life was spent in Indian Territory.

Applications for Enrollment of the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes, 1898–1914. Microfilm M1301, 468 rolls. NAI: 617283. Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Record Group 75. The National Archives at Washington, D.C. (Image accessed on Ancestry)


Additional Records Reveal Much More

The first extensive Federal census in Indian Territory was taken in 1900 so the Dawes records are  critical to examininig Freedmen history before that time. However, a rare record from 1890 was shared in an online Facebook group known as The Choctaw-Chickasaw Freedmen Descendants group.(Special thanks, Sandra Riley.)

The document was part of a collection of records from the Oklahoma Historical Society. They are now digitized and found on Ancestry as part of earlier pre-statehood records from the Choctaw Nation known as CTN records. (CTN means Chotaw Nation)

On the microfilm reel  CTN 4, also found on Ancestry, there are many records from the old districts in the Choctaw Nation.  There are 468 images on the reel. On image #318 some records from Towson in the Choctaw Nation are reflected and two of the pages reflect Freedmen. On that record are the Halls.

Source: Indian Marriage and Other Records, 1850–1920. Oklahoma Historical Society, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Image acessed from Ancestry  CTN 4 Image #316 of 468. 1890 Census of Towson Choctaw Nation

It should be pointed out that most of the 1890 census was destroyed by fire in 1923. However, this unique census record was not part of the records housed in the U. S. Commerce building, when the fire struck the records. Thankfully this rare set of pages were not affected as they were not in the Commerce building at the time.

Interesting Data About the Thomas Family

That 1890 census record reflects some interesting details about this family. Thomas and his sister Charity were born in Mississippi. His wife Rachel however, was born in Virginia!  And both of her parents were also born in Virginia. Virginia ancestry is rare for a Choctaw Freedman.  On her enrollment card (shown in first image above), it says that her parents Ben and Phillis Seward were located or had been situated in Texas--to the south of Indian Territory.  So clearly in her early years she and her parents were either sold or removed with others from Virginia, to Texas, but clearly Rachel somehow ended up enslaved in the Choctaw Nation. 

In addition to Rachel being born in Virginia, she could also read. This reflection of her literacy as well as place of birth for her and her parents makes this rare image even more interesting! But how Rachel came to be in Indian Territory will not be known, but it is clear that she was in the Choctaw Nation quite early, because she and her husband were enslaved by the same Choctaw man, Eastman Loman. 

Did Loman go to Texas to purchase slaves or to purchase a female for Thomas?  Or was Rachel removed from her parents when taken to the territory? Was contact ever made with them after freedom?  The answers are not known and will perhaps never be, however, the record does exist to point to an early American presence of this family in post colonial Virginia. Many untold stories remain to be told, especially how many Choctaws obtained their human chattel slaves. 

It is revealed on the record, that sister Charity was never married, and remained close to her brother and family into their later  years. Seeing a rare household only of only elders living together makes this find even more special. Thankfully they all lived to receive allotments of land, and it is hoped that there were generations that followed them and that lived to tell their story.

Sallie Walton & Legacy - Women's History Month

 

Sallie Walton (b. 1863  d. 1968)
Choctaw Freedwoman

Born during the turbulent years of the Civil War, Sallie was born in 1863 the old Skullyville district. Her mother was Amanda Perry who was enslaved by Emeline Perry.  Amanda was the daughter of Kitty, who came to Indian Territory along with the Perry clan from Yalobusha Mississippi, during the Indian Removal in 1831.

Sallie's young years were spent in the post Civil War years in Indian Territory. Her home was in the Skullyville community where she lived the first half of her life. Immersed in Choctaw culture and language she adapted to the life that surrounded her. As a young woman she  had a child with John Williams and daughter Louisa was born.  In 1883, she married Samuel Walton in the Choctaw Nation.

Samuel & Sallie Walton

Sallie's life before that unfolded in the  Skullyville area. Her immediate family was not a large one. Her grandmother Kitty Perry Crow, was the head of the family and during those years they maintained a relationship to the Perry's who had brought them to Indian Territory in the 1830s. Sallie was close to her mother Amanda as well as to her uncle Jackson Crow. During t he years of post Civil War Indian Territory, the family lived in the Choctaw community around Oak Lodge.

Family Saga Jackson Crow
Sallie's mother Amanda Crow had a brother Jackson Crow. Often called Jack by the family, he came of age in the small Skullyville and Sugar Loaf communities in the Choctaw Nation. Her uncle Jackson Crow spent time with other young men in the same area. They were the closest neighbors, and he was the only Freedman in his circle of friends. It was his group of associates who encountered local Choctaw Charlie Wilson on a road in the same area. Wilson was running for a tribal office at the time. During the encounter with Wilson a confrontation unfolded, and Charlie Wilson was left dead. Although there were several of them in the group, Wilson's death lead to the arrest of Sallie's uncle Jackson Crow, who was the only one in the group arrested and later tried for the death of Charlie Wilson.

Although it is said that the gun that killed Jackson Crow was not his, he was still the only one tried for Wilson's death. He was also the only "Choctaw Negro" in the group, he was convicted and executed in Judge Parker's court. The impact of the capture execution of Sallie's uncle left a dramatic impact on the lives of the Perry women, so much that Sallie often resisted ever speaking about it, when asked, and the few times she was known to raise her voice came when she adamantly refused to revisit the trauma, which occurred when he was captured.

The capture involved setting a fire to the family cabin. Three women were inside the small cabin at the time. Sallie's mother, grandmother, and Crow's wife were the likely three women, terrorized by the blaze, and in fear of being burned alive, the three women were said to have fled the cabin in tears and terror. Sallie, living nearby with husband Samuel Walton had to have been equally shaken by the sheer experienced by her mother and grandmother.

Attending the trial Sallie and her family would only be present to claim the body of Uncle Jackson Crow after his execution. Sallie retreated to a quiet life in the Territory. The notoriety of being related to "the outlaw" who was her dear uncle left an imprint on the Perry women.

Life in Skullyville
Sallie who had married in 1883 lived quietly in the nation with husband, Samuel Walton who was a well known preacher in the Skullyville community. In the years after her uncle died and the notoriety had subsided in the area life continued for the family amid their heartbreak but she had the comfort of her husband Samuel. Sallie's grandmother Kitty died in the late 1880s and her mother passed away in 1898. By the early 1900s they'd had two sons Houston and Samuel Jr. Sadly, Houston, her oldest son would perish in a train accident in 1904. A few years later in 1912, her husband Samuel passed away, and was buried in the Hontubby area of Le Flore County.

In her younger years, Sallie had not had access to primary education, but both she and her husband Samuel who was a literate man, both emphasized education for their children. Settling in the Ft. Coffee area for a few  years, their son Samuel attended the Fort Coffee neighborhood school for Choctaw Freedmen children. In later  years, when Samuel married a woman from nearby Arkansas, they would move across the state line so that the Walton children would have access to schools for black children, in nearby Fort Smith. Sallie would eventually join them in nearby Fort Smith, right across the state line, in Arkansas.

Sallie continued her life in Fort Smith for the next 40 years as a widow, nurturing her grandsons, choosing to become a member of the First Baptist Church. It was a coincidence that she joined this church, because her husband Samuel had contributed to building that church, in the early years after the Civil War, and helping to establish the first "Sabbath" school for freed blacks in the city.  Sallie became a beloved grandmother and great grandmother to the Walton family of Fort Smith, and the Sanders family in Le Flore County Oklahoma. She was an active member of First Baptist where she attended until latter years when her health required her to slow down. The pastor however, frequented her home in Fort Smith giving her communion and praying with her.

She maintained a strong identity to Choctaws in the Howe Oklahoma area, and also made inquiries in the early 1920s about her own history and past by communicating with locals in Le Flore County area, in Howe. W. B. Billy and Loman Jack in the Howe area communicated with her in the 1920s. 

Lands that were allotted to the Walton family, were now long lost to the family and she now lived with her son and his family. But both Billy and Jack communicated with her from nearby Oklahoma. Both of these Choctaw men, had known her parents and shared much of her family history with her. Her interest in history, land and culture were pervasive throughout her life. 

After locating to Fort Smith, Sallie's to live with son Samuel and his family, she insured that the Walton children would have easier access to education.  She became a lifetime member of the Baptist church, and spent the remainder of her life there. Her lifestyle was a simple one, where she tended to a large garden, working on her long treasured quilts, and prepared simple food dishes or drinks from her Choctaw life---Pashofa, Tom Fuller and "kvfi". 

Sallie was always the matriarch of the family instilling a strong sense of family, emphasizing both education and independence to her children. Her meager funds were often used to buy books as needed for the grandchildren, who attended local parochial school for black children.

One of her older grandchildren, Ethel Sanders, who later migrated west to California, remembered how her grandmother Sallie was frequently teaching her words and phrases in her native Choctaw language. During the 1950s Sallie's younger brother Joe Perry came to visit, and an uncle reminded me, of how he was in awe listening to the two of them talking on the back porch in their native Choctaw to each other. Before her health declined, Sallie was an avid walker, often walking for miles, especially when items were needed for her garden and property. 

Her grandchildren and great grandchildren in both Le Flore County Oklahoma and Sebastian County Arkansas would frequent her home well into the 1950s  In 1961 her health declined and she passed away peacefully in July 1961 in her home in Fort Smith.

She left behind her a the treasured Bible, several of her handmade quilts, and a few images of family and loved ones. She is buried in Oak Cemetery in Fort Smith, near her son, Samuel Walton Jr.

This gentle Choctaw woman was my great grandmother and she was my heart. May she ever rest in peace. I honor her during Women's History Month.

 

Some Elected to Leave. More Chose to Remain

During the process of the official adoption of Freedmen into the Choctaw Nation, an option was presented to some Freedmen to leave the nation. The incentive was to pay $100 per person who chose to relinquish rights to citizenship, and to agree to be relocated. Much discussion had occurred about removing the Freedmen to an area of Indian Territory known as "The Leased District".  However, there was also the decision to compile a list of those choosing to remain and the said promise that they were to receive $100 per anum, The larger number of Freedmen chose to remain in the land that they knew as their home.

Many did elect to leave but as time would have it, the funds were not distributed and as a result they remained in the Territory. The act of adoption of Choctaw Freedmen into the nation made the news in many places, and the press in neighboring states told some of the story. The following article from "The Leavenworth Tims, November 1885" was one such story that described the story of Freedmen adoption and the enticement for them to leave the place they called home.

Years later a list of those eligible to receive land allotments was constructed and became part of the numerous Dawes records. Today, they used widely today to determine eligibility for citizenship and also to exclude Freedmen descendants from citizenship among three of the former slave holding tribes. The presence however of the Freedmen, and their elders, who once lived enslaved in the Choctaw Nation, cannot be disputed, and the descending population is encouraged to study these records to glean more of the narrative of not only the family, but also of the community.

1885 - First Choctaw Freedmen Census

1885 Choctaw & Chickasaw Freedmen Admitted To Citizenship

1st DistrictThe persons whose names appear below are those Choctaw and Chickasaw Freedmen adopted in 1885, by the Choctaw Nation. These names are recorded from the 1885 census taken the year of the formal adoption of the Africans into the nation. They are recorded in the order in which they appear on the record. Genealogists are encouraged, however, to refer to the official records for additional notations about the freedmen listed below, including, their personal property, acres of land cultivated and more. The names are placed here as a reference, and should direct researchers to the original records that can be found at the National Archives Microfilm publication 7RA-63 (Note--Those lines with 2 names contain the names of the Choctaw Slave Owner as listed on the 1885 Census. If the nationality of the enrollee was Chickasaw, it is noted next to their name as listed on the 1885 Census.)


Name of citizen / Slave Owner
Watson Brown / Rhoda Brown
John Brown
Aaron Brown
George Brown
Agnes Brown
Caroline Washington / Mrs. Betts
Benjamin Washintgon
Jerry McKinney / Barnett Davenport
Lovena Hogan / Mrs. Betts
Ezella Hogan
Thaddeus Hughbanks
Andrew Hughbanks/ Aaron Harlan
Aaron Hughbanks
Eddie Hughbanks
Nancy Mayers / Alfred Daniels *
Thomas Blackwater / Doran Watkins
Ann Blackwater / Kennedy McCurtain
Cornelius Blackwater
Becca Blackwater
Albert Cheadle / James Cheadle
Adaline Cheadle / Jack Riddle
Smith Brown / Tecumseh Brown
Phebe Brown / J. G. Ainsworth
Eliza Waters / Wm. Holloway
Mary Waters
Robert Waters
Squire Waters
William James / J. G. Ainsworth
Felix James
Alex Sexton / Calvin Pusley
Leytha Sexton / Tecumseh Brown
Isaac Brown
Annie Brown
Easther Folsom / Peter Folsom
Richard Brashers / Macy Brown
Daisey Brashers(Chickasaw) /Peter Folsom
Nathan Graves (Chickasaw)/ Macy Brown
Manda Mackey
Moses Brown / Ellen Brown
Ellen Brown / Edmond Spring
Ada McKinney
Louis McKinney
Sallie Brown
Jerry Brown
Smith Brown
James Cole / William Harris
Caesar Boyd (Chickasaw)/William Harris
Sophia Boyd (Chickasaw)/Dr. James Boyd
Mobile Boyd (Chickasaw) /Dr. James Boyd
Emma Boyd / Alfred Daniels
Isam Boyd
Mannia Boyd
Rosa Boyd
Mahal Boyd
Hattie Boyd
Bettie Anderson / John Anderson
Malinda Brown / Jolin Anderson
Sqauire Hall / Walker Folsom
Wash. Brown (Chickasaw)/Tecumseh Brown
Rosa Wilson / Mrs. Blackburn
Jacob Lewis (Chickasaw)/ Sidney Burris
Jennie Lewis (Chickasaw)/ Cannon Brown
Simeon Lewis
Isaac Lewis
Sallie Lewis
Adam Lewis
Willie Lewis
Silas Lewis
Paralee Lewis
Lucinda Lewis
Elizabeth Lewis
Mundy Brown (Chickasaw)/ Tecumseh Brown
Lucinda Brown(Chickasaw) / Tecumseh Brown
Miria Brown
William Moore / Aaron Harlan
Arlsey Moore / J.G. Ainsworth
Georgia Moore
Walton Moore
Simeon Moore
Mahaila Moore
Parlina Moore
Charles F. Bartlett / Tecumseh Brown**
Francis Bartlett (Chickasaw) / Jessie McKinney**
Lemuel Bartlett**(Chickasaw)
Annie Bartlett**
Louisiana Bartlet**
Robert Lewis
Nancyh Lewis
Cora Lewis
Andrew Pulcher(Chickasaw) / Isaac Burris
Luticia Pulcher(Chickasaw) / Tecumseh Brown
Jushua Pulcher
Levah Pulcher
Peter Cass
Dariah(?) Johnson
Mary Johnson
Nancy Johnson
Francis Johnson
Nip Lewis
Mary Lewis
Sallie Lewis
Chaney Lewis (Chickasaw) / Tecumseh Brown
Jeannie Lewis (Chickasaw)/ James Cheadle
Harriet James
Becca James
Simon James
Harriett James
Lewis James
Robert Wright (Chickasaw) / Tecumseh Brown
Lyla Wright / Tecumseh Brown
Jennie Riddle / Tecumseh Brown
George Shoat / Nicholas Hampton
Benjamin Brown / George Riddle
Wainney Brown / Cannon Brown
Robert Reid
Gincey Thompson
Jackson Campbell / Cannon Lewis
Lilly Campbell / Sophia Hughbanks
Amelia Walker / Isom Lewis
Harrison Brown / Sisom Brown
Lena Brown / Isaac Burris
Lizzie Brown
Phillip King / William King
Milly King / Tecumseh Brown
Sampson King
Jonas Brown (Chickasaw) / Tecumseh Brown
Mariah Brown / George Shoat
William Brown
Isom Boyd (Chickasaw) / James Boyd
Jane Boyd / Alfred Daniels
Si Boyd
Emma Boyd
Hettie Boyd
Emmanuel Boyd (Chickasaw) / James Boyd
Elmyra Boyd
George Boyd / Jack Johnston
Nelson Boyd
Sophia Boyd Henry McCoy / Sam Coffray
Milly McCoy
Emma Cutchlow (Chickasaw) / Susan Colbert
Sarah Patterson / Jessie McKinney
Walker Maybry
Jessie Carroll
Rachel Brown / Campbell LeFlore
Rufus Brown
William Brown
Dennis Shoat /Alfred Daniels
Julia Shoat /Alfred Daniels
Amos Shoat
Emmanuel Shoat
Edna Shoat
Charles Shoat
Lewis Cyrus
Jerry Cyrus / Dutch Pulcher
Francis Cyrus
Sallie Brown / Nicholas Hampton
John Brown
Rachel Brown
Smith Brown
Victor Brown / George Riddle
Nathan Colbert / James Shoat
Monroe Colbert (Chickasaw) / Tecumseh Brown
Link Colbert
Elias Brown / Daniel Shoat
Peggy Brown /Reilly Frazier
Lizzie Brown
Allen Brown
CHarles Brown
Laia Brown
Sophia Brown
Maria Brown / R.S. McCartey
Lettie Kingsbury / Dutch Pulcher
Cora Kingsbury / Wm. Pitchlynn
Benjamin Kingsbury / Douglas Riddle
Lyda Kingsbury /George Johnson
Lydda Shoat / George Johnson
Jacob Shoat
Ellick Shoat
Scia Shoat / Martha Shoat
Minerva Shoat
Gincy Folsom
Lena McKinney
Robert Stewart / Swimmey (?) McKinney
Charles Brown / Daniel Davis
Elza Brown
Annie Folsom
James Folsom
Jessie Lewis/ R.S. McCartey
Patrice Lewis
Calvin Lewis / R.S. McCartey
Osborn Lewis
Rosa Lewis
Susan Lewis
Martha Lewis /Nicholas Hampton
Minerva Lewis
Joshua Lewis
Benjamin Lewis
Charles Wesley
Sylva Wesley
Elisha Brown / Zedoc Harrison
Jennie Brown
Nicholas Brown(Chickasaw)/ Cannon Brown
Arian Brown / Zedoc Harrison
Emmeline Brown
Francis Brwon
Jincy Brown
Rhoda Brown
Primus Brown
Collins Brown
David Gardiner
Squire Riddle / R.M. Jones
Toney Riddle
Harriett J. Johsnon / William Johnson
Mary J. Johnson
Isaac B. Johnson
John L. Johnson
Goerge L. Johnson
Edna Wiliams / D.C. Fisher
Joseph Grayson /Katie Grayson
Lem Folsom / Willis Harkins
*** Sallie Thompson /Joseph Riddle
*** Patsy Brown /Andrew McKinney
Birdlove McKinney
Lilly Parker
Moses Partker
William Stewart / Susan Colbert
Wesley McKinney /Thompson McKinney
Eliza Owens /Walker Folsom
Edward Lewis / Daniel Davis
Isaac Rogers /Richard Brown(?)
Rachel Rogers / Edward Krebbs(?)
Sallie Rogers
Lewis Rogers
James Waters /Green Waters
Robert Duncan (Chickasaw) /Julia Coffey
Moses Highbanks / James McLane
Richard Hughbanks
Lew Hughbanks
Rebecca Hughbanks
Emma Hughbanks


End of 1st District *(Nancy Mayers was sold by Alfred Daniels to Henry Mayers, a citizen of Ft. Smith, Arkansas, and taken from the Choctaw Nation before Freedom)

**Charles Bartlett, and wife and children were sold by Alfred Daniels to Harmon Mickel who was not a citizen of the Choctaw Nation at that time when this family was sold.

***Lem and Sallie Folsom form owner Willis Harkins sold them to a citizne of Mississippi. Not back in I.T. till 1870.)
2nd District Apukshunnubbee DistrictJordon Folsom / Henry Folsom
Permelia Folsom
Jordon Folsom Jr.
Lavenia Folsom
Mary Folsom
Zilphie Folsom
Zinthe Folsom / Mackle LeFlore
Edward Freemont
Newton Freemont
Willy Freemont
George Freemont
Levate Freemont
Norf Hill / Sampson Folsom
Rhoda Hill / Henry Folsom
Reatha Ann Duncan
Eda Webster / H.N. Folsom
Mennal Webster
Lewis Webster
Peggy Granderson / H.N. Folsom
Levi Freemont
Julius Williams
John Williams / Louis Leflore
Johnson Folsom / Henry Folsom
Henry Crittenden / Robert Jones
Tena Crittendon / David Harkin
Charlotte Hunter / Henry Folsom
Louisa Hollman
Wellington Hollman
Harry Holman
C. Hollman
L. Hollman
Henry Willis / r/b/ Willis
Delila Willis / h.n. Folsom
Calvin Willis
Joseph Willis
Emma Willis
Johyn Willis
Henry Colbert (Chickasaw)/ Edward Colbert
Charlotte Colbert / H. N. Folsom
Nancy Colbert
Margaret Colbert
Mitchell Willis / Alfred Hill
Esebella Willis / Sampson Folsom
Nancy Willis
Robert Johnson / Sampson Folsom
Delilah Johnson / Henry Folsom
Vaughn Bird / Zedoc Harrison
Victoria Bird / Henry Folsom
Albert Bird
Martha Bird
Pink Thompson / H.N. Folsom
Lucy Thompson (Chickasaw) / Hours
Emma Thompson
Eda Thompson
Walter Thompson
Jackson Thompson
Menda Thompson (Chickasaw) / Hours
Minda Thompson
Mary Harrison / Zedoc Harrison
Jlhn Briley
Molly Ann Robinson
Clarise Dockins / Albert Harken
Johnson Harris
Thos. Folsom
Caroline Wathom / Josephine LeFlore
Betty Wathom
William Wathom
Dick Wathom
Henry Wathom
Elizabeth Wathom
Wright Thompson / Barnett Davenport
Zilphie Thompson / Hours
John Thompson
Mary Thompson
Richmond Thompson
July Thompson
Haas(?) Thompson
Maria Fullbride / Turnbull
Wiley Fullbride
Sym Fullhide
Cora Ann Shield
Arthur Harris
Andrew Johnson / Sampson Folsom
Polly Johnson / Sampson Folsom
Willington Johnson
James Johnson
Cissie Johnson
Mitchell Johnson
Henry Shield / Zedoc Harrison
Tennessee Shield / Zedoc Harrison
Arthur Shield
Benjamin Shield
Mary Jane Shield
Eliza Ratford
Elice Ratford
Catherine Ratford
Emily Ratford
California Byrd
Permelia Byrd
Alford Gross *
Mary Gross / Henry Folsom
Susan Gross
Lilly Gross
Sarah Gross
Aaron Gross
Moses Thompson
Susan Thompson
Menerva Thompson
Johnny Thompson
Freeman Thompson
Rose Thompson
Mary Thompson

* Married a Choctaw Freedwoman

Choctaw & Chickasaw Freedman Expanded Resources

Is it time to expand your Choctaw & Chickasaw Freedman Research?

There are numerous resources for descendants of Oklahoma Freedmen to utilize, including the Dawes Roll. Clearly researchers should use traditional genealogy records as well-----Federal Census Records, the 1860 Slave Schedule for Indian Territory, and military records, including Civil War Pension files.

Beyond those records are records that are part of large collections such as the Doris Duke Collection at the University of Oklahoma. The Indian Pioneer Papers are also part of the holdings at the University, and are found in the Western History Collection.

For Choctaw and Chickasaw Freedmen, it is strong suggested that researchers examine multiple record sources, even if they don't contain info on your personal direct family members. By doing so, one can glean additional information about the community as a whole and thereby enhancing the historical narrative.

The following are a few suggestions to assist Freedmen researchers in expanding their work.

1) Examine All Dawes Categories
Besides the standard Dawes Freedmen Rolls that are commonly used, it is important to examine the records of those on the other categories within the Freedmen Records.

Categories of Choctaw & Chickasaw Freedmen:
Freedmen
Freedmen Denied
Freedmen Minor
Freedmen New Born
Freedmen Rejected

2) Examine the Pre-Dawes Categories
1885 Census of Choctaw & Chickasaw Freedmen
1896 Roll of Choctaw & Chickasaw Freedmen
CTN Roll (from OHS) Choctaw Citizens and Freedmen (Rolls 1-7)

3) Study the Records of Freedmen of Other Nations:
Cherokee Freedmen
Creek Freedmen
Seminole Freedmen

4) Examine the Pre-Dawes Categories of Other Freedmen:
Cherokee National Records
Census Rolls CHN02-CH07
Marriages Rolls CHN22-CHN50

5) Utilize the Federal Census Records Extensively
1860 Slave Schedule
1870 Border communities of Arkansas, Texas, Kansas
1910 Special Indian Census

6) Explore Holdings at NARA Ft. Worth
Equity Case 7071
Joe & Dillard Perry Case Files

7) Utilize University of Oklahoma Holdings
Western History Collection
- Indian Pioneer Papers
-Doris Duke Collection
-Native American Manuscripts

8) Study Old Oklahoma Newspapers-Muskogee Cimeter
-Dailey Ardmorite
-Choctaw Intelligencer

9) Read and Study Essential Texts by Daniel F. Littlefield
-Africans & Creeks
-Africans & Seminoles
-Cherokee Freedmen from Emancipation to Citizenship
-Chickasaw Freedmen-A People Without a County

10) Examine Two Critical Non-Dawes Collections
-Mississippi Choctaw MCR Files (Rejected Cases) from Indian Territory
-Guion Miller Applications (Eastern Cherokee) from Indian Territory

Ben Stevenson and his Choctaw Legacy

The story of Ben Stevenson reflects a man claiming for himself and his children, their ancestry,  in the nation of their birth---the Choctaw Nation. The case is a fascinating one taking his history back through several generations connecting to their Choctaw line. The children Malinda, Jake, and Garfield were the children of Ben Stevenson who was the son of  his father, Cornelius Stevenson. Cornelius who was quarter blood Choctaw, was the son of Laney Colbert who was half Choctaw. And she was the daughter of James Colbert a recognized Choctaw, who had always recognized her as his daughter. Five generations are reflected in this family, and thus a rich family legacy is found.

National Archives, Ft. Worth Texas
Perry Files: File Number 234  Image #2

Same document

Originally during the time of the Dawes enrollment Ben Stevenson's name was placed on an enrollment card with no other names. The names of his wife and children were placed on Chickasaw Freedman Card, number 424. Because he was born before the end of the Civil War, the name of the slave holder was also recorded on the card, Susie Colbert.

National Archives Publication M1186
Choctaw Freedman Card, #159

Cornelius Stevenson was Ben's father and his mother was Viney Williams

Reverse side of card

Clearly Ben Stevenson's case is one where there actions of the Commission, were clear. No real interview remains in his file. Merely a 1-sentence statement is placed there, and the substantive dialogue that may have unfolded was discarded. If he spoke at that time, to his parentage and progenitors, it was stricken from the file.

Interview Summary from Application Jacket

The policy was clear---when one of African ancestry was speaking--- the policy was simply to determine the name of the slave owner and place that person and his family on the Freedmen roll and not the roll by blood.

Essentially the message was clear to the former slaves---the message was that their blood did not count. The message from the Commission and endorsed by the tribes to this day was that they were somehow "tainted" with a past that involved slavery---a condition for which they never asked, but for which they would be punished for decades. And today---that policy continues through the act of exclusion from enrollment.

However, the descendants of Ben and Lizzie Stevenson can still speak to their history. Malinda, Jake and Garfield were the children of Ben and Lizzie. Ben was the son of Cornelius, who was the son of Laney who was the daughter of James Colbert, her Choctaw father.

Isom and Julia Jackson and Family

The history of Isom and Julia Jackson is complex and fascinating to study. Isom and wife Julia were initially enrolled as Chickasaw Freedmen, but were later transferred to the Choctaw Freedmen  Roll. Later, in 1906, Julia (along with others) sought to have her name transferred to that of Choctaws by Blood.

National Archives Ft. Worth Texas
Perry Files: File Number 66, Image #15

The names of Isom and Julia Ann Jackson, were placed on Choctaw Freedmen Roll #1213. Interestingly both were in their fifties at the time and had both been enslaved, yet the name of their former slave holder was not reflected on their Freedman card.

National Archives Publication M1186
Choctaw Freedman Card #1213

The reverse side of the card, does reflect the names of their parents, and the names of the slave holder of each parent is reflected.

Reverse side of card

In contrast is the original Chickasaw Freedman card where their names were first placed, and this time, instead of the name of the slave holder, simply the word, "Chickasaw" appears on the card.

National Archives Publication M1186
Chickasaw Freedman Card #1124

The Dawes Interview for Isom and Julia Ann Jackson focuses almost exclusively on the history of Isom and in no way reflects Julia's parents or status while enslaved. It is also revealed that Isom's parents were eventually sold before freedom came.

National Archives Publication M1301
File for Choctaw Freedman Card #1213

Same source

Also included in the file was a document transferred from the original Chickasaw file, again pertaining to Isom's parentage.

Same Source. Image transferred from old Chickasaw Card #1124

In the petition to transfer to the rolls by blood Julia states that she was the daughter of a known Choctaw by the name of Ben Gilbert. The petition and the examining commissioners noted that the name of the father Ben Gilbert was not on any roll of recognized Choctaws by Blood.

Previous Rolls:
  The earlier rolls that were used in the Dawes process, for Choctaw citizens was the 1896 roll. A random search of several approved Choctaws on the Blood roll often referenced this one roll, as seen on the next two images.

National Archives publication M1186
Randomly selected Choctaw by Blood Card

Same source as above

So, the previous roll upon which a person's name would be checked would have been this roll. With the possibility that the parent named died prior to 1896, it is clear that their name would not have been on any roll as stated.

Julia's father's lineage

There is a challenge to Julia's case, that centers around the name of her father. On the enrollment card, it is noted that her father's name was Ben McGilbry. But in the petition that she submitted in 1906 it is noted that she is the daughter of Ben Gilbert, who was the son of John Gilbert a recognized Choctaw.  It is clear from the interview that Isom, her husband was the one speaking and not Julia herself. It is quite possible that Isom could have misspoken the name of Julia's father and that could have been the source of the discrepancy. 

There is another possibility for the discrepancy--there is a similarity of sound,  between "Gilbert" and "McGilbry" is significant. If one states the name of McGilbry incorrectly, or quickly,  the listener, could conceivably hear the name differently from the way it was pronounced. Nevertheless in the petition, it is Julia' petition--thus Julia Ann's voice that is reflected. And she, more than her husband can correctly identify her father.

In the petition, she points out that Ben Gilbert was her father. Ben Gilbert was the son of the recognized  Choctaw John Gilbert. Julia's blood tie to Choctaws comes through her father and grandfather John. Julia herself was born about 1848. Her father John would have been born in the 1830s and her grandfather John would have been born in the very early 1800s years before removal. As a result--grandfather John would  not have been on any Choctaw roll from Indian Territory. But the possibility her knowing what her grandmother--the enslaved woman Mahaley would have passed down to son Ben, is high.

The children of Isom and Julia Ann Jackson can still honor their history and their heritage, as they descend from John, and carry the blood of their Choctaw progenitor, through Ben, the son of his Choctaw father.