New Choctaw & Chickasaw Freedmen Group Makes a Splash on Social Media

 The new organization, Choctaw Chickasaw Freedmen Association has made a splash on Social Media. The new group announced its presence first on Facebook and also with a detailed press release. The new website CCFANow.org came live at the same time and much needed energy has been injected into the community of descendants from both Oklahoma-based federally recognized tribes.

The Facebook page for Choctaw and Chickasaw Freedmen has over 1000 members, and many are now frequenting the new CCFA website for links to pages reflecting their history and their ancestral culture. In addition, a new Instagram page has been created with rich information not only about the new group, but also with useful links to contemporary issues pertaining to Freedmen.

CCFA Instagram Page

The brainchild of Athena Gaiten Butler, originally of Kansas City Missouri, the group formed a small core group that worked together as a committee to establish, CCFA, the acronym for the group. One of the goals of this new organization is to reach out to Freedmen descendants of both Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations. Although descendants of Freedmen at present do not have citizenship in either nation, descendants of both nations have much in common. Beyond the shared history of their ancestors having once been enlsaved in Indian Territory, their vision extends far beyond a goal of a tribal card.

Some of the goals of CCFA are reflected in their social media presence. CCFA's Instagram account presents history as well as contemporary issues pertaining to both Freedmen communities. Likewise the group also has an accont on Twitter and has had significant Twitter re-tweets to their posts as well.

Image from Twitter Page

Much discussion pertaining to CCFA interests stems from much of the activity found on the Facebook page. There are several communities of descendants from both nations, many still living on old land allotments from the past. In addition, many Freedmen descendants also still live within the geographic boundaries of both tribes, while many, especially elders still have a cultural identity to the tribes, despite decades of segregation disenfranchisement and estrangement.

Many Freedman descendants are found on the CCFA Faceboook page, and over 1000 are found on the Descendants group page. Last week on Facebook, in honor of Indigenous Peoples Day, the Descendants group honored the day by honoring their ancestors, and posting images of them and identifying their relationship to their respective nations. Several dozen images were shaared and the reaction to the postings has been extremly positive!

Small Collage of Ancestors Honored on Freedman Facebook Page

On the Facebook Freedman Descendants page, portraits of ancestors were shared, along with the Roll number and Card number. Some who did not have portraits shared images of their ancestor;s Dawes Card. Some elaborated by telling a brief story about their ancestor. Much of this history of various families will be reflected on the website as well as on the pages of social media

Challenges Ahead
Chickasaw Freedmen descendants have  a particularly interesting situation, because the despite the fact that the tribe broke the treaty of 1866, where they promised citizenship for their former slaves, many Freedmen descendants today will still tell others that they are Chickasaw. Likewise, descendants of Choctaw Freedmen also live on land allotments within the geographic jurisdiction of their nation and will tell others that they too, are Choctaw.

Thousands of descendants of both Freedmen groups live "at large" meaning outside of Oklahoma, having had family that migrated north and west. They left seeking more opportunities when the harshness of Oklahoma Jim Crow laws and the appearance of Sundown towns drove them away from the land that was for over a century, their home.

CCFA seeks to educate descendants to their rich history, to interact with those of both nations about the history and culture, and to empower descendants by offering workshops focusing on education, and opportunities for growth. CCFA also hopes to reach out to the community of enrolled Choctaw citizens through cordial meetups, and to encourage social interaction bewteen Freedmen and other fellow Choctaws.

Culturally, many Choctaw Freedmen considers themselves to be among the "Choctaw Proud" or Chickasaw people, and many are unaware that some of their leifestyle, including foodways come from their own their tribal background.

Much of who the freedmen are, will continue to be reflected both on the website and much more is planned to unfold on social media.

Follow CCFA on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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.

 

Documenting Slavery In Chickasaw and Choctaw Country

Chickasaw Choctaw Herald 1859 Ad Requesting

Desire to purchase young black boys and girls

Those interested in not only the institution of slavery in Indian Territory but also the less studied institution in Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations, need not look any further than the publications from the two nations themselves.

From the Chickasaw Choctaw Herald, published in Tishomingo, one can see requests for slaves even in the late 1850s. For example, there is an ad placed by "A. Harlan". The ad was requesting young people "Negro boys and girls" to purchase as slaves in 1859. Specifically Mr. A Harlan appears to have been successful in his request, because the 1860 slave schedule from the Tishomingo District of the Chickasaw Nation shows a slave holder called Aaron Harlan and the record reflects the people that he held 11 people enslaved. Of the people he held in bondage were 3 adults, and the remainder of the enslaved were all under 20. And and as the slave document indicates they lived in three small slave cabins.

1860 Slave Schedule of Tishomingo Districts of the Chickasaw Nation

* * * * *

In the Choctaw Nation, as early as 1851 as slavery occurred, so did the act of resistance of the enslaved. An ad from the Choctaw Intelligencer reflects the effort of H. N. Folsom to have a young boy seeking freedom returned to him. And by the language in the ad, if the young man could not be taken alive, the slave catcher would still be paid, for his scalp.

Choctaw Intelligencer 1850 Runaway Slave Ad

Other publications in Indian Territory also reflected acts of resistance among the enslaved, such as the freedom seekers of 1842 who fled the Cherokee Nation from the estate of Joseph "Rich Joe" Vann. Publications such as the Cherokee Phoenix also reflected the efforts of enslaved people who sought nothing more than the right to live their lives as free people.

The most understudied however, are the stories and struggles of those held in bondage in the  Choctaw Nation and the Chickasaw Nations. Though hard to find in scholarly works, it was the efforts of the enslaved who sought freedom who did leave a small trail in the press and on some official records of their presence and of their acts seeking freedom and the mere chance to live.

Early newspapers from Indian Territory reflect their presence and use of these publications as well as official records is encouraged. They story is larger than one single family, and larger than one single community. This is part of the larger untold narrative of the land that became Oklahoma. It is hoped that the story from these two nations will become part of the greater Oklahoma story.

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

Charles Alexander, Son of Joe Alexander Pisachabbee

Charles Alexander was a resident of Goochland, in Kiamitia County when he enrolled with the Dawes Commission. in 1906, he filed a petition to be transferred to the roll by blood of the Choctaw Nation. His father was Joseph Alexander, also known as Joe Pisachabbee, a known Choctaw. His mother was a freedwoman named Fidelia (Phidelia).

National Archives, Ft. Worth TX
Perry Files  File No. 24  Image #1

There was clear evidence that there was a Choctaw man called Joseph Pisachabbee, as his name appeared upon an 1893 payment roster. The reviewers declared the presence of Posachabbee as immaterial. They rationale given was that Charles was born before the 1885 Choctaw census roll and his name was not included among them, nor was the name of his daughter Georgeann. The fact that Freedmen were place upon a different roll is not taken into consideration and despite Charles Alexander's tie to his father, it was ignored.

Image #2

During the enrollment process in 1898 the names of Charles and his two daughter were placed upon the enrollment cards. His wife by that time was deceased, so her name was not listed. Two daughters were listed on the card with him, George Ann who was part of the petition to be placed on the roll, and another daughter, Josephine.

National Archives Publication M1186

Choctaw Freedman Card #496

It should be noted that the mother of the two daughters was a woman called Malissa Alexander, and she was Choctaw and not enslaved. However, because she was deceased, she was not on the roll by blood. However, clearly their grandfather Joseph Alexander Posachabbee, and their mother Malissa Alexander were both Choctaws by blood, and they were strongly Choctaw, but because of the "Freedmen" status given to their father they remained on the Freedmen roll.

Reverse Side of Card

The official interview clearly indicates the focus on Joseph having been enslaved. His relationship to his father was immaterial and the mother of the children being Choctaw was never brought up in the discussion or interview. 

In spite of their status as Freedmen, clearly the tie that Charles Alexander had to Joseph Pisachabbee, was clear--he was the son of his Choctaw father.

Vicey Moses and Son

The case of Vicey Moses involves that of a woman seeking to be enrolled as an inter-married citizen, and for her son Benjamin to be enrolled as a Choctaw by Blood. She was originally enrolled as a Chickasaw Freedman, but later sought to see if her status could be changed within the category as a Choctaw citizen. Her son, Benjamin who was now married would also have his status adjusted to reflect the blood status coming from his father.

Perry File #242  Image 9

In the file the words of Vicey are found. She points out that her mother is half Choctaw, and she herself was married to Choctaw Charles Moses. During the enrollment process, her husband Charles had tried to have her enrolled as an inter-married citizen, but was told that he could not enroll her as a Choctaw by inter-marriage. This ruling also meant that their son Benjamin, adult and with his own family, could not be enrolled as a Choctaw by blood. Despite having the blood of his father, he was to remain on the records as a Chickasaw Freedman.

Perry File  Image 10

Perry Files  Image 11

The enrollment card of Vicey and son Benjamin are found on Chickasaw Freedman card number 794. Her status based on the tie to Chickasaw slave holder Elvira Willis.

National Archives Publication M1186
Chickasaw Freedmen Card #794

The reverse side reflects the Willis slave holder connection to Vicey's parents Anderson and Malinda. They were enslaved by Hamp Willis.

Reverse side of card


The information provided in her petition clearly outweigh the small and insignificant interview placed in her file by the Dawes Commissioners, where a simply one sentence statement was placed in the file, and not the exact words spoken by Vicey.

National Archives Publication #M1301

In spite of the short and abbreviated summary for her interview, a series of letters are found in the file that actually reflect Vicey's efforts to change her status and that of her son, Benjamin. However, it was ruled that she mentioned that she had been a slave of Elvira Willis. It was also pointed out that there was another marriage that occurred for Charles Moses with another freedwoman. One child was a result of that marriage. 

Additional Document Found in File

Clearly, the value of looking beyond the Dawes Rolls is evident. The details around some of the sparse information is revealed, and also the treatment of African ancestored Choctaws and Chickasaws was evident. Once slavery was a part of the person's history, slavery would forever be the marker placed upon them. Their status could not be changed, nor could the children claim the blood right of their father. Benjamin Moses was Choctaw, and truly carried the blood of his Indian father.

Family of Katie and Martin Wilson

The story of the Wilson family comes from both Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations. Katie Wilson made an appeal to have her children removed from the rolls of Choctaw Freedmen to that of Chickasaws by Blood. She was married to an Indian and was seeking to have the children enrolled with their father who was then deceased. Her children possesed the blood of their father, and her goal was to have her family enrolled as one family unit--she seeking status as an inter-married citizen, and her children as Chickasaws by Blood. The first few pages from her petition to transfer tells part of the story.

National Archives, Ft. Worth Texas

Perry Files Image #2

A bit more unfolds in subsequent pages. She and her Indian husband were married, officially, and as she put it, conformed to the laws of the nation at that time.

National Archives, Ft. Worth Texas

Perry Files #240 Image #3

Examination of her Dawes card, however, reflects something different, and it might make a researcher think differently. It appears that Katie was the one enrolling her children and grandchildren at the Dawes commission hearing. A tremendous amount of information is collected and recorded, including the name of the Choctaw slaveholder.

National Archives Publication M1186

Choctaw Freedman Card #1057

The reverse side of the card reveals additional family information including the fact that her husband Martin was a Chickasaw.

Reverse side of Card

With all of the data reflected on the enrollment card, it is a bit odd that the official "interview" placed in the file of Katie Wilson only contained on sentence said to have been made by Katie.  The one sentence simply said that she was a slave and belonged to Sam Colbert and that she always lived in the Territory.  The one sentence alone, placed by the stenographer to the Dawes commission might make the tenacious researcher realize that the story was clearly more involved than was presented in the file. 

National Archives Publication M1301

Finally the real "voice" of Katie is heard. She speaks about her life, her marriage, her children and hear grandchildren. It is revealed that she herself did not go to register at the Dawes Commission, but her husband handled their enrollment. He returned from Atoka where he went to enroll, and told her the outcome of the process. He was enrolled as Chickasaw by blood while she and the children were enrolled as Choctaw Freedmen. He told her that nothing could be done about it and to keep quiet about it.

This status as Freedmen for herself and her children did not settle well with her and she sought advice from a family member. Her father encouraged her to have the family transferred to the proper roll. She also pointed out that she herself was half Indian being both Choctaw and Creek.

Perry Files Image #5

Perry Files Image #6

The most enlightening testimony in Katie Wilson's case came from her father, Edmund Perry. He told the story of his daughter's marriage to Martin Wilson who was half Chickasaw and half Choctaw. He spoke of their marriage at his home, and who performed the marriage. He also spoke about his own mixed parentage as well providing even more information about this Freedmen family with strong ties to both tribes.

In spite of it all, the case, was denied, however, the story of Katie Wilson is that of a woman who sought to have the story of her children told correctly. She fought for the rights of her children. Though her battle was lost the records remain and her children and her descendants can all rightfully state through these records that they---the Wilsons and Browns indeed had the blood of their Indian fathers. Their legacy is strong.

Pink and Lucy Thompson Family

From Doaksville in the Chickasaw Nation, the family of Pink and Lucy Thompson appeared in front of the Dawes Commission. The year was 1899 and Pink spoke on behalf of the family. They were Pink and Lucy, their daughter Emma, four sons, Eddie, Walter, Jimmie and Freedman, and a grandchild Lyinz Hampton. They were placed on the Freedmen Rolls nad were thus eligible for land allotments.

However, by 1902  Pink Thompson made submit a request to have his children removed from the Freedman rolls and moved to that of Choctaws by blood. It was pointed out that his wife Lucy, was the daughter of Billy Fall who was a full blood, Choctaw. It was pointed out that he always acknowledged that Lucy was  his daughter, that he had with his enslaved woman Mary Sifac. With this acknowledgement of Lucy's tie to her father, her children should have been eligible for the same treatment as others who were the children of their native fathers.

National Archives, Ft. Woth, Texas
Perry Files, File #22  Image #1

Same source, image #2

The Thompsons were originally placed on a Chickasaw Freedman card, #D29, The same data was later recorded when they were moved form the Doubtful list to an standard card of Choctaw Freedmen #1224.

National Archives Publication M1186
Chickasaw Freedmen #1136 (Cancelled Card)

Reverse side of card

The basic questions posed by the Dawes Commission focused almost exclusively of the enslavement of the family by Chickasaws, and not about any blood tie or relationship of Lucy, to her parents. There was also questioning about the Chickasaw slave owning family, but not of Lucy's relationship to her Choctaw father.

National Archives Publication M1301

Same source as above

In spite of their ties to a Choctaw by blood, Pink and Lucy Thompson and their children all remained on the Freedmen roll. She was the daughter of her Indian father.

National Archives Publication M1186
Official Choctaw Freedman Enrollment Card #1224

Lela (Lelar) Robbins, of the Johnson, Turnbull Choctaw Families

A complicated case emerges with that of Lela (Lelar) of Sawyer, I. T. She was the daughter of Jerusha Johnson, who was said to have been a mixed blood Choctaw woman of white, Negro and Choctaw blood. Jerusha descended  from Flab Turnbull, a full blood Choctaw citizen, and she was the daughter of Joanna Record, who was admitted as a Freedman.

National Archives, Ft. Worth, Texas
Perry Files, Image #1

National Archives, Ft. Worth, Texas
Perry Files Image #2

The experience of the family was clearly a complicated one as they were originally placed on a Doubtful Card #D29. The matriarch of the family at the time was Joanna Record. Lelar was the daughter of Jerusha Jane Johnson, who was the daughter of Joanna Record, thus making Joanna, Lelar's grandmother.

Because some were not on earlier rolls they were first placed on the Doubtful cards. Eventually however, Joanna and son Newton were placed on their own  card together. The other grandchildren (with the exception of Lela (Lelar) were eventually approved for enrollment. However, Lela remained in a category of being doubted, and then later denied.

National Archives Publication M1186
Choctaw Freedman Card #D29

Reverse side of card

Joanna and son Newton were placed on their own card together. Other grandchildren were placed on a separate card, but Lela who appeared on the original doubtful card was not approved as a Choctaw Freedman. 

Choctaw Freedman Card #1545

The result of this omission was clearly the inclusion of her name challenging the original Dawes Commission decision. And within this challenge came the more detailed and rich family history omitted in the Dawes "official" interview. The questions posed to Joanna did mention grandchildren, but not Lela, and subsequently she had to then struggle to be included. 

National Archives Publication M1301
Excerpt from the file of Joanna Record
File #D29

Thankfully, in her challenges to the original decisions made by the Commission, the issue of her blood ties to the Choctaw community by blood was revealed. Her children and grandchildren, have the legacy documented back several generations, connecting them to the nation of origin from Indian Territory.

Lorenzo Russell son of James Russell

Lorenzo Russell's story began originally as a Chickasaw Freedman when his name and that of his wife were put on Chickasaw Freedman card #1306. However they were later placed on a Choctaw Nation Card #1364. He was the son of Choctaw James Russell, and his "Negro" mother Julia.

National Archives, Ft. Worth Texas
Perry Files, File #12, Image #2

Both Lorenzo and wife Mattie had previously been listed on the 1896 Choctaw Roll, and thus were later placed correctly among Choctaw citizens. However, upon examination of the reverse side of the card, he clearly indicates who his Choctaw father was.

National Archives Publication M1186
Choctaw Freedman Card #1364

Reverse Side of Card

It is clear, however, that the commissioners of the Dawes enrollment process were not eager to record data about any Choctaw parents if it was evident that the other parent had been enslaved. With Lorenzo's application, the questions from the commissioners focused on the enslavement of his mother Julia, and nothing was recorded officially about his Choctaw father, James.

National Archives Publication M1301

Julia and James Russell were a married couple, and Lorenzo clearly pointed that out during the process when sought to be transferred to the blood rolls. In addition, James Russell, Lorenzo's father, was living at the time of enrollment, and therefore was placed on his own enrollment card. His name appears on  Choctaw Card #1545. James Russell's parents (Lorenzo's grandparents) were John Russell, and Sallie Russell. 

National Archives Publication M1186, Choctaw Card #1545
Card of Lorenzo's father James Russell

And Lorenzo's mother Julia, was on her own card separately as a Choctaw Freedman. Because her slaveholders were said to be Chickasaw, they did not record the slave holder's name and simply put down "Chickasaw Indian" as slaveholder. She was later moved to a Freedman card, most likely because of her marriage to a Choctaw by blood.

National Archives Publication M1186, Choctaw Freedman Card #1363
Card Of Lorenzo's mother Julia Russell

Children get half of their ancestry from each parent, and the prevailing practice was to put persons of Indian blood on the blood roll. Yet is it is clear that if one had a parent who was a Freedman, then their blood did not count and was not considered of value for their recognition as blood citizens in the tribal nation of their birth. The lived in the nation, practiced the culture and spoke the language, but like Lorenzo Russel, and many more---their blood tie did not matter.

But because of these records that remain, these are those who had the blood of their Indian fathers---and whose names can be spoken together with their fathers, despite the effort to strip them of their identity. Hopefully the descendants of the Russell's still call their names.