Sallie Williams Chickasaw by Blood, Denied

In 1906, attorney, a letter on behalf of Sallie Williams and her family was written to the Department of the Interior, in support of Sallie Williams' request to be removed from the Freedmen roll to that of the roll of Chickasaw By Blood.

Sallie was basing her claim on her relationship to her brother Wyatt Mahardy on the rolls by blood. They are also children on Ann Thomas a Chickasaw woman, and she is stating her claim as a citizen also by blood.

The petition mentioned the people to whom Sallie Williams and her family had ties to, some of whom were on the roll of Chickasaws by Blood. One was Amanda Abram, who was placed on the blood roll during the Dawes enrollment process. She was on the Chickasaw roll of citizens by blood.

National Archives Publication M1186

Chickasaw Roll, Card # 610

(Image of Amanda Abram, courtesy of Black and Red Journal,
shared by Terry Ligon April 25, 2011) 

The children of Sallie Williams actually ended up on a Freedman card. The children Marcus, Cora, Kimble, Maise and Joe, were all on Chickasaw Freedman Card #437.

On the reverse side of the card, Sallie's name does appear as their mother.

Sallie applied however, as a Chickasaw by blood, but she was rejected and placed on a rejected card.

Sallie was interviewed by the Dawes Commission, and it appears that over the years she had been collecting payments as a Chickasaw citizen. She was recognized as Chickasaw, and that was her identity.

Charles Cohee a man well known in the Chickasaw community, testified on her behalf ascertaining that she was Chickasaw, and perceived to be so over the years, and she had even received per capita payments made to Chickasaw Indians.

Unfortunately for Sallie herself, she was not to remain on the roll as a Chickasaw by blood, although he full sister was able to do so, as was her half sister Amanda, and others in her family. This happened to others by blood as well, and in this particular case, the identity of Sallie and her children was changed to that as Freedmen. Her father was a black man, and it was determined that she would not be allowed to receive land allotment as a Chickasaw by blood, and that of her children was affected with them to receive the lesser allotment that was given to those designated as Freedmen. Although she fought against this, claiming the identity that was hers, the final decision denied her from her Chickasaw claim. She was the daughter of her Chickasaw forefathers, nevertheless.

Skullyville County Freedmen School Rosters

Several years ago, I looked at some rosters of students attending the Freedmen Schools in the Choctaw Nation. Skullyville had several schools and I made a small pamphlet from some of the records that I copied. I decided to see if I could find more of these records, and spent several hours at the local Family History Center, to examine the records more closely. I was surprised to see that I had missed several schools. I also realized that there was much more to learn about the settlements where Choctaw Freedmen lived in the Skullyville area.

The records will have to be examined to determine whether or not Freedmen are on each of the rosters, but these records are part of a microfilm group of Choctaw Nation Records, recorded at the Oklahoma Historical Society.

These schools were called "neighborhood" schools and I realized that by examining the records from the neighborhood schools, once could get a better idea of the exact communities where Freedmen lived. in the 1890s, before and during the Dawes enrollment era.

Skullyville was the northernmost county in the old Choctaw Nation. There were settlements of Freedmen scattered throughout the rural county at that time and it appears that where were school age children, neighborhood schools were created for them. The following is a list of the schools and neighborhoods where many Freedmen children received primary education in the late 1800s.

(I will later provide a definitive list of all schools that were targeted for Freedmen children, in the Choctaw Nation.)

Neighborhood Schools of Skullyville, Choctaw Nation

Clarksville
Dog Creek
Fairview

Fort Coffee

Huly Tushka

Milton

Oak Lodge
Of The Tapa

Opossum Creek
Pine Log
Pocola
Poteau
Skullyville

Short Mountain

Two Prairie

Walnut Grove

Ward
Wolf Creek

Student Roster of Fort Coffee Neighborhood School
in Skullyville County, Choctaw Nation

Paul Stephens - Choctaw Council 1905

Several years ago when traveling in Oklahoma with a colleague, we stopped at the Choctaw Heritage Museum in Tushka Homma, Oklahoma. While there, I was fascinated by an image of a large image from the 1905 Choctaw Council that was on the wall. Being one to study photos, immediately the face of one person caught my attention--that of Paul Stephens. He caught my attention because his face, to me suggested that he might have some African ancestry in addition to Choctaw ancestry.

Paul Stephens, Choctaw Council, 1905

The image above is actually part of a larger image of the entire Choctaw Council of 1905. It is actually a photo from the Oklahoma Native American Photographs Collection of the Gilcrease Museum. On the image, the number 17 was written and the key at the bottom of the photo revealed his name. Upon returning, I decided to find his name on Dawes records, and I realized that he was identified as a Choctaw by Blood and not a Choctaw Freedman. It is not surprising that he could be a Choctaw by blood, as many persons are mixed blood Choctaws. However, it is no secret that mixed African Choctaws were rarely put on the rolls as Choctaws by blood. Yet, clearly Paul Stephens was identified as one who was considered Choctaw by blood.

Last Choctaw Council 1905. Paul Stephens is identified as No. 17 in this group photo

Recently, having come across the image again, I decided to look again into the history of Paul Stephens on the Dawes Records. I wanted to know more about the man himself. I found Paul Stephens card on Choctaw Roll card number 709. And he is listed as "full" blood. Of course one should be cautious not to judge individuals based on "looks" but it was still clear that Paul Stephens  was not one who was without some African ancestry.

His father was said to be Lige Stephens and his mother was said to have been Illeana Stephens. Both were deceased by that time.

Since both parents were deceased there was no parental card to examine. However, there was a note that did catch my attention at the bottom of the card. Although Paul Stephens lived in Alikchi, I. T. in  Nashoba County of the Choctaw Nation according to the card, an interesting note from the Sherriff of Skullyville appeared about Paul Stephens.

The note read: "Sheriff of Skullyville Co. says that No. 1 has always been recognized as a Negro."

This note struck me as interesting not because of what it said. But the fact that clearly there was some question about the history of Paul Stephens and what his background may have been. He did not live in Skullyville at the time, yet the Sheriff of Skullyville expressed an opinion about Stephens. The fact that a law enforcement official from a community where the Dawes applicant did not reside was even consulted was unusual and was not a standard practice among others enrolling. In addition the fact that clearly there was some African ancestry possessed by Stephen, yet he was recorded as "full blood."

With this information, several questions came to mind:

• Stephen was a man who clearly had some African ancestry. Why was this denied when he appeared in front of the Dawes Commission?
• Was the presence of his African blood somehow perceived as "damaging" to the fact that this man was still a part of the Choctaw community? To have later been place on the tribal council he had to have clearly been perceived as Choctaw from the community that he represented and from culture, language and lifestyle.
• Was recording him as being "full blood" when we was clearly one of mixed ancestry, somehow done as an act to "elevate" his status?

• How and why was there a need to disguise or deny African blood?

Was this the same bias that was later shown when Freedman Henry Cutchlow was elected to the tribal council and was never allowed to take his seat? By making Paul Stephens "full blood" would he have then been eligible to serve on the council without the "stain" of having African blood?

I decided to look more closely to see if I could learn more about Paul Stephens the man and read his enrollment application interview. What a surprise to find a completely empty application jacket!

Application Jacket of Paul Stephens

Clearly there was some discomfort with the African ancestry of Paul Stephens in the Choctaw community. And of course today descendants of African slaves held by Choctaws are not allowed as members of the nation although their ancestors toiled for decades, spoke the language abided by the same laws, ate the same food, and were officially adopted by the nation. But in 1979 when other former slaveholding tribes found it fashionable to exclude Africans from their midst and erase them from their history, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma followed suit, and embraced the racial practice.

The act of erasing on paper the Africanness of Stephens is evident but it is something to be studied and analyzed. There was no need to deny who Stephens was, but yet it occurred. The interview that is now missing might have revealed more about his history and ancestry, but sadly will not be known but the need to hide his interview should not have occurred.

Unfortunately, the same anti-black sentiments prevails today while others with the same ancestry as Stephens are equally as Choctaw as he, and they are equally as Choctaw as are others who are enrolled today. The discomfort that people have towards persons of African Choctaw ancestry is an unfortunate symptom of a bias against a portion of Choctaw people who were innocent in their presence. And until recent years it was not a Choctaw practice to hurt the innocent.

However, until someone in the Choctaw Nation gains the courage to address these practices, they will continue to practice America's original sin and place it upon the Choctaw people. And sadly, the nation is not unlike the parties that brought about their removal from their beloved Nanih Waiya. And by embracing the biases of their oppressors towards a portion of their Choctaw community that never harmed the people nor the nation, they have as a nation today become oppressive.
The story of Paul Stephens is clearly one that deserves to be told. He stands clearly among his Choctaw brethren on the steps of the capitol. He, like all of the men standing on the steps were men of honor, and it is hoped that his story and the stories of other African Choctaw people will be told with dignity, with honor and without shame and within the historical context in which they lived.

Paul Stephens was Choctaw man who served his people no matter how briefly and we should say his name, embrace his history and commit to tell his story. History without the inclusion of all of the people becomes a diluted one, and a distorted one. The African Choctaws were there, and are equally as deserving of their stories to be told.

Basic Documents for Researching Choctaw Freedmen

For Choctaw Freedmen, like the records of the Freedmen of the other tribes that once practiced Black chattel slavery, there are three primary records for the genealogical process to be undertaken. The records are 1) Enrollment Cards, 2) Application Jackets, and 3) The Final Rolls.

When one speaks of the Dawes Roll, or of one's ancestor having had a "roll number" it is from these records that the number is taken. 

Dawes Enrollment Cards

One hears of the Dawes records all the time, in fact many times one hears reference to the Dawes Roll. However, the roll is a list of names. It was a list of names of people eligible to receive land allotments. 

But to qualify to have one's name placed on the final roll a lengthy interview process was required. Data was first collected on a card--referred to often as an Enrollment Card. On some cards a Field card number was recorded and in other cases not. In the image below is the enrollment card of my family, my great grand parents Samuel and Sallie, my grandfather Sam Jr., my great uncle Houston, and my great aunt, Louisa.

Choctaw Freedman Card #777

The National Archives at Ft. Worth, Ft. Worth Texas 1868-1914

NAI Number: 251747

Record Group Title: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Record Group 75
(Microfilm publicaton M1186)

Because my great grandparents had been enslaved, their names were placed on a card reflecting "Freedmen" or former slaves. One can note on the card above, that Samuel's slave holder was a man called Jim Davis, and Sallie had once been enslaved by Emeline Perry.

On the reverse side of the card, as reflected in the image below, Samuel's father and mother were listed as were the parents of Sallie. In addition, where noted, the slave holder was listed. With Sallie, her father was not enslaved and he was clearly identified as having been a Choctaw Indian from the Skullyville community.

Reverse side of the same card.

Application Jackets/Applications for Enrollment

The application jackets reflect the actual interview taken when the applicants appeared. The Choctaw Nation does have a good number of interviews that were microfilmed fortunately their interview was preserved. The application jackets contain quite often, memos, letters and the final decision that was made on the application. 

Below is the first page of a 3 page interview of the for the Walton family enrollment.

National Archives Publication M1301

Applications for Enrollment

(Also accessed from Fold3.com, Native American Collection, Choctaw Freedmen)

Final  Dawes Roll

Many people often miss this record. It is this record that is actually the Dawes Roll. There are over 680 pages to the roll itself and it is divided by category. The categories are citizens "by blood"

"freedmen" "newborns" "minors" and "inter-married whites".

If one made it through the lengthy process, and if their names were placed upon this roll, then the applicant was eligible to apply for their designated land allotment. Every person whose name is on the roll received a land allotment.

Final Roll
National Archives Publication T529
Document accessed on National Archives Website

Land Allotment Records

When the rolls closed and it was time to officially apply for one's land allotment another process unfolded. For many this process was far less complicated than it was several years earlier for the Dawes application process.

The process was actually treated as a homestead application, and it should be understood that everyone in the family received land, even children and infants. As a result, a complete file for each family member consisted of the application, a plat map with the legal description of the land, and if the interview was lengthy, it too was in the file.

Note that in order to find an ancestor's file, one will have to use the actual roll number instead of the enrollment card number.

Below is a sample page from the land allotment for Samuel as he applied for his own land.

Ancestry.com. Oklahoma and Indian Territory, Land Allotment Jackets for Five Civilized Tribes, 1884-1934[database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, 2014.

Samuel also applied for his wife and children, and it was also good to note that he signed the applications himself, so an original signature was visible on the record. Below is a page from the application of his son, Sam Jr., my grandfather.

Source: same a for above image.

There are other resources for the researcher to explore but these are the basic records that will connect the beginning genealogy researcher to explore the basic records for descendants of Choctaw Freedmen.