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.