Basic data was found in the file of Jane Davis Ward. She had once been enslaved by Salina Davis and had spent her entire life in Indian Territory. At the time she applied to the Dawes Commission, she lived in Atoka.
It is revealed that her father was Isom Flint and her mother was Liza Flint. Although details of her life were scant the names of her parents were at one time enslaved by Delilah Flint. On the other hand, Jane herself was enslaved by Salina Davis. Her Dawes interview appears to be a short one, and one might assume that her story was limited by these scant records, and the few questions recorded as official interview questions.
However, upon close examination of the Dawes Card, her father Isom Flint was still living and was, in fact on his own Dawes Card.
He was enslaved by Joel Nail, as were both of his parents, Aaron Scales and a woman called Nancy. His residence at that time was in the Creek Nation in the Bald Hill community.
He therefore also had a good interview. And it turns out that he arrived in Indian Territory during the very first migration, and was quite immersed into Choctaw life and culture.
Jane's interview however, was a sparse on in her interview file, and if one did not note that her father had an extensive file, much of the history would have been forever lost.
But there was much more to learn about Jane's life story and family story. She was interviewed more than once as part of the Indian Pioneer Project, and not only she, but also a full brother Edmund Flint was also interviewed during that time. Jane's Pioneer Interview is inserted below. It will be noted that she stated to be well over 100 years of age. Her brother Edmund's interview also corroborated that his living sister Jane was over 100 years, although the exact age might not be known. However, it is clear that she had a great amount of knowledge about her own history, and that she, like her father Isom was clearly a part of the rich history of Choctaws in the Territory. She also revealed that she was half Choctaw, and that she was married at one time to a Choctaw herself.
Though much of her story is stated by her without pre and post Civil War documents, as they did not exist, her story was nevertheless a rich one. The policy of the Dawes commissioners was the place here and her family, in the category as Freedman, whether there was a tie to the Choctaw community of Atoka. or not. In the century in which she had lived, she had seen many changes both in her own life and her life's status, as well as the changes that occurred around her, in the Choctaw world into which she was born, and lived her life.
Her story, as well as that of her kinsmen recorded in the Pioneer interviews deserve to be told, as they reflect a bi-cultural people placed on the soil of Indian Territory, rich with their African Choctaw heritage.
I read this as part of the stories of the first Choctaw Nation enrollees. It is wonderful to have their stories to read. This was the first time that I have ever read what was a personal account of a person that had been enslaved. As I suspected, there were many stories to tell. I found it sad so few of her children survived. It was not clear what family life could have existed in slavery although familial ties in her case were known and there were attempts to continue or reunion families within The Choctaw Nation. She seemed to hold a wealth of personal history. I wish there had been more interviews with her and am interested in reading about her father and his story.
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