Walter Durant, Son of His Indian Father

The story of the Durant and Butler household is one of many cases where a claimant chose to be moved from the Freedman Roll to the "blood" roll of the Choctaw nation. In the case of William Durant he was the child of Thomas Durant a Choctaw citizen and Henny Butler a Freedman of the Choctaw Nation. He claimed the blood of his father, but was placed on the Freedman roll, nevertheless.

He was enrolled on a Freedman card with two cousins and his grandmother Easter Butler. But before the rolls closed he submitted a petition to have his status adjusted.

National Archives, Ft. Worth TX
Perry Files

Despite his own claims, his case was denied based on the fact that his enrollment as a Freedman had already been addressed, and it would remain as such. The difference of course between the status as Freedman, and that of a citizen "by blood" was the number of acres that would eventually be given to the enrollee. Freedmen would receive 40 acres each meanwhile placement on the blood roll would mean the allotment of 320 acres. Thus many realized the immediate second class status that "Freedman" enrollment would bring, and thus, based on the status of their fathers they sought a change.

His grandmother Easter was the head of house on the enrollment card, but both of Walter's parents were deceased at that time. The questions asked did not pertain to the status of the parents, so it is not clear whether Easter knew precisely of the status of each parent of the grandchildren were. In Walter's case it was stated that the status of Thomas Durant, (his father) was that of a non-citizen. However, the question is not part of the interview in any way.

National Archives Publication M1186
Choctaw Freedman Care #269

Reverse Side of Card

The actual Dawes interview can be described as simply short without question to the children who may have been children of a father considered Choctaw by blood. However, the statement found in the Perry file pertaining to Walter (see 1st image above) points out without question of the status of Thomas Durant the father of Walter Durant. The statement strongly states that the father was Choctaw, but yet, in the case it was doubted and thus Walter remained on the Freedman Roll.

National Archives Publication M1301

The only other document that appears in the file is a small memorandum with the names of Easter Butler and her grandchildren.

One is compelled to wonder if the investigation into the case of Walter was strong, or simply a policy of placing all with African parentage into the category as Freedmen, thus limiting their beginning their new life with fewer assets in the allotment process simply for being who they were. Whatever the prevailing policy was the story is always worth examining,

Families such as this often reflect a blood tie that many Freedmen had to leading citizens within the tribe. As slave holders many of the leaders themselves had relations with enslaved women, but several decades later, the tie to the status of the father was overlooked. Often the stated policy was one of children following the mother--suggesting a matrilineal policy that was said to prevail. However, depending on the social and economic status of applicants, many of the "traditional" matriarchal policies were overlooked.

With the descendants of Walter Durant this line extends deeply into the Choctaw Nation, clearly beyond removal. In spite of decisions of the Commission, the story of this Choctaw rooted family is well documented, and deserves to be told.

Jane Davis Ward, Choctaw and Freedwoman

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.

Delbert Green, Great Grandson of Governor Harkins

When researching Freedmen of Indian Territory, it is important to looking beyond the surface. In the case of the Green father and son---a good portion of the story could be missed. Aleck appeared in front of the Dawes Commission to enroll himself and his son, Delbert.  His case appears to be one that had no challenge to their status of being Freedmen.

National Archive Publication M1186
Choctaw Freedman card #610

Reverse side of card

The interview was a simple one. Aleck was enrolling his son, Delbert. The mother of Delbert was Vina Green, and she was at that time deceased, thus only father and on appear on the card. The interview was a simple one as presented in the file.

National Archives Publication M1301

However, as stated before, it is important to look more deeply into records to see what they reveal. It turns out that an effort was made to have Delbert the child transferred to the rolls by blood. Because his mother who was deceased, had a Choctaw grandfather. 

National Archives, Ft. Worth Texas
Perry Files Fil #21 Image #2

Dina, Delbert's mother, was the daughter of Amy Waldron, and Amy Waldron was the daughter of Governor George Harkins principal chief of the Choctaw Nation, succeeding Greenwood LeFlore.

Governor George Harkins, Choctaw Nation

Courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society

Because the status of the family had always been that of "Freedman" it would remain so. Among other documents found in the Perry files at the National Archives, is a note about Amy, mother of Dina, and grandmother of Delbert. The notation was a small one pointing out her Choctaw and "Negro" background.

National Archives Perry Files
Image #1

So Delbert's history is far more than revealed on his Dawes Card.

Delbert Green's father: Aleck Green

Delbert Green's Mother: Dina Green
Delbert Green's Maternal Grandmother: (Dina's mother):  Amy Waldron
Delbert's Great grandfather (Amy's grandfather): Gov. George Harkins

Governor Harkins became principal chief after his maternal uncle was ousted from that office. His uncle was Greenwood LeFlore, who was therefore also related to the young Delbert Green. Thus this Freedman family and all descendants of Delbert Green have deep ties to the old pre-removal leaders of the Choctaw Nation.  However, Amy's mother was clearly a woman who had been enslaved, and therefore the Commission decreed that because they were never on a "blood" roll, due to their status of having been slaves, they had never been recognized as citizens by blood. As a result, Delbert's appeal to be placed on the blood roll was therefore denied.

Sadly, these bi-cultural, bi-racial people would have to wear a "badge" of slavery put upon them, in spite of their blood ties to their native fathers.

The lesson however, in this file is to still find the story, and to look past the first documents. There are numerous records and files that go untouched, that reflect a fascinating and rich history, in spite of efforts that were often defeated. The victory however, comes in telling the stories especially to those whose history is reflected and telling the complete story.

Non-Stop November: Creassie Shoals Forgotten Daughter of Robert Jones

(A popular blogging meme is that of Non-Stop November--a commitment made by content creators to share something every day during the month of November. In the spirit of that blogging meme I have decided to commit to regular posts throughout the month to bring forth more of the stories of Freedmen from the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations.)

The story of Creassie Shoals is a perfect example of why researchers of Freedmen families should look beyond the Dawes Rolls, Dawes Interviews and Land allotments. The documents from the Dawes Records are simple and do not reveal much more than the fact that Creassie was the daughter of a woman once enslaved.

National Archives Publication M1186, Choctaw Freedman Card #1299
Image accessed from Ancestry: Oklahoma and Indian Territory, Dawes Cards Collection

(Reverse side of same card)

This appears to be an ordinary card of a Freedman---meaning simply that she was regarded as one who came from the enslaved population of the Choctaw Nation, and thus was to be treated as one who was "less than" traditional Choctaw citizens.

Note that she was originally placed on a Chickasaw Card, but was later moved to a Choctaw Freedman Card.

The Interview:

The interview for Creassie Shoals appears to be one that was short and simple. She was asked about her mother, and also asked about her husband. Beyond that there appeared to be no controversy. There was a letter in the file addressing the fact that her names was not on an earlier roll, but it was apparently resolved because she was added to the roll as a Choctaw Freedmen.

The Rest of the Story

In spite of the questions of the commissioners, Creassie, knew who she was and she knew her legacy. She was the daughter of Robert Jones, wealthiest of Choctaw slave holders and a very influential man in the tribe. She became the plaintiff in a suit to claim her right to be enrolled as a Choctaw by Blood.

In 1906 she filed a case requesting to be placed on the roll of Choctaws by Blood. Her father was Robert Jones, and she wished to be treated like others whose fathers were Choctaws.

In addition her case was also interesting, because she was part of a movement with others who were also seeking transfer to the rolls by Blood, as they too had Choctaw parents, or grandparents.

There are many Freedmen who had family ties to persons known as Choctaws, however, in spite of it, during the Dawes process, the questions were often structured to reflect only one aspect of their history--their history of having been enslaved.  Creassie Shoals and others knew both sides of their history, and though they tried to have both recognized, they were to find themselves categorized one single way, a status which would last from the application era forward.

Creassie Shoals story had to be a complicated one. She was the daughter of the man who enslaved her, and her mother. She lived within a Choctaw social structure and though she and others stepped up to claim their birthright it would be denied. Little is known of the relationship that Creassie maintained after statehood, when the first law to be passed by the new state of Oklahoma would push people of African descent into a second class status to last well into the 1960s, decades after she would pass away.

Her history was a bicultural one as was her ethnicity, and the world in which she would live would be paved with the many challenges that faced Freedmen of Indian Territory.

The Dunegan Freedman School of the Choctaw Nation

Recently, a fellow blogger shared with me an image from one of the Freedmen schools. This particular document reflect the enrollment of Freedmen children in Blue County in the SW corner of the Choctaw Nation. The school was called the Dunegan Freedman Neighborhood School.

The Dunegan School is one of the earliest Choctaw Freedmen schools whose records can be found. Keeping in mind that Freedmen were adopted into the Nation in 1885 in the Choctaw Nation. The Dunegan Freedman School was established and operating a year later. The record above reflects students enrolled between September and December of 1886. Twenty student were enrolled at the time. The school used McGuffy's reader, which was a popular textbook used in the 19th century. A majority of the students were beginning learners in either the first or second reader. However, young scholar, Levi Dunford was in the fourth level reader, and Tennie Harris was in the third level reader. The teacher at the school was Ella Lewis, and the local Trustee, was Stephen Dunford.

It is not known how long the Dunegan Freedman School operated nor whether it was later absorbed into the Oklahoma school system after statehood. And unfortunately, there are no images of the school that have been located, in addition--the exact location of the site of the school remains a mystery as well. But as this was a Choctaw Freedman School, many of the names of the students are found on the Dawes Roll, created in the pate 1890s into the early 1900s. Do the post office locations on the Dawes cards, or do the residences on the card, reflect where the school may have been? That is not easy to determine. Also since there was more than a decade between the time the school record was made and the data for the Dawes card was collected.

However, this record is share, because clearly, school records, along with historic maps are extremely useful tools when researching the family history. In this case--one learns not only where the children went to school, but with whom they studied, and with whom they learned.  These school records often reflect data about communities that no longer existed. In the record above, this was an early record from 1886--only 1 year from the time that Choctaw Freedmen were adopted and made citizens of the Choctaw Nation.

For those whose ancestors were Chickasaw and Choctaw Freedmen this is especially important, because after statehood, many of the Freedmen settlements disappeared. This school was located in what was Blue County in the old Pushmataha District of the Choctaw Nation. Neither Blue County, nor the Pushmataha District exist today, so in this case, the location of this Freedmen school, and this Freedman community will have to be determined by utilizing historic maps. The largest city today in that area would be Caddo. Those Freedmen communities from which the children would have come, would have been south of Atoka, and largely in the rural areas.

Map showing Blue County in Choctaw Nation

Finding School Records
During the 1880-1900 period Freedmen in both Chickasaw and Choctaw nations were working for the establishment of schools for their children. Eventually the Choctaw Nation did provide some funds to establish several "colored neighborhood schools", which at least began the campaign for literacy, long sought by freedmen parents. School records for many of these small but critically needed schools do still remain and many of them were captured and have since been digitized. Family Search  has placed these records online, although they can only be viewed when utilizing the many Mormon family history centers throughout the country.

School records such as the Dunegan Freedman School, shown above, should be used for all of Indian Territory, Freedmen research. Also it should be noted that because Blue County was adjacent to the Chickasaw Nation, there is a strong possibility that these records will reflect the names of Chickasaw Freedmen children as well as Choctaw Freedmen.

The critical point is that multiple records, beyond the Dawes Rolls should be used, and school records, old maps are essential for documenting the lives of Freedmen in those years between 1866 and 1907 statehood. We must utilize as many tools as possible to tell the story.

Hopefully many families connected to the Dunford, Shoals, Matubbie (Maytubby), Chatman (Chapman), Green, Battler, Nail, and Harris families, may find an ancestor on the roster. Knowing that their ancestors were among the first to finally begin the family's path to literacy, should enhance their story and expand their family narrative.

Planning the Skullyville Project

My great grandparents, Sam and Sallie Walton lived in Skullyville in the Choctaw Nation. They were Freedmen, and were enrolled on Choctaw Freedman Card #777. Skullyville is a town that is no longer on the map. However, during the years it existed, it was the northernmost district of the Choctaw Nation. Finding my family on the Dawes Roll, and learning of their lives in Skullyville, I became more curious about the area and surrounding community. As a result, I have been undertaking the task of studying the Freedmen families of Skullyvlle to learn more about the people. I have often made references to community research projects. Someone mentioned to me that they were not sure how to do that. I have been working on a Skullyville-Sugar Loaf project for some time, and can share my outline with you. This can be a template that others can use to document their own ancestral community. We need more stories of those enslaved and freed on the western frontier. There is so much more to the story than that of our own single family. Therefore I urge others to document their own community in a similar fashion. The bullet points listed below, can be separate projects---or they can be small chapters to put in a book format, or yet, they can be part of a free standing blog, or website. I am sharing them with the hope that others will examine their own ancestral communities and begin to tell their stories.

Slaves and Freedmen of Skullyville, Choctaw Nation
* Slaves of Skullyville - When Did They Arrive and How Did They Fare? * Freedmen of Skullyville/Sugar Loaf * Freedom Fighters--USCTs from the Community * Dawes Enrollees * Where Did They Live? Freedmen Settlements * The Elders Who Lived Among Them * Blood of their Fathers * Freedmen Stories from Skullyville
I encourage and challenge other researchers to dare to tell their own story from the community. There is no better way to honor the ancestors by not only calling their name, but telling their story.

Education for Freedmen in the Choctaw Naiton

Recently, I had the opportunity to look at some school records from the Choctaw Nation, and the impact of seeing the names of young children being allowed access to education was moving. These records reflect not only simply names of students, but they also reflect the dreams of their parents whose early lives were those of denied access to learning.

Spring Bluff Neighborhood School with Choctaw Freedmen Scholars

In the early years after slavery was abolished, Indian Territory remained a dark place. In the nearby United States, the Freedmen's Bureau (the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands,) assisted formerly enslaved people in establishing schools. Education was going to be a critical part of their adjustment to freedom. But education was hard to come by, in the five slave holding tribes of Indian Territory.

Slavery was not officially abolished until 1866 a year after the Civil War, when the treaties were signed with each of the Five Slaveholding tribes. Newly freed Africans in both Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations had a difficult journey ahead. Unlike former slaves in the states, for two decades into freedom, African people of Indian Territory, were left without schools. And the goal for education for their children was going to be one of the most hardest hurdles to encounter.

In the 1880s Choctaw Freedmen were given citizenship. Slowly the need for schools for Freedmen children was addressed. A few early records have been found

Sulphur Spring School, Jack Fork, Choctaw Nation


But, in 1885, the Choctaw Nation finally passed a bill to adopt those they once held enslaved, as citizens. But two decades had already passed without provisions for education for the children. With the establishment of citizenship, however, there was now leverage to petition for the rights of the children to have the opportunity for education. In the mid1880s a policy was adopted to establish neighborhood schools, and among them were "colored" neighborhood schools. At last, Freedmen children were going to have the opportunity to learn. Literacy was now a viable option for them after decades of access denied.

Ironically, the Choctaw Nation officials had long been advocates of education. Decades before the Civil War, tribal leaders had sent their sons to an elite Choctaw Academy set aside for them, in rural Kentucky. After the war, education was still of value and leaders in the nation, sent their sons to elite schools in the east for post secondary education, some including ivy-league schools. Though it would over twenty years before freedmen children would be afforded the opportunity to learn, once established, this opportunity was cherished.

One one of the school rosters a notation was made about the reactions of the students and their parents for having a school in their neighborhood to attend.

The image reads: "The scholars of this school and their parents seem to be glad of the chance to have a school and as ll they can for its good."  They were truly so grateful for the chance to learn to read and write, their joy was noted on an ordinary quarterly report.

Thankfully, now in the 21st century, the rosters of the first scholars survive. These were among the first generation of children who would officially be allowed to learn. Records such as these should be among many that Freedmen researchers can pursue.