I have to repeat why I enjoy researching the history of the
Choctaw and Chickasaw freedmen and not just concentrate on my family’s history
among these tribes. I take the position that if I research the freedmen at
certain points I will discover my own family. The reason I do this is simple,
the blending of families was obvious when I began researching this history and researching
entire history (for me) is more interesting which serves to maintain my.
As I was going through some names of people associated with
Bettie’s List (Equity Case 7071) I came across the name of Lorenzo Russell who
appeared to have a Choctaw Indian father and freedwoman for a mother. The fact
that it also appeared both of his parents were alive and possibly had Dawes
cards and packets meant there was a great possibility there was more
information to uncover regarding any claim Lorenzo had to have his file
transferred to the Choctaw by Blood Roll.
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| Chickasaw Freedman Card#1306 rear |
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| Choctaw Freedman Card#1364 front
You can peel through pages of Lorenzo Russell’s Dawes packet
and aside from the notation on the rear of his Dawes card there is absolutely
no mention of his father or the fact that Lorenzo and all of his descendants possess
the blood of his father James Russell. What is remarkable is the file of his
father!
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This is another example of the complex nature of
relationships and identities that governed the lives of all who lived in Indian
Territory. The fact that in 1904 this couple was married and a Choctaw Indian
was married to a freedwoman for many years prior to this date had implications
the Dawes Commission had to deal with when enrolling this family for land
allotments.
- Should the children be enrolled as Choctaw by blood?
- Would the children receive three hundred and twenty acres of land as opposed to the forty freedmen received?
- Was James’ wife entitled to be enrolled as an intermarried citizen? For an Indian with children by a white woman the answer was clear, she and her children would be enrolled as Choctaw citizens by blood.
For whatever reason the attorney for James Russell inquired
about James being entitled to enroll as an intermarried
citizen “the same as other intermarried Indians by blood.” The commissioner
caught this statement and clearly must have scratched his head on why such a
question would be up for discussion.
I suspect the attorney inadvertently used James’ name when
he should have been asking about the intermarried status of James Russell’s
wife. It is later in the file on another page that the name of James’ wife is
revealed.
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| Choctaw by Blood M1301#1545 p7 |
There is nothing contained in this “interview” given by
Julia Russell the wife of James Russell that prompted Commissioner Needles to see
if Julia’s children were on the Choctaw by Blood roll nor did he determine if
she wanted to be enrolled as an intermarried Choctaw citizen due to the fact
she was “legally” married to a Choctaw Indian. Commissioner Needles simply rubber stamped the interview and
enrolled Julia as a Chickasaw freedmen until she was later transferred
to the Choctaw Freedmen roll.
Two remarkable documents were present in the file of James Russell;
this one with Julia commenting on her parents provided information about her
mother and siblings. The document provided information that Julia’s mother had
been sold to someone in Texas and while there she gave birth to three other
children.
It was this document and that history of being sold along
with the name of her mother that rang a familiar tone to me and my own family history.
Phoebe Jackson and the story of her being sold by a James Lanihee is the same
story of my great great grandfather on my maternal line;
Isom Jackson.
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| Choctaw Freedman Card#1213 rear |
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| Choctaw Freedman Card#1213 front |
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| Choctaw Freedman M1301# 1213 p3 |
Looking at the brother of Julia, Isom Jackson’s Dawes card
you will note Isom’s wife also claimed to have a father of Indian (Chickasaw)
descent and blood. This is again a reminder of just how fluid and complex the
relationships were during this time and that despite all claims to the contrary
there is more and more evidence that Choctaw and Chickasaw men father a
large number of children with their slaves and subsequently denied their own
children the same privileges of citizenship in the nation of their birth.
To illustrate just how misguided a policy this was by the
tribes with the complicity of the United States government, the other document
in the packet of James Russell is one dealing with the citizenship claims of
another son, Dan Russell.
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| M 1301 Choctaw by Blood#1545 p2 |
- Naturally the question becomes is this one of Julia’s sons?
- Was he enrolled as a citizen by blood or was he a freedman?
- Dan and Lorenzo have the same father so they both should be considered “Choctaws by Blood?”
- You probably know where I’m going with this but bear with me…
- If Dan was mentioned in his father’s Dawes file, he should have a file of his own, right?
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| Choctaw by Blood # 5371 |
Dan is the son of James Russell, he is also the half-brother
of Lorenzo Russell but because Dan’s mother Molsy was considered a Choctaw Dan
was placed on the Choctaw by Blood roll. Dan received payments in 1893 and was
considered to be one-sixteenth Choctaw Indian.
Lorenzo on the other hand was placed on the freedmen roll,
no mention of his Choctaw blood is provided and despite the marriage between
James and Julia, not one other person in this family was placed on the Choctaw
by Blood roll.
Quite frankly I don’t know how these tribes morally continue
to toe this line of ONLY those who have an ancestor on the “blood” roll have a
right to citizenship when the Dawes Commission clearly ignored the
relationships and genealogy of the thousands of men and women who sought to be
placed on the correct roll for citizenship in the nation of their birth.
There is a third document that has nothing to do with claims
of citizenship but was an interesting piece of historical knowledge contained
in the file of Dan Russell.
Dan considered him self a cowboy and in 1896 in volunteered
to fight in the Spanish American War as a “Rough Rider.” This meant he may have
had a relationship or at least knew Teddy Roosevelt before he became president
of the United States.
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| M1301 Choctaw by Blood 5371 p3 |
There is another historical point to make here and that
would be the time Dan spent in Leavenworth Penitentiary. From listening to an
online presentation given by the National Archives and from prior experience,
there is a good possibility that an image of Dan exist.
His military records I was able to locate online again
through NARA only provide some basic information about Dan that is repeated in
his testimony before the Dawes Commission so if there is additional information
or another military record, the descendants of Dan Russell or for that matter
the Choctaw Nation might be encouraged to locate more on this man because of
his contribution as a Rough Rider.
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| M1301 Choctaw by Blood#5371 p5 |
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12 Record of Service Dan Russell
NARA National Archives Identifier: 301365
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As you can see, the story of the Choctaw and Chickasaw
Freedmen has a great deal to do with the history of the Choctaw and Chickasaw
nations. Their story should be included as a vital
part of both nations so a complete and accurate portrayal of the tribes and all of its people are presented.
To dismiss the history and presence of the Choctaw and
Chickasaw Freedmen is morally indefensible. The relationships formed by
freedmen and Indian despite the institution of slavery suggests the fear of
blacks within the tribe is totally without merit. Contrary to the popular
belief you have to be “Indian” to be a citizen ignores just how freedmen were
ostracized from the nation of their birth and how subsequent generations sought
to survive in a hostile community that marginalized their lives and
relationships.
Why are the tribes continuing this legacy?
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