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Wednesday, November 6, 2019

NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH-Hannah Stanley


Originally Published November 06, 2019

STANLEY, Hannah
Choctaw Freedwoman Dawes Card #1366
Petition to Transfer F-06

With many of the people who sought to be transferred from the freedman roll to the by blood roll it was a complex story behind their ancestry and with the introduction of an ancestor of African ancestry it was complicated further. Most of them claimed they made an affirmative statement at the time of their enrollment to be placed upon the blood roll only to be denied by the Dawes Commission at that time.

When we look at their interview packet the “summary” rarely includes any clue they made an effort to demonstrate they had Chickasaw or Choctaw ancestry and there wasn’t any statement in the file that would have you believe they made an effort to claim they had Native ancestry; unless you look at the documents that provide some evidence the person had a Chickasaw or Choctaw by blood ancestor.

In the case of Hannah Stanley as with the majority of the people seeking a transfer the rear of their card clearly indicated they told the clerks during their enrollment process that there was an ancestor who was a Chickasaw or Choctaw Indian. However, other than the notation on the rear of the card, very little is documented in their initial application for a land allotment.


M-1186 Dawes Choctaw Freedman Card #1366 Rear 

It is clear that Hannah Stanley informed someone that her father was a Choctaw Indian and it was duly noted on the rear of Dawes Card #1366. Like so many other people who petitioned to transfer, her parent was deceased which I believe was critical to her attempts at establishing her identity as a Choctaw by Blood.

M-1186 Dawes Choctaw Freedman Card #1366 Front

If you look at the front of Hannah’s card again, there is not much that would indicate Hannah sought to be transferred to the Choctaw by Blood roll along with her children. Fortunately Hannah did not go quietly into the night and when she had an opportunity to correct this error she sought legal counsel to help her and her children petition for a transfer to the Choctaw by Blood roll.

Sam Stanley the husband of Hannah was indicated as the person who gave testimony at Frogville, Indian Territory that his wife and children should be enrolled as Choctaw Indians by Blood when he informed the commissioner that;

“Hannah Stanley is the daughter of Willie Everidge, a recognized three-quarter blood Choctaw citizen by his common-law wife, Limmit (sic) Brown who was an one-half Choctaw by blood…”

That is a very clear statement that was repeated in an affidavit on January 15, 1906 and it was filed with the Commissioner to the Five Civilized Tribes by their attorney Albert J. Lee. It’s one thing the commissioners didn’t acknowledge an attempt was made prior to 1906. What was curious about this petition and affidavit was the attorneys for the Choctaw nation had fifteen days to respond to the petition to transfer but failed to file a response in the allotted time.

Joe & Dillard Perry Petition to Transfer F-06 p1 Hannah Stanley

The attorneys for the Choctaws and Chickasaws probably never felt compelled to respond to this petition or others because the process to determine if an individual was entitled to be enrolled as a citizen by blood had trap doors for anyone who possessed African ancestry and this was not lost on Hannah Stanley.

In a letter she submitted to the Dawes Commission at Muskogee, Indian Territory on March 30, 1906 the letter implies Hannah asked to be enrolled as a citizen by blood at Goodland, Indian Territory on May 11, 1899 however the only oral testimony documented was the testimony of Hannah’s husband, Sam Stanley?

There isn’t a document that captures Hannah’s testimony and the information provided by her husband does not provide the name of Hannah’s father which was documented on the rear of her card. Someone provided the names of Willie Everidge a “Choctaw” and Lena Brown the deceased slave of Eli Perry.

M-1301 Oral Interview Hannah Stanley (Sam Stanley) Choctaw Freedmen #1366

I certainly hope the descendants of Hannah, Tandy and Eva come forward and contribute to telling the story of their Native American Heritage. I hope the descendants of Hannah, Tandy, and Eva Stanley get their DNA test and document their ties to Willie Everidge and Lena Brown and the Choctaw Nation.

Perhaps it’s time we develop a specific DNA group that is an extension of the research we conduct on the people who sought to be transferred from the Chickasaw or Choctaw Freedmen Roll to the Chickasaw or Choctaw citizen by blood roll?

I suspect the numbers are quite large and the evidence overwhelming; many of our ancestors were denied only because they had a female ancestor of African Descent.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Native American Heritage Month Angie CHICO & Julia PICKENS-GORDON

CHICO, Angie & PICKENS-GORDON, Julia 

Joe & Dillard Perry Petition to Transfer Cases NRF-90C- F-253 p3

In honor of Native American Heritage Month I wanted to present a few historical documents of people who sought to establish their heritage as Chickasaw or Choctaw Indians but was denied by these nations because they possessed some African ancestry. 

The struggle to be included and recognized as a Native American continues to be a blight on the two nations because they seemingly have maintained the posture that women like Angie CHICO and one of her daughters Julia PICKENS-GORDON along with their descendants have no claim to Native American Heritage and in the year 2019 that denial of native people unfortunately continues.

The history of African-Native children is something that is a contemporary hot topic and needs a great deal of exploration so my presentations will unfortunately be short for this exercise but it will be the basis for more extensive research at a future date.

We don’t have an accurate count of the descendants of the people who were denied their heritage and inclusion in the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations yet is not a stretch to believe there are tens of thousands of individuals today who can trace their ancestry back to people like Angie CHICO and Julia PICKENS-GORDON who were the sons and daughters of men like Edmund PICKENS and Martin CHICO. These men not only fathered these women but they also enslaved them.




It is my hope that the descendants of approximately two-thousand men and women who sought to be transferred from the Chickasaw and Choctaw Freedmen Rolls to the Chickasaw and Choctaw Blood Rolls begin to research their history, learn about their heritage, take DNA test and band together and take up the struggle their ancestors engaged in without an honest, moral and legal conclusion.

Joe & Dillard Perry Petition to Transfer Cases NRF-90C- F-253 p8
I would like to hear from the descendants of Angie CHICO, Julia PICKENS-GORDON. 

Again, in the month of Native American Heritage it is significant that a light is shone on the history of the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations and their continued practice of utilizing the antebellum practice of determining a person’s race on the construct that race is determined by the “race” of that individual’s mother. 

In the year 2019 the question remains, do the descendants of Angie CHICO and Julia PICKENS-GORDON have a right to proclaim their Chickasaw Heritage? 

Would those descendants ever be accepted as Native Americans while being able to embrace their African ancestry? 

More importantly, would the Chickasaw Nation ever accept the descendants of Angie CHICO and Julia PICKENS-GORDON as citizens in their nation “with all the rights and privileges” as a citizen?

I can be reached at:
Terry Ligon
estelusti@aol.com

Please include NAHM in the subject line.






Thursday, July 18, 2019

Joe & Dillard PERRY Petitions to Transfer Files


Tell your friends you heard it here first! The National Archives has created a CD that contains over 250 files consisting of more than 7,000 images pertaining to Chickasaw and Choctaw Freedmen seeking to be transferred to the Chickasaw or Choctaw by Blood roll.

NARA briefly describes the collection as:
Applications to Change from Freedmen to Citizens by Blood, 1905 – 1907 From RG: 75


Joe & Dillard Perry Petition to Transfer F-064 p11
These "Joe and Dillard Perry Cases" generally include the names of all applicants and their attorneys, general genealogical material, a summary of papers filed and proceedings held, the decision of the National Archives Identifier: 650073  Local Identifier: NRF-75M-90C
Creator: Department of the Interior. Office of Indian Affairs. Office of the Commissioner to the Five Civilized Tribes. 1893-1914

NARA plans to post this information and these files sometime this year once they get the bugs worked out. HOWEVER you may be able to get a copy of the CD that contains the files for $20.00 by contacting the agency.

This is my email exchange with them that has the contact information you need to obtain a copy for yourself.

“Hi Terry, Yes we have digitized all of the files--however it will be a few months or so before they are available online. That said, if you would like a set on CDs, we would be happy to burn them for $20. Please email a request to ftworth.archives@nara.gov--include contact information as to where we should mail the CDs. If you would like to pay by credit card, please include your phone number so we can call you for the details. If you would like to pay by check, please mail a request to the National Archives at Fort Worth, 1400 John Burgess Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76140. Please make the check payable to the National Archives Trust Fund. If you have questions, call us tomorrow at 817-551-2051 and ask for the Archivist on Duty.”

The importance of this record group can't be stressed enough if you have an ancestor that was a litigant on Equity Case 7071 and has a file within the Joe and Dillard Perry Files.

As most of you know, the Dawes Cards only provided the name of a Chickasaw or Choctaw father on the rear of the card but did not provide a first person account on the claim of Chickasaw or Choctaw blood, these records provide in most cases more information that is not in the M-1301 Interview packet.

There is an index on their site at:

Be aware in some instances the names of an ancestor could be located in more than one file. The following is an example for those researching the NEWBERRY family.

Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Calvin                    Joe and Dillard Perry          F-037      
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Ethel                      Joe and Dillard Perry          F-037      
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Maybelle               Joe and Dillard Perry          F-037      
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Simon                     Joe and Dillard Perry          F-037      
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Isom                       Joe and Dillard Perry          F-037      
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Betha                      Joe and Dillard Perry          F-037      
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Ben                         Joe and Dillard Perry          F-037      
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Lillie                      Joe and Dillard Perry          F-037      
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Mary                      Joe and Dillard Perry          F-037      
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Willie                    Joe and Dillard Perry          F-037      
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Effie                       Joe and Dillard Perry          F-037      
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Wiley                     Joe and Dillard Perry          F-037      
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Willie, Jr.              Joe and Dillard Perry          F-037      
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Sadie                      Joe and Dillard Perry          F-037      
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Louis                      Joe and Dillard Perry          F-037      
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Lula                        Joe and Dillard Perry          F-037      

Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Lydia                      Joe and Dillard Perry          F-132       
 
Joe & Dillard Perry Petition to Transfer F-037 p10
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Earnest                    Joe and Dillard Perry          F-187       
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Essie                       Joe and Dillard Perry          F-187       
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Ophelia                   Joe and Dillard Perry          F-187       

Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Earnest                    Joe and Dillard Perry          F-191       
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Essie                       Joe and Dillard Perry          F-191       
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Ophelia                   Joe and Dillard Perry          F-191       

Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Calvin                     Joe and Dillard Perry          F-216       
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Ethel                       Joe and Dillard Perry          F-216       
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Maybelle                Joe and Dillard Perry          F-216       
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Simon                     Joe and Dillard Perry          F-216       
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Isom                       Joe and Dillard Perry          F-216       
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Betha                      Joe and Dillard Perry          F-216       
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Ben                         Joe and Dillard Perry          F-216       
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Lillie                       Joe and Dillard Perry          F-216       
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Mary                       Joe and Dillard Perry          F-216       
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Willie                      Joe and Dillard Perry          F-216       
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Effie                        Joe and Dillard Perry          F-216       
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Wiley                      Joe and Dillard Perry          F-216       
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Willie, Jr.                Joe and Dillard Perry          F-216       
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Sadie                      Joe and Dillard Perry          F-216       
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Louis                      Joe and Dillard Perry          F-216       
Choctaw-Chickasaw          Newberry              Lula                        Joe and Dillard Perry          F-216       

Joe & Dillard Perry Petition to Transfer F-037 p11


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