Children Bearing Witness to History

   According to many historians, 1833-34 was the last “official” year of the Choctaw Removal. As has been pointed out, many enslaved people of African descent were part of the removal, but history has not included them in retelling that part of Choctaw history. In an effort to put the names of those enslaved people who made the journey on the record, a simple methodology of locating who may have been the children on the Trail of Tears takes a look at the youngest and argualbly the most vulnerable demographic on the trail. 

   By simply looking at the ages of Choctaw Freedmen and Freedwomen who would have been born in 1833-34 and their parents, it is possible to determine who they were and begin the process of including all of the enslaved people that survived enslavement, the Civil War, Emancipation, and citizenship in the Choctaw Nation.

The group consists of a dozen people, who may or may not have remembered they were part of the removal. They wouldn’t know if they were part of the final group that came to Indian Territory or if they were born in the territory after their parents arrived. A few in the group apparently were unable to provide the name of either parent. This particular group may not be the best example of who came west, as it may have been overshadowed by two other groups of children who were likely infants born during one of the other removal periods: 1831-32 or 1832-33. For these two groups, it is necessary to locate children born between 1830 and 1832 or individuals aged 67 to 69 years. The years are based on the year 1899, this being the year the Dawes Commission created the Choctaw Freedmen Land Allotment roll.

Aaron Newberry 

Having determined the youngest and arguably the most vulnerable people who came west during the Choctaw Removal, attention should be given to the children who were between the ages of 5 and 10, a category of young people who would be able to remember and articulate their involvement and experiences along the trail later in life, if the opportunity arose to tell their story. For this group, that would probably mean someone born between 1821 and 1822, or 77 and 78 years of age.

Richard Brashears

The final group of children could be the most telling; they were the segment between the ages of 70 and 76, inclusive. Many would have the ability to remember and tell their story, and at their age, possess their full mental capabilities as elders in their communities, just before they were to experience additional life-changing episodes in their lives: gaining their own land and the statehood of Oklahoma.