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.