The Chickasaw Freedman History of Don Cheadle

One of the Dawes Records Reflecting Part of Don Cheadle's History. 

Source: NARA Publication M1186, Chickasaw Freedmen Card No. 729

Many of us recall the PBS Series African American Lives. The episode reflecting he history of actor Don Cheadle interested many of us who share the history of the Freedmen of Indian Territory.  When it was revealed to Mr. Cheadle that he had ancestors who had been enslaved by Chickasaw Indians he was stunned to learn of this history, and mentioned that he had never heard of Native Americans and Black Chattel slavery.  Dr. Henry Louis Gates also admitted that this was history of which he himself also had no knowledge.

Meanwhile, dozens of Kemps and Cheadles from southern Oklahoma, from Texas and across the country, in addition to thousands of people who descend from the former slaves of the Five Civilized Tribes--nodded  as we watched once again, how so little is known. Amazingly this unique history has over 14,000 records at the National Archives, that tell the story, and yet not even a Harvard professor had heard of the Freedmen of Indian Territory.

In the episode, Mr. Cheadle was told, "You are one of the few African Americans whose ancestors were not enslaved by white people."  But the reality is that the numbers are not quite as small as Dr. Gates assumed them to be. 

Being familiar with Mr. Cheadle's ancestry and having researched Freedmen for over 20 years as well as having Choctaw Freedmen ancestors myself,  I examined the records of Don Cheadle's family. I also had the opportunity to find the Civil War record on his Missouri family. But the Cheadle and Kemp history is a fascinating family history, indeed!  

Don Cheadle is tied not only to a large clan of Oklahoma Cheadles---but he is also tied to an even larger clan of  Kemps---who reside to this day in southern Oklahoma and Texas and beyond.

As he was told on African American Lives, his gr. gr. grandmother was Mary Kemp.  Mary Kemp had married Henderson Cheadle also known as Hensce Cheadle and they had 8 children, including his gr. grandfather Bill Cheadle. Mary Kemp had been born a slave and was the slave of Chickasaw Jennie Kemp.

Close Up view of Mary Kemp Enrollment Card

NARA Publication M1186 Chickasaw Freedmen # 729

The back of this card reveals more information about Mary Kemp and her children.  

Reverse side of Chickasaw Freedmen Enrollment Card #729

The columns on the reverse side reflect the name of the father of each person on the front of the card, and the card also shows if the parents were slaves, the name of the Indian slave holder. So in this case Mary Kemp's father was a man called John Kemp, who was a slave of Chickasaw Jackson Kemp. Her mother was Frances Kemp, also enslaved by Jackson Kemp. Eight of Mary Kemp's eleven children were fathered by Henderson Cheadle--called Hensce. 

Mary's former husband, Henderson Cheadle himself also had an enrollment card from the Chickasaw Nation.

Henderson Cheadle Enrollment Card

Source: NARA Publication M1186 Enrollment Card Chickasaw Freedman #813

Henderson Cheadle's father was a man called Elderidge Edwards, and his mother was Peggie Edwards. Both of them had been enslaved by Chickasaw citizen Jim Cheadle.

Reverse side of Card reflects the parents of Henderson Cheadle. Though called Edwards, they were enslaved by Chickasaw Jim Cheadle.

Source: NARA Publication M1186 Enrollment Card Chickasaw Freedman #813 (Side 2)

Mary Kemp Cheadle and Henderson Cheadle had separated from each other, and she had remarried. Her second husband was Scott Finley and in their file was a copy of their marriage record.

Marriage Record of Mary Cheadle to Scott Finley

Source: NARA Publication M1301 Dawes Enrollment Packets

Chickasaw Freedman File #729

In the 1900 Federal Census taken in Indian Territory, Mary Kemp Cheadle and her children appear in the Chickasaw Nation community enumerated together. And son, William, gr. grandfather to Don Cheadle is in the household with her.

1900 Census enumeration of Mary Kemp Cheadle 

By 1920, William was married with his own family and living in what was now the state of Oklahoma.

William Cheadle and family living in1920 in Oklahoma

Source: 1920 Federal US Census, Oklahoma 

Lee Turner Cheadle was William's son, and when the family later moved to Missouri, the family's ties to Oklahoma were broken.  Lee Turner Cheadle is Don Cheadle's grandfather, and Don Cheadle Sr. is the son of Lee Turner Cheadle.  Don Frank Cheadle Sr is the father of Don Cheadle Jr., the actor.

Of course time did not allow for extensive detail about the lives of those who were enslaved in Indian Territory to be shown in the PBS program that featured Don Cheadle.  The lives of the slaves in the Territory have never been widely studied which would explain why Dr. Gates himself knew nothing of this history. But there are still records that tell this story.

Mary Kemp Cheadle was enslaved by Jackson Kemp. What would her life have been like as a slave to Chickasaw Indians?

Jackson Kemp was a large slave holder in the Chickasaw Nation.

Source:  1860 Slave Schedule Chickasaw Nation

Ancestry.com. 1860 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.

Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Eighth Census of the United States, 1860. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1860. M653, 1,438 rolls.

Jackson Kemp owned 61 slaves in 1860. The oldest was 61 years old and the youngest--were several children 1 year or less in age.  On closer examination, at least 20--more than a third of the slaves he was said to have owned---had fled from him. They were listed as "fugitives."  Among the runaways was even the eldest slave.

Close up view of Slave Schedule of Jackson Kemp Slaves. The oldest slave was listed as a fugitive.

The presence of so many runaways from bondage suggests that Jackson Kemp may not have been viewed as one of the most kindly of slave holders, evidenced by the resistance of more than a third of his human chattel said to be fugitives.

In addition to simply knowing the names of the ancestors of Don Cheadle, there also comes a fascinating history of the Kemps. Mary Kemp the matriarch of the Cheadle clan, had an older brother Isaac Kemp. Isaac Kemp was leader and an activist in his community of Chickasaw Freedmen, He worked with a group of other leaders to speak on behalf of Chickasaw Freedmen. Their treatment and their neglect  by the Chickasaw Nation, as well as the US government was a issue for more than four decades, and both Kemps and Cheadles and also the Loves were among the leaders of Freedmen that continually fought for the rights of the former Chickasaw slaves. 

This item is a document from the National Archives (II) found in a box of miscellaneous letters reflecting issues pertaining to Chickasaw Freedmen. Included was an item from Isaac Kemp a leader 

in the Freedman community of Wiley, I. T.

The saga and struggles of the Chickasaw Freedmen went on for many years. Scholar and professor Daniel Littlefield wrote about them, in  his book The Chickasaw Freedmen,  and some of Don Cheadle's ancestors were noted in his work as well, including Isaac Kemp--Cheadle's gr. gr. gr. uncle.

The Chickasaw Freedmen by Professor Daniel Littlefield captures the story of hundreds of Chickasaw Freedmen from the years after the Civil War, up to Oklahoma statehood in 1907

Littlefield, Daniel, The Chickasaw Freedmen. A People Without a Country, 

Westport Connecticut, Greenwood Press,  1980, p. 166

Isaac Kemp worked alongside other Freedmen leaders to voice their concerns for the educational needs of their children, and when they felt that strong teachers were not in place, they also voiced their concerns about the strength and competency of the teachers as well. In this next excerpt, Isaac Kemp (Cheadle's 3rd gr. uncle and Hensce Cheadle (his gr. gr. grandfather) voiced complaint with others about the status of the schools for Freedmen children.

Source: Monthly School Reports. November 1882, Turner to Price, January 8 and 27, 1883, and 

Miles to Commissioner February 8, 1883, Letters Received, 22294-82, 634-83, 1074-73

Isaac Kemp (Don Cheadle's gr. gr. uncle) began his fight for justice immediately after the Civil War. In a rare letter written in 1865, Isaac Kemp's name appeared in a letter to the Arkansas Freedman's Bureau. The letter was asking for help for their loved ones still being held in bondage by the Chickasaw Indian slave holders. I wrote about this letter in a blog post  back in 2010.  

At the end of that letter the "X" marking the signature of Isaac Kemp is found.  He was requesting release of his wife and children, and also of his mother Frances (3rd gr. grandmother of Don Cheadle). This was probably the first time that Isaac Kemp's name appeared in writing as a free man. It was also perhaps the first in many battles that he would fight and that would initiate a battle for justice in Chickasaw country.

Isaac Kemp's mark is shown among the signatures of others seeking freedom 

for their loved ones in the Chickasaw Nation.

Programs such as African American Lives as well as the NBC program WDYTYA (Who Do You Think Your Are) now in its third season, are popular and they encourage many to explore their family history. However, what is often shown on the prog, rams are mere glimpses as their history. 

As the case of Don Cheadle, his Chickasaw Freedmen history is rich, complicated, colorful, and also inspiring. The few moments aired on the PBS program only mentioned the Chickasaw Freedmen, but as one can tell, there is so much more to this amazing story. As one who researches the Freedmen of Indian Territory, my hope is that others will be inspired to tell the stories that come from this little known chapter in America's history.  

Ancestral Family Tree of Don Cheadle, Descendant of Chickasaw Freedmen

Examining the First Draft of the Choctaw Freedmen Dawes Roll

Early Roster of Choctaw Freedman Roll

This early roster represents the hand written copy made before the Final Roll was Compiled.

Those who use the Dawes Records often see references on the Enrollment cards that the enrollees' names appeared on earlier rolls. However, one does not always see the names of the Final Dawes enrollees on the first draft copy from which the Final Rolls were made. It is worth exploring such documents to learn more about the family and when they enrolled in in some cases with whom they went to the Dawes Commission.

Before the final roll was compiled, a hand-written copy of the roll was made. These were entries made in ledgers of those Freedmen applicants who had been approved to have their names placed on the final rolls. And interestingly, in some cases the names appeared on the Final Roll in exactly the same sequence as they appeared on the First Draft.

The following example can be noted. Polly Ann Eliza Miller, and Davis Frazier both young people, appeared on Choctaw Freedman Cards 670 and 671 respectively.

National Archives Publication M1186

Enrollment Cards for the Five Civilized Tribes Reel 51

Choctaw Nation, Choctaw Freedman Card Nos.670 and 671

Both were born well after slavery had ended in the Choctaw Nation, so no slaveholder is listed on their cards. However, the parental data reflects who their parents were, and who the Indian slave owner of their parents were. See reverse side below:

Reverse side of Freedmen Cards, reflecting parents and slaveholders of parents

(National Archives Publication M1186

Enrollment Cards for the Five Civilized Tribes Reel 51

Choctaw Nation, Choctaw Freedman Card Nos.670 and 671)

Polly's parents were Jackson Crow and Jane Crow. Davis's parents were Silas and Indiana Frazier. 

Jackson Crow, Polly's father, was a slave of Choctaw Nail Perry. Davis Frazier's father was not a slave, but was a Choctaw Indian named Silas Frazier. Davis Frazier's mother was Indiana Frazier and she was a slave of Sophia Perry.* 

The two have cards that are close in number and although at first glance they might appear to be unrelated family history indicated that they were in actuality cousins. Nail Perry was the patriarch of the Perry clan that lived in Sugar Loaf, County of the Choctaw Nation, and he was also a witness in each case involving the slaves held by the Perry family. Nail Perry was the son and Hardy and Sophia Perry. 

Both Polly and Davis, not only had enrollment cards close in number, they were listed on the hand roster together as well.

On the First Draft of the Freedmen Roll, Polly Miller and Davis Frazier were actually listed together

Both had been interviewed on the same day and it is known  by family that they were part of the same family clan (Perry's, Fraziers and Waltons) There is also the likelihood that the two of them went to the Commission at the same time. Both had, in fact had their names put on their enrollment cards on the same date, June 6, 1899.

The value of looking at the earliest document that eventually led to the creation of the Final Rolls can she light on the enrollment process, and even give a glimpse into the movement of the officials of the Dawes Commission. One can also learn when the Dawes Commissioners visited the various communities, throughout the Territory.

My gr. grandparents were on Choctaw Freedmen Card No. 777

(National Archives Publication M1186

Enrollment Cards for the Five Civilized Tribes 

Choctaw Nation, Choctaw Freedman Card No. 777)

I was pleased to also find them on the original First Draft Copy of the Choctaw Freedman Roll:

The same Walton family appeared also on the first draft of the Freedman Roll

The early draft is also useful, as they occasionally contain notes about the family or in some cases the slave holder and their estate. In the image above there is a reference to J.D. Davis and his heirs. On the official Enrollment Card, the slaveholder is simply listed as Jim Davis. This small difference might provide a small clue to another record set that may hold data with further research.

Although the genealogical data presented on the First Draft Roster of the Freedman Roll, will rarely differ, it is still useful to see the names of the approved applicants on the that first draft roll. It would be this roll upon which subsequent decisions would also be made. 

As genealogists we must look for all possible resources, including early drafts of the Final Rolls.

* Sophia Perry was the mother to Nail Perry who would frequently vouch for the Waltons and the inter-related families.

"I have a dream that one day...the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood."

Angela Walton-Raji & Colin Kelley

A Choctaw Freedman Descendant  and an enrolled Choctaw who descends 

from the Choctaw slaveholder of her ancestors

(Source: Photo taken by Tonia Holleman in her home in western Arkansas)

I met the descendant of the Choctaw slaveholder of my ancestors in 2010. Two years ago, this month will mark the anniversary of my meeting with a man who found me. I received an email from a gentleman living in Oklahoma who saw my name in an historical journal.  His letter was brief and to the point. He was a descendant of Nail Perry.  

I was stunned. I knew that name--Nail Perry had contact with my ancestors--my ancestors who lived in the Choctaw Nation.  Same and Sallie Walton had lived in Indian Territory as slaves.  Sallie, my gr. grandmother was a person whom I knew in my lifetime, and I had loved her for she was the face of kindness, wisdom and love in my tender young years.  I was 9 years old when she passed and hers is a face that still smiles at me from the old photographs in my home.

 

Sallie Walton, Choctaw Freedman

Source: Personal Family Collection

But Nail Perry---this was different. I knew his name from family records. When I found the family file in the Dawes Records, his name appeared. He testified at the Dawes Commission interview on behalf of Sam and Sallie Walton, and he spoke about Sallie's mother being a slave in his family.

Partial Testimony of Nail Perry in front of Dawes Commission

National Archives Publication Number: M1301 Choctaw Freedman File No. 777

Nail Perry's name appeared in other family documents between the 1880s and 1900s. 

So back in 2009 when I received the email from Mr. Kelley. We exchanged emails and since that time, we have spoken several times.  And in 2010, while I was on a trip to western Arkansas, he drove to pick up another cousin and they both came to meet me.  Mr. Kelley arrived with documents, and we shared records, and talked.  Our meeting was a pleasant one, and we have a relationship that continues to this day. 

Meeting Nail Perry Descendant Colin Kelley

Photo taken by Tonia Holleman

I think about that meeting often, and I am especially appreciative because it was he who found me. There are many stories of African Americans who have met the descendants of slaveholders. This meeting however, was historic---it is probably one of the first meetings of a Native American slaveholder descendant who on his own initiative, reached out to one whose ancestors were enslaved in his family. We did meet, and yes, history was made on that day.

On this day that we honor a man who had a dream that such meetings were possible, I think that not only are such meetings possible, but so are so many more good things possible! I am so glad that Dr. King had a dream and  he expressed his dream to the world.

Treasure Chest Thursday: Two Sheets of Paper

Source: Personal Collection

As  child I would often look at the old plat map above and simply wonder what it was and why it was saved. It existed for decades between the pages of an old family bible, folded and carefully tucked in between the pages.  It was the only document that was in the family that actually had my gr. grandmother Sallie's name on it. Years later I would eventually come to appreciate this simple piece of paper and how it told a story.

My great grandmother Sallie Walton, was born in the Choctaw Nation in 1863 and she died in 1961 at the age of 98. Hers was a long life well lived. She left only a few things behind. There were a handful of photographs, an old family Bible and some hand made quilts. 

But the old family Bible held the most, for it left some clues about her history and her past both on the pages and also between the pages.  

Sallie Walton  1863-1961

The old plat map above was always found neatly folded between the pages in the old bible. And when I was a child I would often pull the Bible off the shelves, unfold it stare at the words "Choctaw Nation" stamped on it, and wonder what her early life was like.  

I would not realize for many years that this small plat map would be the only original piece of paper that we had with her name on it. So what could be learned from what she left behind? Well, there were clues--right there on that sheet. The sheet was a plat map, and it pertained to property. The document illustrated her ties to the land, and to the Choctaw Nation. 

Closer Image of Plat Map

The document also had her name written clearly on it:

The only document that bore Sallie's name was this old plat map

A second piece of paper, was also kept between the pages of the old Bible. This was a small sheet from a tiny table with the letters and numbers almost faded into the yellowed sheet would also hold information for me.

Small slip of paper with hand-written note also found in the family bible.

Source: Personal Collection

Written in pencil, and fading into the yellowed pages were a few words. Sallie's was name followed by a few numbers and a reference to someone's age, presumably hers. The name was barely legible, "Sallie Walton" followed by some numbers--3-9-4-8.  Or was it supposed to be 3-7-4-8?  It was hard to tell. But what did the numbers mean?  This would remain a mystery for three decades.

In 1991, on a trip to the National Archives, I began the search for my gr. grandmother's history.  There, within a set of records known as Dawes Records, I found a document with the family name. 

Dawes Card, Sam & Sallie Walton

Source: National Archive Publication M1186, Choctaw Freedman Card 777

(Document can also be found on Fold3 as Image:  260|225730220)

This document was an Enrollment Card made in application for a land allotment with the Dawes Commission. Sam and Sallie Walton made their application in 1899.  On that card much information is recorded, but upon examination of the card something was familiar:

The number 3748 was Sallie Walton's Dawes Roll Number

There was the number--3-7-4-8.  It was the number inscribed on the small piece of paper. The family's application was approved and that number was her official Dawes Roll number! That was an aha moment!!  Of course she never wanted to forget the number--it was the number that made her eligible for privileges as a citizen in the Choctaw Nation and most importantly, the number that also made her eligible for a land allotment.  

It all made sense--it was folded neatly in the family Bible, because it was important. The Bible had names and dates of her children, it contained information on her second marriage, it reflected the deaths of loved ones, and it also held her precious Dawes Roll number. 

So I began to study the documents. I always thought of the document reverently, because like a hand from another dimension, that red arrow on that plat map was the compass pointing to a part of the family's past. 

And on the bottom of that page, her name would appear. For many years, this was the only document that we ever  had with her name written upon it.

Bottom portion of plat map

Long after her death, these two pieces of paper held the keys that unlocked parts of  her past. I appreciated the fact that she kept them, even if decades later, she no longer held the land. I would frequently look at these documents and study them, and they would often be on my mind. It was finally these two pieces of paper that nudged me to see if I could document more of the family's history, and if these documents would lead me to something about our history. They did.

Something made my gr. grandmother Sallie hold on to those documents as if she wanted someday someone to know that she had a tie to the land and to the Nation and that this was a part of her life. I am so glad that she did.

By the time she died in 1961, Sallie no longer held the land, and she died in Arkansas. But she left behind the precious items that mattered. 

And as simple as a small piece of paper might be, these two pieces of paper opened doors to the family history.

Freedmen Neighborhood School Rosters, Choctaw Nation

Several years ago I had the opportunity to visit Salt Lake City to attend the 2006 AAHGS Conference. While in Salt Lake I was also able to take advantage of the Family History Center and to use some records that I do not have access to in Maryland.  

These were school records from the Choctaw Nation. My interest specifically was in possibly locating names of children who attended the Freedmen Neighborhood Schools. To my delight there were rosters of students from several schools. My interest was Skullyville County, a community where my gr. grandparents Sam and Sallie Walton lived.

I found five such schools. These schools were created specifically for children of the former slaves in the Choctaw Nation--the Choctaw Freedm

The schools were established after they had been officially adopted by the Choctaw Nation, into the tribe, in 1885. The nations had agreed to the adoption of the Freedmen after the Civil War and was one of the terms of the Treaty of 1866. After a good amount of resistance occurred initially and a lengthy discussion of funds (over $300,000 ) was allocated to the Choctaw and Chickasaws to be used for Freedmen matters.  After adoption took place, the question arose again as it had since emancipation---how can education be provided for these African-Choctaw children?

It was decided that neighborhood schools be established within the nation, to provide education for the children.  I was pleased to find several pages reflecting names of children, of teachers and of the superintendents of several schools among some of the records.

I was particularly happy to see the name of my grandfather---Samuel Walton Jr. on one of the school rosters as well!

The schools were Cedar Grove, Clarksville, Dog Creek, Ft. Coffee, and Opossum Creek Schools. The records are by no means complete as they do not reflect many consecutive years and they were not year-round records.  They are mere rosters--but yet they still tell a story of the children who were earnestly seeking to learn.  

The only community that still exists today is Ft.Coffee, Oklahoma an historically black town that was recently incorporated a few years ago as an official township in LeFlore County. Ft. Coffee lies in extreme eastern Oklahoma, not far from the Arkansas/Oklahoma border.  I am happy to share some of the rosters here.

The population in the Cedar Grove area was a diverse one where some of the children were citizens of the Chickasaw Nation and as well as Choctaw Nation. (A notation of the bottom of the roster indicated that some of the children attending Cedar Grove school with crossmarks near their names, were Chickasaw Freedmen.)

Near the top of the Cedar Grove Roster, the Boyd Children are Chickasaw Freedmen, 

indicated by the crossmarks near their names.

When the schools operated, each month the teacher and superintendent would prepare attendance rosters and submit them to the County offices of the Nation.These monthly school rosters were filed by the teacher and trustee, with the County Judge. The document above was filed with Ed Lanier, county judge of Skullyville County and also signed by him.

* * * * * *

Clarksville Neighborhood School was smaller in student enrollment. All of the children in this school were Choctaw Freedmen:

Staff of Clarksville Neighborhood School

Some of the descendants of Battese families are fully enrolled citizens of the Chickasaw Nation.

Roster of Children in Clarksville Neighborhood School

* * * * * 

Staff of Dog Creek Neighborhood School. These names are still known among LeFlore County families. Moses Parker also oversaw the affairs of another Freedman School. (see below)

* * * * *

Ft. Coffee Neighborhood School was in the one community that still exists today. However, like the other schools, the buildings no longer stand.

The two staff members, were Moses Parker and Squire Hall. 

These names are still spoken in Ft. Coffee today where their descendants reside.

Roster of Students from 1896

I was pleasantly surprised on one of the pages for the Ft. Coffee School, to see my grandfather's name among the students.

Page reflecting the name of my grandfather Samuel when he was a small child 

attending the Choctaw Neighborhood School, in Skullyville

* * * * *

Opposum Creek Neighborhood School

Roster of Students from Opposum Creek Neighborhood Scohols

Although all of these schools are gone and the landscape reflects nothing of their having been there. Thankfully a few pages of school records remain to assist us with telling the story.

* * * * *

Salt Creek  - A Freedman School in Indian Territory

Source: Archives &  Manuscripts Division of the Oklahoma Historical Society