Caesar Bowlegs Seminole Freedman Card #1

 

Courtesy Kevin Mulroy

Caesar Bowlegs was a man of influence and importance in the Seminole Nation. He served the nation in many capacities, but is best known as an interpreter being fluent in Creek and he moved easily between both Creek and Seminole communities. Bowlegs had traveled during the Civil War into Kansas according to historian Kevin Mulroy. After the war, he worked for some time as a mail carrier between Ft. Gibson and Wewoka, and he later operated a toll bridge over Wewoka Creek as well. 

Because of his language skills, he served as a personal interpreter for Dr. C. P. Lynn, and later Dr. Virgil Berry. He instructed the doctors about medicinal practices of Seminoles and Freedmen, and he was later the personal assistant to Dr. Berry accompanying him on medical calls. During an epidemic of smallpox, after inoculating themselves, Caesar Bowlegs and Dr. Berry traveled throughout the nation with the goal of vaccinating the entire nation. 

As stated by scholar Mulroy, "Bowlegs helped gain widespread acceptance for scientific principles and medical technology among the Seminoles and freedmen.  Caesar Bowlegs died in 1912 in Seminole County, Oklahoma."

 

The National Archives at Ft Worth; Ft Worth, Texas, USA; Enrollment Cards for the Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914; NAI Number: 251747; Record Group Title: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs; Record Group Number: 75

(Source: Same as above)

He was the first enrolled as a Seminole Freedman due to his status and influence. He is not forgotten and should be remembered by all who study Oklahoma Freedmen history. 

First Creek Freedman: Paro Bruner Card #1 and Roll #1

Paro Bruner
Courtesy of Oklahoma Historical Society

The National Archives at Ft Worth; Ft Worth, Texas, USA; Enrollment Cards for the Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914; NAI Number: 251747; Record Group Title: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs; Record Group Number: 75

Source:  Same as Above

Much has already been written about Paro Bruner from the Creek Nation. He was a leader among Creeks as well as interacting closely with Seminole Freedmen. He was, in fact, full brother to Caesar Bruner, chief of the Bruner Band of Seminoles. His relationship to his brother Caesar was highlighted in Volume 2 of Freedmen of the Frontier.

Paro Bruner was Town King of Canadian Colored Town in the Creek Nation. He was also the founder of the Prairie's Edge Settlement, which is now part of the Holdenville Community. Like many Creek and Seminole leaders, he was bilingual and moved between both categories of Creeks. He was involved in various aspects of tribal affairs of the Creek Nation, and like his brother Caesar in the Seminole Nation, he was a man of influence. He often pressed for more legislation regarding relations of the tribe with the US government, but he also involved himself with issues as they affected African Creeks as well.

Paro Bruner worked with other African Creek leaders such as Monday Durant, illustrating how schools for Creek Freedmen were often allocated less than schools for citizens designated as people "by blood". This act alone did result in the tribe allocating $3000 for the establishment of a boarding school for Creek Freedmen children. In addition Freedmen neighborhood day schools were also established in Freedmen communities. Thanks to the efforts of Paro Bruner, along with other leaders, literacy and other opportunities opened up for Freedmen in the Creek Nation.

Paro Bruner's name is one that should be called frequently from those who study both Creek history and Oklahoma history. He was a leader, and his presence at the "front of the line" as the Dawes enrollment process began is understood.

First Chickasaw Freedman: William Alexander Card #1

The story of William Alexander is an interesting one. He was a relatively young man when the Dawes enrollment process unfolded in Indian Territory. This young man had become active politically in the community of Chickasaw Freedmen. He was among a group of Freedmen who met at Dawes Academy where a convention of Freedmen had gathered. This meeting in 1898 was a critical one because the status of Chickasaw Freedmen was one of an un-adopted people, without a nation to call their own. This convention was a major one where they addressed their concerns about an uncertain future.

William Alexander was also connected to other Chickasaw Freedmen of note. He was the son of Margaret Wilson, who was the mother of Bettie Ligon, the head litigant in a major lawsuit made by Freedmen. This case is referred to as equity Case 7071. William Alexander was Bettie Ligon's half brother.

When the Dawes Commission came to the Stonewall area in September 1898, William Alexander was the first to be interviewed.  He was placed on Card #1 and his roll number is also #1.

 

The National Archives at Ft Worth; Ft Worth, Texas, USA; Enrollment Cards for the Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914; NAI Number: 251747; Record Group Title: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs; Record Group Number: 75

Source: Same a above

 The participation of William Alexander in the social issue of the day would have brought about a strong belief in his influence as a leader, and his stature on the local level. As an active member in the Committee of Chickasaw Freedmen it is understood how he was the first to be interviewed in his area by the Dawes Commission.

His influence should not be forgotten.
 

Simon Clark - Card #1 & Amelia Folsom - Roll #1

 During the Dawes Enrollment era, for Choctaw Freedmen, the process began in the Stonewall/Ada community. Simon Clark appeared in front of the commission to enroll himself with his family. His name and that of his family were inscribed on the very first card of the Choctaw Nation.  This occurred in September of 1898.

 However upon examination of his card, one can see that his name was actually removed, with the line drawn through his name. And in addition--the actual roll numbers of his wife and children were not 2 through 5 as would be expected on a low card. Their actual roll numbers were much higher than single digits that one might think.  So what happened in his case?

Choctaw Freedman Card #1
NARA Publication M1186 Record Group 75, Roll 49
The National Archives at Ft Worth; Ft Worth, Texas, USA; Enrollment Cards for the Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914; NAI Number: 251747; Record Group Title: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs; Record Group Number: 75

Simon Clark had been enslaved by Jincy Chochran. His parents were Jacob and Tena Clark. Interestingly, upon reviewing the application of Simon Clark it does appear that his enrollment was not a complicated one.

But the reality is that Simon's name was not placed on the final roll. He had been challenged about the time that he had returned to the Choctaw Nation after the Civil War. But when challenged her provided more information about it, and one can learn about his exact movement after the war.

But when you look at the enrollment card more closely---it is clear that something did not satisfy the commission. Firs of all, he was on Card #1. And being the first person interviewed on that card, his number should have been also #1. Secondly the members of his family who were later enrolled, should have had their number as 2 through 5, respectively.  But instead their roll numbers are much higher.

The notes at the bottom of the card reflect the issue around his movement after the war, and his return to the Choctaw Nation. But clearly, the reason why his name was not placed on the final rolls, is revealed. Apparently Simon Clark passed away in 1902 4  years before the rolls were closed.

But there is another side to Simon Clark's story.  The reason he left the Territory and returned to the Territory a year later, was that he fought for his own freedom. He left and joined the Union Army as a soldier in the US Colored Troops. 

Later in life he applied for and received a pension for his service in the Union Army.

His being a former soldier and a Civil War pensioner would have provided him with a certain degree of honor and respect in his local community and and around Ada. Many in that area were not former soldiers, so he would have been well honored in the community of Freedmen where he resided.

However because he died before the process ended, his name was not placed on the final rolls, although it had been approved.

Several months later in the spring of 1899, there came Amelia Folsom. She lived in the town of Doaksville, and she was 52 years of age, and not far in age from Simon Clark. Her name is found on card # 163, and she was listed alone on the card. She was married to a Chickasaw Freedman named Henry Folsom, which is why only her name is on the card alone.

However, she, Amelia Folsom is given the roll number of #1. She was not "next in line" behind Simon Clark, and in fact appeared in front of the commission sever months after he did. As one looks at the enrollment cards that follow her card, the numbers on those cards are in numerical order, with cards # 2,3,4,5, etc. These interviews were occurring in April of 1899 in Towson County in the Doaksville area. 

Amelia's voice is not found in her file. Her husband Jordan Folsom was interviewed, and it is his voice that we hear:

Like many of the interviews conducted in Chickasaw country, the interview was one of the many abbreviated ones, with short questions and answers. Amelia's name was approved without difficulty, but full details about her life are not known.  How she came to be Choctaw Freedperson #1 more than six months after the process began,  is not clear. She was roll #1, but clearly Simon Clark was one of the firs to appear a the "front of the line."

Interestingly, when Simon Clark appeared with the Dawes Commission in the fall of 1898, the cards that follow his card do not increase in numerical order. In fact they are not sequential in any way. The possibility exists that the commissioners did not assign number in exact numerical order, nor did they go through the blank cards in numerical order. The final roll number assigned, was clearly done in a different manner that does not appear to be clear.

However, nevertheless, Simon Clark's card number placed in clearly in the early process of the Dawes enrollment for Choctaw Freedmen. Amelia Folsom enrolled alone among those who lived in the Chickasaw community of Ada and she was thus assigned the number early on when the commissioners were in her area.

Chances are that the numbers followed the commissioners and it was they who assigned roll numbers within a specific range, no matter when they began interviewing in their designated areas.

Clearly, Simon Clark was at the front of the line, and Amelia was at the front where she lived in Doaksville. Both were good people living the lives that fate had delivered to them. As ordinary as their lives may have been they were clearly determined to involve themselves in a process that would carry forward their legacy into an uncertain future in a complex status of a complicated land.

They are both honored on this 3rd day of Freedmen History Month.

Freedmen History -First Freedman John H. Ross

 

Cherokee Freedman Card #1 Roll #1
The National Archives at Ft Worth; Ft Worth, Texas, USA; Enrollment Cards for the Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914; NAI Number: 251747; Record Group Title: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs; Record Group Number: 75

From Muskogee, I. T. came the application of John H. Ross, a Cherokee citizen. John Ross was the son of Stephen Ross who had once been enslaved by Cherokee Chief John Ross. 

The family lived in Muskogee. Taking note of John H. Ross, age, he may have been the first person in the family line born into freedom. He was born about 1866. His parents were Stephen Ross and Emily Humphrey. While his father Stephen was enslaved by John Ross, his mother Emily Humphrey who was still living at the time. With him on the card is his son John H. Ross Jr.,  and daughter Elnora.

Emily, his mother was on her own enrollment card, and she was clearly a woman who was the matriarch of her own family. When there was a concern about daughter Elnora whose name appears on the card, Emily, the grandmother went to testify on her behalf.  She was an elderly woman with a strong sense of self.

John Ross's Mother's testimony for Elnora

 

John H. Ross's case became a complicated one, although his was a small family, and at first glance it was an uncomplicated one. But the case became more complicated when in 1902, he applied to enroll an Elnora Ross. There were many questions about child Elnora, because the grandmother Emily claimed that the mother was Peggy and John himself claimed that the mother was Dora, who had died earlier. It was later revealed that there were two children both of whom were called Elnora, and fathered by John H. Ross.

Eventually the issue surrounging the child Elnora was revolved and her name was added of John H Ross' card.

A question arises about how John H. Ross came to be the first Cherokee Freedman enrolled and place on the card.  This likely stemmed from the fact that John H. Ross had been connected to one of the more proinent Cherokee families. But at the same time, the status of being once connected to the family of Chief John Ros, could have influenced his being placed to highly on the Freedman Roll. The cse of the child Elnora's status is what made an otherwise simple case to a more complicated one.

After Elnora's enrollment case was resolved, the issue of land was later complicated by the fact that lands allotted for John Ross Jr. and sister Elnora were impeded as non-citizens had already begun settling on the land. It is not clear if they were truly "intruders" but land assigned to them were disputed for some time. Guardians were appointed for the two minor children, but the record does not indicate clearly whether the two Ross children ever received their allotments. Many cases of guardians were reported in the years after statehood, where Freedmen and Indians by blood lost land to guardians, and land grafters and swindlers. Hopefully the Ross's did get some of the lands allotted to them, but the allotment files did not present a clear resolution of the outcome of their case.

Eventually the family of John H. Ross was resolved, but unfortunately this was after his death about 1908. However, the family continued to thrive. His Presence in the nation continued through his daughter. The Ross family did thrive into the 20th century.

This has been an effort to document some of the stories from Indian Territory. The case of the first Freedman case to unfold in the Cherokee Nation, provides an interesting glimpse into late 19th and early 20th century living in the Territory. John H. Ross was the first of over 3000 cases of Cherokee Freedmen to follow. He made history as the first Freedman, but left the door open through which thousands more followed.

Freedmen History Month Begins Week 1: The First Freedmen Documented

 

As many in the country are launching various aspects of Black History Month, I have decided to honor and celebrate my corner of the diaspora by honoring the Freedmen of Indian Territory, now Oklahoma.

The Freedmen were those people once enslaved, by Five tribes--Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek and Seminole Nations. In addition there were some some free people of color who had not been enslaved, who were also categorized in the post Civil War years as Freedmen. After the war ended, the tribes that had fought with the south in the Civil War, signed a treaty with the United States to abolish black chattel slavery. The treaties were signed in Ft. Smith Arkansas, and the official ending of black chattel slavery ended. Though it took some time in many communities such as with Chickasaw Freedmen, freedom did eventually come to all of those newly freed slaves.

In spite of effort to remove them from the Territory--their tribal nations had been their home for decades and they remained. By the end of the 1900s there were over 20,000 people designated at Indian Tribal Freedmen. They were part of the Dawes enrollment process that made them eligible for land allotments prior to Oklahoma statehood.

Though the process did not treat all Freedmen equally, they still acquired their land, and they remain among the most documented people of African descent to live in Native American communities, and who lived with the culture, language, folkways, and spaces. Their presence is a strongly documented one, and their voices are among the least heard when speaking to their amazing history.

During Black History Month 2021, this will be a series devoted to honoring their history, their presence, their stories and their legacy.

This week's focus will be on The First Freedmen.  These are the Freedmen on the Dawes Roll found on Card #1 in each of their tribal nations. Throughout this week the story of each of those First Freedmen will be examined and shared.

Follow each day this week to read about these individuals and their history.

Cherokee Freedmen Card #1:  John Ross & Family

Choctaw Freedman Card #1: Simon Clark  Family

Chickasaw Freedman Card #1: William Alexander & Family

Creek Freedman Card #1: Paro Bruner & Family

Seminole Freedman Card #1 Caesar Bowlegs

Upcoming Virtual Conference to Highlight Freedmen Presence in Greenwood District of Tulsa

 

The Descendants of Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes Association and the African Indians of the 5 Civilized Tribes Foundation FIRST VIRTUAL CONFERENCE, Saturday, November 7, 2020, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CST.

Special Featured Guest speakers:

-Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin

-Freedmen descendant  Dr. John Whittington Franklin, Senior Manager Emeritus, National Museum of African American History and Culture, and Managing Member Franklin Global LLC       

Presentations:

Panel of Lawyers will discuss the McGirt decision and its effect on tribal court, freedmen litigation, sovereignty, and the impact on the North Tulsa community.  

Panelists:

-Cherokee Nation District Court Judge Luke Barteaux, 

-Former Creek Nation Assistant Attorney General John Parris, and Assistant Public Defender of the Colorado River Indian Tribe 

-Branton Grissum who is a Creek freedmen descendant. 

Panel of African American Authors will discuss North Tulsa community issues.  

Panelists:
-Attorney and author Hannibal B. Johnson 
-Retired professor and author Art T. Burton 
-Author and professional genealogist Angela Walton-Raji , Choctaw Freedmen descendant. 

Panel Discussion on Racial Reconciliation
Panelists:
-Cherokee tribal councilman Joe Deere
-Author/journalist Randy Krehbiel
-North Tulsa Cherokee Community Organization President Waynetta Lawrie 

Other speakers include historians: 
Eli Grayson Citizen of Creek Nation
David Cornsilk, Citizen of Cherokee Nation 
-Reuben Gant, Citizen of Cherokee Nation  and Executive Director John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation.  

In addition: There will be featured presentations of guest artists, theatrical performances and more.  All are Welcome!!

Conference tickets are available HERE.

“Descendants of Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes Association Virtual Conference”

For more information visit the Facebook Page