Digging the Roots – Episode #432 Talking DNA

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In this episode I am here with my good friend and colleague Shelley Murphy and we recently attended an event at Poplar Forest, the “other” home of Thomas Jefferson. We were there for African American Family History Day!

 

On Saturday September 22, we both presented there, and we talked about numerous issues at Poplar forest including looking at documents and we discussed methods of analyzing documents to tell the family story. Shelley was able to get the class to move beyond simply having a document, but to analyzing it and asking her favorite question—“So What?”

And I enjoyed the opportunity to get to share the story of how I was able to extract a story from a Civil War record, by telling the story that I found from one of my favorite ancestors—Uncle Sephus Bass! There was much interest in not only the story of Uncle Sephus and the 4 ancestors who were captured and who later escaped from Nathan B. Forrest but also of the US Colored Troops. Truly that was a wonderful day with much discussion about our job to find the story from the records.

The following day, Shelley and I sat down to reflect and our conversation evolved into one of  our responsibility as family historians—which these days is enhanced so much more by DNA and its impact on genealogy

As we spoke, we asked questions— What do we do with sensitive information? What is our responsibility? Especially this arises when it comes to DNA. What do we do when find out that family members are not closely related to us? What is our role? Do we share it–and how do we handle it?

Listen to this lively discussion between Shelley and myself about our responsibility as researchers. I hope you enjoy our dialogue. Thanks for listening and remember to keep researching, keep documenting and always keep sharing what you find.

Tales from the Territory: Looking for Sugar George Episode #431

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Tales from the Territory: Looking for Sugar George

Today I want to share a few facts about an interesting man, an incredible man with an amazing history. He was a leader, in his community, in his nation. Thousands of people pass by his grave site every day. But unless we preserve his history and legacy he will be forgotten.

I am talking about a man called SUGAR GEORGE.
Sometimes called Sugar T. George.  In 1993 I looked at some records called the Claims of the Loyal Creeks. These were Creek Indians who were loyal to the Union in the Civil War. This man’s name was near the top of a document of 1100 people and it mentioned that he was a soldier. He had apparently was in the Indian Home Guards. The first 300 people were Freedmen–people once enslaved by Muscogee Creek Indians. I became curious about him and pulled his records. I looked up his military files and I saw that he had filed for a Civil War pension. There were many things in his file—including a duplicate Dawes card. (Strangely when I went back to pull the file earlier this year–that document was gone. Hmm…..)

There was a letter in his file that said that he was “the wealthiest Negro in Indian Territory.” How interesting.  But readind that he was a man of wealth and learning later that he was a man of influence, I had a question: Why was I not seeing his name in books about Oklahoma history? Several months later, I traveled to Oklahoma City, and visited the old state Archives—the Oklahoma Historical Society.

I asked about a file or any kind of information about Sugar George. The attendant recognized the name and said there was a file reflecting his name. I waited and a small file was given to me–containing 1 sheet of paper. It  was from an Indian Pioneer Paper interview reflecting a motion made in a meeting of  the tribal council of the Creek Nation, regarding Sugar George. The motion made was for him to simply remove a linen duster, or jacket that he was wearing. That was the only document bearing his name at that time,  in the small file. Nothing more.

So clearly, to learn more I would have locate resources on the tribal level, or in a collection among Creek documents, since his influence was in the Creek Nation and not in the state itself. And as I continued to educate myself more about the Oklahoma Indian Freedmen, I kept seeing his name. Dozens of people mentioned his name that they gathered at the home of Sugar George. Some were married at his home, some met for other meetings at his home. And clearly, Sugar George  did have some property before the war ended–because his claim among the Loyal Creeks reflected a loss of property. He had made a claim for $421 and received $228 when his case was settled.

Then I received an email from someone who asked me a question about Sugar George. He asked if it was true that Sugar George served in the House of Warriors and the House of Kings? The writer was referring to the two ruling houses of the Creek Nation. But wait—Sugar George—served in the government of the tribe?Then why is there little to no information about him in Okmulgee the Capital, and little of him in the state of Oklahoma?

If he served in both ruling houses of the Creek Nation including the House of Kings–that means t hat he was a “town king”, or the main leader of the town. He was said also to have been a lawyer, and he was also a a reverend. Sometimes one will find his name written as Rev. George T. Sugar.

And I learned from his pensin tha he was a soldier. He was also devoted to education. He was on the board of  the Tullahassee Colored School, once known as the Tullahassee Mission School, and later, the Tullahassee Manuel Labor School. He controlled the finances of the school, and I was able to find a document reflecting his signature pertaining to the expenses of the school.

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Yet still,  is no mention and not one photo of this amazing man. Was he connected to Cane Creek Church in Okmulgee? His wife Bettie Sugar is buried there with a beautiful heart shaped marble stone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Again—from the few interviews that survived from the Dawes era—the name of Sugar Georgie is found. I keep finding the footprints all over Muskogee, Okmulgee, and other parts of the Creek Nation.

Sugar George died in 1900 and is buried in Old Agency Cemetery in Muskogee. On highway 69, thousands of people pass this burial ground each and every day. On the edge of the city, behind a grove of trees—there is Old Agency Cemetery, every single day. And there, inside the thick brush, is a 10 foot marble headstone, now toppled over.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nearby, there is a smaller stone but stone mason crafted stone that also bears his name.

 

 

 

 

 

Both were well made stones, one more impressive, but now toppled over.  Nearby are others who are ignored by the people of Muskogee, by the Creek Nation. The fact is however, if you look for papers on this man you can’t find evidence that this man was ever there. A few miles northward,  outside of Muskogee, you might see an historical marker noting that the old Tullahassee School were Sugar George served on the board, was once nearby.  You can also travel up Fern Mountain road and see communities where Freedmen lived. Up Agency hill—you will see Evangel Mission, the old Creek Colored Orphanage—now the home of the Five Tries Museum. But if looking for Sugar George, you might not find evidence that he was ever present.

But, this man who was a lawyer, a reverend, a town king, a community leader, now lies in an abandoned burial ground, with his stone pushed over.  He is a man with an incredibly rich story. He was a man  of a many assets, who helped his people,  and who helped dozens of Creek Freedmen as they went through the Dawes process. His man who was a lawyer, was a man of the cloth– was said to be the “wealthiest Negro” in Indian Territory. All who are interested in Indian Territory history, Oklahoma history, Native American history, African American history–we should all be interested in his life and his story. I hope that  many of us will make a commitment to become involved in the search for Sugar George.

Thanks for listening to this episode of  Tales from the Territory.