Several days ago, Terry and I had a chance to chat about things going on. Please excuse the audio that had some strange background noise, but the chat was quite interesting.
Our discussion began reflecting on the 52 week project that I undertook that has been transformed into a new book, Freedmen of the Frontier. Our discussion about the project that led to creation of the book, then led discussion about the need for more Freedmen descendants to develop their own research projects.
Terry began with his own effort in noting that many Chickasaw and Choctaw Freedmen, who were 55 years or older during the Dawes era, were quite possibly people seldom mentioned as those who may have been a part of the Indian Removal aka, the Trail of Tears. The tribes took many enslaved people with them, yet, they are not mentioned as part of this history, they are not celebrated as survivors of the removal, yet, they were there. As Terry he clearly pointed out that this is one of those projects that begs to be undertaken by descendants, themselves.
Terry has personally been looking at both Choctaw and Chickasaw freedmen for years, in particular, those whose families were inter-connected were a part of the Equity 7071 Case. And he pointed out that many of the Freedmen living in Chickasaw communities were actually enrolled as Choctaw Freedmen and vice versa. There are numerous people that emerged from large families like those who descend from Nathan Cochran. He is the patriarch of the large Cochran clan, and was the perfect age of one who survived the removal. So where is his story of being a Removal survivor? And how can his story be incorporated into the larger historical narrative?
I am grateful to the work of Dr. Daniel F. Littlefield whose book , The Chickasaw Freedmen opened many doors for those of us connected to that part of what is now Oklahoma.
Last year, Littlefield gave an amazing address at the annual meeting of the Trail of Tears Association. He pointed out that with all of the reenactments, and portrayals of the removal, they need to include the stories of those who were enslaved who were also removed. The enslaved also suffered loss on the same trail, yet they are never mentioned—as if they were not there. But they were.
Nathan Cochran, again as Terry pointed out has a removal story—so, how did he experience the trail? What do his descendants say about their origin? And what do they say about his origin? Their history did not begin with enslavement in what is now Oklahoma. But if you look at his Dawes enrollment card—he was on a card alone. The casual observer will not think much of it.
But there is so much more than meets the eye. We should make a commitment to study these records. I study in depth, Choctaw Freedmen, and Terry studies Chickasaw Freedmen just as diligently. Terry pointed out the large clans like the Kemps who should have a study group of their own or think about starting one. There is a community in the Wiley area, where there is a Kemp stronghold. There are also Stevensons, Cochrans, Franklins, Loves and more. How many had ancestors in the Civil War? Has that been investigated?
Likewise with Seminoles, one of the Seminole Freedmen leaders was a full brother to Paro Bruner. Caesar Bruner was the man. They had the same father–John Bruner. John was from Alabama, and his mother was Seminole. So we are talking about more than one removal–removal of Seminoles, and Creeks.
One thing that we both do is to study all of the Five Tribes and we both agree that the story is larger than our one family. Stonewall, in the Chickasaw Nation, was a hotbed of activity for several noted Freedmen leaders. Kemps, Franklins, Colberts, Cochrans, and were leaders and activists. These were men who wrote eloquent memorials to Washington, and they traveled the Washington to garner attention from Congress of their plight. Theirs is a rich story to tell. And people from these communities knew each other in ways that we don’t see today. We need to learn this lesson.
Just to study the story of the one family from which we come, is limited. Once Terry started looked at the larger picture of people who surrounded his family, he found so much more about his own family. Once I look at the larger community I get a greater sense of somethings that benefits more than the “me”. But when we all begin to make the story a “we” story, so much more is gained. Terry pointed out that when Marilyn Vann began her search for enrollment it began, just like all of our projects do, as a “me” story. But when it became a quest for justice for all Cherokee Freedmen, her story went from being a “me” story to a “we” story that benefitted all of the Cherokee Freedmen. This concept is lost on many people. Yet for those of us from other parts of the Territory, this is the direction to take–tell the larger story.
In the Choctaw-Chickasaw Freedmen community there is a loss of the concept of “we”. When we start to write, and to teach, we will have greater progress. We all have stories to tell. We need to encourage others to tell their stories. When Bettie Ligon (Terry’s ancestor) fought for rights—she sacrificed a lot. This is a woman who could have been one sole person and she could have taken her own case, won her case and, taken her citizenship and walked into the sunset like many people do. But she thought about so many others—and she represented them as head litigant in Equity Case 7071. She stood in the door of the courthouse keeping the doors open so that others who were traveling on wagons or even on foot could reach the courthouse and enter to have their cases heard. She clearly went from “me” to “we” and understood how her people as a whole were affected.
And today we look at how many enrolled Chickasaws and Choctaws, who have Freedmen relatives who do nothing, and say nothing. They are aware of policies, and with their silence, they are complicit with policies of exclusion that prevail. But those of us who are among the excluded, have the ability to examine those records, make analyses, and tell the story. We can move from me to we and achieve so much more.
I thank Terry for taking some time to share his thoughts today and encourage all of the listeners to remember to keep researching, keep documenting and always keep sharing what you find.
