E-Book Overview
Examining the legacy of racial mixing in Indian Territory through the land and lives of two families, one of Cherokee Freedman descent and one of Muscogee Creek heritage, Darnella Davis's memoir writes a new chapter in the history of racial mixing on the frontier. It is the only book-length account of the intersections between the three races in Indian Territory and Oklahoma written from the perspective of a tribal person and a freedman.The histories of these families, along with the starkly different federal policies that molded their destinies, offer a powerful corrective to the historical narrative. From the Allotment Period to the present, their claims of racial identity and land in Oklahoma reveal inequalities that still fester more than one hundred years later. Davis offers a provocative opportunity to unpack our current racial discourse and ask ourselves, "Who are 'we' really?"
E-Book Content
Untangling a Red, White, and Black Heritage Untangling a Red, White, and Black Heritage A Personal History of the Allotment Era DARNELLA DAVIS University of New Mexico Press Albuquerque © 2018 by Darnella Davis All rights reserved. Published 2018 Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Davis, Darnella, 1949– author. Title: Untangling a red, white, and black heritage: a personal history of the Allotment Era / Darnella Davis. Description: First edition. | Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2018. | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Identifiers: LCCN 2017060737 (print) | LCCN 2018025969 (e-book) | ISBN 9780826359803 (e-book) | ISBN 9780826359797 (hardback) Subjects: LCSH: Davis, Darnella,—Family. | Cherokee Indians—Mixed descent—Oklahoma. | Creek Indians—Mixed descent—Oklahoma. | Indian allotments—Oklahoma—History. | Thornton family. | Bowlin family. | Adams family. | Racially mixed people—Oklahoma— Biography. | Oklahoma—Biography. | BISAC: HISTORY / United States / 19th Century. | HISTORY / Native American. | SOCIAL SCIENCE / Discrimination & Race Relations. Classification: LCC E78.O45 (e-book) | LCC E78.O45 D38 2018 (print) | DDC 976.6/03—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017060737 Cover photograph courtesy of Beverle Lax Designed by Felicia Cedillos Composed in Minion Pro 10.25/14.25 From seven generations to Rebecca and Charlotte Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the lord thy god giveth thee. —King James Bible, Exodus 20:12 CONTENTS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ix FAMILY TREE x VOICES xi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xiii 1. Allotment 1 2. The Thorntons and the Bowlins 11 3. Tom Adams and His Descendants 55 4. Who We Are 105 APPENDIX A. The Thornton/Bowlin Cherokee Application Transcripts 139 APPENDIX B. Chronology 243 APPENDIX C. List of Documents from the National Archives, Fort Worth 247 APPENDIX D. Adams Land Allotments 257 NOTES 263 BIBLIOGRAPHY 279 INDEX 285 vii ILLUSTRATIONS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. Family tree John Bowlin’s obituary The Bowlins, 2004 Joseph Davis in his office, 1913 John William Davis, in uniform Alberta and Nellie Davis The Adams spread in the vicinity of the town of Beggs Thomas Jefferson Adams (or is it George Washington Adams?) Thomas Jefferson Adams and sons, “Oil Lease Didn’t Jell” Thomas Jefferson Adams before the Creek Nation Council House Census cards of Thomas and Lewis Adams Martha Perryman Crugee Adams Connie Allison Mary Louise Adams