Bryan County OK

Biographical Sketch of Judge Loring Folsom

Judge Loring Folsom, now the only surviving child of Colonel David Folsom and his first wife, Rhoda Nail, was long one of the leading men of the Choctaw Nation, but retired from the political arena several years ago, and has ever since been living in peace and quiet on his farm one and a half miles south of the town of Caddo, which took its name from a tribe of Indians whom the Choctaws defeated in battle on a group of high hills at the base of which Judge Loring Folsom now lives. This was the last battle in which … Read more

Slave Narrative of Easter Wells

Person Interviewed: Easter Wells Location: Colbert, Oklahoma Place of Birth: Arkansas Date of Birth: 1854 Age: 83 I was born in Arkansas, in 1854, but we moved to Texas in 1855. I’ve heard ’em tell about de trip to Texas. De grown folks rode in wagons and carts but de chaps all walked dat was big enuff. De men walked and toted their guns and hunted all de way. Dey had plenty of fresh game to eat. My mother’s name was Nellie Bell. I had one sister, Liza. I never saw my father; in fact, I never heard my mammy … Read more

Biography of Q. B. Boydstun

Q. B. Boydstun, attorney-at-law, practicing as a member of the firm of Mountecastle & Boydstun at Fort Gibson, Muskogee County, is a native son of Oklahoma, his birth having occurred at Caddo, Bryan County, December 8, 198. His parents were R. B. and A. R. (Massengill) Boydstun, the former a native of Tennessee, while the latter was born in Texas. The father is a rancher and stock-man, who came to the Indian Territory with his parents in the year 1872 and has since given his attention to the management of his ranch and to stock raising. For the past twenty-four … Read more

Slave Narrative of Lou Smith

Person Interviewed: Lou Smith Location: Platter, Oklahoma Age: 83 Occupation: Nursing Young Sho’, I remembers de slavery days! I was a little gal but I can tell you lots of things about dem days. My job was nussing de younguns. I took keer of them from daylight to dark. I’d have to sing them to sleep too. I’d sing: By-lo Baby Bunting Daddy’s gone a-hunting To get a rabbit skin To wrap Baby Bunting in.” Sometimes I’d sing: Rock-a-bye baby, in a tree top When de wind blows your cradle’ll rock. When de bough breaks de crad’ll fall Down comes … Read more

The Meeting in 1811 of Tecumseh and Apushamatahah

Peter Perkins Pitchlynn was the Choctaw Principal Chief from 1864-1866

The meeting in 1811, of Tecumseh, the mighty Shawnee, with Apushamatahah, the intrepid Choctaw. I will here give a true narrative of an incident in the life of the great and noble Choctaw chief, Apushamatahah, as related by Colonel John Pitchlynn, a white man of sterling integrity, and who acted for many years as interpreter to the Choctaws for the United States Government, and who was an eye-witness to the thrilling scene, a similar one, never before nor afterwards befell the lot of a white man to witness, except that of Sam Dale, the great scout of General Andrew Jackson, … Read more

Slave Narrative of Polly Colbert

Person Interviewed: Polly Colbert Location: Colbert, Oklahoma Age: 83 I am now living on de forty-acre farm dat de Government give me and it is just about three miles from my old home on Master Holmes Colbert’s plantation where I lived when I was a slave. Lawsy me, times sure has changed since slavery times Maybe I notice it more since I been living here all de time, but dere’s farms ’round here dat I’ve seen grown timber cleared off of twice during my lifetime. Dis land was first cleared up and worked by niggers when dey was slaves. After … Read more

Slave Narrative of Annie Hawkins

Person Interviewed: Annie HawkinsLocation: Colbert, OklahomaAge: 90 I calls myself 90, but I don’t know jest how old I really am but I was a good sized gal when we moved from Georgia to Texas. We come on a big boat and one night the stars fell. Talk about being scared! We all run and hid and hollered and prayed. We thought the end of the world had come. I never had no whitefolks that was good to me. We all worked jest like dogs and had about half enough to eat and got whupped for everything. Our days was … Read more

Slave Narrative of Mary Lindsay

Person Interviewed: Mary Lindsay Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma Date of Birth: September 20, 1845 Age: 91 My slavery, days wasn’t like most people tell you about. ’cause I was two to my young Mistress and cont away to have when I was jest a little girl. and I didn’t live on a big plantation a very long time. I got an old family Bible what ray I war born on September 20, in 1845 but I don’t know who yut he writing in it unclear it was my mammy’s witness. My mammy had de book when she die. My mammy come … Read more

Slave Narrative of Mary Grayson

Person Interviewed: Mary Grayson Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma Age: 83 I am what we colored people call a “native.” That means that I didn’t come into the Indian country from somewhere in the Old South, after the war, like so many Negroes did, but I was born here in the old Creek Nation, and my master was a Creek Indian. That was eighty three years ago, so I am told. My mammy belonged to white people back in Alabama when she was born, down in the southern part I think, for she told me that after she was a sizeable girl … Read more