Tishomingo Oklahoma

Joseph C. Moore, Chickasaw

The case of Joseph C. Moore et al. v. Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations involved multiple legal proceedings concerning the citizenship status of Moore family descendants within the Chickasaw Nation. Initially granted citizenship by the Chickasaw District Court in 1884, their status was later challenged. Despite favorable rulings from the U.S. Court in 1899, the Citizenship Court ultimately denied their claims in 1904. Subsequent appeals and petitions continued until 1907, when the enrollment of claimants was disapproved.

Joseph W. Gamblin, Choctaw

Joseph W. Gamblin and other claimants sought enrollment as Choctaw citizens, citing their inclusion on the 1896 Choctaw roll. The Choctaw citizenship committee enrolled them in 1897, and the U.S. Court affirmed their citizenship in 1898. However, the Choctaw and Chickasaw Citizenship Court overturned this ruling in 1902. Despite petitions for reconsideration, their enrollment was denied in 1907 due to a misinterpretation of legal opinions. Though eligible, their claims were ultimately rejected when enrollment closed in 1907. Legal counsel argued that administrative errors wrongly excluded them, but no further action was taken.

Biography of Captain George B. Hester

The name of Captain George B. Hester figures prominently on the pages of Oklahoma’s history. About the middle of the nineteenth century he became a resident of the Indian Territory and from that time forward left the impress of his individuality and ability upon the history of this great region which is now known as the state of Oklahoma. He was born in North Carolina on the 26th of March, 1832, and was a young man of but twenty-three years when in 1855 he came to the Indian Territory, settling at Tishomingo, in what is now Johnson County, then the … 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

Oscar Casey, Chickasaw

This record details the applications of Oscar Casey, Scott Casey (Walter Winfield Casey), and others for Chickasaw citizenship through the Dawes Commission (No. 191) in 1896. Claiming descent from Tempie Thomas, a Chickasaw woman, and William Casey, they presented affidavits and a prior Chickasaw court petition. Their application was denied, and no appeal was filed. Later, Scott Casey sought enrollment for himself and his children in 1902 but was rejected due to jurisdictional constraints. Similar cases involving Catherine Whittle, Sarah Whittle, and Eliza Jane Pearce for Choctaw citizenship are also documented, detailing legal proceedings and supporting testimony.