Department of the Interior,
Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes,
Meridian, Mississippi, April 11, 1901
In the matter of the application of Candis Allen for the identification of herself and her eight minor children as Mississippi Choctaws. Candis Allen being first duly sworn testified as follows:
Examination by the Commission.
Q. What is your name?
A. Candis Allen.
Q. What is your age?
A. 48 years old as near as I can guess it.
Q. What is your post-office address?
A. Hale.
Q. What county is that in?
A. Clarke County.
Q. How long have you lived in Mississippi?
A. Been here all my life.
Q. Born here?
A. Yes sir.
Q. Always lived here?
A. Yes sir, Clark County. Born and bred in Clark County.
Q. What is your fathers name?
A. John.
Q. Is that the only name he had?
A. All I ever heard. I was a year and six months old when he died. Captain John.
Q. Is your father living?
A. No sir.
Q. What is your mothers name?
A. Julia Thompson.
Q. Is your mother living?
A. Yes sir.
Q. Through which one of your parents do you claim your Choctaw blood?
A. My father.
Q. How much Choctaw was your father?
A. He was whole Choctaw.
Q. A full blood?
A. Yes sir.
Q. How much Choctaw blood do you claim?
A. One half.
Q. Were your father and mother married?
A. I dont know whether they were or not. They staid together until they raised five girls and two boys I think. I dont know whether they were married or not. Five or six girls I think it was, I dont know though. They staid together right smart while but I could not tell you how long.
Q. Was your father a slave?
A. No sir.
Q. Was you mother?
A. Yes sir.
Q. How long has your father been dead?
A. I dont know, sir.
Q. How do you know that this man John or Captain John was your father?
A. I never did know it. Dave Thompson the white man that owned me they called him Captain John.
Q How do you know you are his child?
A. Well, they said so. E very one said so. My mother said so.
Q. Did your mother ever live with any other man?
A. Not until he died.
Q. How long did they live together as man and wife?
A. I dont know, sir.
Q. Can you speak the Choctaw language?
A. No sir.
Q. Could your father?
A. Yes sir so they said.
Q. You never heard him?
A. No sir.
Q. Are you married?
A. Yes sir.
Q. What is your husbands name?
A. Aleck Allen.
Q. Is he a Negro?
A. Yes sir.
Q. Making any claim for him?
A. No sir.
Q. When did you marry him?
A. We have been married 32 or 33 years I disremember which now.
Q. Where were you married to him.
A. Enterprise.
Q. Married under a license?
A. Yes sir.
Q. Married by a minister?
A. Yes sir.
Q. How many children have you under 21 years of age and unmarried for whom you wish to make application?
A. Eight.
Q. What are there names and ages?
A. John he is the oldest one.
Q. How old is he?
A. 18
Q. All right.
A .I just cant give their ages
Q. What are their names?
A. John is the oldest one. Minnie.
Q. All right.
A. Ella. Della. Pearl. Byrd.
Q. Is that a boy or a girl?
A. Boy. And Aleck and Early The girls-I declare I cant give in their ages.
Q. Dont you know the ages of your own children?
A. No sir. Its not down in the Bible but I just dont keep up with them. John and the baby is the only ones I can recollect their ages.
Aleck Allen being first duly sworn testified as follows:
Q. What is your name?
A. Aleck Allen.
Q. How old are you?
A. I was 53 years old this last gone March.
Q. Are you the husband of Candis Allen?
A. Yes sir.
Q. Are you the father of her eight children that she is making application for?
A. Yes sir.
Q. What are the names and ages of these children?
A. John the oldest one.
Q. What is his age?
A. Betwixt 20 and 21. Minnie Betwixt 17 and 18. Ella 16. Della 14. Pearlie betwixt 12 and 13. Bryd about 9. Aleck about 7 and Early about 5. Near 5. He aint quite five.
Candis Allen, recalled, testified as follows:
Q. You are the mother of these 8 children?
A. Yes sir.
Q. Aleck Allen is the father of all of them?
A. Yes sir.
Q. These children all live with you at your home?
A. Yes sir.
Q. Is your name or are the names of your children upon any of the tribal rolls of the Choctaw Nation in the Indian Territory?
A. I dont know what you mean.
Q. Have you ever made application to the Choctaw tribal authorities in the Indian Territory to be enrolled as a citizen of that tribe?
A. Not as I knows of . I am trying now.
Q. In 1896 under the act of Congress of June 10,1896, did you or did any one in your behalf or on behalf of your children make application to the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes for citizenship in the Choctaw Nation?
A. No sir, not as I know of. I know I aint.
Q. Have you or your children ever been admitted to citizenship in the Choctaw Nation by either the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes or by the Choctaw tribal authorities or by the United States Court in the Indian Territory?
A. I dont know.
Q. Have your or your children ever been admitted to citizenship put there.
A. No sir.
Q. Have you or has any one for you or for your children ever prior to this time made application to either the Choctaw tribal citizenship of enrollment as a member of the Choctaw tribe of Indians?
A. Not as I know of. I am taking steps to do it today.
Q. This is the first application that you have ever made for yourself or your children of any description?
A. Yes sir.
Q. Never have tried before?
A. No sir.
Q. You are now making application for the identification of yourself and your children for identification as Mississippi Choctaws? Is that correct?
A. Yes sir.
Q. Do you claim for yourself and your children the rights as beneficiaries under the provisions of the 14th article of the treaty of 1830?
A. I dont know. I dont know nothing about it. I dont know and dont understand nothing about that. I cant read nor nothing and I cant tell what you are talking about.
Q. Do you know what the treaty of 1830 is?
A. No sir.
Q. The treaty of 1830 was made between the United States and the Choctaw Tribe of Indians 70 years ago and provided for the removal of the Choctaw Indians from the state of Mississippi to the Indian Territory. In any of them did not desire so to do they could stay here upon signifying to the United States Indian Agent of the Choctaw Indians in Mississippi their desire to remain here and become citizens of the United States. If they did that they were allowed certain tracts of land upon which they were to live five years after which a patent was to be issued. Those Choctaws taking advantage of that article did not lose their rights of Choctaw citizenship if they ever removed to the Indian Territory except the right to share in the annuities of that tribe? Now are you claiming as a descendant of one of those Choctaws who decided to remain here in Mississippi after the treaty of 1830?
A. I would be willing to go over there. I would go and settle there.
Q. How long has your father been dead?
A. I dont know, sir.
Q. How old was he when he died?
A. I was a year and six months old.
Q. He died about 45 years ago did he?
A. Yes sir.
Q. How old was your father when he died?
A. I dont know sir.
Q. Do you know anything about your people?
A. I dont know nothing about him. I know my mother.
Q. You dont claim any Choctaw blood through your mother do you?
A. No sir.
Q. We would like to know about your father and his people?
A. I dont know nothing about his people at all because I didnt know them. Because I was small and didnt know nothing about him nor about his people. They moved away from where we was at and wasnt back in there at all.
Q. Did any of your ancestors on your fathers side ever claim or receive any land here in Mississippi as beneficiaries under the 14th article of the treaty of 1830? Form the United States Government?
A. No sir.
Q. Is there any additional statement you want to make in support of your application?
A. Sir?
Q. Any statement you want to make, anything that you want to say about your Choctaw rights?
A. Well I just – – well now I just wanted to know if we have a home there is all.
Q. If you have a home where?
A. In the Indian Territory.
Q. You have? How long have you had one there?
A. No, I said we would go to it if we had a home there. We aint got no home there.
Q. Why do you think you are entitled to a home in the Indian Territory.
A. I think if the Choctaws have any right there I ought to have a right too if I am if the government is giving it to us. It would be my home because it is my Nation of people.
Q. Is that the only claim you have?
A. I reckon so.
Q. Have you any documentary evidence, any written testimony of any description, affidavits, records, patents or any evidence that would show that your father or his people were ever recognized or considered as members of the Choctaw tribe of Indians or that they were ever attempted to comply with the provisions of the 14th article of the treaty of 1830?
Here L.P. Hudson, attorney for applicant asks leave to file written Evidence in support of this claim within thirty days from this date. Permission is granted the attorney for the applicant to file written evidence in support of this application providing the same is offered for filing with the Commission within thirty days from the date hereof.
The decision of the Commission as to your application and the application you make on behalf of your eight minor children for identification as Mississippi Choctaws will be mailed to you to your proper post-office address.
The applicant in this case while having a slight appearance of a Choctaw Indian is evidently of Negro extraction. Has been held in slavery and is unable to speak the Choctaw language. She has no knowledge whatever of her ancestors nor whether her father was ever married to her mother and knows nothing of any compliance by her ancestors with the provisions of the 14th article of the treaty of 1830.
Myra Young, having been first duly sworn upon her oath states that as stenographer to the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes she reported in full all proceedings had in the above entitled cause on the 11th day of April, 1901, and that the above and foregoing is a full true and correct transcript of her stenographic notes of said proceedings on said date.
Myra Young
Subscribed and sworn to before me this 12th day of April, 1901 at Meridian, Mississippi.