Native American

Hugh Henry was born January, 1848, at Nacogdoches County, Texas, third son of W. D. Henry, a Georgian, and Levisa Hutton, a half-breed Creek. After the marriage of his parents they moved to Texas, in 1832, his mother dying in 1852. After the death of his mother Hugh remained in Eastern Texas with his grandmother about eleven years. When quite young he became a cowboy, attaching himself to Hart Bros.’ cow camp until the breaking out of the war, when he joined the Confederate service under General Terry, remaining in the service eight months. After this Hugh Henry became a … Read more

James M. Boling was born January 31, 1856, the eldest son of R. J. Boling, at one time a prominent merchant in Cherokee County, Georgia. James entered the North Georgian Agricultural College, Dahlonega, North Georgia, at the age of twenty, and after a year and a half or two years’ attendance, entered college at Amherst, Virginia, where he remained one year. In 1884 he attended the Georgia Medical College, graduating from there in 1886. Commencing the practice of medicine immediately at Kensington, Georgia, he continued at that point for four years, moving to Claremore, Cherokee Nation (his present home), in … Read more

John L. McCoy is a half-breed Cherokee, and has for more than fifty years figured conspicuously in the affairs of that nation, having held many positions of trust and honor, reflecting credit on himself and his people. He is eminently a self-made man, having enjoyed but limited educational advantages in his youth. At the age of nineteen he was placed by his father in a store, where he remained one year, during which time, by dint of determined perseverance, he mastered, with but little assistance, the rudiments of an English education. His principal textbook was Webster’s blue-back speller. Of strong … Read more

Douglas H. Johnston was born at Sculliville, Choctaw Nation, October 13, 1856. He is the son of Colonel John Johnston, Sr., a white man, who immigrated with the Six-Town Choctaws to the Indian Territory form Mississippi. Colonel Johnston acquired his title in the Seminole War, and was a cousin of General Joseph E. Johnston, of Confederate fame. He was a land speculator and a prominent lawyer of Mississippi. On coming to the territory, he was married to the widow of Isaac Moncrief, a half-breed Chickasaw lady, sister of James S. Cheedle, by whom he had four sons, viz.: William, Franklin, … Read more

Cap L. Lane was born November 26, 1867, at Clarksville, Texas, the only son of Dr. R. G. Lane, of Clarksville. His mother was a daughter of Cap Lane, a well-known farmer of North Texas. After attending school until the age of fifteen, the subject of this sketch entered the Kamper Family School, of Booneville, where at the end of three years he graduated, and returned to his home. Here he entered the drug business, and remained three years working for L. H. Galberg, when in May, 1888, he moved to Chelsea, Cherokee Nation, and opened a drug business of … Read more

The subject of this sketch was born September 21, 1863, at Lafayette, Georgia, and is the eldest son of George W. Hill, a prominent merchant of Ringgold, Lafayette County, Georgia. Davis’ mother was a daughter of Martin Davis, of Dahlangoah. The young man attended private school until he was eighteen years old, when he went into general merchandise with his father at Cedar Grove, Georgia. Here he continued for three years until 1886, when he settled in Vinita and again embarked in merchandise, this time in company with William Little. In 1887 he bought out his partner, and connected himself … Read more

John Henry Covel was born July 18, 1848, close to the national capital. He is son of the late Caleb Covel of Massachusetts, who came to Park Hill with the missionaries at an early date. His mother was Eliza Turtle, whose relatives were prominent in the old State. Henry was sent by his mother to the Illinois district to learn Cherokee (soon after the death of his father), and during a term of eight years attended the neighborhood schools. When the war broke out he accompanied a party of Cherokees going south, and traveled as far as Red River, where … Read more

W. N. Jones, the present chief of the Choctaws, was born in Mississippi in 1831, and is the youngest son of Nathaniel Jones, who emigrated to the Choctaw Nation in 1833. Nathaniel Jones was annuity captain, and served later as a member of the legislature at the early councils. The subject of our sketch belongs to the Ok-la-fa-lay-a clan. In 1849 he commenced farming without any capital whatever. The results were very limited for the first few years, but he soon accumulated enough to secure a fair start. He succeeded so far as to be in a position to open … Read more

The subject of this sketch is the eldest son of Joe Gregory, a white man, and Lucinda Simms, a half-blood Euchee Indian. Lucinda was a granddaughter of Cosienna Barnett, a man of considerable prominence in the Euchee tribe, spoken of in the historic pages of this book. They are distinct from the Creeks and speak a different language, although for many years they have affiliated with and enjoyed the privileges of the Muskogees in everything except missionary work. The missionaries, being unable to speak the language, which is extremely difficult, almost completely neglected the Euchees. Noah G. Gregory was sent … Read more

Born in February 1848, at the old Creek agency, the eldest son of William Adams, by Hepsie Perryman, niece of Louis Perryman, Thomas first attended school at Tallahassee Mission, in 1852, and, later, moved to Asberry Mission. In 1861 he married Miss Mahalya Grayson, daughter of Betsy Grayson. During the war he was detailed by the Federal government to the commissary department as distributor of beef to the various camps. In 1866, when the war ended, he was elected to the House of Warriors, which office he has held until the present, over twenty-five years. Few, if any members, of … Read more

F. M. Connor was born near Joplin, Missouri, March 29, 1852, the son of William Connor (a farmer, mill-wright and mechanic,) and Drucilla Davis. His grandfather, Caleb Connor, was one of the first settlers in Indiana. When but five years old, the subject of this sketch accompanied his father to the Cherokee Nation, settling on Grand River, Delaware district, in 1857. He was partly educated at Asberry Mission, in the Creek Nation, but his parents dying in 1868 and in 1870, he was forced to take care of himself at an early age. In 1871, when only eighteen years old, … Read more

Mrs. N. G. Gregory (whose maiden name was Carrie E. Norman) is the second daughter of W. G. Norman, and was born in Florida in 1867, coming to the Creek Nation in 1877, her mother being a citizen thereof. Miss Norman was partly educated in the States and partly at Wealaka Mission, Creek Nation, where she was greatly beloved by her teachers and admired and respected by her schoolmates. While there she joined the Presbyterian Church, and has since been a devout member. On June 15, 1886, Miss Norman was married to N. G. Gregory, a prominent member of the … Read more

Joseph Heinrichs was born February 15, 1851, at Nord Keichen, Westphalia, Germany, the youngest son of Everhart Heinrichs. Joseph came to the United States in 1867, landing at New York, from whence he traveled south until he arrived at Little Rock, Arkansas, where he remained for a short time. Leaving there he went to Fort Smith, the home of his brother and sister, and in that town started in the shoemaking business as an apprentice. Serving three years he returned to Little Rock in 1871 and worked his trade for nine months, when he went to Tahlequah, Indian Territory, and … Read more

The pleasant and popular ex-Governor Coachman was born in Wetumka, Alabama, in 1827, and went to the neighboring schools in Macon County, the same State, at an early age. He is the youngest son of Muslushobie (otherwise Coachman) by his wife Pollie Durant, a half-breed, and full niece of Alexander McGibery, once a prominent Creek leader, mentioned in Piggot’s history. She was also sister to Sophia McComb and Rachel Bosheers, of Scotch and French descent. The subject of this sketch lived with his uncle Loughlin Durant until twenty-two years of age, when he moved West to the Creek Nation on … Read more

Mrs. Susan Taylor was born July 6, 1803, daughter of “Fields,” a half-breed of Scotch descent. Her mother was a Miss Brown, sister of Judge Brown, prominent in Cherokee history. Susan Taylor was educated at the Moravian Mission, Spring Place, Georgia, and moved with the emigration to the Indian Territory in 1839. Her husband, Richard Taylor, held many prominent positions in the nation, and was second chief when he died, in 1853. The subject of our sketch settled in Tahlequah before there was a residence in that place, and in 1849 built a fine brick residence, one of the first … Read more

George A. Alexander was born in March 1842, the eldest son of James Alexander, who moved to the Creek Nation with the first general emigration, and was forage master for the Indians on their trip to this country. At the time of his death he was clerk of the council and correspondent for his people. George Abner’s mother was half-blood Creek, of the Jacob family. George received the additional name of Abner at the particular request of Mr. Abner, a general merchant, located in the Creek Nation close to where Alexander had made his home. The subject of our sketch … Read more

The present chief of the Creek Nation was born at Sodom, Creek Nation, Indian Territory, March 1, 1838. His parents, Lewis Perryman, of Big Spring Town, and Ellen Perryman (nee Winslett), of Hechittee Town, emigrated to this nation from the old Creek Nation in Alabama, in the year 1828. Chief Perryman is the oldest of a large family of children. The Perrymans were a large, energetic and enterprising family at the breaking out of the Civil War in the United States; and the Winsletts were recognized as the brightest intellects of the country at that time, as is attested by … Read more

John T. McSpadden was born near Fort Payne, Alabama, March 15, 1852, the third son of I. K. B. McSpadden, a minister of the M. E. Church, South, who, in 1869, came to the Indian Territory as a missionary. Mr. McSpadden, Jr.’s mother was a Miss Elizabeth J. Green, daughter of a leading citizen of Athens, Tennessee. The subject of our sketch was educated in the Phoenix Academy, near Fort Payne, Alabama, until his nineteenth year, when he followed his parents to the Indian Territory, and there engaged in school-teaching two years. After that he followed the blacksmith’s trade three … Read more

The subject of this sketch was born June 8th, 1866, at Tahlequah, being third son of John L. Adair, of that town. John L., Jr., began attending the Indian University in 1879, and after three years, went to the Male Seminary at Tahlequah, where he remained four years. On leaving there he devoted his time for three years to assisting his mother in the post office, after which he entered his father’s business house as clerk, in March 1890. In 1891 he was appointed district clerk, to fill the vacancy left on the death of Allen Ross, which office he … Read more