Folsom

Missionaries among the Native Americans

According to traditional authority, the morning star of the Choctaws religious era, (if such it may be termed) first lit up their eastern horizon, upon the advent of the two great Wesley’s into the now State of Georgia in the year 1733, as the worthy and congenial companions of the noble Oglethorpe; but also, it flashed but a moment before their eyes as a beautiful meteor, then as quickly went out upon the return to England of those champions of the Cross, leaving them only to fruitless conjecture as to its import; nor was seen again during the revolutions of … Read more

Biography of Perley Oscar Folsom

PERLEY OSCAR FOLSOM, active in business and politics at Cushman, Massachusetts, in the town of Amherst, was born in Marshfield, Vermont, March 28, 1882. The name he bears appears first in history in the first half of the fourteenth century. John Foulsham, of Foulsham, was prior of a Carmelite Monastery in Warwick, England. He was a prominent ecclesiastic; and his brother, Richard Foulsham, was even more prominent. The word foule (fowl) signified bird, and the country seat of Foulsham probably took its name from its being the home (ham) of many foules (birds). (I) The first traceable ancestor of the … Read more

1893 Ieshatubby Roll

Shonian, Chickasaw

This is a verified roll of Chickasaws registered by Ieshatubby in the Choctaw Nation under the act of June 20, 1893. The sheets are divided into columns for names, number of men, number of women, number of boys, number of girls, and totals. This roll does not indicate the amount paid or the recipients of the payments. It consists of two sheets of legal-cap paper; some names are written in ink, others in pencil. The word “paid” is generally written or indicated by ditto marks in the totals column. This roll was utilized by the Dawes Commission for enrollment purposes but was never indexed.

Choctaw Law Forbidding White-Indian Marriage

Of the Choctaws regulating the marriage of white men to the Choctaw women: Whereas, the Choctaw Nation is being filled up with white persons of worthless characters by so-called marriages to the great injury of the Choctaw people. Section 1st. Be it enacted by the General Council of the Choctaw Nation assembled: That the peace and prosperity of the Choctaw people require that any white man or citizen of the United States, or of any foreign government, desiring to marry a Choctaw woman, citizen of the Choctaw Nation, shall be and is hereby required to obtain a license for the … Read more

Slave Narrative of Acie Thomas

Interviewer: Pearl Randolph Person Interviewed: Acie Thomas Location: Jacksonville, Florida Age: 79 Mr. Thomas was at home today. There are many days when one might pass and repass the shabby lean-to that is his home without seeing any signs of life. That is because he spends much of his time foraging about the streets of Jacksonville for whatever he can get in the way of food or old clothes, and perhaps a little money. He is a heavily bearded, bent old man and a familiar figure in the residential sections of the city, where he earns or begs a very … Read more

Tunapinachuffa

The first conversion among the full blooded Choctaws was that of an aged man, who lived near Col. David Folsom, chief of the Choctaws, named Tun-a pin a-chuf-fa, (Our one weaver) hitherto as ignorant of the principles of the religion of Jesus Christ as it is possible to conceive. He manifested an interest in the subject of religion about six months before any other of his people in the neighborhood, and soon began to speak publicly in religious meetings, and gave evidence, by his daily walk and conversation, of a happy and glorious change, to the astonishment of his people, who … Read more

Choctaws and their Beliefs about the Great Flood

The Choctaws, at the time of their earliest acquaintance with the European races, possessed, in conjunction with all their race of the North American Continent, a vague, but to a great extent, correct knowledge of the Oka Falama, “The returning waters,” as they termed it The Flood. The Rev. Cyrus Byington related a little incident, as one out of many interesting and pleasing ones that frequently occurred when traveling through their country from one point to another in the discharge of his ministerial duties, over seventy years ago. At one time he found night fast approaching without any visible prospect of … Read more

Genealogical and Family History of Vermont

Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont vol 1

Hiram Charlton took on the publication of the Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont for Lewis Publishing. In it, he enlisted the assistance of living residents of the state in providing biographical and genealogical details about their family, and then he published all 1104 family histories in two distinct volumes.

Muster Roll of Captain Albion P. Arnold’s Company

Title page to the Aroostook War

Muster Roll of Captain Albion P. Arnold’s Company of Artillery in the Detachment of drafted Militia of Maine, called into actual service “by the State, for the protection of its Northeastern Frontier, from the twenty-fifth day of February, 1839, the time of its rendezvous at Augusta, Maine, to the seventeenth day of April, 1839, when discharged or mustered.

Family of Peter Folsom

The following is from the pen of a missionary who has long labored among the Choctaws and knew of what he spoke, and is sufficient testimony of the moral worth of him of whom he wrote: “Choctaw Nation, April 9, 1885. “Dear Brother Murrow: I write you a sad letter. Our old Brother Peter Folsom is dead. He was taken sick the first day of April, and has been growing worse ever since. He died today. I am writing by his beloved body. His spirit is in heaven. I can write no more. Please publish his death in the Champion that … Read more

List 6, Choctaw Freedmen

List of Choctaw Freedmen whose names were omitted from final rolls because no application was made or by. reason of mistake or oversight. Shows the names of 281 persons, all minors except 4. The approved roll of minor Choctaw freedmen contains 473 names. The large percentage of omissions in this class is explained elsewhere. It is quite probable that there are others of this class whose claims have not yet been presented or disclosed.

The Two Friends – The Red And The White

During my travels in the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations in 1884, I arrived one evening the 19th of June, at the quiet and unostentatious village of Doaksville one among the first towns located in their present country when arriving from their ancient domains east of the Mississippi river, in the year 1832. It soon became a place of considerable trade; but ultimately proving to be very sickly it was nearly abandoned; and, at the time I visited it, was but a relic of the past with Ichabod as an appropriate epitaph having only one small dry goods store and eight … Read more

Biography of Simon Folsom

Simon Folsom, one of the first elders of the Forest Presbyterian Church is now one of the oldest living representatives of the slavery period. Nancy Brashears, his third and present wife, enjoys the distinction of having been the most influential of the early leaders in effecting the organization of that Church. He became an elder in 1887. After twenty-six years of faithful service under very unfavorable circumstances, he is still trying “to hold up for the faith.” In 1901 he enjoyed the privilege of being one of the commissioners of the Presbytery of Kiamichi, and attended the meeting of the … Read more

Buds of Promise

The object of this page is to note the names and careers of a number of the young people that during the early days were sent or encouraged to attend other educational institutions.

Folsom Choctaw Family – List of Mixed Bloods

Folsom Genealogy Chart

The Folsom family is easily one of the best known of all mixed-blood groups (see Charts 10 and 11). Their earliest members in Choctaw country were reputedly the three brothers Edmond, Ebeneezer, and Nathaniel who migrated through Indian country with their parents prior to the American Revolution.  According to Cushman: “Nathaniel Folsom married Aiahnichih Ohoyo (A woman to prefer above all others). She was a niece of Miko Puskush (Infant Chief), who was the father of Moshulatubbee. She descended from a long ancient line of chiefs, and belonged to the ancient lksa Hattakiholihta, one of the two great families, the … Read more

Important Men of the Choctaw Indians

The Choctaw Nation, from its earliest known history to the present time has, at different intervals, produced many great and good men; who, had they have had the advantages of education, would have lived upon the pages of history equally with those of earth’s illustrious great. The first of whom we have any historical account, is Tush-ka Lu-sa, (the heroic defender of Moma Bin-na, a Lodge for All corrupted first to Mobila, then to Mobile) who perished, with many thousands of his people, in that bloody tragedy of three and a half centuries ago, while de fending his ancient city against … Read more

History of the Choctaw, Chickasaw and Natchez Indians

Horatio Cushman

First published in 1899, “History of the Choctaw, Chickasaw and Natchez Indians” remains a seminal work on the indigenous tribes of the American Southeast. Authored by Horatio Bardwell Cushman, who was born to missionary parents and raised among the Choctaws starting in 1820, the book offers a unique and personal perspective on the lives and histories of these tribes. Cushman’s proximity and intimacy with the Choctaw and Chickasaw peoples, over nearly eighty years, lends his narratives an authenticity and depth seldom matched in other historical accounts.

History of old Chester from 1719 to 1869

History of Old Chester title page

The *History of Old Chester from 1719 to 1869* by Benjamin Chase, published in 1869, offers a detailed account of the early settlement and development of Chester, New Hampshire. Compiled with the assistance of local historian Judge Samuel D. Bell, the book explores the town’s founding, genealogies, and significant events, using primary sources such as deeds, probate records, and personal diaries. Chase aimed to preserve the history and traditions of Chester’s early settlers while providing a comprehensive record for future generations. The work covers a broad range of topics, including religious, military, industrial, and genealogical history.

Treaty of January 17, 1837

Treaty of January 17, 1837 page 7

The Treaty of January 17, 1837, was an agreement where the Choctaw tribe allowed the Chickasaws to create a district within Choctaw territory, known as the Chickasaw District of the Choctaw Nation. Amidst U.S. expansion policies like the Indian Removal Act, the treaty gave the Chickasaws autonomy and equal representation in the Choctaw council, excluding some financial rights. Boundaries for their district were defined, and the Chickasaws agreed to pay the Choctaws $530,000, with partial immediate payment and the remainder invested under U.S. supervision. Disputes would be settled by the Choctaw agent or ultimately the U.S. President. The treaty, signed in Doaksville, exemplifies Native American resilience and inter-tribal cooperation during forced negotiations due to American expansionism.