Unraveling Catherine Whittle’s Choctaw Citizenship Claim

Choctaw By Blood - Card 237

Catherine Whittle applied for enrollment as a Choctaw citizen in 1899, alongside her children, due to her sister Sarah Whittle’s recognized status. Their application was denied in 1900 despite their long-term residence in the Choctaw Nation. Legal efforts in 1910 highlighted familial connections and supportive testimonies, but a final decision remains unrecorded. Other related claims were made by Eliza Jane Pearce, Catherine’s cousin. Evidence of lineage was provided but met with administrative resistance throughout the enrollment process.

Condition of the Mississippi Indians in 1890

The civilized (self-supporting) Indians of Mississippi, counted in the general census, number 2,030 (1,044 males and 992 females), and are distributed as follows: Attala County, 24; Greene County, 37; Hancock County, 39; Hinds County, 14; Jasper County, 179; Kemper County, 34; Lauderdale County, 14; Leake County, 435; Neshoba, County, 623; Newton County, 349; Perry County, 38; Scott County, 123; Sharkey County 12; Winston County, 41; other counties (9 or less in each), 74. To the east of the gate capital in Mississippi in the uplands are a number of counties not traversed by any railroad, and therefore locally known as … Read more

Case Findings on the McKennon Roll

The following are various US Supreme Court case findings concerning the McKennon Roll. U.S. Supreme Court Winton V. Amos, 255 U.S. 373 (1921) 255 U.S. 373 Winton et al. V. Amos et al. No. 6. Bounds V. Same. No. 7. London V. Same. No. 8. Field Et Al. V. Same. No. 9. Beckham V. Same. No. 10. Vernon V. Same. No. 11. Howe V. Same. No. 12. Argued Jan. 14 and 15, 1919 Restored to Docket for Reargument Jan. 5, 1920. Reargued April 21 and 22, 1920. Decided March 7, 1921. [255 U.S. 373, 375]   Mr. William W. Scott, … Read more

Choctaw Indian Research

Choctaw (possibly a corruption of the Spanish chcdu, ‘flat’ or ‘flattened,’ alluding to the custom of these Indians of flattening the head). An important tribe of the Muskhogean stock, formerly occupying middle and south Mississippi, their territory extending, in their most flourishing days, for some distance east of Tombigbee River, probably as far as Dallas County, Ga. Ethnically they belong to the Choctaw branch of the Muskhogean family, which included the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Hunt and their allies, and some small tribes which formerly lived along Yazoo River. Archives, Libraries and Genealogy Societies Societies Oklahoma Historical Society Indian Archives Search the … Read more

Candis Allen Dawes Commission Examination

This document records the testimony of Candis Allen, given on April 11, 1901, before the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes in Meridian, Mississippi. Allen applied for identification as a Mississippi Choctaw for herself and her eight minor children. She stated her father, John (also called Captain John), was a full-blood Choctaw, while her mother, Julia Thompson, had been enslaved. Allen lacked documentation or knowledge of her father’s compliance with the 1830 Choctaw Treaty. The commission noted her limited knowledge of Choctaw ancestry and language, which likely influenced their decision on her claim.