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Amanda Coyle, Choctaw
Amanda Coyle Et Al.
Choctaws. Commission, No. R-479
August 1899. Amanda Coyle appeared before
the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes,
at Atoka, and applied for enrollment as a
citizen by blood. She stated that she was 27
years old; that her mother had been dead 24
years; that her mother was on the Choctaw
tribal rolls; that her father died when she
was a year old, and that he was a white man.
At the end of this brief examination
Commissioner McKennon stated:
As you are not on the Choctaw rolls your
enrollment will be refused.
August 21, 1902. Amanda Coyle and her son,
James Robert Coyle, appeared before the
commission at Muskogee and again applied for
enrollment as a citizen by blood.
She testified that she was born in the
Chickasaw Nation at the old Dan Harris mill,
on Rice Creek, and that she had lived in the
Chickasaw Nation all her life; that her
father was Daniel Harrison, who had some
Choctaw blood, but that she did not know
exactly how much; that he died when she was
a year old: that her mother was Mary Pierce,
who was one-half Choctaw; that both her
mother and father had lived in the Indian
Territory all their lives; that she had been
married twice; that her first husband was
Ulysses Grant; that she married him when she
was 14 years old and had one child by him;
that the child died, as did also her
husband; that her second husband was Lander
T. Coyle, and that James Robert Coyle was
her son; that a white woman named Laura
Stevens raised her and called her by her
mother's name. Pierce that she was known as
Amanda Pierce.
At the conclusion of her testimony she
offered the affidavits of Dixon Gibson.
Patsy Poff, Dr. Long, and S. D. Lawrence,
which were accepted by the commission and
made a part of the record.
Dixon Gibson makes oath that he is 40
years old, an enrolled citizen of the
Choctaw Nation; that he knew Mary Pierce,
and that she was a half-breed Choctaw,
enrolled and recognized as such at the time
of her death; that Mary Pierce had a
daughter named Amanda Pierce; that he knows
the said Amanda Pierce well; that she has
always resided in the Chickasaw Nation and
is now married to a white man named Coyle,
and lives at Emet, Ind. T.
Patsy Poff makes oath that she is 70
years old, an enrolled Choctaw citizen by
blood; that she knew Mary Pierce, who was a
half- breed Choctaw Indian, enrolled and
recognized as such at the time of her death;
that in 1872 she waited on Mary Pierce, as a
midwife, and that the said Mary Pierce gave
birth to a female child, afterwards named
and known as Amanda Pierce; that she has
known Amanda Pierce contiguously since her
birth; that Amanda has always resided in the
Chickasaw Nation and now lives with her
husband. L. T. Coyle, at Emet. Ind. T.
Dr. Long makes oath that he is a regular
practicing physician; that he attended Mrs.
L. T. Coyle when she gave birth to a male
child.
Silas D. Lawrence makes oath that he is
about 59 years old, a citizen of the Choctaw
Nation by blood: that he knew Mary Pierce,
who was a half-breed Choctaw-woman; that she
had a daughter named Amanda Pierce; that
Mary Pierce died about 24 years ago in the
Chickasaw Nation, on Rush Creek, in Pickens
County.
July 31, 1903. Decision of Commission to
the Five Civilized Tribes, in which it is
stated that the names of the applicants do
not appear upon any of the tribal rolls, and
concludes as follows:
It Is therefore the opinion of the
commission that the application for the
enrollment of Amanda Coyle and James Robert
Coyle as citizens by blood of the Choctaw
Nation should be denied, under the
provisions of section 21 of the act of
Congress approved June 28, 1898 (30 Stats.,
495), and It Is so ordered.
July 31, 1903. Record transmitted to the
department
November 28, 1903. The record returned to
the commission by the Commissioner of Indian
Affairs calling attention to the fact that
there is considerable evidence in the record
tending to show that the mother of the
principal applicant was a Choctaw, and
enrolled as such, and that there was no
evidence submitted tending to show that this
is not so. And the commission was directed
to examine the tribal rolls and advise the
Indian Office whether the name of the mother
of the applicant appears thereon.
December 29, 1903. The Commission to the
Five Civilized Tribes advises the
Commissioner of Indian Affairs that the
1885. 1893, and 1896 Choctaw rolls had been
examined, and that the name of the mother of
the principal applicant did not appear
thereon.
February 27, 1904. The Secretary advised
that commission as follows:
The Acting Commissioner of Indian Affairs
recommends that your decision be concurred
in, finding no reason to disturb your
decision; it is hereby affirmed.
Statement By Council
Counsel for claimants first respectfully
direct attention to the solemn farce played
by the learned Government officers in this
case; the record clearly shows that the
mother of the principal applicant died in
1875 and was recognized and enrolled as a
citizen at that time. The Commissioner of
Indian Affairs directs the Commissioner to
the Five Civilized Tribes to examine the
tribal rolls to see if her name appears
thereon. The Commissioner to the Five
Civilized Tribes advises the Commissioner of
Indian Affairs that they have examined the
roll of 1885, made 10 years after the death
of the party whose name was sought; the 1893
roll, made 18 years after the death of the
party whose name was sought: the 1896 roll,
made 21 years after the death of the party
whose name was sought, and that her name did
not appear on any of these rolls. Upon
receiving the report the Commissioner of
Indian Affairs advised the Secretary of the
search of the rolls named and the failure to
find thereon the name of applicant's mother,
and the Secretary, discovering no reason why
other rolls should be examined, affirms the
decision of the commission denying
applicants. There were rolls of Choctaws in
the custody of the Secretary at Washington
made prior to the date of the death of
applicant's mother and there is now in the
office of the Commission to the Five
Civilized Tribes a complete roll of all the
counties of the Choctaw Nation for the year
1868, made four years prior to the death of
applicant's mother.
But counsel submit that applicants should be
enrolled whether their names appear on said
rolls or not, as they are undoubtedly of
Choctaw blood, born to the allegiance of the
Choctaw Nation, and lifelong residents
thereof.
Those entitled to enrollment are: Amanda
Coyle and James Robert Coyle.
Respectfully submitted.
Ballinger & Lee
Notes About the Book:
Source: Five Civilized Tribes In Oklahoma, Reports of the Department of the
Interior and Evidentiary Papers in support of S. 7625, a Bill for the Relief of
Certain Members of the Five Civilized Tribes in Oklahoma, Sixty-second Congress,
Third Session, Published 1913, by the Department of the Interior, United States.
Online Publication: The manuscript was scanned and then ocr'd. Minimal editing
has been done, and readers can and should expect some errors in the textual
output.
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