While we know our northern friends may not feel it, in the South, Spring is
here. So we thought we'd share a few of our gardening sites appropriate
for this time of the year. Along with gardening, there's grilling, and getting
ready to diet so that you can fit back into that bathing suit this summer!
Doaksville, 1823-1896.
"A soldier of the cross,
A follower of the Lamb,
Who did not fear to own his cause,
Or blush to speak His name."
This pioneer circuit rider of the Choctaw
Freedmen came forth from a period of
slavery, to the Choctaw Indians in the wilds
of Indian Territory that covered the first
42 years of his life. His home was
afterwards located near the Kiamichi River,
seven miles west of Doaksville. He grew to
manhood and always lived in an unimproved,
sparsely settled timber country in an
obscure and inaccessible corner of the
world.
Taking John the Baptist, as his ideal of a
good Christian worker, he became the leading
herald of the gospel message to his people,
first in the valley of the Kiamichi, and
then going forth in every direction in the
larger valley of Red river, he established a
monthly circuit of preaching stations, that
included the most thickly settled
neighborhoods of the colored people in the
territory, now included in Choctaw and
McCurtain counties. Like John, he seems
never to have sat before a camera long
enough to leave the world his portrait, and,
though serving faithfully as a minister more
than 25 years he never enjoyed the privilege
and pleasure of attending a meeting of the
General Assembly.
Judging him, however, by the results of his
work, the circle of Churches established and
acceptably served for an unusually long
period of years, and the number of talented
young men, whom he discovered, in the
communities visited, and enthused with the
longing desire and ambition to become
leaders of their race especially useful and
efficient teachers and preachers of the
gospel, he proved himself worthy to be rated
as one of the most aggressive and successful
of the early leaders of his race.
"A man he was to all the
country dear,
Remote from towns he ran his godly race,
Nor ever changed, nor wished to change his
place."
Period Of Slavery,
1823-1866
Charles W. Stewart was a native of Alabama,
and, at the age of ten in 1833, was
transported with the Choctaws, to whom as a
slave he belonged, to the southeastern part
of Indian Territory. John Homer was then his
master, and he located about three miles
northeast of the present town of Grant, His
first marriage occurred, while he was
serving Homer. The wedding of one of Homer's
daughters occurred a few years later, and
his wife was assigned to serve in the home
of the newly married daughter. She located
in a distant part of the reservation, and he
was thus deprived of his first wife,
Charlotte Homer.
Charles Stewart, a white man, keeping store
at Doaksville, soon afterwards became his
owner, and his previous name, "Homer" was
then changed to "Stewart", after the name of
his new master. About the year 1860, Samson
Folsom, a Choctaw who lived eight miles
southeast of old Goodland, became his new
and last owner.
Period Of Freedom, 1866-1896
He began to hold religious meetings as early
as 1856, when he belonged to Stewart, and
lived at Doaksville. Mrs. Stewart, who had
been a missionary teacher, encouraged him to
learn to read and furnished him with books
for that purpose. Rev. Cyrus Kingsbury,
pastor of the Choctaw Church, gave him the
instruction in the Bible that fitted him for
the work of the ministry, and accorded to
him the privilege of holding meetings in the
Church, for his people, on occasional
Sabbath afternoons.
He was accorded ordination by the Presbytery
of Indian (southern) in the fall of 1870,
and was then officially assigned the
pastoral care of the congregations he had
previously developed at Doaksville and its
vicinity, and at Wheelock, or Oak Hill. He
greatly appreciated the recognitions
accorded to him by the Presbytery, which had
previously given him a license to preach;
and he endeavored to magnify his office, as
an evangelist, by going to the "regions
beyond," as fast as the door of opportunity
opened for him. During the early sixties he
gathered new congregations for worship at
his home on the Folsom farm and in the Horse
Prairie neighborhood. The Oak Hill
appointment was established soon after he
was accorded his freedom.
During the year 1883, the evangelistic work
among the Freedmen in Indian Territory, was
voluntarily transferred by the Southern to
the Northern Presbyterian Church, with the
conviction the latter was better prepared to
successfully prosecute it. At the time of
this transfer Charles W. Stewart was
enrolled as an ordained minister and
designated as the Stated Supply of the
following organized Churches: Beaver Dam,
Hebron, New Hope, Oak Hill and St. Paul.
During the next two years three more of his
appointments, Mt. Gilead, Forest and Horse
Prairie were enrolled, as the fruit of his
labors, and added to his circuit. At this
early date he had also a preaching station
at Caddo near Durant, and the distance
across his circuit of appointments, from
Caddo eastward to St. Paul at Eagletown, was
118 miles.
In 1886 when the Synod of Indian Territory
was formed by the union of three
Presbyteries having 24 ministers, his
circuit included 8 of the 43 Churches that
were then enrolled. He continued to serve
all of these Churches four more years.
Previous to this latter date, 1890, he was
the first and only Presbyterian minister
that preached the gospel to the colored
people of Indian Territory. During that
period, he laid the foundation for most of
the Churches that are now enrolled in the
Presbytery of Kiamichi and give employment
to a half dozen ministers. He was now
advanced in years and beginning to feel the
infirmities of age. He relinquished, in
favor of two new men from a distance, all of
his circuit of Churches, except Oak Hill and
Forest, which he continued to serve three
more years, or until 1893. He was then at
the age of 70 honorably retired by the
Presbytery, after a long and remarkably
successful career in the gospel ministry.
Circuit of Churches
The following exhibit of the Churches he
established and served is as nearly correct
as it is possible at this date to make it.
Post office
Church
Services began
Church organized
Work dropped by
Stewart
Members
Years of service
Doaksville
1856
Pine Ridge
1858
Caddo
1860
Horse Prairie
1863
1870?
1890
27
Wheelock
Oak Hill
1868
1869
1893
30
25
Goodland
Hebron
1868
1872
1890
12
22
Frogville
New Hope
1869?
1872?
1890
38
21?
Grant
Beaver Dam
1874
1881
1890
15
16
Eagletown
St. Paul
1877
1878
1890
18
13
Lukfata
Mt. Gilead
1883
1885
1890
25
7
Wheelock
Forest
1885
1887
1893
7
8
145
About 1890, he moved to a
home near Forest Church, and died there at
73, April 8, 1896; after an aggressive
ministry of more than twenty-five years
after his licensure, which had been preceded
by nearly ten years of earnest volunteer
service for the betterment of his people. He
was buried in the Crittenden grave yard.
He left three children, the offspring of his
marriage to Catherine Perry, namely, Thomas,
Betty married to Benjamin Roebuck, and
Harriet, married to Rev. Pugh A. Edwards.
In 1886, after the death of Catherine, he
married the widow of Jeffers Perkins, and
she died at 65 in 1905, survived by seven of
twelve children by her first marriage,
namely, Charles and Louis Perkins, Mrs. R.
D. Arnold, Fredonia Allen, Virginia Williams
(d. 1913), Fidelia Murchison and Jane
Parrish.
Characteristics As A Preacher
Charles W. Stewart was a man of medium
height and rather stout build. The rugged
features of his face suggested a man,
possessing strong and sturdy elements of
character. He grew to manhood under
circumstances and changes that made an early
education impossible. His education, which
was very limited was acquired by the private
study of a primer, catechism, Bible and
other books, furnished him by Mrs. Stewart,
his real owner, and, Rev. Cyrus Kingsbury
(d. 1870).
Parson Stewart was a faithful Christian
worker, who did not become weary in well
doing. He made his long journeys on
horseback. He endeavored to arrive at his
monthly appointments the previous day so as
to have time for the discipline or
reinstatement of wayward members, or hold an
evangelistic meeting. He manifested so much
of hopeful enthusiasm in his work that he
seemed unmindful of the loneliness and
wearisomeness of the long journeys in the
wilderness and regarded it merely as a
passing incident, when he had to spend a day
or even a night in the timber, waiting for
the overflow of flooded streams to subside,
so he could safely ford them.
He was an aggressive Christian worker. He
strived to preach the gospel, "not where
Christ was named, lest he should build upon
another man's foundation," but, as it is
written, "To whom he was not spoken of they
shall see, and they that have not heard
shall understand." He was on the alert to
hear the cry of Macedonia, "Come over and
help us," and he was always ready to enter
and hold a new field while his strength
lasted. When he was licensed, all the land
of the Choctaw Nation seemed to be spread
out before him, as his field of effort, as
the land of Canaan was before Joshua, when
the Lord encouraged him to be "strong, very
courageous and possess it," for his people.
He knew he had the "book of the law," that
his people needed and his whole nature
seemed to be enthused with the promise,
"Every place that the sole of your foot
shall tread upon, that have I given unto
you." His ambition, to carry the message of
gospel light and liberty into new
settlements of his people, was limited by
the necessity laid upon him, to continue to
serve those he had already acquired.
He was an enthusiastic Presbyterian. He
frequently delighted, as well as instructed
the people, by explaining to them the Bible,
by repeating familiar portions of the
shorter Catechism and Confession of Faith.
These were his most familiar and best
commentaries on the Bible. He encouraged the
elders, to become leaders of meetings, and
teachers of the people, by maintaining
regular Sabbath services, for the study of
the Bible and Catechism, to promote their
spiritual welfare.
He was a forceful and acceptable preacher.
In his later years he was sometimes slow in
finding the hymn, Scripture lesson and text.
But when he found the hymn, it was always
one the people could sing, and in leading
them with his own powerful voice, he needed
neither tuning fork or organ accompaniment.
He read the Scripture with such a variety of
emphasis, as to awaken the desire to catch
every word. In the delivery of his message
he manifested so much sincerity and
earnestness, that every one felt he was
speaking to them "direct from the shoulder."
He grew in favor with the people. He held,
to the end of his life-long ministry, the
love and affection of the people, whom he
served. He saw their need of teachers and
preachers, and encouraged the young people
in every neighborhood, to prepare themselves
to supply that need. As a direct result of
his personal influence and encouragement,
Wiley Homer, Richard D. Colbert, William
Butler, Elisha Butler, Simon Folsom and
others came to be recognized, as efficient
Bible teachers and religious leaders, in
their respective settlements. Acceptable and
permanent preachers could not be found, for
the group of Churches from which Stewart
retired in 1890, until Homer, Colbert and
Butler were licensed, and two Churches
assigned to each of them.
The worthy veteran lived long enough to see
Wiley Homer licensed in 1893 and become his
successor at Beaver Dam and Hebron, The
other two were licensed in 1897, the year
after he "entered into the joy of his Lord."
It was not until this year, when, John H.
Sleeper continuing to serve Mt. Gilead,
William Butler became his successor at St.
Paul and Forest, and R. D. Colbert was
assigned New Hope and Sandy Branch, that all
of the Churches in the circuit of Stewart
had regular supplies.
He was a real pioneer "circuit rider," who
has left the good impression of his personal
work, upon the colored people of a large
section of country and of him it may well be
said:
"This man never preached
for money,
If he did he never got it;
He had some faults, but more virtues:
He was conscientious and devoted,
Persevering and determined;
Long his name will be remembered."
"He was a faithful circuit
rider-though a slave in his youth; His
artless earnest sermons were the simple tale
of truth, How the Son of God who loved us,
left a scepter, crown and throne, All the
joys of highest heaven, to go, seek and save
his own."
"Soldier of Christ, well
done!
Praise be your new employ,
And while eternal ages run
Rest in the Savior's joy."
The opportunity to prepare
the foregoing tribute to the memory of
Charles W. Stewart, and give it an historic
setting in this volume, has been greatly
appreciated by the author. Rising above the
limitations of his condition as a slave,
during the first half of his natural life,
he consecrated himself to the betterment of
his race and thus, under the most
unfavorable circumstances, prepared himself
for the wider field and greater
opportunities that came to him with the dawn
of freedom.
This story of noble achievement by one of
their own number, is well worthy of long and
careful preservation; that it may thrill to
noble endeavor, the present and future
generations of the Choctaw Freedmen.
"Let us labor for the
Master,
From the dawn till setting sun;
Let us talk of all his wondrous love and
care,
Then, when all of life is over,
And our work on earth is done,
And the roll is called up yonder, we'll be
there."
This site
includes some historical materials that may imply negative stereotypes
reflecting the culture or language of a particular period or place. These
items are presented as part of the historical record and should not be
interpreted to mean that the WebMasters in any way endorse the stereotypes
implied .
Choctaw Freedmen and Oak Hill Industrial
Academy, 1914, Robert Elliott Flickinger
