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Julia Turner Examination by the Commission
Meridian,
Mississippi, April 23, 1901.
In the matter of the
application of Julia Turner for identification as a Mississippi Choctaw.
Julia Turner being duly sworn testified as follows:
Examination by the Commission.
Q.
What is you name?
A. Julia
Turner.Q. What is
your age?
A. 39
Q. What is
your post-office address?
A.
Goodwater, Mississippi
Q. What
county?
A. Clark
County.
Q. How long
have you lived in Mississippi?
A. All my
life.
Q. Is your
father living?
A. Yes sir.
Q. What is
his name?
A.
Washington Ferrell.
Q. Is your
mother living?
A. Yes sir.
Q. What is
her name?
A. Margaret
Ferrell.
Q. Through
which one of your parents do you derive your Choctaw blood?
A. Mother.
Q. What
proportion of Choctaw blood do you claim to have?
A.. quarter.
-
Has your mother ever been
recognized or enrolled by either the Choctaw tribal authorities or the
authorities of the United States as a citizen of the Choctaw nation?
A. No sir,
not as I know of.
Q. Are you
married?
A. Yes sir.
Q. What is
your husband’s name?
A. Lou
Turner.
Q. Do you
make any claim on behalf of your husband?
A. No sir he
ain’t no Choctaw.
Q. Do you
claim for him then?
A. Yes sir.
Q. You want
to claim for him do you when he hasn’t a drop of Choctaw blood?
A. No sir.
Q. Have you
any children?
A. No sir.
Q. This
application then is solely in you own behalf is it?
A. Yes sir.
Q. Is your
name on any of the Choctaw tribal rolls in the Indian Territory?
A. Not as I
know of.
Q. Have you
ever made application to the Choctaw tribal authorities in the Indian
Territory to be enrolled as a member of that tribe?
A. No sir.
Q. Did you
or did any one for you in the year 1896 make application to the Commission
to the Five Civilized Tribes for citizenship in the Choctaw Nation under
the act of Congress of June 10th, 1896?
A. No sir.
Q. Have you
ever been admitted to citizenship in the Choctaw Nation either by the
Choctaw tribal authorities, the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes or
by the United States Court in the Indian Territory?
A. No sir.
Q. Have you
ever made application prior to this time to either the Choctaw tribal
authorities or to the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes to be
admitted or enrolled as a citizen of the Choctaw Nation?
A. No sir.
Q. This then
is your first application of any description?
A. Yes sir.
Q. You
desire to make application for identification as a Mississippi Choctaw?
A. I didn’t
understand you.
Q. Do you
now desire to make application for identification as a Mississippi
Choctaw?
A. Yes sir.
-
Do you claim your right as a
beneficiary under the provisions of the fourteenth article of the treaty
of Dancing Rabbit Creek?
A. Yes sir.
Q. Have you
ever received any benefits as a Choctaw Indian?
A. No sir.
Q. Have any
of your ancestors ever received any benefits as Choctaw Indians?
A. Not that
I know of.
Q. Were any
of your ancestors ever received any benefits as Choctaw Indians?
A. Not that
I know of.
Q. Were any
of your ancestors residents of the old Choctaw Nation in Mississippi and
Alabama in the year 1830 when the treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek was
entered into between the United States government and the Choctaw Indians?
A. No sir.
Q. Were any
of them recognized members of the Choctaw Tribe at that time?
A. Not as I
know of.
Q. Did any
of your ancestors remove from the territory occupied by the Choctaw Nation
in Mississippi and Alabama at the time the main body of the Choctaw tribe
of Indians were removed to their new reservation west of the Mississippi
River between the years 1833 and 1838?
A. No sir,
not as I know of.
Q. Did any
of your ancestors within six months after the ratification of the treaty
of Dancing Rabbit Creek signify to the United States Indian Agent of the
Choctaws then located in Mississippi, their intention to remain in
Mississippi and become citizens of the United States?
A. No sir.
-
Have any of your ancestors
ever claimed or received any land beneficiaries under the provisions of
the fourteenth article of the treaty of 1830? Between the United States
and the Choctaw Indians?
A. No sir.
Q. Where
does your mother live at this time?
A. She lives
down yonder in Mississippi.
Q. How long
has she lived in Mississippi?
A. I don’t
know, sir.
Q. Where did
she ever live besides in Mississippi?
A. She lived
up there at Enterprise.
Q.
Enterprise is in Mississippi isn’t it?
A. Yes sir I
reckon so.
Q. Where did
she ever live besides in the state of Mississippi?
A. I don’t
know, sir.
Q. Are there
any additional statements you desire to make in support of this case?
A. No sir.
Q. Have you
any documentary evidence, affidavits, written testimony of any
description, copies of records, deeds or patens or other proper papers
showing that your ancestors were recognized members of the Choctaw Tribe
of Indians in Mississippi in 1830 or that any of them ever complied or
attempted to comply with the provisions of the fourteenth article of the
treaty of 1830 or that they ever received any benefits under that article
of that treaty.
Here attorneys
D. W. Heidelberg and L. P. Hudson as leave to file written evidence in
support of this claim within thirty days from this date.
Permission
granted.
Examination by L.P.
Hudson.
-
Mrs. Turner did you ever know
of your mother living any where except in Mississippi?
A. No sir I
don’t know nothing about where she lived at.
Q. Did you
ever hear her say where she was born or raised or where she lived all her
life?
A. No sir.
Q. What was
your mother’s father’s name?
A. John.
Q. and other
name?
A. No sir I
don’t know nothing only John.
Q. Was he an
Indian?
A. Yes sir.
Q. Did you
ever see him?
A. No sir.
Q. What have
you heard your mother or other people say about his being a full blood
Indian, whether he was or not.
A. They said
he was full blood Indian.
-
Do you know where he lived?
-
No sir.
-
How long has he been dead?
A. I don’t
know sir.
Q. You don’t
know whether he was living her in Mississippi in 1830 or not?
A. No sir I
don’t know.
Q. There are
other relatives of yours appeared before the Commission before this time
have they not?
A. No sir
not that I know of
A. You don’t
know that they have not do you?
-
No sir.
Examination
by the Commission
-
You don’t speak the Choctaw
language do you?
-
No sir.
This applicant has the appearance of being a Negro
although her hair, features and complexion indicate that she might be
possessed of a small portion of Choctaw blood. From her testimony it
appears that none of her ancestors ever complied or attempted to comply
with the provisions of the fourteenth article of the treaty of Dancing
Rabbit Creek or ever receive and benefits thereunder.
The decision of the
Commission as to the application made by you for identification as a
Mississippi Choctaw will be determined at the earliest possible date and
report of the same made to the Secretary of the Interior in accordance
with the provisions of the copy of the decision will be mailed to you at
your post office address as given in your testimony.
Myra Young having been
first duly sworn upon her oath states that as stenographer to the
Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes she reported in full all
proceedings had in the above entitled cause on the 23rd day of
April. 1901, and that the above and forgoing is a full, true and correct
transcript of her stenographic notes of said proceedings on said date.
Myra Young
Subscribed and sworn to
before me at Meridian, Mississippi this the 23rd day of April,
1901.
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