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Candis Allen Examination by the Commission
Department of the Interior,
Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes,
Meridian, Mississippi, April 11, 1901
In the matter of the application of Candis Allen for the identification of
herself and her eight minor children as Mississippi Choctaws. Candis Allen
being first duly sworn testified as follows:
Examination by the Commission.
Q. What is your name?
A.
Candis Allen.
Q. What
is your age?
A. 48
years old as near as I can guess it.
Q. What
is your post-office address?
A. Hale.
Q. What
county is that in?
A.
Clarke County.
Q. How
long have you lived in Mississippi?
A. Been
here all my life.
Q. Born
here?
A. Yes sir.
Q.
Always lived here?
A. Yes
sir, Clark County. Born and bred in Clark County.
Q. What
is your father’s name?
A.
John.
Q. Is
that the only name he had?
A. All
I ever heard. I was a year and six months old when he died. Captain John.
Q. Is
your father living?
A. No sir.
Q. What
is your mother’s name?
A.
Julia Thompson.
Q. Is
your mother living?
A. Yes
sir.
Q.
Through which one of your parents do you claim your Choctaw blood?
A. My
father.
Q. How
much Choctaw was your father?
A. He
was whole Choctaw.
Q. A
full blood?
A. Yes
sir.
Q. How
much Choctaw blood do you claim?
A. One
half.
Q. Were
your father and mother married?
A. I
don’t know whether they were or not. They staid together until they
raised five girls and two boys I think. I don’t know whether they were
married or not. Five or six girls I think it was, I don’t know
though. They staid together right smart while but I could not tell you how
long.
Q. Was
your father a slave?
A. No
sir.
Q. Was
you mother?
A. Yes
sir.
Q. How
long has your father been dead?
A. I
don’t know, sir.
Q. How
do you know that this man John or Captain John was your father?
A. I
never did know it. Dave Thompson the white man that owned me they called
him Captain John.
Q How
do you know you are his child?
A.
Well, they said so. E very one said so. My mother said so.
Q. Did
your mother ever live with any other man?
A. Not until
he died.
Q. How
long did they live together as man and wife?
A. I
don’t know, sir.
Q. Can
you speak the Choctaw language?
A. No
sir.
Q.
Could your father?
A. Yes
sir so they said.
Q. You
never heard him?
A. No
sir.
Q. Are
you married?
A. Yes
sir.
Q. What
is your husband’s name?
A. Aleck
Allen.
Q. Is
he a Negro?
A. Yes
sir.
Q.
Making any claim for him?
A. No
sir.
Q. When
did you marry him?
A. We
have been married 32 or 33 years I disremember which now.
Q.
Where were you married to him.
A.
Enterprise.
Q.
Married under a license?
A. Yes
sir.
Q. Married by a minister?
A. Yes sir.
Q. How
many children have you under 21 years of age and unmarried for whom you
wish to make application?
A. Eight.
Q. What
are there names and ages?
A. John
he is the oldest one.
Q. How
old is he?
A. 18
Q. All
right.
A .I
just can’t give their ages
Q. What
are their names?
A. John
is the oldest one. Minnie.
Q. All
right.
A.
Ella. Della. Pearl. Byrd.
Q. Is
that a boy or a girl?
A. Boy.
And Aleck and Early The girls-I declare I can’t give in their ages.
Q.
Don’t you know the ages of your own children?
A. No
sir. Its not down in the Bible but I just don’t keep up with them.
John and the baby is the only ones I can recollect their ages.
Aleck Allen being first duly sworn testified as follows:
Q. What is your name?
A.
Aleck Allen.
Q. How
old are you?
A. I
was 53 years old this last gone March.
Q. Are
you the husband of Candis Allen?
A. Yes
sir.
Q. Are
you the father of her eight children that she is making application for?
A. Yes
sir.
Q. What
are the names and ages of these children?
A. John
the oldest one.
Q. What
is his age?
A.
Betwixt 20 and 21. Minnie Betwixt 17 and 18. Ella 16. Della 14.
Pearlie betwixt 12 and 13. Bryd about 9. Aleck about 7 and Early about 5.
Near 5. He aint quite five.
Candis Allen, recalled, testified as follows:
Q. You are the mother of
these 8 children?
A. Yes
sir.
Q.
Aleck Allen is the father of all of them?
A. Yes
sir.
Q.
These children all live with you at your home?
A. Yes
sir.
Q. Is
your name or are the names of your children upon any of the tribal rolls
of the Choctaw Nation in the Indian Territory?
A. I
don’t know what you mean.
Q. Have
you ever made application to the Choctaw tribal authorities in the Indian
Territory to be enrolled as a citizen of that tribe?
A. Not
as I knows of . I am trying now.
Q. In
1896 under the act of Congress of June 10,1896, did you or did any one in
your behalf or on behalf of your children make application to the
Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes for citizenship in the Choctaw
Nation?
A. No
sir, not as I know of. I know I ain’t.
Q. Have
you or your children ever been admitted to citizenship in the Choctaw
Nation by either the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes or by the
Choctaw tribal authorities or by the United States Court in the Indian
Territory?
A. I
don’t know.
Q. Have
your or your children ever been admitted to citizenship put there.
A. No
sir.
Q. Have
you or has any one for you or for your children ever prior to this time
made application to either the Choctaw tribal citizenship of enrollment as
a member of the Choctaw tribe of Indians?
A. Not
as I know of. I am taking steps to do it today.
Q. This
is the first application that you have ever made for yourself or your
children of any description?
A. Yes sir.
Q.
Never have tried before?
A. No
sir.
Q. You
are now making application for the identification of yourself and your
children for identification as Mississippi Choctaws? Is that correct?
A. Yes
sir.
Q. Do you claim for yourself
and your children the rights as beneficiaries under the provisions of the
14th article of the treaty of 1830?
A. I
don’t know. I don’t know nothing about it. I don’t know and don’t
understand nothing about that. I can’t read nor nothing and I can’t tell
what you are talking about.
Q. Do
you know what the treaty of 1830 is?
A. No
sir.
Q. The
treaty of 1830 was made between the United States and the Choctaw Tribe of
Indians 70 years ago and provided for the removal of the Choctaw Indians
from the state of Mississippi to the Indian Territory. In any of
them did not desire so to do they could stay here upon signifying to the
United States Indian Agent of the Choctaw Indians in Mississippi their
desire to remain here and become citizens of the United States. If
they did that they were allowed certain tracts of land upon which they
were to live five years after which a patent was to be issued. Those
Choctaws taking advantage of that article did not lose their rights of
Choctaw citizenship if they ever removed to the Indian Territory except
the right to share in the annuities of that tribe? Now are you
claiming as a descendant of one of those Choctaws who decided to remain
here in Mississippi after the treaty of 1830?
A. I
would be willing to go over there. I would go and settle there.
Q. How
long has your father been dead?
A. I
don’t know, sir.
Q. How
old was he when he died?
A. I
was a year and six months old.
Q. He
died about 45 years ago did he?
A. Yes
sir.
Q. How
old was your father when he died?
A. I
don’t know sir.
Q. Do
you know anything about your people?
A. I
don’t know nothing about him. I know my mother.
Q. You
don’t claim any Choctaw blood through your mother do you?
A. No
sir.
Q. We
would like to know about your father and his people?
A. I
don’t know nothing about his people at all because I didn’t know them.
Because I was small and didn’t know nothing about him nor about his
people. They moved away from where we was at and wasn’t back in there at
all.
Q. Did
any of your ancestors on your father’s side ever claim or receive any land
here in Mississippi as beneficiaries under the 14th article of
the treaty of 1830? Form the United States Government?
A. No
sir.
Q. Is
there any additional statement you want to make in support of your
application?
A. Sir?
Q. Any
statement you want to make, anything that you want to say about your
Choctaw rights?
A. Well
I just - - well now I just wanted to know if we have a home there is all.
Q. If
you have a home where?
A. In
the Indian Territory.
Q. You
have? How long have you had one there?
A. No, I said we would go
to it if we had a home there. We ain’t got no home there.
Q. Why
do you think you are entitled to a home in the Indian Territory.
A. I
think if the Choctaws have any right there I ought to have a right too if
I am – if the government is giving it to us. It would be my home
because it is my Nation of people.
Q. Is
that the only claim you have?
A. I
reckon so.
Q. Have
you any documentary evidence, any written testimony of any description,
affidavits, records, patents or any evidence that would show that your
father or his people were ever recognized or considered as members of the
Choctaw tribe of Indians or that they were ever attempted to comply with
the provisions of the 14th article of the treaty of 1830?
Here L.P.
Hudson, attorney for applicant asks leave to file written Evidence in
support of this claim within thirty days from this date. Permission
is granted the attorney for the applicant to file written evidence in
support of this application providing the same is offered for filing with
the Commission within thirty days from the date hereof.
The decision of the Commission as to your application and the application
you make on behalf of your eight minor children for identification as
Mississippi Choctaws will be mailed to you to your proper post-office
address.
The applicant in this case while having a slight appearance of a Choctaw
Indian is evidently of Negro extraction. Has been held in slavery
and is unable to speak the Choctaw language. She has no knowledge whatever
of her ancestors nor whether her father was ever married to her mother and
knows nothing of any compliance by her ancestors with the provisions of
the 14th article of the treaty of 1830.
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 11th
day of April, 1901, and that the above and foregoing 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 this 12th day of April, 1901 at
Meridian, Mississippi.
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