Treasure Chest Thursday - In the Words of Rev. Joseph Smedley (my 4x great grandfather)

I wrote a few weeks back about the lovely man who contacted me regarding letters and a sermon he stumbled upon that are in the hand of my 4x maternal great-grandfather, Rev. Joseph Smedley. Let me give you a small background, Rev. Joseph was born in the United Kingdom (1790), he went to school there, went to a seminary (of sorts), became a minister, met and married his wife Mary Ann Ratcliff (1820), they soon started their family. He came to America in 1830 on the Ship the Arab via Philadelphia. His wife Mary Ann and 6 of the children came to America a few months later in 1830 on Brig Agnora via New York. They maintained a life and church family in Pennsylvania up until 1834 when he was acknowledged and commissioned not only as a teacher by the US Government (for the Native Americans being moved to Oklahoma), but also as a missionary for the Methodist faith. Rev. Joseph and Mary Ann went on to have two more children, she passed and Joseph was left to raise his children, teach, preach and live among the Native American peoples, specifically the Choctaw in what is now Le Flore County, Oklahoma and a 50 mile circuit of stops he made on horseback.

So, back to those letters I would like to share a letter and its translation. This is TRULY a family Treasure!!! P.S. There are VERY historically famous people mentioned herein.

TRANSLATION

To The Hon Choctaw Council:

I beg respectfully to present this appeal to your Hon. Body for the following Reason. The Treaty of 1864, says That all Missionaries to the Choctaws who have been such five consecutive years, shall be allowed a gr. sec. of land as as a home for themselves and families. The following facts will shew that I have been such a Missionary from the year 1844 till the commencement of the War.

"To all those it may concern. I hereby certify that the Bearer, the Rev. Joseph Smedley, this sixteenth day of Sept. 1844, was duly appointed Missionary to the red people, particularly the Choctaws West of the State of Arkansas, by the Board of Managers of the American Indian Mission Association in Louisville in the State of Kentucky. Isaac Mc Coy, Cor. Sec"

I continued my services to your people till Nov 27, 1855, and then was reappointed by the Rev. Joseph Walker, together with seven Choctaws, as Missionaries to their own people, as follows, Joseph Smedley 600 dols a year _ Peter Folsom as Interpreter 400 _ Lewis Cass 100 dols _ Shoonuby 100 dols _  Simon Hancock 100 dols _ Ishiatuby 100 dols _ Artumley 100 dols _ Atrumely's Brother 100 dols.
Apl 27, 1855, Mission Rooms, Marion, Ala. Joseph Walker Cor Sec.

The above Missionary services were independent of my employment as a Teacher in pay of the U. S. Government. I located a piece of land without interfering with any ones improvement; and all I ask of your Hon. Body is to allow me, in any way your wisdom may deem fit, to occupy the improvement I have made, till the Country becomes sectionized.

With sentiments of the highest esteem,
yours faithfully,
Joseph Smedley

P.S. I have four surviving children namely, John Ratcliff Smedley, Benjamin Bucknall Smedley, Samuel Henry Smedley, and Narcissa T Goddard_ all with families except to Samuel H.



As a side note of family history here, Benjamin was allowed to live on the land but it was eventually taken away from him by the Choctaw Nation and given to someone of Blood to the Nation.


Next week I will post and translate his sermon on the Lord's Supper, it's beautifully written.

Please note these letters are nearly 160 years old.

Happy hunting,

~ Alisha

B.I.G. Project! Le Flore County Cemeteries!

I mentioned on yesterdays blog that Andrea and I, are on the path to photographically documenting every headstone/cemetery in Le Flore County, Oklahoma! WHEW! PROJECT LE FLORE COUNTY CEMETERIES. You can see our progress on our business site on the link provided. I am hoping to have this completed by fall/winter this year. The heat is not my friend at this time, I just get up and get going before the sun is too harsh!

Why is this SO important? Well for several reasons, for some reason Oklahoma was THE place to be back in the mid to late 1800s. Just before that, sadly, the Trail of Tears ended here for the Mississippi band of the Choctaws and several other Native American tribes. Here, those with Native American heritage can be traced and found, we can photograph many of their resting places.  We can glean into the past through these little pieces of stone!

Another reason is time and weather, weather here is harsh almost all year, it is either sweltering hot, like the 105 temps we have had this past week, it is bitter cold in the winters, we have tornadoes, we have it all, but hurricanes, I don't miss those in Florida! So, time is not the friend to these precious pieces of stone. I have posted some pictures here of weathered stones.

Something else that is not a kind friend to these are plant life and mosses, also pictured below. I do understand the kind thought of planting a tree near, or a beautiful shrub, unfortunately they grow, and those stones don't bend. A lot of times they end up damaged from the plant life. I don't condone or chastise those who choose either way, I just see on a daily basis what it can and does do to those precious resting places.

So much can be found out about our families, our histories, our ancestry lie in those pieces of stone and in the people who are laid to rest there. In Genealogy, using headstones as information is so vital to our research. At times, it is the ONLY clue we have as to a birth, a death, even relatives!

So, as our journey unfolds I will update our website, I will be posting information and updates here as well for those of you who are interested in this project either for personal or professional reasons!

Thank you for stopping by today!

Happy hunting,

~Alisha

Society Saturday -Poteau Valley Genealogical Society

Since moving back to Oklahoma I find myself in a different position with a slightly different outlook on life and people. I have had to lay down something that was so much a part of me that at times I have felt completely and utterly lost, my photography. It's hard to have something in your life that you are so completely passionate about that everything about it heightens your senses, makes you see the world in ways that only someone behind a camera, behind a brush, behind a pen, behind a keyboard, can see. Something that is so much a part of you that it is an extension of who you are, what you relate to in life, and how you see the world.

I have found another passion, it doesn't speak to the artistic side to me, one day that will awaken again, I have to believe that, but it speaks to the side of me that honestly adores people, no matter the things that have been done or said. Life can take unexpected turns, and we either fight them, or we grieve the loss of the change and we move in a new direction.

Cue Genealogy, now since I was knee high to a grasshopper (Okie Speak), although I am not much taller than that now, I was interested in our family. When I was 10,11 my mother's parents were already in their 80s, so we weren't the go to the park kind of family. We were the kids go outside and play while the parents work and grandparents watch us. Most days though you would find me in the kitchen or at my grandfather's heels, listening to stories, asking questions, soaking in his world, our family. I find searching and hunting almost natural, ideas and thoughts come to this brain fairly easy and I have a knack for finding the unfindable(I love new words).

I happened to be in our local Genealogy center at the library when one of the Genealogist, Helen, volunteers ambled in. I inquired about books on Le Flore (my county) county Cemeteries. Those of you who follow or stumble upon this blog will see that cemeteries are one of my passions. A little talking and we began to discuss that I am working a project to photograph E.V.E.R.Y headstone, E.V.E.R.Y. cemetery in our county!!! She asked me to come and speak to the Genealogists that night at their meeting and bring a sample of what I was doing. I was/am still very flattered. So, I went back to the house, tossed some pictures, from the trusty point and shooter that is now on its last legs :(  and made a video slide-show.

At 7 O'Clock I went to their meeting, I met some wonderful new people, one happened to be the mother of a very nice girl I went to school with. There was one 'elderly' man there that had random things to say, and he completely kept a smile on my face the entire evening! They were warm and welcoming, although several branches on my family tree started this community nearly 200 years ago, I was new to them yet they were so open to me and my presentation. I gave a little speech as to why I felt this so important and will see it through no matter what!

After, I was congratulated, told how wonderful my speech was, how impressed they are with what I am working on, and most importantly they invited me into their fold, into their circle! I appreciate real folks, people who want nothing in return other than to work beside you, share your passion and dreams, and help you see them through. I have been fortunate enough to recently have a few people like this in my life and it brings a little hope back that maybe, just maybe I can and will find a few more.

So, I tip my hat to my new little Genealogy family, Poteau Valley Genealogical Society, and thank you for welcoming me in!

Happy Hunting,
~Alisha

Funny Friday - I am NOT lost, I was merely sightseeing, and a few other thoughts~

I hinted on yesterdays post my, as Ward would say, way of making her go nuts. That is, I had general or no directions to the places I was headed, I just drove. Now, let me explain a bit about Le Flore County, it is not only filled with quaint little small towns, fields of rolling grass and cattle, birds chirping, well you get that picture. It is also filled with dirt roads that go on for 15-20 miles, signs that say and mean, if you enter you will be shot (nothing personal).

It has various types of wildlife, like snakes that bite, mosquitoes that will suck you dry in 5 minutes flat, oh and don't forget those LOVELY black widow spiders that are waiting for you to get nosy and move a broken headstone about so they too, can have you for supper! Yes, that did happen to me, prompting me to buy and wear gloves, even with the heat index at 105F~

Now why with all that Ward would be concerned, I have no idea! I grew up here, I know the boundaries to push, I know when a closed gate means do or do not or enter at own risk. The tell tale sign for the Do Not is either a lock or a skeleton head of some poor critter, definitely not the type of gates you want to enter! HA! I never saw a lock or a skeleton head in the WHOLE time I was out!

So, my trusty side kick had to lead me around, OH, let me mention here that not only is she NOT in Oklahoma, she isn't even in the US. She is actually in the United Kingdom, like a few hours from London, not in Oklahoma! Yeah we totally are a pair and a half, but MAN OH MAN do we laugh! She mostly laughs at me and my ridiculous ways at times, I don't mind at all, at least I am amusing someone!

My journey took me to a cemetery called Greenhill, and low and behold if one of "those" people weren't buried there. You know the type, the guy who always said something was wrong and no one let on to believe him, take him seriously, you know that guy, right? Mr. Anthony must have been that guy!

Have a WONDERFUL WEEKEND!

Happy Hunting,
~Alisha

Thankful Thursday - 4 New Cemeteries and 1 Surprise one!

Sorry that I haven't written in a few days, I have been out and about in this Oklahoma heat. The heat index was 105F yesterday and a cool 103F today! What is it I have been up to you ask? Well, let me tell you the story!

My friend, Andrea, Ward I call her, had me set out a list of old (1800-1900) cemeteries, cemeteries known to have internment's that old, and ones known to have Native American burials (MY FAVS). So, list in hand (I won't get too far into the I didn't write down directions bit HA), needless to say my trusty Side-kick Ward was on the other end of the phone messaging me directions!

Well, I set out to look for an old cemetery known to have Native American burial(s), it is/was called Knothole Cemetery. Yes, here in Oklahoma we are a simple folk and are not bothered with fancy pants names as the city slickers (I jest). I went to the general direction I believed it to be and nothing! UGH! Ward then directed me with the correct directions and I ended back in the same spot, a cemetery called Greenhill. Oh well, I say, there are graves and LOTS of them, so off I trod. Now, I do indeed find a few Native American burials, along with a few hundred from the era I was seeking. Unbeknownst to me Ward has deduced, and rightly so, that the Greenhill upon which I was now standing and photographing, was in fact formerly named Knothole! EEEEK!

She informs me of this on my drive back to the office, ha, and I am giddy! I can't explain it, but as she says, I am like a kid with a new toy with all this! So, upon much brow raising from Ward, I actually set down directions to these places and alternative names so as not to catch me unawares again!

The next day as I am looking for Royal Oak, 5 miles down a dirt road I didn't know existed, up over a hill a sign catches my eye and I hit the brakes! French Cemetery! WOOOHOO I reach what is an old cattle gate! No lock, so I unlatch it and go in to literally find a few hundred stones with white paint atop them as not to mistake them for just plain old rocks! about 50 had some type of inscription, or actual stone. What do my eyes behold when panning this amazing find? Native American Burial number 4 in 2 days! WHAT! WHAT!!!! Oh, my gracious, yep kid with a new toy about explains it!

Today found me in the first Choctaw Indian Burial site at what was once Skullyville, the check in place for the Mississippi Choctaws as they came off the Trail of Tears. (That's a WHOLE other blog post). It was absolutely fascinating, I was captivated, enamored, everything excited inside me was welling up! I think I was giving a play by play to Ward on the phone as I was taking all this in. Family names I have found researching, some of my own as well, (BONUS)!

Next to this well kept, well marked, amazing cemetery, was a fence separating it from another cemetery. There is no gate to connect them, only a fence covered in ivy. I got into my vehicle and tried to find an entrance, a dirt road, unmarked, next to a not so pleasant smelling, chicken farm. Broken stones by the dozens, many bumps and lumps we cemetery enthusiasts know to be burials, littered the ground, but not many stones. Maybe 30 stones now liter the 2-3 acres, knowing full well many, many more were laid to rest there. What is this place you ask? Well these are the early Freedmen (and women) and the more recent few burials, their children. The Freedmen were the African-American slaves to the Choctaw people before the Civil War (Another blog post). I was saddened and actually disgusted that nothing marked this place, no sign, no nothing but two dark posts in the front to keep the local chicken trucks from hitting the front few gravesites. So sad.....

My last trip of the day was to the Spiro Mounds! OH MY!!! If you don't know anything about this, read up, it is absolutely fascinating! They are from 450-1450 A.D. dwellers of this area, Native American peoples. I visited the museum, saw relics, marveled at this amazing place! I walked the two mile track around the mounds, took the interpretive book and my camera and 2 bottles of water! Again, the kid in the toy store!

So, as you can see, my few days have been FILLED with some amazing adventures! I will enclose a few pictures for your enjoyment. Thank you for stopping by!

Happy Hunting~
Alisha

What I am thankful for is a few things, one is my trusty side-kick, turned map reader extraordinaire, Ward. Second is finding a passion in something that has meaning, isn't frivolous, and matters. Third, is the opportunity to share what 'gift' I have for this with others through our Genealogy work!

Wednesday's Child - Harry and Kenneth Hathaway

Harry
Son of
F.J. & Isabel
Hathaway
Aug. 23, 1900
Nov. 19, 1907

Kenneth
Son of
F.J. & Isabel
Hathaway
Oct. 23, 1902
Oct. 24, 1902

These are two of the most beautiful but most sad headstones I have come across as of late. Most of the time, the stones are simple, flat, or the white tablets with the baby lamb laying at the top. These are ornate, beautiful, although Harry's is broken. I can't imagine the grief of losing one child, but to lose two and within two years of each other it just has to be unbearable. It is my hope that the Hathaway's found peace, hopefully had other living children to move into life with and enjoy.

I have mentioned it before but I feel it bears repeating, the children's stones are sad to me for a few reasons, one is the obvious any child dying is just hard to swallow. A second reason is that they have no legacy, no children, grandchildren to remember them, to tell stories of them, to come looking for them years to come. These are truly and eventually, the forgotten ones in our families. It is heartbreaking for sure and the hardest for me to photograph, and I unfortunately, have photographed many. Many during the cholera, smallpox outbreaks of the early to mid 1800s, in this area, Le Flore County, Oklahoma.

So, this post and many others to come, will help them live on, at least through my words and photos.

Give your kids a hug, enjoy your families!

Happy Hunting,
~Alisha