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

Thankful Thursday ~ Gift from Beyond

I am not quite sure how to start this, which is a shock cause I never have trouble talking, I think because it is SUCH an UNBELIEVABLE event that I still have yet to wrap my head around it.

Three days ago I received this contact in my Ancestry.com messages, along with a return email. ( I didn't want to get my hopes up as I have had MANY disappointments in my recent past, so I just let the chips fall where they might, BOY did they FALL!)




I have some documents written by Joseph Smedley, one is a hand written copy of his appeal that was given to the Choctaw council. And others.
I would like to get these into the family hands. Will give longer story if you are interested


THIS is my reply


Hi,

I am a direct decedent of Joseph Smedley, he is my Great x 4 Grandfather and I would ADORE anything that has to do with our family! I am very interested in the documents but also how you came to get them. I love stories about how things get around to others, vintage shop sales and the likes. I appreciate you contacting me, please let me know what you have and how or what you would like to do with them.

Thank you,

Alisha

THIS is his reply

Alisha,

Ready for the long story, as I talk a great deal when speaking of genealogy and family history.  This week end at the annual reunion of graduates of Phillips High School. This is a school that used to exist 3 miles North of Borger, Texas in the Texas Panhandle.  After the regular meeting some of us from the class of 1960 had lunch and I went back to the motel where a classmate was staying. In the great room at the entrance of the motel were numerous tubs of stuff from an estate. The stuff was the leftovers of Ronnie H. and his wife. According to a friend, Ronnie and his wife had passed very young with only one child. The child took what she wanted and these tubs of stuff remained in Les Hargis’s possession for perhaps the last 20 years. So Les, who is married to a Phillips grad, got tired of keeping the stuff. Since the motel was full of people who knew Ronnie H., Les said “ everyone take what they want and the rest goes to an antique dealer( also a graduate) to sell for whatever.

As a collector, I thought I had died and gone to heaven( thinking what left this tub in the days before). One tub was completely full of photos, many school pictures, carte vistas, cabinet cards, one tin type. Most of the older photos and real photo postcards were not identified( as you know is the usual case). I spent over an hour looking at the tub.

MY next reply

I am in tears and have the shakes and am GIDDY all over! I can't tell you what this means to me, I am 39 a family historian and Genealogist, I blog about the things I do and the journey I am on. I ADORE this on so many levels I can't even explain! I just read it to my mother and she is tickled too. I can't tell you what this means to me, to us, to our family. I will protect them, get them scanned safely and see about getting the copies shared with our extended family and the research community. 

I sent him a reply and a link to this blog and his reply

Wow, Alisha.

After seeing your blog I realize that I have gotten the documents to the right place.

I received those PRECIOUS documents in the mail today, I am a BALL of emotions. I have in my hands something not only from 1840-1850, but it is my 4th grandfather, his writing, his words, his thoughts, his deeds, his actions. VERY seldom am I at a loss for words, but this just takes it, it takes my breath away.

Rev. Joseph Smedley, as you will see below in my quick tree to him, is my 4th great grandfather. He was also the first Smedley to come to the states from England. He was a teacher, and a missionary to the Choctaw people as they came off the Trail of Tears. He lived among them, became part of their families, and raised his 7 children with them. I am beyond excited to have such a person in my family, but equally as excited that he accomplished all the things that he did, that he passed on his love for being a missionary to his children and their spouses and children, another blog post. He was a pioneer to this area, to the Choctaw Nation and its people. I can see a Rev. Joseph Smedley blog post in my near future!

In the coming days I will be transcribing, posting, and sharing these documents with you all here on the blog and my family across the country. I have had family documents 'kept' from me and I just don't believe in it. They are precious gifts to be shared, not horded away from those who will treasure and share them.
                                                Rev. Joseph Smedley

Joseph B. Smedley Rev. (1792 - 1877)

is your 4th great grandfather

John Ratcliff Smedley (1824 - 1902)

Son of Joseph B.

William Leslie Smedley (1862 - 1946)

Son of John Ratcliff

Walter Lee Smedley (1882 - 1967)

Son of William Leslie

John B. Smedley (1905 - 1992)

Son of Walter Lee

Carol Yvonne Smedley

Daughter of John B.

Alisha Dawn 

( ME)

I had the privilege of visiting and photographing his resting place, next to several of his children, not far from me.


THANK YOU TO ROBERT ROLAND OF AMARILLO TEXAS FOR PUTTING ME WITH MY GREAT X 4 GRANDFATHER~

Happy Hunting,
~Alisha

Sentimental Sunday - Sunday Lunch at Grandma's

As a kid Sundays meant getting up, excitedly, going to my maternal grandparents for Sunday lunch. It also meant me making the mashed potatoes and sweet tea (my appointed tasks as I got older), and licking the cake bowl, can't waste that yumminess!

Let me tell you that grandma, Elsie, not only was she older, she was in her 80s when I was a young child, in my 10-12 years of age, she was an AMAAAAAAAAZING cook, baker and canning queen! Besides on Sundays, I LOVED hanging out with my grandparents. Grandpa and I spent lots of time in his garden, he carried a pocket knife in his pocket and I remember snacking on turnips, cucumbers, tomatoes off the vine! I also adored his stories, oh those precious stories. Us kids loved eating off their peach tree, the pear tree had some of the best pears in town! Grandma and I were in the kitchen, I watched with great intent as she baked and cooked. I get my love for cooking and baking from her, this I know!

So, back to Sundays! I was there early in the kitchen, eating breakfast with them, fried eggs, toast were the norm, although on special days grandma would make chocolate gravy and biscuits. HOMEMADE, everything!!!! Oh how I MISS her cooking, their company. Grandpa would tell stories of the family, times growing up, living in California and what it was like going through the Great Depression, getting around before cars, working old farms and old living.

My Aunt who lived behind them would come in around 1030 or so to help grandma, not that she needed it but that's just what we did. My sister hid out in her room, of course I was always bugging her, cause that's what little sisters do best! Then my other aunt and her family of 6 would arrive, at this point there are about 15 people there, and this was normal. Let me point out a few things, grandma cooked on a 4 burner cook top for us, a few things, the food was ALWAYS HOT, and there were ALWAYS leftovers. 20 could show up, or 15 and there would be leftovers. A table FULL of food, then half a table of desserts. How on earth she managed it, I don't know but I saw it Sunday after Sunday. Oh the Holidays were RAMPED up and even more food and more people wandering in and out all day! Football on the TV, kids in the kitchen at the kids table, the adults in the dining room at the adult table. Grandma and grandpa sat in their respective seats in the living room and had theirs.

There were never two nicer, nor two people, aside from my father, that I miss more on this earth, than these two beautiful souls and the tradition of Sunday lunches at their house. They have left me some of the BEST memories of my childhood, they inspire me daily as I continue on this journey to bringing others pasts to their present.

Grandpa John and Grandma Elsie Smedley - You are missed and loved!

I hope your family has left you with fond memories and traditions.

Happy hunting,
~Alisha

Tombstone Tuesday ~ The Stewart Family and The Reed Family

I come across headstones, obviously, on a nearly daily basis, some are beautiful with elaborate writings and pictures, signatures, photographs, nick knacks, and little trinkets left behind signifying they are loved and remembered. Some are left with little bits of humor, in a funny epitaph or cute little picture. Then, there are those that are 10-20 years old that still have the little tin or plastic cemetery marker, some with a stone and no name, some in cement with hand drawn names and dates, folks doing the best they can with what they have to make sure their loved ones are remembered. Then there are some, usually small children or someone whose family has moved away, who are alone in the cemetery, no family close in the cemetery itself, no flowers, overgrown weeds and what not. I feel for them, being left behind or no one around that remembers or takes time for them in this busy old world.

Then there are ones like the Stewart and the Reed families, as seen below. Now, death is sad, please bear with me on that sentiment, but it is a part of living, the dying and the leaving people behind. I have faced great loss at a very early age, as have many, so I do understand the impact that losing a loved one has on a person, on a family, even the dynamics of a family can change when certain people are no longer a part of their everyday routines.

I love that not only are they buried together in the same place, but they share a resting spot. I find that somehow comforting that as in life, in death they are surrounded by the people that meant the most to them and that they will never be left. Maybe that sounds a bit silly seeing how they aren't really aware of that fact, but maybe it is my own comfort knowing that those people had loved ones, ones they in life were beside and also in death. Having people in your life that mean so much to us, who we would give our lives for, resting next to us is somehow very peaceful to me.

It is my fond hope that each of us have at least that one person in our lives that no matter what we can count on them to always be there, and in death beside us in our final resting places.

Meet the 5 Family Reed's

I would love to point out all the little trinkets and flowers left for this precious little family. It really makes my heart swell!



Meet the 4 Family Stewart's

This BEAUTIFUL monument for this wonderful little family stands out among the ones around it. The single red rose to let them know that someone is still coming to visit and love them.


Happy Hunting,
~Alisha

Native American Oklahoma

Three very powerful words that stir up different emotions in different people. For the Native American and their ancestors, it is a set of words that starts with a pride, a pride deeply seeded in a people that for the whole of their existence up until 'white men' settled in, had been mostly a demure society driven only in the ideals of its people and its nations. Sure, some tribes had reputations for less than what now would be deemed civil moments in history.

I am not quite sure how savages and other terms such as this crept into existence when referring to Native Americans, I am a Native American/Caucasian person, but I do know that historically speaking no one race has really been a 'peaceful' race. They have all had their moments of unrest, disobedience by another groups standards, and yet when Native Americans are mentioned to someone, lets say someone in the UK (since my best friend is there and we do have these discussions), a picture of a savage riding on a horse and scalping people pops up. True, the media has had a lot to do with that, old westerns as well, but when someone truly delves into Native American history they were no more civilly disobedient or murderous or lawless than any other group of people living and moving about this nation at that time.

Why am I talking about the Native peoples? Well, our Genealogy business not only specializes in the photography of headstones that you see, but we do general Genealogy family searches from all walks of life, including UK (Go Ward), but most Genealogists find a 'specialty' a niche or two that they really hone in on and study and work with. One of ours, outside the headstones and cemeteries is Native Americans.

Why you ask? Well, in part because of where I was born and raised, the end of the Trail of Tears is less than 20 miles from here, the lands upon which this town, Poteau, this county Le Flore, are built were once part of Native lands promised by the government for those Native Americans involved in the removal processes from Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas. Millions of acres they left behind to come here to start over, in a land they did not know, nor did they really desire. Many tribes felt it inevitable so in the face of losing many, or losing the promise of lands, they against their hearts desires, came here. Many died along the way, many precious families had to leave their loved ones alone along a road, a stream, in a field or forest. Studying Native Americans you know just how important burial and being near your loved ones is, so that must have been very tormenting for them to experience.

Needless to say the promises did not unfold as they were told, no wagons to carry them, no horses, not much in the way of food or shelter, even upon arrival the things they were promised, even in the written treaties were not to be.

So, all that said, Gosh, I was on a rambling roll today, Andrea and I are doing family Genealogy for the Chiefs of the Native American Tribes that moved to Oklahoma. We are tracing back and forward as far as we can. We have the Chief Peter Pitchlynn (Choctaw) family 1674-present, we just completed the Chief William McIntosh (Creek) family 1758-present, we are working on Chief Secoffee-CowKeeper (Seminole) family. In the coming weeks we will work also with a Chickasaw and Cherokee family. We are coming across dozens of roll numbers, and families that might not be aware that they are in line for Native American Enrollment.

I will be photographing the headstones (Like the one below), of the families and the Chiefs themselves, as I am able to locate them.

If you or someone you know may have family associated with a Native American Tribe, or one of the families mentioned above, and would like to inquire as such, please have them contact us here, under the AA Genealogy Consulting tab above! We'd love to get more Native Americans connected with their pasts!

Happy Hunting,
~Alisha

May I introduce,
Honorable Edmund McCurtain (soon to be on our list of families to trace)

b. 4 Jun 1842       d. 4 Nov 1890 at (Skullyville) Scullyville, Indian Territory (Oklahoma)

His life was devoted to the service of the Choctaw people, whom he served as Judge, Superintendent of Education, Principal Chief, and Senator. 
He filled every office of honor or trust in the gift of the people, from Representative to Principal Chief. He was also a Delegate in Washington for 4 years. One half his life was spent in the service of his country and during all this time his actions were governed by as pure a patriotism as the Choctaws will ever know. While Superintendent of Schools he sowed the seeds of Education among his people that still blossom and bear fruit as long as his Nation shall stand. He deserves above all others to be called The Friend of His People. He was kind and generous as the brave only can be. When the years have come and gone and the Choctaws shall be few, this stone shall mark the place of one of the purest, bravest, and most patriotic sons of that Nation. If there be a place where the kind, the noble, and the honest, shall rest when life is ended, he will enjoy its happiness because he made so many happy on this earth.


(Epitaph across the white, mid section of his Headstone)

Slaves and Freedmen of the 5 Civilized Tribes - Burials

Some posts are fun to write, about our journeys and my lack of direction. Some posts are of a more solemn nature, when posting about loss of loved ones, especially children. Then there are posts, like this one, that NEED to be written.

I by NO means claim to be an expert in this area, I have since encountering the below photos, read up more and I will include some links here to people who are experts in this area, and historical documents to back up information that I put forth. Again, I am not claiming to be an expert in the topic but what I am an expert in is human nature, and when something I see just about brings me to my knees.

I am becoming more an expert in Native American studies, particularly Mississippi before the move west, Oklahoma (where I am born and raised) where the Trail of Tears ended. I have read about Freedmen and Native Americans who owned slaves prior to the civil war, but again, my area is the Native American and only reading with brevity about the slaves they had among them. I have since changed that way of thinking and am more studying the WHOLE of the Native American life to include those they enslaved. SLAVERY

I was interested in going to the site of Skullyville, the point at which the Trail of Tears was the destination and the Agency for them to check in and receive their land grants was. There is a Choctaw Nation Burial site with purportedly hundreds of 'only' Native American peoples. I did go there and photograph and see people who were on the Trail of Tears, absolutely fascinating and another blog post! 


Now, BEFORE anyone gets too stirred up, I am of Native American descent, I do comprehend the idea of the things they faced being forced to move from their homes, the lands of their people and what that must have been to them, this is not about them. There will be a post about them, this is about those they enslaved and their resting place.


What I also saw, and had briefly read about, was this...."Outside the formal confines of the Choctaw National Cemetery, at Skullyville, there is an adjacent area of burials, which, if not actually part of the present entity of Skullyville Cemetery, is obviously associated with it historically. It is apparent that some of the earlier burials are freedmen, and that some of the more recent burials are descendants of freedmen. "

A Fence? After all these years, after the prices they paid, the families paid, why still a fence? Why separate them in death as they were in life?

Well seeing to the other side I had to find a way in to see it. I could see that it was mowed but my finding the entrance was less than easy. There is NO entrance from the Choctaw side to the Freedmen side, so there must be a road, there must be a marker, there must be a sign!

Around the corner from Skullyville, I found a dirt road that veered off into the direction I knew the Freedmen Cemetery to be, so I took it. That sign you see is for a Chicken farm, not the Cemetery itself.

Down a dirty dirt road, about .4 of a mile, still no sign, no nothing to tell me or a visitor they are heading to the resting area of loved ones. Only the now wafting smell of chicken houses looms in the air, sighs... (If you are from this area you know and cannot forget that smell once you have had it once in your lifetime).

FINALLY....I Made it???

Those posts? Yeah those are to keep the semi-trucks hauling feed and chickens from hitting those 5 precious resting spots at the front of this cemetery.... Still, no signage!!! DOUBLE sigh....

I have to say it had in the last few days been mowed, but I also have to say, not weeded, and there were, of the supposed 100 or more once headstones that were visible, now about 20-25. Unfortunately a good 5-6 flat ones had met the wrong end of the powerful mower blades like the below photo. 

I was able to clean off and get photos of about 25 headstones with family information that can be of use historically for families. I also included above a link to a page someone, 10 years or so back, photographed the stones when there were around 100 still visible. 

This post is meant to be informative, to remind people that equal treatment in death, is just as important as it is in life. Dignity does not die at the grave, it lives on in these resting places, in the families and friends left behind, in the legacy of the lives they lead, the lives they touched, the history they formed. It is my HOPE in posting this that the next time you, or someone you know, goes to a resting place, treat it and the people in it with the dignity they so richly deserve. Their lives, their deaths, their resting places are to be treasured, no matter who, what tribe, what nation, what race, or what label they have had attached to them. 

Happy Hunting,

~Alisha

Below are some informative links to information regarding this population of people. 

FREEDMEN

FREEDMEN

SLAVERY

The 100

To Clean or Not to Clean...

I have recently seen a few 'debates' on cleaning versus not cleaning old headstones. I can see both sides, when the cons side says it changes the 'old feel' the antiqueness of the stones, the tone of the cemetery changes, apparently someone in a northern town went beyond pulling weeds, dusting off headstones, but basically "power washed" headstones and brought them back to as close to pristine as they could be.

Now, some might argue messing with the integrity of the already weathered and aging headstones, while others would say that being able to read the information and enjoy them for many more years is better. Some believe that these aged cemeteries gain a character in the aging of the stones and changing that 'look' changes the character of the cemetery. I am still out on that whole line of thinking, maybe because I can see it both ways.

What I do is allow my experiences and photos maybe show you the side of one way of thinking and let you decide if 'harm' has come from what was done here in the following photos. I have to think that families would be happy they can see the stones once again, find them, and know that someone who didn't have to, did care enough to straighten them out a bit. Enjoy the before and afters, leave me a comment on what your thoughts on the subject are, help me see more your side to the thinking!

In this first set of pictures I walked upon the first photo and knew there must be a 'few' people resting here. Count the names and tell me how many I ended up with! I was even a bit surprised!

Did you end of counting 4 names? Just a bit of uncovering, weeding, troweling with a non-metal trowel as a few were covered in several inches of dirt, these beauties were resting underneath!


Now, these next two, I used a soft bristled brush to brush off some of the nasty mold growing about it, yes I have my mouth covered, being a nurse I definitely know not to breath in unknown mold and dust spores! ICK! SO let me know what you think of the before and after!

So, what do you think? Was the extra 20 minutes or so worth it? Would you if you saw either of these settings? Just a thought and an action can change so much! Let me know your opinions!

Happy Hunting,
~Alisha

Genealogists D.R.E.A.M Headstone!

First let me say sorry for being absent for a few days, Ward and I have been working on a 3000 Plus family tree, each name typed INDIVIDUALLY into Ancestry, full of twists, turns, families with 10 plus kids who have 10 plus kids each WOWZA! So, needless to say the cemetery work has set to the side for the few days it took us to whip that tree into shape. Let me say that on Ancestry, as of today there were almost 2610 waving leaves! HA! Yeah, still gotta go through the leaves, BUT the people are on there YIPPEE! Now, back to our regularly scheduled programs....

I came upon the following headstone and it was one of those Genealogist Hallelujah moments! It is a Genealogists dream stone if there ever was one. There are some family members we spend hours, days, WEEKS, even months trying to find. Now, this is a bit elaborate for everyone but oh me oh my!!!!

This also happens to be one of my Paternal surnames so it was equally exciting to see this and see if these wonderful people belong on my tree! ( number 4 thousand 7 hundred and 82 on my to do list HA).

Happy Hunting,

~Alisha