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Many people ask where their families come from.
In this country of ours, that is often difficult to answer
clearly. Our family, like
most has roots in a number of places. The McClure and Campbell families came from Scotland at
some time, but we don’t yet know when. Our McCracken line came
from Scotland and/or Ireland at some time but we haven't gone back that
far with it yet. We do have some new information about them,
however, that's interesting. They were pioneers in Tennessee in
the late 1700's. The Folsom family, led by John Folsom, sailed from England to arrive in New England in 1638, just shortly after the Mayflower landed. Our Rogers line is related to one of the Mayflower families, that of Thomas Rogers. Our "Burks" roots go back to the Castleberry family, and a man named Heinrich Kesselberg before he came to this country from Germany, and Henry Castleberry afterward. Our Rogers, Thornton and Washington roots go back to England, we have some Durant roots that go back to France, and then we have roots that are "native" to this country, our Choctaw roots. Haven't ever been interested in American history? Well, the history of this country is the history of our family. We have family members that have fought in every major war this country has had. We have a number of them who participated in the Revolutionary War, and who have defended this country valiantly. Our family helped settle and played an important part in the development of the New England states, the South, the Midwest, and the West. We come from people who range from simple millers, farmers and shepherds to statesmen and people who were important enough to hold the highest positions in the country. Landed gentry with plantations, military leaders, and frontiersmen. The story of our family is one that is full of adventure, of romance, and of proud and courageous people. They are also religious people for the most part, and we have had many preachers in the family, along with many who have helped form area churches, and worked to keep them going. Teachers, and those skilled in woodworking, and those who love the land. Those are the kind of people we come from. Many other families joined with these above, and they all made contributions to make each of us what we are today. For those of us who come down through the Rogers family of
my father, there has always been interest that we were unable to quench,
because we knew little about that side of the family.
That is all changed now. Because
we have spent most of our lives knowing that we were related to the
Choctaw, but because we couldn't find those relatives, despite looking
for them, our new-found Choctaw heritage has special meaning to most of
us. Reggie sent me a photo last year I wish to share with all
of you. First, I have to
tell you a short story, however. Five
generations after the Folsom family settled in New England, two of the
Folsom brothers left there and went to the southern states, settling in
rowan County, North Carolina. They
married there, and had children. One of them, Israel, had a son named
Nathaniel. Nathaniel was a
much –used family name that continues through many generations of the
Folsom family. This Nathaniel accompanied his father to the area that is
now Tennessee and Mississippi, when he was about 19. Israel was thinking of setting up a trading post among the
Choctaw, but changed his mind. Nathaniel,
however, had a quarrel with his father (we don’t know what it was
about), but even at that age Nathaniel was a man, as children grew up
faster in those days, and he decided not to return to their home but to
remain where he was, trading with the Indians. Accordingly, he built a trading post there, at a place
called Pigeon’s Roost, that was right on the Natchez Trace, a main
trail from south to north in the early days of our country. [Note: the spot on the Natchez Trace, very near where that
trading post was located is now part of a national park, and Reggie sent
me the photo of the large sign erected there—that’s what I wish to
share with you.] Nathaniel married… he actually married two Choctaw
Princesses, both at the same time [this was common in those days], and
he eventually had a reported 27 children. One of these, David Folsom, became a great orator, and one
of the most highly regarded of the Choctaw Nation. He furthered Christianity among the tribe, worked with the
American government, promoted education among the young, and was a great
man. His portrait, along with that of his grandfather, Israel Folsom,
hangs in the Smithsonian Institute. David also kept the trading post going after his father
aged, and it was he who led the first group of Choctaw on the Trail of
Tears when they had to move the entire tribe from their homeland in what
is now Mississippi, to Indian Territory, the state now known as
Oklahoma. During the time that Nathaniel settled in with the Choctaw,
another man, Louis Durant, a French-Canadian from France, came down into
that country, driving a herd of cattle.
He settled there, also, and it was he who first introduced cattle
to the Choctaw. This was important for the tribe, as they became great
cattlemen, and they still raise many cattle today.
By the time the tribe moved to Oklahoma, the buffalo were a
dying breed, and while there were many deer at first, cattle provided a
way for them to make money in which they could live much as they had
always lived. Louis Durant married a Choctaw, also, and he had several
children, including three sons, one of whom was named Pierre.
Pierre had many children, but one of them, a daughter named
Monette, married John Folsom, one of the sons of Nathaniel Folsom.
Louis died in Mississippi, and is buried near his home on a
bluff overlooking the town across the river.
This town, Durant, Mississippi was named for him, and is still a
town today. Pierre and his sons and their families all eventually moved
to Indian Territory and are buried there. John and
Monette Folsom had a daughter named Charlotte, who married Ben Hampton,
also in “important” Choctaw. Charlotte
died just a few years later, however, and family tradition says that Ben
was unable to care for the daughter they’d had, so he took her to a
maiden aunt (Sarah Folsom), a sister of Charlotte’s who had not
married, and she raised their daughter.
Their daughter’s name? It
was Lucinda, and she was my great-grandmother. These people are some of our ancestors, and there are many,
many more of them. Think of
the amount of relatives we have just coming from those 27 children of
Nathaniel! Many of these people are intriguing to me, and I am working
to find out more about them. I’ll
include a page about Ben Hampton that I recently came upon. It is from
an interview with an author, who included Ben in a book he was writing
about the Choctaw. This was done not long after his marriage to Charlotte, and
there is no mention of either Charlotte or Lucinda, and we don’t yet
know why. There could be
several reasons. I also
noted that he did not include information about his work with the Dawes
Commission, that formed the treaty to remove the Choctaw to Oklahoma.
It appears he did not discuss this probably because it grew to be
an unpopular treaty and decision. Many
of them died on the “Trail of Tears” as they made the move in wagon
and on foot in terrible weather, and after arrival there were many
problems. One fact I’ve
read over and over was that they did not get the money promised them,
among other things. It may be that the death of Charlotte was unpleasant, so he
simply left her and Lucinda out. Or,
during those days, Choctaw people were, in many cases, still following
old tribal ways, instead of following the “White Man’s” way.
Many did not get married in the white man’s way, but had
traditional Choctaw ceremonies. Or,
it may be that they did not get married, legally, at all.
At this time, we just don’t know, and we may never know, but
I’m going to keep looking. I
believe Ben’s portrait also hangs in the Smithsonian Institute. Lucinda went on to marry Joseph Marcus Burks, who had come
up from deep in Tennessee. Lucinda
was the same height as Mamoo (4' 11"), and you can see courage in
her face. She raised 9 of
her 10 children, and helped raise her grandchildren.
Her oldest daughter Minnie was my grandmother, and the story of
Minnie’s elopement with Reg Rogers is included on this website.
Well, I hope this gives you all a bit clearer picture of where our family comes from, and how we came to be Choctaw. I now have my Choctaw card, and my kids and grandkids have theirs. We should all be proud of our Choctaw heritage. |
