Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Tombstone Tuesday - My Other Grandma Polly


Polly Boots, my great great grandma, was born in Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory, in 1851, the daughter of Boots and Lee-say (AKA Lizzie Scott). Polly married Hiram Smith and they were the parents of Sam, Tom, and Ellen. Polly was also the mother of Susie Whitewater, Joe McKay, Jim Pickup, Dick Carey and Jim Bean.

Polly lived most of her life in the Lost City area, near where Hulbert, Oklahoma is located today. Polly only spoke Cherokee and was very traditional. Though she opposed the breaking up of Cherokee land and refused to make an application for the Dawes Roll, she was listed on it anyway, as all the others who opposed it were. She was also listed on the Guion Miller roll and all the other Cherokee rolls that were taken during her lifetime.

She was most likely buried in one of the old Indian cemeteries near her home. At that time, many Indians marked their graves with rocks. Each family had a common rock so family members could more easily be identified in the burial ground. Because Polly's grave is not marked in the conventional American manner, it is unlikely the exact location of her grave will ever be known. The picture above is just an example of what her grave might look like. It is not her actual tombstone or grave. Even though I don't know where she is buried, I know that she lived and I will never let her be forgotten.

Those are my thoughts for today.
Thank you for reading.

CC
The Granddaughter
copyright 2009, Polly's Granddaughter - TCB

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