Searching for Mrs. Fisher - Standing Witnesses-Part 6

As discussed earlier in this series on Standing Witnesses, Pleasant Cumiford claimed descent through a Cherokee woman named Rachel Fisher. Watt Christie, Cherokee, gave testimony regarding Rachel and her father, Fisher, making it possible for Cumiford to gain citizenship into the Cherokee Nation. The problem with it all is that Cumiford paid Christie to give false testimony and Cumiford did not descend through any Cherokee, let alone, Rachel Fisher.

It is important to show the ancestry of the Cherokee, Rachel Fisher, so it is clear the records of the Cherokee Nation can always be used to expose a fraudulent or fabricated ancestry like that of Pleasant Cumiford.

Watt Christie never mentioned the name of the mother of Rachel.  He mentioned Rachel and Fisher, her father. He said Rachel should be found on the roll of 1852 and Fisher should be found on the roll of 1835. But what of Rachel's mother? Christie said Rachel's parents lived together near Turnip Town on the Ellijay and that they went to Indian Territory with the Emigration, but he never gave the mother's name. So who was Rachel's mother?

According to the Eastern Cherokee Applications of Fisher's grandchildren, his wife was Polly Fisher, no maiden name given.

While I don't think anyone has ever found definitive proof that identifies Polly Fisher's parents, there is a lot of circumstantial evidence that suggests she was the daughter of Lacy and/or Betsy Christie and at least a half sister to Watt Christie.

In her Eastern Cherokee application, Watt Christie's daughter, Quaitsy (Betsy) Wolf, listed a Polly Fisher as an aunt on her father's side.

In her Eastern Cherokee application, Watt Christie's niece, Polly Ross, daughter of Arley Christie Grease, listed Polly Wa-gi-gu as a 1/2 aunt. Wa-gi-gu connects this aunt to her mother's side.

As you can see, both women listed Lacy Christie (War-kee-coo and Wa-gi-gu) as their grandfather and "Bittie"/a white woman as their grandmother. This matches what Mary (Christie) Manus, daughter of Watt Christie, said about her grandparents in her Eastern Cherokee application. 

Quaitsy Wolf and Mary Manus were siblings. Polly Ross was their first cousin. Quaitsy and Polly both reported a child of their grandparents, Lacy and/or Betsy Christie, named Polly. This means Quaitsy identified Polly Fisher as a sibling to her father, Watt Christie, and Polly Ross identified Polly Wa-gi-gu as a 1/2 sister to her mother, Arley Christie Grease/Greece. Watt and Arley were siblings and the children of Lacy and Betsy Christie. This information, in a family tree form, would look like the diagram below.

In order to avoid making the mistake of same name/different person, it is important to do an exhaustive search for information, extract the facts and then evaluate those facts to see if a conclusion can be formed as to whether Polly Fisher, sister to Watt and daughter to Lacy and/or Betsy Christie is the same Polly Fisher who was the wife of Fisher and mother of Rachel.

Watt Christie testified that Rachel's parents lived near Turnip Town on the Ellijay in the Old Cherokee Nation. This is true, per the 1835 Valuations and the 1838 Claims before Emigration, made in the name of Rachel's father as Hatchet. Lacy Christie was also living in the same area. This area was mountainous and travel was difficult (Hill), therefore, the Cherokees who lived in this region were fairly secluded from other Cherokee communities. There were only 38 families living on the Ellijay in 1835. Considering the topography of this region, and the fact not all who lived in the area would be single and marrying age, there would likely only be a small group of women available for Fisher to marry. Based on the approximate birth year of their son,Watt, it is possible Lacy and/or Betsy Christie's daughter, Polly Wa-gi-gu, was the right age to have been the wife of Fisher.

In Cherokee records from 1835 through 1851, the Fisher family is always found living near Lacy Christie and other members of his family. Fisher and Lacy Christie were even in the same detachment on the Trail of Tears. While this doesn't prove there is a familial connection between Fisher and Lacy, it suggests the possibility of one. Until the upheaval caused by the Civil War, it was quite common to find large, extended members of a Cherokee family living in close proximity to one another.
 

While there is no record of Fisher's wife's death, documentation indicates she probably died  before 1860, possibly as early as 1850. Polly's youngest child, born sometime between 1850-54, had no knowledge of her mother which suggests the child was quite young when Polly died. Additionally, prior to 1860, the Fisher surname was virtually unheard of in the Cherokee Nation. While there were Kingfishers, I've found no Fishers, specifically Fisher, on any rolls of the Cherokee Nation until the Drennen Roll of 1851-52. This roll had only one person named Fisher and he was the father of Rachel Fisher. Time and proximity make it highly likely the daughter of Lacy and/or Betsy Christie referred to as Polly Fisher by Quaitsy Wolf had a connection to Fisher. During the time frame in which Polly Wa-gi-gu appears to have lived, there were no other Fishers in the same area as the Christies.

Is all of this circumstantial evidence? Yes. Does that mean it leads us to make the wrong conclusion? No. The evidence and documentation allows a strong argument to be made that the Polly Fisher mentioned by Quaitsy Wolf and the Polly Wa-gi-gu mentioned by Polly Ross was the same Polly who was the wife of Fisher.

Consider these facts:

• Watt Christie knew a lot about the Fisher family.
• Watt Christie claimed kinship to the Fisher family.
• The Fisher family lived near Lacy Christie in 1835 - Turnip Town/Ellijay.
• The Fisher family lived near Lacy Christie in 1838 - Ellijay/Ellijay Town
• The topography of the Ellijay area caused the Cherokees there to be secluded from other Cherokee communities, therefore limiting the pool of possible choices for a spouse for both Fisher and Polly Wa-gi-gu.
• Fisher and Lacy Christie removed with the same detachment.
• After the Trail of Tears, Fisher and Lacy Christie settled in the same area.
• The Fisher family is found living among many from the Christie family on the Drennen Roll.
• #563 - Lacy Christie
• #564 - Arch Christie
• #566 - Katy/Caty Christie
• #568 - Fisher
• #576 - Arley Christie
• The Fisher surname was virtually nonexistent among the Cherokees before the Civil War.
• Cherokee naming conventions suggest that if Polly Wa-gi-gu married Fisher, she would have taken his given name as her surname, thus becoming Polly Fisher, to represent "Polly, wife of Fisher". 

Is this enough information for us to conclude there was only one Polly Fisher who was both the daughter of Lacy and/or Betsy Christie AND the wife of Fisher? Not yet, but it is enough to make us consider it as a strong possibility. This is also enough information for us to conclude that Watt Christie did know the Fisher family and that he gave Pleasant Cumiford the details needed about that family to fool the citizenship court of the Cherokee Nation. 

While Pleasant Cumiford may have gone to his grave believing he pulled off his con against the Cherokee Nation, he couldn't foresee that, with the passage of time, more information would become available and allow his deception to be discovered. Slowly, through this series on standing witnesses, we have been peeling back the layers of lies to uncover the truth. We haven't just looked at Cumiford's family to show he fabricated a Cherokee ancestry. We've also looked at the family Cumiford claimed, the Cherokee Fishers. In stark contrast to Cumiford's non-Indian ancestry, we find the Fishers repeatedly in Cherokee records, which attests to the fact no fraudulent claim to Cherokee ancestry will be able to withstand the scrutiny of a thorough examination of documents and records. 

This isn't the end of Polly Fisher's story. Stay tuned for the next installment in this series where the fabricated ancestry, created by Pleasant Cumiford and Watt Christie, continues to collapse under the weight of the true story of Rachel Fisher and her family.



Those are my thoughts for today.
Thanks for reading.

copyright 2014, Polly's Granddaughter - TCB

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The Devil is in the Details - Standing Witnesses-Part 5

There's more than meets the eye in the citizenship case of Pleasant Cumiford. While Watt Christie tried to downplay his role in citizenship cases by claiming he often didn't know what he testifying to, this can't be true in the Cumiford case.  Christie gave oral testimony in that case. He had to know what he was testifying to, under sworn oath, because it came out of his own mouth, in his own language.

In Christie's testimony, he admitted he and Cumiford talked for a while. Christie said that was when he recognized Cumiford as his kin, the son of Rachel Fisher. Is it possible this conversation is when the two men set their plan in place to get Cumiford a Cherokee citizenship?

At some time, the two men must have conspired to blend the history of two families in order to make Cumiford appear to be a Cherokee.While it is possible, it is not probable, that the surname Fisher was an impromptu choice by Christie. It would have been quite a coincidence considering Pleasant Cumiford's mother's mother was a Fisher; not a Cherokee Fisher, but a Fisher, nonetheless.

Pleasant's mother, Mary E. Sitton, was the daughter of Vincent Ridley Sitton and Amilly Fisher, who were married August 18, 1833 in Pettis County, Missouri.

Knowing this is enough for us to realize this Fisher family could not have been the one Christie gave many details about because he said Rachel Fisher's family lived near Turnip Town on Ellijay before the removal and that they went to Indian Territory with the emigrants. If true, that means they were in the Cherokee Nation East until late in the year 1838. Cumiford's maternal grandmother was in Missouri five years before the removal, as seen in the marriage record above.

Except for the surname of Cumiford's maternal grandmother, everything Christie shared was about a different family, an authentic Cherokee family. Christie elaborated in his original testimony by saying Rachel's father was named Fisher and her family lived in Goingsnake District after the removal. On the page below, taken from the Drennen Roll, see family #568. The head of the family is "Fisher". Listed later is a family member named Rachel. They were living in Goingsnake District, not far from Watt Christie's father, Lacy.

In 1838, Fisher was a witness in a claim his mother, Ailcy, made against the US government for losses. Ailcy lived in Turnip Town. Fisher lived near Turnip Town on Ellijay. This is verified again with Fisher's own claim in 1838 that said he lived on Ellijay. Remember, Christie said Cumiford's mother's family lived near Turnip Town on Ellijay.

Later, Fisher (aka Fishing Hatchet) filed a claim in 1842 and said he removed from the east with the Elijah Hicks detachment. Lacy Christie's (Watt's father) family also traveled with this detachment.

Notice the name of the witness on Fisher's claim - Wattee. Coincidence that Watt Christie's name in Cherokee is Wa-de? Maybe or maybe not. Since they were kin, it is quite possible Christie was a witness for Fisher.

The devil is in the details, folks. Watt Christie furnished all the information needed to bamboozle the Cherokee citizenship court and he did it by presenting facts about a real Cherokee woman and her family. He would have had intimate knowledge of the family he helped Cumiford steal because, not only did he live near the family, in both the old and new Cherokee Nations, but also because he was related to them.

• Rachel did exist. 
• Rachel's father was named Fisher.
• Rachel's family did live in the Goingsnake District after the removal. 
• Rachel's parents did live near Turnip Town in the old Cherokee Nation East.
• Rachel's family left the Cherokee Nation East in the fall of 1838.
• Rachel was related by blood to Watt Christie.*

But Rachel was not the mother of Pleasant Cumiford.

Rachel Fisher was the mother of many children, but Pleasant Cumiford wasn't one of them. It is unlikely Cumiford realized, that while he was living in the Cherokee Nation enjoying citizenship, Rachel was alive and well and living in the Cherokee Nation too. Unfortunately, she was unaware of the fraud being perpetuated against her and therefore could not have done anything to prevent it.

Stay tuned for the next installments in the Standing Witness series where I share more about Rachel Fisher, her family and the fact she almost missed out on her Eastern Cherokee payment because of the confusion about her family. 


Those are my thoughts for today.
Thanks for reading.

copyright 2014, Polly's Granddaughter - TCB

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Tracing back to Sally Hughes

Now that I have shown the Mhoons have no documentation or evidence to support their claim that they descend from the Cherokee Sally Hughes, I will show the documentation and evidence I have that says I do descend from Sally.

Working backwards, which is the standard way genealogy is done, means I start with myself. Because both my mother and I are living, and because we have proved our ancestry linked back to Dawes in accordance with Cherokee law, I will start with my grandpa, who has passed away, and his parents who were both original Dawes enrollees.

My maternal grandpa was Aaron Carey.

He was the son of Dick Carey and Nancy Fisher. Nancy descended through Sally Hughes so her ancestry is the one I will show.

Per the birth affidavit in Dawes application #5126, Nancy was the daughter of Johnson Fisher and Darkie Tadpole. (Notice the midwife who attended Darkie was Polly Tadpole, her mother.)

In that same application, Darkie's parents are listed as Dave and Polly Tadpole. (Also notice Darkie's  number from the 1880 Census of the Cherokee Nation.)

Darkie died prior to the date of the final roll, therefore was not enrolled, but her husband and daughters were.

Darkie was found on both the 1880 and 1890 Cherokee Nation censuses with her parents.

1880 Cooweescoowee Dist
#2973 David Tadpole, Native Cherokee, 41
#2974 Mollie Tadpole, NCher, 43 (The name difference is settled below.)
#2975 Tiger Tadpole, NCher, 14
#2976 Darkie Tadpole, NCher, 10 (Matches the 1880 number in the above document.)
#2977 Rosie Tadpole, NCher, 8

1890 Cooweescoowee Dist
David Tadpole, NCher, 52
Polly Tadpole, NCher, 54
Darkey Tadpole, NCher, 20
Rose Tadpole, NCher, 18

Polly Tadpole, mother of Darkie, was still living at the time of the Dawes Roll and the Guion Miller Roll. Per Dawes application #2461, where the information was translated from her to the commission by an interpreter since she didn't speak English, her parents were Ave and Betsy Vann. She was also asked if her name was Mollie or Polly. She said Polly. (Also notice her number from the 1880 Census of the Cherokee Nation. It matches the number above.)

Per Eastern Cherokee Application #8972, Polly Tadpole said her parents were Ave Vann and Betsy Vann nee Scott. She did not know the names of her paternal grandparents.

Per the card at the front of the Eastern Cherokee application for Polly, a notation was made that she was admitted and that she was enrolled in 1851, Tahl #569 as Oo-te-ee Vann.

That means we can look at the 1851 Drennen Roll and find her listed with her family. (Notice the name David Vann on the second page has the number 2183 beside it!)

The number 2183 references an Eastern Cherokee application for Polly Tadpole's brother, David Vann, so I checked his application to see if he listed his paternal grandparents. He said his paternal grandfather was Claw-see Vann.

Also, this page from David Vann's Eastern Cherokee application makes reference to his being listed on the Drennen Roll, Tahl #569, and claiming through Ave Vann on both the 1851 Drennen Roll and the 1835 Roll.

George Pumpkin/Pumpkinpile was still alive at the time of the Guion Miller Roll and filed an Eastern Cherokee application. Because he married into another line of my family, I had already done extensive research on him, and knew he listed his maternal grandfather's Cherokee name as "Claw-sene" and English name as James Vann. I checked his application #2804 to to see if he connected with Polly Tadpole and David Vann who filed the applications above. Notice on the second page, George listed Ave Vann as one of the children of his grandparents, thus, his uncle. He was a first cousin to Polly and David.

Now that I have verified the names of Polly Vann Tadpole's, father, Ave Vann, and his father, James "Claw-see" or "Claw-sene" Vann, I can look for them in 1835.

From the Cherokee Census of 1835, transcribed by James W. Tyner, better known as "Those Who Cried, the 16,000", I find Ave Vann listed as Dave Vann living on the Oostenolee River. (Make note of "No farm. One farmer.")

Dave Vann Two fullbloods and one quarterblood. No farm. One farmer. One weaver and one spinner.

He is living next to his father-in-law, Dick Scott, and near Alexander Brown, John Ridge, Watie, Major Ridge and Charley Moore. (It is important to know these men lived near this Ave Vann later.)

From the Cherokee Census of 1835, transcribed by the Trail of Tears Association, Ave Vann is living at Floyd County, Amuchy Creek, Oostenalla River. (Make note of "No farms or acreage in cultivation." and "1 farmer over 18 years.")

Ave Vann - 1 male under 18 years, 1 male over 18 years, 0 females under 16 years, 1 female over 16 years, total Cherokee 3. No slaves. No whites connected by marriage. No farms or acreage in cultivation, 3 houses. 1 farmer over 18 years. 0 Halfbloods, 1 Quadroon, 2 Full bloods. 1 weaver and 1 spinner.

He is living next to his father-in-law, Dick Scott, and near the same men listed above.

My James or Claw-sene Vann is not found in 1835 so it would make one wonder if he died before then.

Looking for claims filed by Ave Vann led me to:

Record Group 75 - Records of the BIA
Entry 236 - Miscellaneous Claims Papers of the 1st Board of Cherokee Commissioners
Folder of Ave Van

Ave Vann filed a claim, February 1, 1837, for two small fields that were included in Sally Hughes' valuation; one field about 6 acres and the other 4 acres.

The claim included testimony by Charles Moore where he said Ave Vann was the son of James Vann, who was the son of Sally Hughes.

The statement of Cherokee Charles Moore in reference to the above - Says that the father of Ave Vann owned a small field of about six acres which he cultivated three years - and when his mother, Sally Hughes, she occupied it, and it is said has been valued to her. The father of Ave Vann's name was James Vann, son of Sally Hughes. [emphasis mine] Moore further says that Ave had a-bout four acres of land that he cleaned himself and cultivated - He frequently saw him at work - that also he understands has been valued to Sally Hughes as part of her improvements.
Sworn to  & subscribed                         Charles (his mark) Moore
before me 1 Feb. 1837
Jno Ridge (illegible)

There is additional testimony from Elijah Moore that said Ave Vann was the grandson of Sally Hughes and the son of James Vann.

I hereby certify that the Ave Vann claimed two small fields that were considered as part of the improv-ments of Sally Hughes. Ave Vann is the grandson of Sally Hughes, [emphasis mine] I was residing with her when he cleaned one of the fields - The other belonged to his father James Vann. [emphasis mine]                             
Sworn to & subscribed          
before me this 1st Feb. 1837.      Elijah Moore
Jno Ridge (illegible)

Do you see it coming together? It was that easy to connect myself, with supporting documentation, to my great great great great great great Cherokee grandmother, Sally Hughes. Did you get that? She is my 6th great grandmother. She is Cherokee. There are records.

My line is as follows:

Me 
My mom, daughter of 
Aaron Carey, son of 
Nancy Fisher, daughter of 
Darkie Tadpole, daughter of 
Polly Vann, daughter of 
Ave Vann, son of 
James Vann, son of 
Sally Hughes

And people say it is hard to prove Cherokee ancestry. Ha! Not true. Despite the fact most of these people didn't speak English; despite the fact these people were Indians; despite the fact Darkie Tadpole died young; despite the fact Polly Tadpole did not know the names of her paternal grandparents; despite the fact James "Claw-sene" Vann was not found in 1835; and despite the fact Sally Hughes was born about 1777-1780, over 57 years before the Trail of Tears, we can still trace this line WITH supporting documentation. And guess what? There's more!

Stay tuned for the next installment in this series about Sally Hughes!

Those are my thoughts for today.
Thanks for reading.

**Unless otherwise stated, all documents were obtained from Fold3.com.

copyright 2013, Polly's Granddaughter - TCB

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Remembering Cherokees Who Have Served - 2012a

  Corporal Hiawatha Tuggle

 1921 - 1943

Son of Hugh and Elizabeth Fisher Tuggle. 

Chilocco Indian School Class of 1940

180 Infantry Oklahoma

Killed in Action - WWII

Aaron Carey, my grandpa

1922 - 2002

Son of Dick and Nancy Fisher Carey.

Pvt - US Army - WWII

612th Tank Battalion 

Prisoner of War 

Bronze Star Medal

Mike Carey

1921 - 1971

Son of Dick and Nancy Fisher Carey.

Pvt - US Army - WWII

John Fisher Carey

1934 - 1978

Son of Dick and Nancy Fisher Carey.

US Marine Corps - Korea

Johnson Fisher Sr.

1844 - 1885

Son of Fisher Hatchet/Chopper and unknown wife.

3rd Regiment - Indian Home Guard

US Civil War - Union

David Tadpole, Jr.

1839 - 1900

Son of David Tadpole, Sr. and Elizabeth Downing.

3rd Regiment - Indian Home Guard

US Civil War - Union

  

Johnnie Martin Blanket

1941 - 2007

Son of Bill and Carrie Pumpkin Blanket.

Graduate Chilocco Indian School

Sgt - US Marine Corps - Vietnam

Purple Heart

George Pumpkin

1839 - Unknown

Son of Pumpkinpile.

3rd Regiment - Indian Home Guard

US Civil War - Union

Rev. Charley Carey

1919 - 2008
Son of Silas and Annie Cochran Carey.
WWII

Swimmer Rabbit

1921 - 1990

Son of William and Ella Swimmer Rabbit (Sullateskee)

PFC - US Army - WWII

PFC Mose Carey

1922 - 1945
Son of Mr. and Mrs. Dude Carey
DOW - US Army - WWII
Enlisted into service November 14, 1942.
Wounded by artillery fire on April 14, 1945, on Hill 903,
in the battle against the Germans at Torre Iussi, Italy.

Robert L. Carroll

1926 - 2003
Son of Robert E. and Flossie Pitts Carroll
Pvt - US Army - WWII

Richard S. Snell

Son of Rachel and Alexander Snell.
US Army - WWII

 Bert Johnson Jr.

US Army

Levi Gritts Sr.

1923 - 2001
Son of Charles and Ollie Terrapin Gritts
US Navy - WWII - Korea

Jesse Swimmer

US Army - WWII

Thomas Snell

Son of Richard Sherman Snell and Alline Snell Bushyhead
US Navy - Korea

Charles W. Flint Jr.

Son of Pauline G. Kelly
US Army - WWII
65th Infantry Field Artillery

Donald Ray Carey

1930 - 1993
Son of Dick and Nancy Fisher Carey.
US Army - Korea

Bert Homer Johnson

Cpl - US Marine Corps
 

PFC Joe Tuggle

1922 - 1942
Son of Hugh and Elizabeth Fisher Tuggle.
PFC - US Army - WWII
120 Medical Regt Co B

Buddy Dean Vance

1938 - 1984
US Marine Corps - Korea

Dull Ho Downing

Unknown - 1863
Died in Service

3rd Regiment - Indian Home Guard

US Civil War - Union

Lewis Hawkins

Son of Tuwodi and Waleh
1st Cherokee Mounted Rifle Company I
US Civil War

Mike Carey 

Abt 1841 - 1901
Son of Dick and Kate Carey.
 3rd Regiment - Indian Home Guard

US Civil War - Union

Lewis Tabb

1st Cherokee Mounted Rifle Company K
US Civil War

Fisher Hatchet/Chopper

Died in Service
Indian Home Guard
US Civil War - Union

Askwater Ummerteskee

Son of Yonahquah and Polly
Indian Home Guard
US Civil War - Union

Eli Tadpole

Son of David Tadpole Sr. and Elizabeth Downing.
Died in Service
2nd Indian Home Guard
US Civil War - Union

copyright 2012, Polly's Granddaughter - TCB

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Mappy Monday - A Family Cemetery

The cemetery that is closest to my heart is the Fisher Cemetery in Wagoner County, Oklahoma. It has primarily been my mother's family cemetery since the mid 1800s and holds many of my Cherokee ancestors. I am related to a large percentage of the people buried there by either blood or marriage. I also have many direct ancestors buried there.

The cemetery was originally on the allotment land of my gg grand uncle, Moses Fisher. The cemetery was moved by the Corps of Engineers when the Fort Gibson dam was constructed.

Below are some pictures from Google Earth and Google Maps of the Fisher Cemetery. In the last picture, I have labeled where my direct ancestors are buried.

 

 

Ancestors and family buried in the above labeled areas -

Black - My great grandpa, Dick Carey, and his wife, my great grandma, Nancy Fisher Carey, along with several of their sons, Donald Ray, John F., Reed, and Millard (Monkey).

Red - My ggg grandparents, Dave Tadpole and his wife, Polly Vann Tadpole, as well as their daughter and my gg grandma, Darkie Tadpole Fisher. Their children Tiger Tadpole and Rose Tadpole Swimmer are also buried in this area as well as some of the daughters of Tiger.

Green - My gggg grandma, Peggie Dennis Pumpkin and her husband, George Pumpkin, as well as Peggie's sister, Annie Dennis Elliot.

Blue - My ggg grandparents, Johnson Fisher (Sr) and his wife, my ggg grandma, Sarah Woodward Fisher. Three of their children are also buried in this area - Daisy, Ben and Charlie Fisher, who all died as infants or toddlers.

Though I am related to many many more of the people buried in the Fisher Cemetery, it would be impossible to label and list them all in such a small picture. Hopefully this will give family looking for the final resting places of some of our ancestors an better idea where to look in the cemetery for those graves.

copyright 2011, Polly's Granddaughter - TCB

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Fearless Females - A 6 Word Tribute to Darkie Tadpole Fisher

"Died too young, but never forgotten."

Darkie Tadpole was the second child of David Tadpole Jr. and Polly Vann, citizens of the Cherokee Nation. She was born about 1870 in Indian Territory. As an adult, she married Johnson Fisher Jr. and they had two daughters, Elizabeth (Lizzie) and Nancy. Darkie was included on the application her family made during the Dawes enrollment period, but sadly, she died in childbirth before the Final Roll. She was only 32 at the time of her death.

copyright 2011, Polly's Granddaughter - TCB

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Wednesday's Child - Ben Fisher

 Ben Fisher

1878 - 1880

This little soul, buried in the Fisher Cemetery, Wagoner County, Oklahoma, was the child of Johnson and Sarah (Woodward) Fisher, citizens of the Cherokee Nation. Ben was found on the 1880 Cherokee Nation census with his family. Even years after his death, he was fondly remembered by his mother as "my little Bennie".

Johnson and Sarah were my third great grandparents. He was the son of Fisher Hatchet (or Chopper) and she was the daughter of Redbird Woodward and Peggie Dennis.

Those are my thoughts for today.
Thanks for reading.

CC
The Granddaughter

copyright 2011, Polly's Granddaughter - TCB

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Fearless Females - Day 4 Dick and Nancy's Marriage Licence

My maternal great grandma, Nancy Fisher, and great grandpa, Dick Carey, were married February 18, 1916. I find it interesting that her age is incorrect. On the marriage application/license, she is listed as 18, but since her birthday, according to her birth affidavit in her Dawes application, was May 30, 1900, she was actually only 15 years old when she married. She would not turn 16 until May later that year.

What a young bride my Grandma Nancy was! We don't know anything about how she got married. We just know she did. And that she truly loved her husband. Dick was killed in 1937 and left her a widow with nine children. Despite the fact she was still a young woman, she never remarried. One time I asked my mom why Nancy never married again and she said, "Well, because she loved grandpa."

Those are my thoughts for today.

Thanks for reading.

CC

The Granddaughter

copyright 2011, Polly's Granddaughter - TCB

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