George Washington Grayson and the Creek Nation, 1843- 1920
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
GEORGE WASHINGTON GRAYSON AND THE CREEK NATION, 1843-1920 By MARY JANE WARDE Bachelor of Arts University of Tennessee Martin, Tennessee 1966 Master of Arts Oklahoma State University Stillwater, Oklahoma 1981 Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate College of the Oklahoma State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY May, 1991 The5i5 \q'1\~ 'N~~o~ Co?.:i C 0 P Y R I G H T by MARY JANE WARDE 1991 GEORGE WASHINGTON GRAYSON AND THE CREEK NATION, 1843-1920 Thesis Approved: Thesis Adviser Dean of the Graduate College ii 1402228 PREFACE George Washington Grayson is a rare historical figure in that he was a well-educated, articulate, and sophisticated Indian. He left us a wealth of documents through which to see his world as he saw it. He participated in almost every event affecting the Creek Nation during critical periods of its existence: the aftermath of the traumatic Removal, the Civil War, Reconstruction, the economic development of the Indian Territory, the dissolution of the Five Civilized Tribes, and the early statehood period of Oklahoma. As a perpetual member of the Creek national government and its representative to the Federal Government, he understood the unequal relationship between the two. He did all he could through both his private and public life to defend Creek self government and the Creek landbase. Grayson was one of many mixed-blood Creeks, several as well educated and as politically astute as he. Like them, he bridged the two cultures. Living very much in the white style as a businessman and newspaper publisher, he still saw himself and them as Creek. The study of his life provides insight into the place of the mixed-blood in creek society. It offers in this special case an answer to the difficult question, "Who is an Indian?" Because Grayson's life was inseparably intertwined with that of the Creek people for nearly eight decades, a study of it necessitates taking a fresh look at Creek history. Grayson was a product not only of his iii times but also of the Creek past. Because Grayson's political career extended several years beyond the formal dissolution of the nation on March 4, 1906, this study covers ground not previously explored in the major works on the Creeks and the Five Civilized Tribes. The last major tribal history of the Creeks was Angie Debo's The Road to Disappearance, published in 1941. Grayson probably considered his life in many ways a failure, because most of his battles, public and private, ended eventually in defeat. Except for a few old-timers, local historians, and descendants, he has been forgotten in Eufaula, Oklahoma, and at the office of the Indian Journal, the town and the newspaper he helped found. But Grayson lived a very full public and private life; his name is omnipresent in the Creek National Records and in Federal records relating to Creeks. He was a prolific writer as well. So much documen tation related to, let alone by, an Indian is rare. Even more rare are the forty-four volumes of daily journals Grayson left; they cover the critical period in Creek affairs from 1898 to 1917. I had the opportunity to study them briefly and found them extraordinary in their content and perspective. Unfortunately, even though portions of them have been published previously, Grayson's heirs are currently reluctant to have outsiders read them. In accordance with their wishes, I have refrained from using any except previously quoted excerpts. When working with this type of topic, the historian encounters certain difficulties. One is the lack of newspapers in the pre-Civil War Indian Territory from which to infer public opinion. While a number of Indian-owned and published newspapers existed in the three decades iv after the war, by the end of the century this indicator of Indian public opinion had nearly vanished. Only the white point of view on many current events is available. Census data is also rare and sketchy for the period up until the Dawes rolls were compiled near the end of the nineteenth century. The Creeks kept voluminous government records, but they did not record debates and votes on bills in their Council. Party platforms are unusual, and existing election returns are incomplete. Most Creek records up to March 4, 1906 were given into the safekeeping of the Oklahoma Historical Society and are available to the researcher. But Creek records dealing with the vestigial government kept in place after March 4, 1906 are unavailable. Other problems include terminology and spelling. I have chosen to use "Indian" rather than the current "Native American" because it is the term Grayson used when he spoke of himself and those of his race. He referred to himself as both a "Muskogee" and a "Creek"; I have used these interchangeably. I have generally called Grayson's second language "Muskogee" as he did, although he sometimes spoke of it as "Creek" or "the Indian." The original name of his Scots ancestor was Grierson. By the period of the Removal, the name had been modified to Grayson, and I have so called family members as they made that transi tion to the Indian Territory. The Muskogee language is complex and strange to ears accustomed to English. At the same time, Creeks had difficulty with English names, so that Kennard might also be spelled Canard and Kennaird. Where necessary I have placed an alternate spelling or shortened form of the name in parentheses. Writers have not adopted one system for spelling Muskogee v words, so that a noun such as tustunuggee may be spelled a variety of ways. For people and place names I have used the most familiar spell ings, following the example of Angie Debe or of recent maps. The study of Grayson's life has been a rewarding experience. It suggests that there is much more to be said about mixed-blood Indians, particularly those of the Five Civilized Tribes. The point that comes most clearly across from Grayson's experiences is that his degree of acculturation had less to do with his sense of personal identity than the society in which he lived, his own perceptions, and the way other Creeks perceived him. It is rare that a historian finds so rich a subject as George Washington Grayson, and I am truly thankful to have had the priviledge of researching his life. Dr. W. David Baird introduced me to him in the first semester of my graduate work. Even after Dr. Baird took a position at Pepperdine University, he continued as my dissertation adviser. He oversaw my research and the writing of most of this biography. Because he accepted a Fullbright Scholarship in New Zealand, I was unable to finish the work under his direction. Dr. L. G. Moses graciously stepped in to see me through the last stages; I value his scholarship, his sensitivity, and his moral support. In Dr. Baird's absence, Dr. Richard Rohrs went beyond the usual duties of a committee member to critique each chapter as I wrote it. Dr. George Carney was originally on my committee; because he was unable to continue, Dr. Louis Seig consented to take his place as the outside member. Dr. Joseph A. Stout and Dr. George Jewsbury have also contributed their time and their scholarly perspectives to this project. I would also like to thank Dr. vi LeRoy Fischer for his professional generosity and for helping me understand Grayson's Civil War experiences. A number of people helped make my research enjoyable and rewarding. David Grayson (Tod) Hansard and Colonel Harold 0. Hoppe, a grandson of Sam Grayson, were particularly helpful. Mrs. Mildred Fuller Ewens of Eufaula, Oklahoma, "Little Sunny Millie Mitowoli" to her Grandfather Grayson, turned him into a flesh-and-blood person for me. My main regret is that Mrs. Ewens died at Christmas 1990, and so did not live long enough to see how much she helped me understand Chief Grayson. Mrs. Dorothy Follansbee opened her historic Eufaula home to me; she, Mrs. Lela Whitaker, and Mrs. Kittye Mcintosh Stafford took me back to the Eufaula of an earlier day. Mr. James Carey shared with me the enthusiasm and fruits of his own research into Mcintosh County history. Reseaching at the Western History Collection at the University of Oklahoma and at the Oklahoma Historical Society is always a pleasure. I especially appreciate the suggestions of archivist William Welge. At Edmon Low Library at Oklahoma State University, I owe much to John Phillips and the Government Documents staff and to Mary Helen Evans in the Non-Book Room. A Raymond Estep Fellowship and a Townsend Disserta tion Fellowship helped finance my research. Susan Oliver of the History Department helped me cope with a new word processing system. John R. DeLuca of the Geography Department created original maps of the Creek Nation to illustrate the text. Only my family knows how much patience they have had to exert to bear with me through this project. My parents, Frances and Buster Williams of Martin, Tennessee answered when called on; my sister, Linda vii Wayman, helped me find the United States Personnel Management Office in the wilds of south st. Louis. To my sons, Colin and Chris, I give special thanks for getting along without me for a while. No one helped more than my husband Bill, who took up the slack at home and always told me I could do it. Thank you. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. "DRIVEN UP THE RED WATERS" • 1 Notes 25 II.