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Indian Pioneer Papers - Index

Indian Pioneer History Project for Oklahoma
Date:
Name: Sallie Colbert
Post Office: Antlers, Oklahoma
Date of Birth: June 25, 1872
Place of Birth: near Tuskahoma Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory
Father: Arlington Anderson
Place of Birth:
Information on father:
Mother: Louisa Anderson
Place of birth:
Information on mother:
Field Worker:

I was born near Tuskahoma Choctaw nation, Indian Territory on the 25 of June 1872. I was married to John ANOLITUBEE. There were four children born to us. Then he died and after he died I married John COLBERT. He died several years ago. Since then I have not married again.

My father's name was Arlington Anderson. My mother's name was Louisa Anderson. They lived near Tuskahoma until their death. My grandfather" name was Reuban Anderson, and my grandmother's name was Hattie Anderson. They lived near Tuskahoma where they both died.

I don't know whether my father was in the Civil War or not. I never did hear my mother say anything about it if he was. I heard my grandfather was in the Civil War. He joined the Southern Army; I don't know how long he was in the Army. My grandfather used to tell us that they had a hard time getting anything to eat during the war. They had plenty of cattle and hogs, and there were plenty of deer, turkeys and fish in the creeks. In fact there was plenty of wild game to live on, but they could hardly get flour, sugar, coffee and other things that they did not have. Sometimes they would have to do without floor and coffee until they could go to Fort Smith, which was their trading post.

She used to tell us that when the soldiers came through there, they would kill their cattle and in fact they would get anything they wanted to eat. They would not say anything about it to them for they were afraid of them. They would leave home until the soldiers got away, then they would come back home.

My grandfather came from Mississippi with the others, and my grandmother would tell us it surely was hard on them for they had no clothes nor shoes to wear, and lots of them died on the way over here. They came here they located in what is now Pushmataha County, it was then Jack Fork County. They lived here till their deaths.

We used to raise enough corn for bread every year, and we had a good many cattle and hogs, and plenty of chickens on the farm for we were farmers. Mother had a block of wood 3 feet high that she used in making corn bread. This block had a bowl about 6 or 7 inches deep. She would put the corn in this bowl and beat it. It would take her a long time to get this corn beat up to where she could use a sifter. She had to sift the husks with a sifter made out of cane switches. She would keep beating this corn until it turned white and made into corn meal. She would also make some hominy (Tunchilobonn), shuck bread (banaha). It is surely good when it is cooked that way. I remember one time my grandmother went out in the woods and dug up some mud potatoes, she called them; they grow in the marshes and are about the size of Irish potatoes. We children would roast them in the ashes.

[Additional information supplied by Rusty Lang a descendant of Isaac Impson:
Sallie Colbert's children are shown on the Choctaw Roll as having the last name of Benton. The record shows she was married to George Benton and that he is the father of the following of her children: Willie Benton born about 1891; Everidge born about 1894; Margaret born about 1887; and George born about 1899.

Around 1901 Washington Colbert and Jincy were divorced and Washington married Sallie Benton.  Washington and Sallie had at least two children, Elias born 1902 and Nathanel born 1906.  Tuskahoma is located in northern Pushmataha County. Antlers is the present county seat for Pushmataha County. In Indian Territory days, records were kept at Antlers for District number 24.]

Transcribed and submitted by Rusty Lang,  December 1999.