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J.G. Rind
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| Rind, J.G.
Field Worker: John F. Daugherty Date: February 15, 1938
My grandfather, Reverend George Rind, came with the Choctaw Indians from Mississippi, as a teacher and missionary. He was sent and paid by the United States Government. He landed at Wadewille in the Choctaw Nation and taught there. He also taught at Lukefodder (no longer in existence), Fort Townsend and Doakesville. He was in the Confederate Army during the Civil War and returned to his work among the Choctaws at the close of the war. He moved to Arkansas in the early seventies and died in that state. Father's home was on the Iron Stob Line between the Indian Territory and Arkansas that runs from the Arkansas River to Red River. These iron stobs which were hollow and capped with iron caps, were placed six miles apart and contained records of the geological survey. I was born at this home November 8, 1869 and came to the Indian Territory in 1884, settling at old Woodville in the Chickasaw Nation. Our mail came from Preston Bend on Red River for there was no post office at Woodville. The Government put a large box at the store and the mail for those who lived near Woodville was left in this box each day by the mail carrier from Preston Bend. He carried the mail on a horse. As we were coming to the Chickasaw Nation we met two men on horses, one of whom was leading a pack-horse, and the other following. The pack horse carried tow five gallon kegs, one on each side. These men stopped us and asked if we cared to buy some whiskey. This was their method of peddling whiskey. Each man had two guns and one had no desire to start any trouble with them. Woodville consisted of a store, a gin and a grist mill and it was mostly populated with Indians. We raised some cotton and a little corn which we had ground for meal for bread. It was ground on an old fashioned rock burrs and there were two round rocks with grooves which ground the corn as it was fed through a hopper after which it dropped into a box and was dipped up and put into sacks. The cotton was ginned at a one stand gin which had an upright boiler about four feet in diameter. The cotton was carried to the stand in a basket, weighed on cotton scales and dumped into the stand. It came into the lint room in very small particles resembling snow flakes after which it was gathered in the arms of the person who brought it, carried to the press and tramped in with the feet. No wonder ginning was a slow process in those days. Before we moved to Woodville, our cotton was ginned at an old tread wheel gin. The power for running this wheel was furnished by a steer. The wheel was locked, a steer was led into the pen where the wheel was and the gate was locked so he couldn't get out. He was led onto the wheel and when the brake was released and the wheel began to turn the steer began to walk to keep from falling. This turned the wheel which ran the gin. I have lived in Murray County for ten years. I am a bachelor. Transcribed by Brenda Choate & Dennis Muncrief, March, 2001 |
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