Just Some Interesting Trivia

[sammers]

I sent a query to someone who is working another family name in
Arkansas concerning Crawford county as we had Womacks there kown in
1829 and probably earlier. My answer:

The actual reservation began at the White River with a line running
across Harden's Bluff south towards Damacus at a westernly angle that
cut out Little Rock but all the way to the Arkansas River... Crawford
County sits well above the line --- and was definitely included - the
western border of the reservation was what is present day western
border of Oklahoma. When they reestablished the boundary of the state
of Arkansas, we were allowed in some places to move a little west and
in others to move east - this was due to the indian lines being drawn
in order to keep all new boundaries for indians within the boundaries
of Oklahoma.

In order to live in the reservation of 1817-1828 you had to be indian,
part indian, married to an indian or have established trade with the
indians. The first white settlers had to meet those conditions, there
fore many 'married' intto the indian tribes in order to be the first
to gain land... almost all large land holders prior to the civil war
can be traced to the 1842 indian land patents that were a result of
the vacating of the 1808 treaty establishing the reservation. White
got 320 acres as a military land grant from the war of 1812 and
indians got 640, but when the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation was
enacted by Lincoln, freeing southern slaves (northern slaves were not
freed including his own) - Indians were no longer able to own land in
Arkansas which continued until 1956. Therefore during the Civil War
and parcitularly prior to the Jan 1 1863 begining of the EP - whites
and indians alike joined forces and patented land in white names -
thus began the mass denying of indian heritage once agan that remained
for nearly 100 years.

[Jonesb...@aol.com]

Sam; That will teach you to ask questions. Bj

[sammers]

Bill,
I asked the question because Womacks were in that area during that
period of time. This lady has already established
a 3rd great grand was in that area in 1817 [mothers side].

I remembeered that a sheriffs census or two mentioned some Womacks in
Crawford Co; and also mentioned some
"north of Arkansas River."

But you are right. I got a mouth full on that one!!