Refugees in Their Own Land
Although most of Alabama's Indians were beyond the Mississippi by 1839 (and by 1851) those that were left had become a curiosity), they remained in sufficient numbers during the forties... A few of the Choctaws left near Mobile constituted an item for sightseers."
-Cleveland. "Social Conditions in Alabama as seen by Travelers. 1840-1850"
Mobile dockyards used to transport cotton and the location where a group of Choctaws departed for an inland trip in 1854.
- Robert N Dennis Collection. Public Domain.
Records of Continued Choctaw Presence in Southern Alabama
Nathaniel Byrd
Reports to the Federal Office of Indian Affairs, Choctaw Agency (1851)
"Several hundred Indians were determined to remain in vicinity of Mobile" (November 6)
"Several hundred more Indians have come to vicinity" (November 37)
"about 500 assembled…" (December 15)
Petition of "all the Indians of south Alabama of the Choctaw Nation" (1852)
'We, a remnant of the Tribe of Indians called Choctaw residing in Southern Alabama and near Mobile would respectfully bring to your notice, the frauds which are attempted to be practiced on us, to deprive us of our property and just rights by real and pretend agents of the Government"
Census Roll of Choctaw Families Continuing to Live in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama (1856)
Documents the Six Town clan located in Jasper & Newton Counties, Mississippi and Mobile, Alabama. The Six Towns Clan was comprised of 129 men, 19 women, 194 children for a total of 514 individuals or 96 Families.*
Series of Petitions By Citizens of Alabama and Mississippi Continuing to Ask for the Removal of all Choctaws to the West (1859)
Federal agents replied that "the government has no intention to make any further removal of Choctaws" and has no intention in pursuing the appointment of an agent to continue carrying out the removal process.
Federal Office of Indian Affairs, Choctaw Agenty Report (1847)
"Since the time of 1830 the Choctaws who remained has been left to follow their own inclination, the greater part of them leading vagrant lives .. in the southern part of Alabama and deriving a precarious subsistence by hunting and fishing in swamps…about 3,000, including 2 and 300 who have wandered off to the seashore between Mobile and New Orleans"
Letter from "One Hundred Red Men" (Choctaws) (1849)
We, about one hundred of the principal men from a remnant of the Choctaw Tribe of Indians residing at and about Jasper and Newton counties in the State of Mississippi, respectfully represent — That we have been hereunto requested by the entire remnant of our tribe living in the counties aforesaid consisting of about 800 persons, to come to Mobile, where we now, and make known to you, who have always been our friend, our complaints, and we petition you to intercede yourself with the government of the U. States on our behalf. Our tribe has been woefully imposed upon of late. We have had our habituations torn down and burned, our fences destroyed, cattle turned into our fields, and we have ourselves been scourged, manacled, fettered & otherwise personally abused - until by abuse, exposure & want of susteanance of our best men have died…We have become tired of this treatment & wish you to procure for us some better protection from the government.