My Parents and Grandparents
As most of you know .. Despite the Blond hair in some of my photo\’s No longer so.. I have returned to the Grey hair God has bestowed upon me ..I am by Heritage, American Indian, with some English, and French. My grandfather on my mothers side was Full blood Chickasaw Indian .. Her mother English.. My Grandfather on my fathers side was Cherokee and French and my grandmother English and French.
I am a Citizen of the Chickasaw Tribe from the Chickasaw Nation in Ada Oklahoma.. I reside however in Texas , My hometown of Vernon. according to the Civilized Indian Tribes rules I could only become a citizen of one tribe . Since my Maternal Grandfather left with me his Roll Number and my mother was already on the Roll it became evident my place was there. I was closer to my Chickasaw Grandfather and remember how much I enjoyed watching him make Bows.. He would speak to me in our language and Oh how I wish I had listened closer. He was teaching me and I was not listening.
I from time to time go back and listen to the native tongue and I can hear him .. He sang songs as they do in tribal powwows and at the time I thought it was so silly.. Now I have a new respect.. No doubt my desire to create came from my Indian heritage.. Grandfather was always making something out of nothing. I didn\’t know my Fraternal Grandfather as well .. He left my father when he was very young and we didn\’t see him but maybe once a year.. I was always happy to see him but our visits were too short.
My Maternal Grandparents
Monge Plummer Wright and Anna David Blancett
My Fraternal Grandparents
Robert Joseph Gauldin and Minnie Caroline Harper
My Mother and Father
Everett Amos Gauldin and Patsy Jeanine Wright
Me At 18 Years Old
Carol Ann Gauldin
…very Nice Family….
Warmest Regards,
Irmina
You dad’s mom looks a lot like my dad’s mother. There was also Indian in the family but when the rolls were taken, they hid the fact. So I can’t prove anything and I don’t know which tribe. Sad. They were also from Oklahoma. My grandmother lived in Sterling. Very interesting reading about your family. Thanks.
Although Grandfather Wright I know loved grandmother I was told he chose her because of her very white skin,, I was told he wanted his children to be so white that they could pass as white and not Indian .. even in his life we were treated with little respect.. Unfortunately the Indian was so full that we all turned out as someone he could not deny .. We all had that dark skin and dark hair.. However my oldest brother and I were blessed with my mother and her mothers green eyes.. I felt that was so special..
I wish you could dig deep and try and find that Roll number .. Once you find your Tribe you can do a search for your Indian relatives.. I am so proud of mine and respect or not I will never deny them.. I wish Grandfather was still alive to see how far our family has come..
Carol,its great that you know your heritage. My family has some Aboriginal ancestry, unfortunately it is like most native cultures, it wasn’t desirable to belong. Took until the 1970′s before Aboriginals could vote. So while we “knew” from family talk that we had Aboriginal ancestry we never knew what tribe or where from. It is a difficult thing to trace…..perhaps one day I may be able to find the country (that is what Aboriginals call their tribal land area)I belong to.
Thanks for sharing your history.
Sue .. Good luck in your Quest ..I can imagine your wanting to learn more .. I have known for all my life , my heritage , .. to go back and trace just exactly where it all began is having the knowledge and respect of how we chose to uphold what was and is now..I do belong to an Indian Nation apart from where I actually live .. To go in and be a part of where my family lived and to hear the stories of those who continue to keep tradition alive gives me a feeling of pride. A peace of mind that we are all still a people .