AEW Robertson Received Honorary Degree

On June 18th, 1892, the University of Wooster in Ohio honored Ann Eliza Worchester Robertson with an Honorary Doctor of Philosophy degree. This award is believed to be a first for Oklahoma.



Ann Eliza Worchester was born in Brainerd, Tennessee, on November 7th, 1826. She was the daughter of Rev. Samuel Austin Worchester and Erminia Nash. At the time of her birth, her parents were missionaries to the Cherokees in Tennessee. Her father was a seventh generation minister. Later, her parents were missionaries in Georgia before immigrating to Indian Territory with the Cherokees on the "Trail of Tears."


In the new Cherokee Nation, her father's talents produced numerous publications in the Cherokee, Creek and Choctaw languages. Especially notable was his bringing the first printing press to the Cherokee Nation. He worked his adult life on translating a Bible and hymnal in Cherokee.


Ann Eliza was Samuel's first-born child. Her gift of hearing and intellectual curiosity predestined her to follow in her parents' steps. She married in 1850 to the Rev. William Schenk Robertson, of the Tullahassee Mission in the Creek Nation. To this union were born four daughters and three sons. Their second child was Mary Alice, the second woman elected to the US House of Representatives.


Ann Eliza's days were full at the mission. Caring for the children, hers and the students, included teaching and nurturing. During this period, she came to see the need for a Bible written in the Creek language for both uses.


She began, despite her heavy responsibilities, to spend a few spare moments with the translation of the Bible into Creek. As the years passed, Creeks who were once students under her care began contributing words and phrases. Classically trained fellow missionaries also helped in translating the Greek words into the Creek language.


Ann Eliza's knowledge of the almost exclusively oral Creek language became widely recognized. When the US Bureau of Ethnology sent representatives into the Creek Nation to preserve the Creek heritage and culture, they found Ann Eliza. By the 1880's her memory was exactly the source needed in their work. After the chroniclers' return to Washington, DC, their long letters filled with questions came to the mission.


The passing years and growing infirmaries slowed Ann Eliza down, but dampened her enthusiasm none at all. At last, she completed the translation of the Bible.


Following the closing of the Tullahassee Mission, Ann Eliza moved into Muskogee and lived with her daughter now called "Miss Alice" Robertson. During her last years, Ann Eliza was "Professor Emeritus" at the Henry Kendall College.


Ann Eliza passed away in the early morning hours of November 19th, 1905, in her daughter's home. She was 79 years old. The woman who "gave literature to the Creeks" joined her husband and three children. Her funeral in the First Presbyterian attracted a packed crowd of sympathizers, many who grew to adulthood under her care and attention.


Her obituary in the Muskogee Democrat newspaper summed up Ann Eliza this way. "Mrs. Robertson's life was devoted to her fellow man, rich and poor, black white or red have known her as friend…" Her gift of a literature to the Creek Nation earned her love and respect.

Muskogee in 1884

In 1884, the local newspaper was the "Indian Journal." That is, it was the local newspaper when the editor was not dragging the press back to Eufaula. Reading the old issues provides a glimpse into daily life. The building of a house made the "Local News" column. So, too, did the news about the expansion or building of new business buildings.

One easily sees how Muskogee was growing because of the railroad at the time. The impact of the railroad shows up in every issue. Almost every imaginable item came into the area by rail. Corrugated sheet metal for roofing arrived for the business construction mentioned above. Building hardware such as nails and bolts also came the same way.

Businessmen ordered woolen clothing and oysters. Figs, apples and lemons were in the stores during the winter. On the shelves nearby were lace curtains and coal oil lamps. When businessmen went to markets "back East" to select merchandise for their stores, they were said to be "going to the States."

Farmers and ranchers also benefited from the railroads. Seed potatoes came in burlap bags by the carload. Farmers planted these Iowa potatoes for growing their summer crop. Farmers bought offloaded wagons and plows, too. Ranchers imported brooded stock to upgrade their herds. Both cattle and horses came in wooden cattle cars.

In the winter, a carload of hogs shipped to the Chicago slaughterhouses would bring a farmer about $250. Farmers who trapped wild animals also made money in the winter by selling pelts. Ranchers sold cowhide for the same purpose to St. Louis dealers.

Railroad cars also carried mechanical equipment. In the age of steam engines pulling boxcars, steam engines also ran cotton gins and printing presses. Electricity was a decade away from coming to Muskogee.

Area craftsmen manufactured much of the common furniture. However, better-made furniture from beds to bureaus was coming into town by rail. Billiard tables, too. Wealthier area residents were buying imported buggies.

Everyone was interested in who was arriving and who was departing Muskogee. They wanted to know when friends and relatives were visiting. When getting away from your home or farm was difficult, newspapers provided a sense of connectedness in an age without radio, television or telephone.

While there was little said about fashion, the "society" news detailed traveling women. Some accounts kept track of cousins visiting cousins, mothers and daughters re-establishing a bond, and teachers returning to the schoolhouse. Here is one announcement: "Mrs. W. Harvison, of Eufaula, came up Monday morning to visit her mother, Mrs. Fryer." If a person was traveling any distance, they rode in passenger cars.

When passengers stepped down from the train, they often went to the Mitchell House. It was the better hotel in town. Advertising for the hotel consisted of lists of overnight visitors. Lawyers coming for trials stayed there with traveling salesmen.

Many residents in town were affected if there was a problem on the railroad line. It was big news when a train was delayed for a day because of a washed out bridge. The editor reported the lack of news when ice caused a break in the telegraph line strung along the tracks.

Reading old newspapers at the library reminds me how "built up" Muskogee is. One only has to read the old newspapers at the library to get another picture of by-gone Muskogee.

Genealogy in the Woods

Genealogists take note; a conference called "Genealogy in the Woods" will be held next month. This conference has sessions for researchers wanting to learn new techniques. It will be at Sky Ranch at Cave Spring. This convention center is located six miles east of Miami, Oklahoma.

The rustic setting promotes a focus on learning how to dig into one's past. There are rooms for those wishing to stay for the whole retreat.

The conference starts on Friday, October 19th. For those arriving early, there are two scrapbooking sessions in the afternoon. Presenters Shirley Ratliff and Luretta Williams show how to preserve your heirlooms and research for the future.

Steve King gives a talk later Friday evening on American migration along waterways. He tells how our ancestors used flatboats and steamboats to travel. Whether heading west or on the Mississippi River, details of our ancestors' travels come to life.

Saturday is full of program sessions. Beginning at 6:30, the "early bird" session tells how to organize and protect your computer files. Understanding computers better will enable the researcher to use one more effectively.

At 8:30, Karen Scott talks about vital records created between birth and death. She talks about where to find them and how to use them.

Sherrell Buchanan from Fort Smith covers genetics during the last morning session. She explains the difference between Y-DNA and mtDNA research. She also tells how "surname projects" enable researchers to trace a male line.

Karen and Randy Scott start the afternoon with a presentation on analyzing documents. They will show researchers how to avoid mental traps that regularly crop up.

Carrie Cook presents the second Saturday afternoon session on building PowerPoint presentations. Using transparencies is so out of date. Carrie will show you how to jazz your presentations with tips and tricks.

Randy Scott comes back Saturday evening for a discussion of the Genealogy Proof Standard. This practice has guided researchers in understanding the different classes of evidence. Understanding Genealogy Proof Standard is necessary in overcoming research roadblocks.

Sunday, Sharolyn "Sue" McCoy presents a session entitled "Layered History" at 9:00 am. She tells how you can use this technique with your own research. Sue specializes in "Community Genealogies." Using this approach, she researches every individual in every household. After the research, she writes a short vignette about each household. Story after story is "layered" until the whole tale is told. Question and answer time to follow.

Carrie Cook returns Sunday to tell researchers how to use eBay purchases in building a personal library. She provides tips on making successful bids.

This conference promises to be interesting because presenters are coming from three states to lead the different sessions. In addition to hearing the instructors, participants will enjoy a wonderful time networking with other researchers. Exchanging ideas often lead to new, creative approaches in solving roadblocks.

More information about the conference is at www.gregathcompany.com/workshop/2007/index.htm.

Alex Posey, Creek Bard

People enjoy the exhibits of the Five Civilized Tribes. This museum on top of Agency Hill sits next to the Jack Montgomery Veterans Administration Hospital.

Researchers like museums for an entirely different reason. Oh, don't get me wrong. They like to look at exhibits. After all, one purpose of museums is to teach. Museum exhibits allow the visual transfer of information about a subject.

Researchers appreciate this educational effort. But when a researcher enters a museum, they often are seeking a more intense education. This is where museums perform a second function of importance, i.e., preservation.

When I walked into the Five Civilized Tribes, I wanted to learn more about Alex Posey. Next May marks the 100th anniversary of Posey's untimely death.

His passing serves as a milestone in measuring railroad progress. Posey was taking the train to Eufaula on business. However, the rain-swollen North Canadian River had washed over the bridge and the engineer knew the damaged embankment would not hold the engine's weight. In 1908 railroad companies were still working on bridge designs because washouts were a common problem.

Persisting in reaching Eufaula, Posey found a boat and two men who would row Alex and a friend across the turbulent water. As you might imagine, the trip did not go well. His body was found a month later.

Alexander Lawrence Posey began thinking about words almost as soon as he entered the world in 1873. His mother was a Creek Indian while his father was Scots-Irish. To his last days, Posey was the embodiment of the conflict over which identity was strongest.

He began speaking his mother's Creek language because of her childrearing. This was the language of his youth. As he was growing up, he learned English less well. Then one day his father insisted Alex tell a story in English even though he began in his mother's tongue. Thereafter, Alex studied his father's language in earnest.

The commencement speech Alex wrote in 1895 at Bacone Indian University attests to the success of his endeavor. This speech is still presented to entering students as a model of accomplishment.

It was as editor of two newspapers that Posey's penmanship became widely recognized. His voice was in favor of change then rapidly occurring all around him. The Dawes Commission was in its last days of breaking up tribal customs. Because he saw the same happen in his own family as he was growing up, Alex understood some of the coming consequences.

In the Indian Journal newspaper, Posey wrote 72 letters under the Fus Fixico pseudonym. With humor and sarcasm he helped readers grapple with those days of change. His prose was straight forward even if he used a faux Indian voice.

By the time of his death, his dynamic style was fading. He ceased writing poetry years earlier. When asked to compile his Fus Fixico work for book publication he declined. Yet, he was hailed as the "Creek Bard" within a quarter of a century.

What did I find in the Five Civilized Tribes Museum that gave me a hint about the man?

The museum's collection of Posey documents only spans a year and a half of Alex's life. The Posey family donated these surviving papers in the 1960's. For forty years the Five Civilized Museum preserved these documents for researchers. One letter caught my eye. Posey was writing in reply to a letter from George Hall of Senora, IT. George's letter, that Alex had just opened, was full of details about the Hall family's activities.

Alex enjoyed George's long letter. He wrote George on November 8th, 1899, "In fine, I like to hear the heart beat between the lines." Alexander Posey declared in this sentence his love of words. That is why Alex Posey is remembered as the Creek Bard.