Hi Dan and list One of the reason's in my family for claiming white and denying indian was because they could.... Receive the land and still cling to what they considered was the prestige of being "white". My family have been affiliated with the Chickasaw Nation since prior to 1836 and the Cherokee Nation before that. My ggggrandfather was a Cherokee Trader named John R. Allen, He plied a schooner from New Orleans to the Choctaw and other Nations along the Mississippi at least through 1818 and probably later. He was married into the Chickasaw Nation to a woman named Catherine who was probably a daughter of Thomas Love and one of his fullblood wives. Their daughter Mary married a white man named Harvey Bacon in July 23, 1831. He was then Adopted into the Chickasaw Nation ( Matriarch society ). When the Treaty of Potontoc was made in 1832 Harvey was given land in Miss. as the husband of a citizen And a citizen in his own right because of his adoption. They sold that land and in the late years of the removal went to IT. Harvey and one of his son's was a Chickasaw judge and all 3 of his son's served in Stan Watie's Cherokee Reg. during the Civil War. That background history was given to explain the crazy Dawes Comm. enrollment of this family. Some enrolled as Blood Chickasaw others as Adopted White.... You could get the land and still claim to be white. The discrimination than was terrible. Some less than truthful members of my family made application as adopted white and are so recorded while others claim Chickasaw blood through their ancestor Mary Allen. One of the most enlightening passages I ever read concerning this family was a Dawes interview with Mariah a freeman of this family who had come with the family from Ms. during the removal. When ask if this family (Bacon) was Indian she said "yes". The examiner then said "Well, why do they say they are not Indian?". She said "Well, Maybe they're not but their mother was!" (beg) I love this lady, she gave the most entertaining interview I ever read mostly to the consternation of the interviewer. I am not saying that everyone who claimed Not to be indian were but some did for whatever reason. The Territory was flooded with people pouring into the Indian and the Okla. Territory during the turn of the century and the overwhelming reason was LAND. Many were of indian descent and were late comers as Jeri's books so well document. Others were not and were trying to get land they did not deserve. In Okla. Territory the whites resented the land allotments in the IT and this discrimination rubbed off on many. Well, I seem to be going on a bit long sorry. Linda Davis