1. Holmes Colbert was a 19th-century leader of the Chickasaw Nation in Indian Territory.
14 Facts About Holmes Colbert
1. 2.
Holmes Colbert helped write the Chickasaw Nation's constitution in the 1850s after its removal to Indian Territory and reorganization of its government.
3.
Holmes Colbert was the son of James Isaac Colbert and Sarah "Sally" McLish.
4.
James Holmes Colbert already had some remote Chickasaw blood since he was the grandson of James Logan Colbert, a Scots trader from North Carolina who settled in Chickasaw country in the mid-18th century, and of his third wife, Minta Hoye, who had a Chickasaw mother herself.
5.
Since the Chickasaw have a matrilineal system, children are considered born into their mother's clan and gain recognition in the tribe through her legacy, including any hereditary leadership positions; the whole Holmes Colbert family was hence considered a part of the Chickasaw Nation.
6.
Historical records indicate that Holmes Colbert had six sons going by the names of William, George, Levi, Samuel, Joseph, and Pittman.
7.
George and Levi Holmes Colbert served as negotiators and interpreters in the 1820s-1830 during the tribe's negotiations with the US government related to Indian Removal.
8.
Holmes Colbert grew up learning about his family's leadership and was groomed for taking responsibilities in tribal affairs.
9.
Master Holmes [Colbert] told us children not to cry, that he and Miss Betsy would take good care of us.
10.
Family history states James Holmes Colbert son of James Issac son of James Holmes son of, James Logan was born September 22,1828, in Marshall County, Mississippi, and died March 24,1872, in Washington, DC.
11.
Holmes Colbert married Elizabeth Love, daughter of Henry Love and Sarah Moore.
12.
Holmes Colbert married James Holmes Colbert, son of James Colbert and Sarah McLish.
13.
Holmes Colbert was born September 22,1828, in Marshall County, Mississippi, and died March 24,1872, in Washington, DC.
14.
Holmes Colbert represented the tribe as a delegate to Washington, DC during these negotiations and later to Congress.