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Indian Pioneer Papers - Index

Indian Pioneer History Project for Oklahoma
Date: May 24, 1937
Name: Isaac Batt
Post Office: Stilwell, Oklahoma
Residence Address:  
Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth:  Delaware, Cowskin Prairie, Indian Territory
Father:   John Batt
Place of Birth:  Cowskin Prairie, Indian Territory
Information on father: born 1849; died Adair Co. 1917
Mother:   Mary Hawktawter Batt
Place of birth:  
Information on mother: born 1851
Field Worker:  W. J. B. Bigby
Interview #: 6014

Isaac Batt was born in Delaware County on the Cowskin Prairie, Indian Territory, and now lives in Adair County, about seven miles Southwest of Stilwell, something like a mile Northeast of Horn School. He is a full-blood Cherokee Indian and is seventy years old. All of his known relatives were buried in the Batt Cemetery about one mile South of where Mr. Batt lives at the present time. And there are several marked graves in this cemetery and about thirty-five that are not marked.

His father, John Batt, was born in the Cowskin Prairie in Delaware County in 1849 and died in Adair County, in 1917. His mother, Mary Hawktawter Batt, was born in 1851 and he doesn’t remember the date of her death.

His grandfather was Walter Adair, father of John Batt. Batt is the Cherokee way of speaking Adair. Grandfather Walter Adair was born in Georgia, date unknown, and came from Georgia on what was known as the Trail of Tears. This grandfather told him when they left Georgia they drove the Indians like driving cattle for the first day or two and if any of them got sick and died on the road, they would just bury them there and go and leave them.

They would have a lot of bread at a place on ahead and would drive these Indians there before camp and the soldiers would sit up all night and guard these Indians, afraid they would turn back.

He settled at Cowskin Prairie and when he first arrived the Government gave them an ax, a bulltongue plow and a hoe. He then cut logs and began the building of a house, daubing the cracks with mud. Then he cleared some land and started a crop. He raised corn, pumpkins, and beans, also they raised some sheep, cattle and hogs. There was plenty of fish, all the streams were full of them; also plenty of game of all kinds, especially turkey and deer.

He knows nothing much of his grandmother. John Batt, Isaac Batt’s father, was married to Mary Hawktawter in 1866 and raised a family of three boys, Isaac, Jack, and John. He was a North Confederate (Union Soldier) in the Civil War. He volunteered at the age of 16 years. He was in the battle of Prairie Grove about 40 miles East of where he lived then. He talked about the big cannons they used and he saw many people killed. They picked up the dead and dug trenches and put them in. He didn’t remember what they did with the live ones. He was in some other battles but didn’t remember about them.

John Batt was deputy Sheriff and executive counselor.

SMALLPOX

The Cherokees had a disease called smallpox, also consumption.

Isaac Batt used to be a guard at Tahlequah and while he was guard he saw a man hanged. He was standing right under him when he was hung. His name of Thomas Bearpaw. He was hung for killing a man named Manns.

He remembers some U. S. Marshals: Red Rogers living at Fort Smith; Foreman Adair was another Deputy and his brother William Adair was another deputy.

The nearest towns in early days were Ft. Smith, Ft. Gibson and Claremore. He would go to mill at Evansville, Arkansas. This trip would take all day and he would go about once a week. He would make chonchie and skin corn. Also, he fished and hunted. It was easy to make a living in those days.

He remembers well the first deer he killed. He was only about 19 years old. Since that time he has killed several, also other wild game such as turkeys.

At the present time he owns and operates a farm but says living does not come nearly as easy as in the old days. There is a big spring close to his house and lots of fruit trees on his place.

The oldest newspaper he remembers were the Cherokee Advocate.

He remembers about the intruders. To get them to leave, the government paid the intruders around two thousand dollars for the improvements they had made on Indian lands, but after they got the money they refused to leave.

Isaac received an education that would be considered now about the seventh or eighth grade.

Transcribed for OKGenWeb by Catherine Widener, August 2002.