Camp San Sabá: Where my Indian Texas Ranger Kin Fought the Lords of the Plains

Photo courtesy of Google Earth.

     This site was the northern-most, largest and most advanced presidio in Spanish Texas. It was called Presidio de San Sabá to protect Mission Santa Cruz de San Sabá, located 4 miles downstream.  Known as Presidio San Luis de las Amarillas, Presidio San Sabá was constructed in April of 1757 by a Spanish force led by Captain Don Diego Ortiz Parilla. San Sabá was the principal settlement in McCulloch County until Brady became the county seat in 1876. My Mulkey family were some of the earliest settlers in McCulloch County, Texas.

Presidio San Sabá is on the National Register of Historic Places and is located one mile west of Menard, Texas on US 190 at 191 Presidio Road. A group of Texas Rangers were stationed at Camp San Sabá, about 40 minutes away via Hwy. 190E to Farm Road 1955 and the San Sabá River ten miles southeast of Brady in southeastern McCulloch County, in the mid-1850s to protect settlers from Indian attacks. Although we may appear be new California refugees to Texas, my relatives actually trace back to Texas for five generations. My Cherokee GG-Grandfather, Lewis Andrew Mulkey was one of those Texas Rangers in Capt. O'Brien's Company. But wait. There's more.
      My Cherokee Great-Great Uncle, James Daniel Mulkey, who was Lewis' older brother, also served with the Texas Rangers as a scout. Lieutenant James D. Mulkey served with Captain Fossett’s battalion of Texas Frontier Regiment in 1864-1865 and is even mentioned in a book called Early Settlers and Indian Fighters of Southwest Texas by A.J. Sowell, published in 1900. The chapter recalls the famous Indian Fight at Dove Creek in 1865. Both men and their brother, William, were the sons of Colonel Jonathan Mulkey and his Cherokee wife, Mariah Ross, the youngest sister of Principal Chief John Ross. Mariah died on the Trail of Tears in Cane Hill, Arkansas on the border of Indian Territory in 1839, during the forced removal of Indians from their eastern homelands to Indian Territory, now Oklahoma. 

Chief Ross had won his case in the Supreme Court defending Cherokee sovreign rights but President Andrew Jackson refused to obey the court's decision after gold was discovered in Georgia. Cherokees lost their homes and possessions through federally sanctioned lotteries to white settlers. Just five years old, Lewis walked the Trail of Tears in the Benge Detachment in 1838. Chief Ross' wife, Elizabeth "Quatie" Ross, also died during the harsh winter walk after giving her coat to a cold child. Mariah's oldest sister, Elizabeth Ross and her husband Jonathan Golden Ross (no blood relation), raised the Mulkey children along with their five children at the "Murrell Home" in Park Hill, Oklahoma, near Tahlequah. Nearby, Chief Ross' home called "Rose Hill" was later burned down by Union Rebels. Present day, the Murrell Home is a historical museum and offers tours of the mansion. The three Mulkey boys had only one sister, Mary Anna "Mollie" Mulkey, only one year old upon Mariah's death, but she perished in a fire in 1845.

Only the arched stone entrance is original to the structure. The walls were re-purposed to hold cattle on the Great Western Trail Drives in the 1870s-80s because of water available from the San Sabá River.

Jonathan Mulkey received $2.50 per day for his 43 days of service as a commissary in the
Benge detachment during the forced Removal of the Cherokee on the Trail of Tears.
Jonathan Mulkey then became a clerk for spoliations in the Saline District.
     Their widower father, Jonathan Mulkey, a Cherokee Nation Councilor for the Saline District in 1842 with the Cherokee name of "Unurti", traveled with his three sons to Texas in 1855. The August 1934 edition of Frontier Times Magazine said, "The earliest settler in this section is believed to have been Jonathan Mulkey, who came front Austin with his three sons, James (Dan), Lewis and W. R. (Bill). Jim Mulkey, who was quarter Cherokee Indian, acted as guide for the soldiers and others dealing with the Indians. 

The Mulkeys first settled on Deep Creek, near where Milburn is now located. Shortly afterwards, Bill Mulkey built a house on the Colorado river a short distance above the old No. 10 Highway bridge." Jonathan died a decade later near the Texas Trail in Oklahoma and was originally buried in Indian Cemetery #27 at the Verdigris River. He was later reburied in an unmarked mass grave with 16 others at Three Rivers Cemetery southeast of Okay when the dam was built in Okay, Oklahoma.

His son, Lewis Andrew Mulkey, was the last living Cherokee to survive The Trail of Tears from Georgia to Oklahoma when he died in 1929 at age 96 years, 7 months and 10 days. Records show his Cherokee name was "Ta Woti ga nage," which according to loose Cherokee translation means Black Hawk.

Lewis Andrew Mulkey and his brother James Daniel Mulkey were Texas Rangers under the command of Captain William Tom, in a company on the Sabinal River. Captain John Tom, William's father, was the executor for the Will of my Choctaw GX3Grandfather, Jeremiah "Jerry" Moses Goins, who came to Texas while it was a Republic in 1834. He is listed on the first census of Texas.

After a rigorous genealogical examination of records, I have recently been accepted by The Daughters of the Republic of Texas thanks to my GGG-Grandfather, Jeremiah M. Goins. Jeremiah married Sarafina Charity Drake. In Texas census taken, Jeremiah Goins and his family were listed at various times as Negro, Mulatto, and Yellow. Both he and his wife's ancestors had been referenced as "Free People of Color," although all the Goins kin always claimed to be Choctaw originating from Mississippi.

Charity, born about 1755, taxable in her mother's household in the 1767 list of Stephen Jett, probably the Charity Chaves, "Mulato libre" native of Virginia, who was married to John Aaron Drake, "Mulato libre" of "Elisabeth, Virginia," and had been living in the parish of Saint Martin Attapakas in Louisiana for fourteen years on 10 May 1800 when their son John Drake, a "Mulato libre natural de Carolina" (free Mulatto native of Carolina), married Rosalie Abcher (Abshier) [Hebert, Rev. Donald J., Southeastern Louisiana Records, 1750-1900 (1999), IV:195, cited by Cousin Barbara Ellison of Oklahoma in email correspondence to cousin Gabe Gabeheart].

When John Aaron Drake, Jr. married Rosalie Abshire b. abt. 1782 – d. 1871, a White woman, their offspring were therefore considered “Indian Mulatto’s.” Technically, Charity Sharafina (Sarafia) Drake Goins b. abt. 1795 – d. 1881, could be labeled as Melungeon under Virginia Law but probably not her offspring in Texas. Jeremiah M. and Charity Sharafina Goins were known as an Choctaw couple by their neighbors and other people who knew them.

 Photo Courtesy of cousin, Chris Yeargan. Alonzo Mulkey is Chris’ grandfather. Additional Information below, courtesy of cousin Sue Foote.
      More about James "Dan" Mulkey: James Daniel was the first child of Jonathan and Maria Ross Mulkey. James “Dan” was married to Elizabeth Cleveland Joy on January 31, 1867 in San Sabá, Texas. Sallie was the daughter of Wylie (Wiley) and Elizabeth Joy. Sallie had previously been married to James W. Vann and had a daughter, Daisy, just 3 years old. In the above photo, “Babe” is Sallie Frazier Mulkey. Her husband, known as “Dan”, died of a heart attack while visiting their daughter Aileen in Oxnard, California. Seven years later, Sallie died at home in Stroud, Oklahoma, also of a heart attack. Dan and Sallie were both mixed blood Cherokees.

Dan married Sallie Frazier on November 7, 1904 in Warner, Indian Territory, now Oklahoma. The Mulkeys were recipients of land allotments to the Cherokees, by virtue of an Act of Congress, approved July 1, 1902. Two deeds were found for 80 acres allotted to Jonathan Daniel Mulkey on November 14, 1905. For some reason, Sallie was allotted 120 acres, possibly because her degree of Cherokee blood was higher than her husband’s. My notes: The name Vann is also a Cherokee surname; it is is not known what happened to Sallie’s first husband; perhaps she was a widow therefore allowed an additional claim.

Sallie Frazier and Jonathan "Dan” Mulkey had six children; Dennis, Elizabeth, Roy, Geneva, Ruth and Aileen. Roy died at birth, Geneva and Ruth in their early 40’s, while Elizabeth died at age 76 years and 4 months. In 1996, daughter Aileen was still living as was daughter Daisy Vann Davis.
Documents were found indicating the Mulkeys did not retain their land for very long. A General Warranty Deed Record, dated the 5th of November 1906, transferred one parcel of 40 acres to M. P. Johnson of Marysville, Kansas, for the sum of $600.00. On the 30th of April, 19090, a parcel of 120 acres was sold to Phillip Mayers of Mound Valley, Kansas, for the sum of $1,200.00. On the 7th of August 1908, the state of Oklahoma purchased a parcel identified as NE 1/4 of NE 1/4 Sec. 30 T 12 P 19 E from the Mulkeys, presumed to be 40 acres, for the sum of $1,000.00. We believe this parcel is the present day site of Connors College, just east of Warner, Oklahoma. Many allottees donated or sold land so Connor College could be built. Lewis Andrew Mulkey was one of those who participated.

Note to Mulkey researchers: Per cousin Sue Foote, Cousin Tom Pierson (wife, Audrey) in Texas, is the son of Isaac Frank Pierson and Lettie Viola Mulkey. Lettie Viola was the daughter of Wiley Ross Mulkey and Martha Mahala Paul Mulkey. Wiley Ross was Tom’s grandfather and brother to Jonathan Daniel Mulkey. Lettie Viola and Elizabeth Mulkey Evans were first cousins. Lettie was 9 years older than Elizabeth, and both were born in Warner, Oklahoma. Another cousin is Don Clay (wife, Rosemarie), of Los Angeles. He is the son of Frankie Farmer, another cousin of Elizabeth’s. The Farmers are from my line, Isabelle Mulkey and Ferdinand Farmer. Their daughter, Georgia Farmer, is my grandmother. Frankie is Georgia’s sister.

Information about Wylie Joy can be found in The West Texas Frontier or a Descriptive History of Early Times in Early Texas by Joseph Carroll McConnell. Mrs. Wylie Joy and her daughter, Mrs. Lafe McDonald, of Spring Creek, Texas, were both killed one mile east of Harper, Texas. Wylie Joy was away on a trip to old Mexico, during the Civil War. The crime scene appeared to be staged to blame Indians for their demise, but many locals doubted it. These ladies would be mother and sister to Elizabeth Cleveland Joy Mulkey. Later, Aileen Mulkey Legat and Elizabeth Mulkey Evans had vague recollections of hearing someone had been scalped but couldn’t recall specifics. Further details; 12, Hunter’s Frontier Magazine, February 1912 and 1, Frontier Times, June 1927.
     In McConnell’s account, “Mrs. Lafe McDonald lived in Kimble County, Texas, who was staying with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wylie Joy, while her husband was away in Old Mexico, during the Civil War. Someone had recently returned and brought some letters from Lafe McDonald to his wife, and these letters were left at the home of Tom McDonald, who lived in Spring Creek, about 8 miles east of Harper. Mrs. McDonald was exceedingly anxious to hear from her husband, so she insisted that someone go horseback with her to Tom McDonald’s home. They made the trip on horseback and started home early the next morning. Mrs. Wylie Joy and her daughter, Mrs. Lafe McDonald were both killed one mile east of Harper. Many have surmised that this deed was not done by Indians. Nevertheless, moccasin tracks and other savage signs were discovered shortly afterwards.” Nothing further was written.
GG-Grandma Adeline Mulkey nee Goins and GG-Grandpa Lewis A. Mulkey. ~Photo courtesy of Charles Olzawski.
     My 4th and 5th grandfathers John Aaron Drake Jr. & Sr. were documented by Spanish Authorities in the company of Daniel Boone and Charles Sallier. Our 3rd grandmother Sarafina Drake also made it into Lt Herrera's 1809 report. Sarafina was of course Jeremiah's wife and Juan Aaron Drake Jr, his father in law. "Geronimo de Herrera of the Spanish Army of the Province of Texas was headquartered out of San Antonio de Bexar. He was born in the Old World and was considered a "Peninsular." As a young Lieutenant, he spent a number of years patrolling eastern Texas, turning back settlers from the East, and trespassers from Louisiana. In 1805 he encountered John Aaron Drake Sr (reported as Juan Eromdreque) from Attakapas Station (now St.Martinsville) in Louisiana. Drake was a horse trader and breaker, and he had been apprehended rounding up the King's wild mustangs, to be taken home and "broken" and sold. This, Drake readily admitted. He was chastised and sent home. Lt. Geronimo Herrera duly noted the details in his report sent back to San Antonio. 

In 1809 Lt. Herrera again encountered John Aaron Drake Sr (reported as Juan Erindrek), this time in the company of his family, and Charles Sallier (for whom Lake Charles is named) and his family, and 20 other families intending to settle in Texas. They were apprehended at the Camp of Orcoquisac, allowed to rest their mounts and then directed back east the next day, after being warned. A then 4 year old Sarafina Drake Goins was in the company of her father John Aaron Drake Jr., on that day. A man named Daniel Boone (Boom) from this party, was the only one permitted to continue on west, as Boone had documents allowing him to go to San Antonio de Bexar.

All of Herrera's reports were made to San Antonio, and are preserved in the Bexar Archives, as he enforced the "no man's land" agreements with the United States. Lieutenant Herrera progressed in rank, and was a Colonel at the time of the fall of San Antonio in 1813, to the rebels who would establish the short-lived Republic of the North. He was one of 14 Spanish Army Officers who capitulated the city, and surrendered their sidearms in keeping with the traditions of "civilized warfare," on April 1, 1813. That group would be ruthlessly slaughtered by the rebels on April 3, 1813.

These Officers, besides Colonel Herrera, included Texas Governor Manuel de Salcedo, and Nuevo Leon Governor Col Simon de Herrera, and 3 Captains, 7 Lieutenants, and 1 Ensign." Note: Sarafina Charity Drake, a free woman of color, was born in Louisiana circa 1803 and christened in 1804. She was a daughter of John Drake of South Carolina, a free man of color, and his white wife, Rosalie Abshire, of Louisiana. Her middle name honored her paternal grandmother.

Sarafina's mother, Marie Rosalie Abshire, married 18 May 1800 in St. Martinville, Louisiana, New Spain. "With the permission of her parents and her church she married John "Santiago" Drake when she was 17 years old. As required by the Catholic Church, before a minor could marry there was an Informacion de Solteria Producida - Marriage Investigation regarding the freedom to marry; hers was dated 10 May 1800-- eight days before her marriage." (Hebert, SWLR CD: ABSHIRE, Rosalie - 17 years old (Jean ABCHER - of Pennsylvania & Françoise HARTGRAVE - of Virginia & 21 years in this parish) John DRAKE - mulatre libre of Carolina; 14 years in this parish (Aaron & Charite CHEVES - of Virginia - 14 years here.)

The application is listed in her name since she is marrying a free mulatto. Assistant Witnesses: Charles Daniel FAGOT & John WHITE; Wits: Pierre ABCHER, John DRAKE, Jean Baptiste Louis CHEMIN, Jean THOMASSON, John DARAY, Mark LEE. Fr. Michel Bernard BARRIERE (SM Ch.: Marriage Investigation: Folio D, # 24) via Wikitree. Donald J. Hébert, Southwest Louisiana Records, Volume 33: Supplement, Mixed Records (1903-1953); Slave/Black Records (1765-1886); Corrections and Additions (1756-1904) ("SWLRv33"), (Rayne, LA: Hébert Publications, 2001; reprints by Claitor's Publications, 2008) p. 158 DRAKE, Angela (Santiago & Rosalia ARCHER) bt. 1804 (SM Ch: v.3S, #137)

     Jeremiah's son, Ransom Goins, also served under Captain John Tom in 1864. Ransom's brother, Reuben, was later involved in the famous Shootout at the '97' Ranch in the Chickasaw Nation in Grady County, Oklahoma. Two alleged rustlers were shot by hired men protecting cattle. Seven men, including Rueben, were tried before "Hanging Judge" Parker in Fort Smith, Arkansas. They claimed self defense. The trial began February of 1886 and dragged on to October 1887. 

     On November 1885, the men were released on bail for the sum of $7,000 each. In October 1886 a hung jury was declared. A new trial ensued and the men were found guilty of manslaughter and imprisoned. They were all sentenced to be hanged. The Fort Smith jail was a dungeon under horrible conditions. In September 1887, it was determined the jury's decision was not unanimous. On September 28, 1887, President Grover Cleveland signed a Presidential Pardon that exonerated all the men, including Rueben Goins. Judge Parker released the men on October 3, 1887. In 1892, Ransom married Emily Hardy.

This photo is my G-Uncle Ransom Goins, colorized by my husband John Earl.

     Ransom and Rueben's brother, Seaborn "Cebe" Goins, was killed by Indians in May 1861 in San Saba, Texas. He would become known as "the first white man killed in McColloch County." This account was first published in Handbook of McCulloch County, Texas. Cebe and two other men were tracking wild horses when night fell. The men pitched camp at Salt Gap. During the night Indians crept in the darkness and stole the men's horses then shot a volley of arrows at the sleeping cowboys. An arrow fatally struck Cebe, who slept nearest the attackers. One man was wounded but the other was uninjured. He tried to shoot but his pistol jammed. 

They escaped into the brush and walked to Cebe's home which took them three whole days. There was at that time in San Saba County a company of 25 men under the command of Capt. W. R. Woods known as “Minute Men.” They were men who were obligated to rush at a minute’s notice to rendezvous in case of an Indian attack. When it was reported that Cebe Goins had been killed, 10 of these rangers were immediately into the saddle.

The distance to be traveled was about 50 miles, through the wilderness and without a road to travel when they discovered Cebe's body with an arrow piercing his blanket to his body. They buried him on the spot. Forty-eight years later, in 1909, Cal Montgomery made an appeal to the citizens of McCulloch County to place a marker over the grave of Cebe Goins. Several search parties went to the location, but the landmarks could not be located after a half century.

Captain John Tom, my GX3Grandfather Jeremiah Goins’ close friend and executor of Jeremiah’s will and father of Captain William Tom. Note the Indian beadwork on Captain’s Masonic apron and bandolier.
Photo colorized by John Earl.
     According to The Texas Indian Papers of Texas and the Southwest 1825-1916, my family appeared under the misspelled name of "Goeings" on No. 195 Petition from the Citizens of San Saba County dated September 29, 1858. The letter was addressed to H. R. Runnels, the governor for the state of Texas stating, "The peace and the prosperity of their County is greatly disturbed by depredating bands of indians prowling among us, as we suppose for the purpose of stealing horses. That many families have left the county on account of the insecurity here for life and property & many others are talking seriously account of the indians. That we doubt many erroneous reports have reached the ears of your excellency in relation to indians in this County, but notwithstanding we are satisfied we are placed here in a critical situation and need additional protection. The promises considered your petitioners earnestly request that you will send us a force of mounted men sufficient for our immediate protection (say one full company) and as in duty bound we will ever pray & c." Among the fifty citizens listed were "T. Goeings, Leban Goeings, Ransom Goeings, James Goeings, Ruben Goeings, Robart Goeings, Henry Goeings and Raben Goeings."
     Violence began when settlers arrived over a hundred years earlier. Lipan Apache, Comanche and Wichita tribes lived in the area so skirmishes and raids ensued. On March 16, 1758, two thousand natives attacked the mission far from Presidio Sabá, killing two priests and several others. Twenty seven survived and escaped to the presidio. Conditions continued to deteriorate as hardship and strife proliferated. By 1768 the presidio was abandoned. In the early part of the Civil War companies of state troops known variously as rangers, mounted volunteers, etc., were organized all over the state. The ones in this particular part of the state were a part of Col. J. E. McCord's regiment. 

One or more of these companies had a camp on the San Saba River about a mile or a mile and a half south and east of the Hardee crossing near another crossing known as the "Flat Rock" crossing. They were quartered in log cabins and a few tents. It was from this camp of rangers that the town of Camp San Saba took its name. It is said that the first soldiers to occupy the camp were members of Capt. McMillan's company of San Saba. A Masonic lodge was organized at or near Camp San Saba in 1864 thought to have been principally among the members of the "ranger" camp. This lodge later became McCulloch Lodge No. 273 A. F. & A. M., and was moved to Mason, Texas, and the Masonic Lodge at that place still retains the same name and number. 
     My G-Great Uncle Jim Goins served under Col. J. E. McCord's regiment. He was my GX2GreatGrandmother, Adeline Mulkey nee Goins' brother. According to a county census, he and his wife, Harriet Adaline Goins nee Dykes, were neighbors. She became a widow and received a Confederate pension. The first census record for the State of Texas was the enumeration of 1850, the republic having been accepted as a State in 1845, at which time its total population was 212,592, or more than one square mile for each person enumerated. The city of New York that year had a few more than 50,000. When Texas was admitted as a State in 1845 it claimed considerable territory not now within its confines. 

In 1850 it sold to the Federal Government for $10,000,000 all claimed outlying area which reduced it to the size as shown by present-day maps. The 1850 Limestone County Texas census recorded Jeremiah Goins had 50 horses, 80 milk cows, 20 oxen, 160 cattle and 300 pigs. According to official records, Jeremiah also served as a Choctaw interpreter. In their lifetime, Jeremiah and his wife Charity had a total of 14 children together. Eight of them were born in Texas. They are both buried at Oakley Cemetery in Pleasanton, Texas. Jeremiah's father was Phillip Goins, born in Mississippi, was a resident of the Choctaw Nation according to the United States Citizenship Court records as transcribed in The Journal of American Family Research.
     Lewis' and James' brother, William Ross "Bill" Mulkey appears on the Confederate Rolls as "WR Mulkey, Private, C.O. Barton, Decator, 1st Lt., Org Co. No. 1, 31st Brigade, 2nd Prec. #1, McCulloch Co. Roll dated March 2, 1864, Page 26. Front Dist. TST. Remarks: R. & F 41; rifle and six shooter, --absent--not sworn in.; counties of Ellis, Freestone, Limestone, Navarro comprise 19th Brigade. Elec. certif. with roll; Co. S.18-61." Also listed are other family members, Henry Goins, "enlisted March 23, 1864, Atascosa Co., 3rd Frontier District, age 38, Enl. Offcr. E.O. Brian; Rans Goins, Atascosa Co. 3rd Frontier Dist., age 38; Ranson [sic] Goins C.O. Tom, John, F. Capt., Enl. 1864, age 37, owns rifle and pistol, CO. organized under Act of Dec 15, 1863. This is the same person, registered in sequential years." 

The list included all men in Atascosa County liable to military duty except two persons under age, 3 others exempt by law and a few who could not be seen by En. Off. because of their absence from the county; this means men appearing on list are liable for duty but does not appear on the muster roll nor on payroll. No service is shown to him." Dr. Bill Mulkey was married to Margaret Rebecca Hudson. They had six children together. Like his brother's colorful lives, W.R. Mulkey's stories were printed in Oklahoma's Indian Pioneer Papers (OK Gen Web Vol 64, 65-10 Microfiche #6016929-30, available through the Oklahoma Historical Society, NARA and LDS) and Frontier Times magazine, VOL 1 No. 1 OCT 1923, VOL 10 No. 6 March 1933, and VOL 2 No 2, August 1934. 
The original presidio was made of wood but later replaced with stones in 1761. The Presidio’s walls were re-purposed to hold cattle on the Great Western Trail Drives in the 1870s-80s because of water available from the San Saba River. What you see here onsite is mostly a reproduction but accurate. Only the arched gateway is original to the camp. 
     Pvt. Rayborn Goins as "Raibon Goin" was mustered into service at San Antonio on May 14, 1862 with Captain Angel Navarro's Company of Texas Mounted Volunteers. The Texas Mounted Volunteers were commonly referred to as "Texas Rangers" at the time. He was also the brother of Ransom, Rueben, Henry, and Seaborn "Cebe" Goins. 
     Lewis A. Mulkey later received a Texas Ranger pension under the Indian Wars Special Act of 1892. He never participated in the Civil War. Here is a historical snippet of his life from "Pioneer Interview of Vida Mulkey Carr, Eufala, Oklahoma; by Field Worker, Carl R. Sherwood, June 23, 1937. "My father was Louis (sic) Mulkey, a Cherokee, from Georgia. My mother, before her marriage, was Miss Adeline Goins, three-quarters Choctaw Indian. After their marriage, they moved to Texas, and to this union were born six children. In 1887 my father and family left Texas on foot and drove fifteen hundred sheep and goats to the Indian Territory [now Oklahoma], locating in the Cherokee Nation about eighteen miles northeast of Checotah. The family of eight took their allotments in this vicinity.
My father sold sheep and goats, and bought cattle and farmed several hundred acres of land. Our nearest church was Texanna, a distance of about twelve miles. Our transportation to and from church was a wagon drawn by a yoke of oxen. On December 5, 1900, I was united in marriage to William M. Carr, who was a son of Albert and Susan E. Carr, a prominent [Creek] family of the Indian Territory. After our marriage we located in what is now McIntosh County on Carr Creek, about four miles south [east] of Checotah. My husband was educated in Eufala schools which were kept by a Creek fund. In 1907 Mr. Carr was elected constable of Checotah township in the Carr Creek district, and in connection with this office he was appointed deputy sheriff. Mr. Carr took the first prisoners from McIntosh County to the state penitentiary at McAlester in 1909, the charges against these men being grand larceny and robbery.
Frank Jones, United States Deputy Marshal, Bill Carr, a Deputy Sheriff, and Ed Baum all of Checotah were the first called to the Snake Uprising near the old hickory stomp grounds east of Henryetta, Oklahoma. They arrived on the scene just before sundown, and all at once the bullets from the Snake Indians began buzzing all around them. Frank Jones and Bill Carr dismounted from their horses and got behind trees and started firing. Ed Baum was a crippled cowboy and would not leave his horse and was soon shot down. Ed Baum was the first man killed in the Snake Rebellion." [End of Interview.] Available at OK Gen Web Pioneer Papers, OK Historical Society, 2100 N. Lincoln Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK and at Cherokee Heritage Center, Park Hill, OK, and Northeastern State University, Tahlequah, OK.
     On September 9, 1896, my Goins family took their case to the Supreme Court after being denied their Choctaw rights by the Dawes Rolls Commission. It was filed under "Robert Goins et al, Commission No. 55, US Court No. 127, Citizenship Court No. 31-T." After proving their case with documentation and witnesses, nearly 100 Goins individuals were legally recognized as Choctaw. 
However, on December 1, 1897, the Goins were suddenly denied again, without explanation. In December 1902, the court vacated and labeled it a "test case." Goins appealed and on June 29, 1904, their case was again denied without explanation. The case was closed on September 15, 1904. The Goins' persisted. On April 22, 1909, the Indian Office requested a report as to the right of enrollment by claimants.
On June 3, 1909, the Department determined the case was not analogous to the "Goldsby" case [U.S. Reports: Garfield v. Goldsby, 211 U.S. 249 (1908)] as the names of claimants herein were never on any schedule approved by the Secretary and subsequently stricken without notice to claimants, and declined to enroll the applicants, because the Secretary was without authority of law to do so. By then, all my Mulkey family members were enrolled as Cherokee-by-Blood on the Dawes Roll.
     Our Cherokee heritage began with our GGGGG-Grandparents Ghi-goo-ie, full-blooded Cherokee of the Bird Clan [Ani Tsi skwa] b. circa 1735 and William Shorey, b. circa 1748 d. May 1762 at sea on the way to England. William Shorey, b. abt 1720, Scotland, death of consumption 1762, occupation: British Interpreter at Fort Loudon. Their daughter, Annie Shorey married John "Ti Ta S Gi S Gi" McDonald. John served in the Revolutionary War as an ensign in the British ranks and as commissary agent for the British troops. In this capacity he proved effective at leading and supplying Indians, qualities that would cultivate in subsequent merchandising efforts.
After the war he settled on the Chickamauga River, carrying on a private trade through Pensacola among the Cherokees with goods bought at Charleston in defiance of Indian trading laws established by the fledgling United States.~Moravian Journals: Nov 19, 1809. Annie Shorey, couldn't speak English. ~Old Frontiers, John P. Brown, pp. 122-123. ~1817-19 Reservations: July 1817, #14, in right of wife, 1 in family. Emigration: Abt 1766, Charleston SC. Residence: Look Out Mountain ~Starr's notes: D096, b 1747 Iverness, Scotland, d 8/29/1824. Notes: William Shorey Jr., Source: Gary E. Moulton John Ross Univ of GA Press, 1982. b. abt. 1750, died 1809. He married Peggy (Wolf Clan) bef 1809. She was b. abt 1760. In the 1790's, William carried out several military and liaison tasks for his brother-in-law, McDonald. He also must've gained some influence among the Cherokees, for he signed the Cherokee Treaties of 1805 and 1806, using his Cherokee Indian name of "Eskaculiskee". ~Starr's Notes: treaty signing attributed to William SR.
Our GGGG-Grandparents are Mary "Mollie" McDonald AKA Cherokee name "Wali" b. NOV 1776, Cherokee Nation East, clan Bird, married Daniel Ross (b. 1760 Sutherland, Scotland, died May 22 1830 at head of Coosa River, Cherokee Nation East, now Rome, Floyd, Georgia) in 1786 Chickamauga, Cherokee Nation East, Mollie died OCT 1808 prob. at Cherokee Nation East, Chatanooga, at age 37. Mollie was the mother of Cherokee Chief John Ross. ~Starr's Notes S097, b 11/1/1770, d. 10/5/1808.
More about Daniel Ross: 1817-19 reservations: July 18, 1817, #15, Lookout Mountain, in Right of Wife, 4 in family. Blood: Scottish. Residence: 1817, Lookout Mt. Starr's Notes: D097, b 1760 Sutherland, Scotland, d. 5/22/1830.

Mollie “Wali” McDonald and Daniel Ross children:

1. Eliza Ross b. May 25, 1789, married to John Golden Ross b 22 Dec 1878 d. 1 June 1958, at age 80.

2. Jennie Ross b. 25 Mar 1787, married Joseph Coody b. 19 Feb 1779 d. 11 Oct 1959

3. John Ross (Chief) b 1790, married #1 “Quatie” Elizabeth Brown Henley (prev married to Mr. Henley) and #2, Mary Bryan Stapler, of Wilmington DE.

4. Susannah Ross b. 10 Dec 19793 married Henry Nave 1810.

5. Lewis Ross b 20 Feb 1795? married Francis Holt.

6. Andrew Ross v. 19 Feb 1798? married Susan Lowery

7. Annie Ross b. 15 Nov 1800? married William Nave

8. Margaret Ross b. 5 July 1803? married Elijah Hicks

9. Mariah Ross b. 13 JAN 1806 at Chicamauga, Lookout Mountain, Cherokee Nation East now Tennesee, married Jonathan Mulkey (b. circa 1800, Georgia).

     There are 22 Mulkeys listed on the Dawes Final Cherokee by Blood Rolls, page 248. In the book Those Who Cried, the 16,000 by Boyce Timmons (1974), which is the Cherokee Census of 1835, Jonathan Mulkey's household in McMinn, County, Red Clay, Tennessee, is listed on page 179 as "Three quarterbloods (sic), owning three slaves. One white intermarriage. A farm and one farmer. One ferry boat. Two read English. One weaver and one spinner." As distasteful as owning slaves is in modern America sounds, it has to be acknowledged as an important fact of our Cherokee past. By 1863, Cherokees were fined for owning slaves. Emancipated slaves became known as Cherokee Freedmen, and continued to thrive in the Cherokee community, owned property, operated successful businesses and held political office.

Jonathan Mulkey. Photo courtesy, Juanita Harrison.

     According to the book Red Over Black; Black Slavery Among the Cherokee Indians by R. J. Halliburton, Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut and London, England, page 113, it states "Bill of Sale [son of Jonathan Mulkey] James D. Mulkey Guardian of his brother (sic) Lewis Andrew and Wm. P. R. Mulkey...for a mulatto woman slave and child named Harriet, about 18 years old and Archey, about 5 years old...to [Chief] John Ross of the [Cherokee] Nation, [in exchange] for negro (sic) named Toney about 26 years of age, and I will protect the right and tittle (sic) in the said negro woman and child forever against claim or demand of all persons whomsever (sic) this first day of September 1854, signed, sealed and delivered in presence of J.D. Mulkey, seal of D.H.Ross and Thos.(sic) Davis,Guardian. In June 1854." This bill of sale is displayed at the Hunter's Home Museum in Park Hill, Oklahoma. 
     More info about the mysterious Jonathan Mulkey was gleaned from a diary of H.R. Gold written in 1830, found in the 1960's in the Calhoun, GA city hall vault while the vault was being cleaned out of papers which had accumulated over decades and more. The misspellings and typographical errors are as they were in the original. "Tuesday; We parted with our Cherokee friend at Creek Path, traveled over the Mountain to Wills Valley, 33 Miles to Col. Mulkey’s, who is a native of Georgia, and brother in law to the Principal Chief, Mrs. Mulkey is the youngest daughter of Mr. Daniel Ross. There as in other places we were treated cordially and hospitably." Note: On August 30, 2003, information was received by cousin Sue Foote explaining that H.S. GOLD is Herman Gold, brother of Elias Boudinot's wife, Harriet. He took a trip to see his sister & wrote back to a relative up North.
Jonathan Mulkey appears on the Emigration Roll (census) in 1817 on page 21. His name also appears on the McMinn County TN 1830 and the 1835 Henderson Roll census. Mulkeys do not appear on census' for the Millay Roll of 1848, the Siler Roll of 1851, the Chapman Roll of 1852, the Hester Roll of 1883, the Swetland Roll of 1869, Churchill Roll of 1908, or the Baker Roll of 1924. There are multiple Mulkeys appearing on the Guion-Miller Roll of 1909.
Some researchers have concluded Jonathan Mulkey is related to the Prussian Von Moltke's who aided the emporer of Germany. Others claim Jonathan hails from the famous Baptist preacher line of Reverand Philip Mulkey of early South Carolina. To my knowledge, none of these theories have been proven yet but ongoing genealogy research continues. Sue Foote surmised Jonathan may be the son of a James Mulkey, since traditionally oldest sons were named after his paternal grandfather. Jonathan's son, James Daniel Mulkey, fits the bill. The name Daniel is derived from James' maternal grandfather Daniel Ross.
Another tentative clue is William R. Mulkey may have been named after Jonathan's possible brother, Dr. William A., because of references to his son, the famed Reverand Abe Mulkey of Corscicana, Texas. Cousin Beaulah B. Mulkey Morse related her grandfather, Lewis A. Mulkey, spoke of his cousin Abe often and seemed to be proud of him but in her advanced age, could no longer recall further details. Unfortunately, both Beaulah and Sue passed away before the mystery was solved. They had spent much time poring through official records and microfiche on their quest, a delight to dedicated genealogists. I am grateful I was able to meet Sue in Jay, Oklahoma.
L. to R: Julia Mulkey, Vida Carr nee Mulkey, William M. Carr, Ollie Ponder Carr, Lewis A. Mulkey, Billy Carr, Lillian May Carr, Adeline Mulkey nee Goins. Photo enhanced by John Earl.

Same family members as the previous photo, years later. Courtesy, Beulah Mulkey Morse.

     Just to put it into perspective, during his Cherokee Nation Anniversary speech in 2006 we were priveleged to attend in Tahlequah, Cherokee Chief Chad Corntassel Smith said, "In the olden days there were three things settlers despised most. Indians. Dogs. And Mississippi Choctaws. In that order." Some Goins married into the Chickasaw tribe. Some Mulkeys, like Lewis' daughter Vida, as aforementioned, married into the Creek tribe via lawman, William Carr, but remained on the Cherokee Rolls. He was enrolled on the Creek Rolls. For a factual look at the Creek rebellion and shoot- out involving U.S. Marshal Bill Carr of Checotah in McIntosh County, beginning page 43, click on the highlighted link.

Jeremiah and Adeline Goins’ graves are located at Oakley Cemetary in Pleasanton, Texas, which they received from Lewis A. Mulkey before the Mulkeys returned to the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma in 1887. Jaylyn is a member of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas and an enrolled Cherokee Nation tribal citizen thanks to the legacies of Jeremiah Moses Goins and Lewis Andrew Mulkey. There are still many Goins living in the region but unfortunately I was unable to contact any of them.

      Walking next to the immense stone walls, one cannot help imagining the turmoil of overwhelming odds and bloodshed when the presidio was built. I like to contemplate my ancestor's struggle and successes as early settlers in Texas and ponder the incongruities of racism and culture and its roles in history. A fair assessment would say it's complicated and nowhere as succinct as this small sketch about my family. 

It is sobering yet inspiring when one realizes the same ground we stand on today is where so much history took place centuries ago. The park offers a picnic area, walking path and numerous signage depicting the history of the presidio. Admission is free. The nearby tiny town of San Saba, Texas, is known as the "Pecan Capital of the World." In the meantime, we shall return to our hometown of Bandera, Texas, the "Cowboy Capital of the World," knowing our family played important roles in the evolution of the great state of Texas.
We enjoyed visiting the Texas Ranger Heritage Center in Fredericksburg, Texas.

Last Updated: September 9, 2024.

Citations and Recommended Resources

Early Settlers and Indian Fighters of Southwest Texas by Sowell, Andrew Jackson, published 1900


The Mulkeys of America by Hunt, Philip Mulkey, published March 1983, 854 pages

Cherokee Mixed Bloods; Additions and Corrections to Family Genealogies of Dr. Emmet Starr Volume 1: Cordery, Ghigau, Ridge-Watie, Ross, Sanders and Ward by Hampton, David Keith, published 2005, 681 pages

The San Saba Papers by Howell, John; published 1959, 157 pages

The Texas Indian Papers of Texas and the Southwest 1825-1916 Vol 1-5, Edited by Winfrey, Dorman and Day, James M., published 1995

Free African Americans of North Carolina, Virginia and South Carolina by Heinegg, Paul, First Ed. 2007

Handbook of McCulloch County History Volume I by Wayne Spiller Pioneer Book Company, Seagraves, Texas, published 1976

1842 Cherokee Claims – Saline District by Chase, Marybelle W., published January 1, 1988

Jonathan Mulkey and the Ross Family 1827, Cherokee Blood Newsletter, Chattanooga, TN published 1991, Vol, Issue 18

Frontier Times Magazine, Vol. 10, No. 6, March 1933

Frontier Times Magazine, Vol. 11, No. 10, Aug 1934 by Snider, Clarence, Early Settlers on the Colorado in McCulloch County.

Frontier Times Magazine Vol. 1, No. 1, Oct 1923

Frontier Times Magazine, Nov 1924, 1928, and 1936

https://www.frontiertimesmagazine.com/ecomm/product/vol-11-no-08-may-1934

https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/camp-san-saba-tx

https://www.frontiertimesmagazine.com/blog/early-history-camp-san-saba

http://www.cemeteries-of-tx.com/Wtx/McCulloch/cemetery/Camp%20San%20Saba.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_people_of_color

https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/211/249/

https://www.nps.gov/trte/learn/historyculture/upload/Alabama-Collections-Camps-Forts-Depots-and-Routes-508.pdf

https://www.loc.gov/item/usrep211249/

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=90987

https://archive.texashistorytrust.org/view/49759399/20/

https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/camp-san-saba/76825/current-weather/2107132

2 thoughts on “Camp San Sabá: Where my Indian Texas Ranger Kin Fought the Lords of the Plains

  1. I would be most interested to talk with any living descendants
    Of the Mulkey family particularly those who have knowledge of Lt James D. Mulkey who served with Capt Fossett’s battalion of Texas Frontier Regiment in 1864-1865.

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