Bios: (2) Monroe & Sarah Davis & Alva M. Burchfield-Davis Bradford;  Major CO, OK
“Life on The Cheyenne Indian Reservation”

Copyright © 2002 by  Marla Andrus. This copy contributed for use in 
the USGenWeb Archives.  PaulnMarla@Juno.com

http://files.usgwarchives.net/ok/major/bios/davisburchfield.txt
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“Life on the Cheyenne Indian Reservation”
Marla Andrus

When Alva Burchfield came to live with Monroe & Sarah DAVIS they lived on 
the Cheyenne Indian Reservation in western Oklahoma. 

She was quite a novelty, as the Indian women had never seen a white baby 
before andthey used to come sit and laugh when Sarah bathed her. 

Two chiefs, STANDING BEAR and OLD BULL BEAR used to come give Alva pony rides. 
OLD BULL BEAR was a very famous chief of the Dog Soldier Society and was at the 
peace conference that General GA CUSTER attended. It is said, he offered 3 ponies
for Alva but of coarse Monroe refused the offer. 

Monroe & Sarah apparently earned the deep respectof the Indians, something that 
was basically unheard of at that time. When the Indians came around at supper time,
Sarah always made extra, and when the family finished eating, she invited the Indians
in. 

When the Indians received their allotments, from the Federal Government, the women 
would receive bolts of material. None of them were seamstresses so they always 
gave the material to Sarah who was quite an accomplished seamstress. She made all
her own clothes and those for Alva as she grew up. 

One time, the Indians played a joke on Monroe and Sarah. They were leaving to get 
their government allotments and Sarah had left Alva under the shade of a tree, 
on a blanket. Chief Standing Bear or  Bull Bear saw her there, picked her up and 
put her in one of the wagons. When Sarah came to check on the child, she found 
her gone and panicked. 

She screamed for Monroe who was out in the field. He came running and Sarah 
told him what happened. Monroe jumped on his horse and took off racing after 
the Indians. When he caught up to them, the Chief feigned, then seeing the 
dismay on his friend’s face, the Chief started laughing. They brought Alva 
out of the wagon and gave her back to Monroe.  The Indians thought it was 
really funny, but Monroe was  not a bit happy, though he did not make an 
issue out of it. He didn’t want to spoil the friendly  relationship he had 
with the Cheyenne. 

When Alva was approximately five years old, Monroe bought a violin from an 
old man who used it for barn  dances. The violin was quite old at that time, 
but Alva learned to play fairly well with it. 

Alva became good friends with an Indian girl on the  Cheyenne Reservation; 
she was the daughter of OLD CHIEF BULL BEAR. The Indian girl was sent back 
East  to school (probably Carlisle) and upon finishing  her education, she 
returned to the reservation.

While gone, her system became used to eating white man’s food and proper 
hygiene in food preparation. 

When she returned to a life where there was no refrigeration, and very 
poor hygiene, the Indian girl became sick and died. 

At that time, the plains Indians buried their dead on scaffolds and of coarse
the bodies were eaten by scavengers and carrion.

This time however, the girl  was placed in a coffin and then placed in a tree.
It has been said that, the Indians believed that the height of scaffolds or 
trees gave a closer distance to travel to get  to their heaven. 

Monroe made the coffin and Alva commented on the beautiful doe-skin dress 
that Sarah had made, which the Indian girl wore in the coffin.

Special thanks to the living relatives/descendents of Monroe Davis and Alva 
Burchfield Bradford for their contributions to this Bio.  Marla Andrus.

See photo at  http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/major/davisburchfield.jpg

See photo of violin at  http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/major/violin.jpg