Denial of Citizenship in Creek Nation, (Dawes)  Snyder & Berryhill

Submitted by David Morgan dmorgan@efn.org

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After their marriage, Stephen and Mary Ann Berryhill Snyder settled near
St. Joseph, Missouri. In about 1886, they took their children and moved to
Denton, Texas. Stephen and Mary Ann stayed in Texas until about 1900, at
which time they went to the Creek Nation, thinking that Mary Ann's and
her children's citizenship into the Creek Nation had been established,
and approved by the Citizenship Commission.

After arriving in the Creek Nation, Mary Ann found that her citizenship had not 
been approved, so she hired a lawyer to bring her case to court. 

Mary Ann and her children were denied citizenship into the Creek Nation. 
Following is a letter sent to Mary Ann.


Muskogee, Indian Territory, March 5, 1907

Mary Ann Snyder, alias Peggy Snyder
	Red Fork, Indian Territory
Dear Madam:
	You are hereby advised that the Secretary of the Interior, under date of 
February 12, 1907, reaffirmed the decision of the Commission to the Five 
Civilized Tribes, denying the applications for the enrollment of yourself and 
minor children, Lizzie, Thomas Franklin, Henry, Katie, Emmie, Nellie and Joseph 
Snyder as citizens of the Creek Nation, in connection with the cases of Peter 
Snyder, et al, and Theodore Berryhill, et al.
							Respectfully,
							Commissioner


The reason given by the Commission, for denying Mary Ann (Berryhill) Snyder and 
her children citizenship into the Creek Nation, was that Mary Ann was born and 
lived outside of the Nation and did not establish residence until 6 April 1900.

There was a lot of unfairness in the Creek Nation enrollment. Cases where some 
of the children of a family were granted citizenship, yet a brother or sister, 
with identical proof, were denied citizenship.

Stephen and Mary Ann Snyder, and their children, stayed in the Creek Nation 
after the decision of the Commission. In November 1907, the Creek Nation became 
a part of the State of Oklahoma. Mary Ann and her children, not being citizens 
of the Creek Nation, didn't share in the Creek Land allotment.

I don't know when Stephen Snyder died, but I believe he died in 1908. He is 
buried in the Oaklawn Cemetery at Tulsa, Oklahoma. Mary Ann (Berryhill) Snyder 
died near Tulsa on 10 March 1921 and is buried next to Stephen in the Oaklawn 
Cemetery.

Theodore Berryhill was born in Buchanan County, Missouri, in October 1849. He was 
the fifth and last child born to John Rutledge and America (Beckett) Berryhill. 
Theodore married Mary L. Humphry in Missouri about 1875. In 1880, Theodore and 
Mary were living in De Kalb County, Missouri, and his brother, Littleton 
Berryhill, was living with them. Theodore and Mary moved to the Creek Nation 
about 1890. Theodore applied for citizenship into the Creek Nation and it was 
denied. With his sister, Mary Ann (Berryhill) Snyder, Theodore hired a lawyer to 
present his case to the Citizenship Commission. He and Mary Ann lost their case 
and following is a letter that Theodore received from the Commission.



				Muskogee, Indian Territory, March 5, 1907
Theodore Berryhill
	Fisher, Indian Territory
Dear Sir:
	You are hereby advised that the Secretary of the Interior, under date of 
February 12, 1907, reaffirmed the decision of the Commission to the Five 
Civilized Tribes, denying the applications for the enrollment of yourself and 
minor children, Isadora, Flora, Elizabeth and Thomas G. Berryhill; of Mary Ann 
Snyder and minor children, Lizzie, Thomas Franklin, Henry, Katie, Emmie, Nellie 
and Joseph Snyder; and Peter Snyder and minor children, Mary Ann, Lena Adeline 
and Stephen O. Snyder as citizens of the Creek Nation.
							Respectfully
							Commissioner

---
The Story of John Berryhill and Elizabeth Derrisaw and Their Descendants

This is an unpublished manuscript done by Thelma Nolen Cornfeld before
her death in 1996. Her daughter Barbara gave me permission to put her
research online.

David Morgan