The Choctaw Freedmen | Page 6

the southern
states to Indian Territory. Some of these missionaries migrated with
them and continued both their school and church work in the Territory.
Rev. Alfred Wright, who organized the Presbyterian church at
Wheelock in December, 1832, and died there in 1853, after receiving
570 members into it, began his work as a missionary to the Choctaws in
1820.
The aim of the government in its educational work among the Indians,
as elsewhere in the public schools of the country, has been mainly to
make them intelligent citizens. The aim of the church, by making the

Bible a daily textbook, is to make them happy and hopeful Christians,
as well as citizens. In the early days there was great need for this
educational work, and in the Presbyterian church it was carried forward
by its foreign mission board, with wisdom, energy and success.
In 1861 the Presbyterian church had established and was maintaining
six boarding schools with 800 pupils and six day schools among the
Indians in the Territory. Two of these schools, Spencer and Wheelock
Academies, were located in the southern part of the Choctaw Nation.
In 1840 the Presbytery of Indian was organized and in 1848 the
Presbytery of the Creek Nation. In 1861 these included an enrollment
of 16 churches with a communicant membership of 1,772.
EFFECTS OF THE CIVIL WAR
At the outbreak of the civil war in 1861, all of these schools and
churches were closed, and the next year the Presbyterian church
became divided by the organization of the Southern Presbyterian
church, under the corporate name, "The Presbyterian Church in the
United States."
At the close of the war it was left to the Southern branch of the church
to re-establish this school and church work in the Territory. It
undertook to do this and carried parts of it alone for a number of years.
The task however proved to be too great; the men and means were not
available to re-open the boarding schools, and to supply the churches
with ministers. The arrangement was accordingly made for the foreign
mission board of the Presbyterian church, to resume its former work as
fast as workers could be obtained.
In 1879, four ministers returned and opened six churches among the
Choctaws, Creeks and Cherokees.
In 1882 Spencer Academy was re-opened at Nelson, by Rev. Oliver P.
Starks, a native of Goshen, New York, who, for seventeen years
previous to the Civil War, had been a missionary to the Choctaws,
having his home at Goodland.

The Indian Mission school at Muskogee was also re-opened that year
by Miss Rose Steed.
In the fall of 1883 the Presbytery of Indian Territory was re-established
with a membership of 16 ministers, 11 churches, 385 communicants
and 676 Sunday school scholars.
In 1884 Wheelock Academy was re-opened by Rev. John Edwards,
who for a couple of years previous, had been located at Atoka. This
was a return of Edwards to the educational work among the Choctaws.
From 1851 to 1853 he served at Spencer Academy, north of Doaksville,
and then from 1853 to 1861 had charge of Wheelock Academy, as the
successor of Rev. Alfred Wright, its early founder.
In 1883 two teachers were sent, who opened a school among the Creek
Freedmen at Muskogee, known as the "Pittsburgh Mission." A teacher
was also sent to the Freedmen among the Seminoles.
After a few years the Pittsburgh Mission was transferred from
Muskogee to Atoka, where it supplied a real want for a few years
longer. In 1904 when adequate provision was first made for the
Freedmen in the public schools of that town this mission was
discontinued.
TRANSFER OF THE FREEDMEN'S WORK
During this same year, 1884, the Presbyterian Board of Missions for
Freedmen, Pittsburgh, Pa., received the voluntary transfer from the
Southern church of all the work it had developed at that date among the
Choctaw Freedmen. This transfer was made in good spirit. The motive
that prompted it was the conviction and belief the Presbyterian church
could carry it forward more conveniently, aggressively and
successfully.
The work that was transferred at this date consisted of Rev. Charles W.
Stewart, Doaksville, and the following churches then under his pastoral
care, namely: Oak Hill, Beaver Dam, Hebron, New Hope and St. Paul
(Eagletown).

Parson Stewart had been licensed about 1867 and ordained a few years
later. With a true missionary spirit he had gone into these various
settlements and effected the organization of these churches among his
people. During the next two years he added to his circuit two more
churches, Mount Gilead at Lukfata and Forest, south of Wheelock, and
occasionally visited one or two other places.
INDIANS MAKE PROGRESS TOWARDS CIVILIZATION
About the year 1880 the social and moral condition of the Indians in
Indian Territory was described as follows:
"About