Sophia (Folsom) Pitchlynn (1773 - 1871)

Born 27 Dec 1773 in New France

Ancestors

Wife of John Pitchlynn Sr — married about 1805 in Choctaw Nation Homelands

Descendants

Died 18 Dec 1871 at age 97 in Indian Territory (Oklahoma)

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Project: Choctaw Tribe

Biography

Sophia was Choctaw.

Sophia Folsom was born December 27, 1773 just days after Christmas to Ebenezer Folsom, a trader and interpreter whose ancestors emigrated from England in the 1630s, and his wife who was a Choctaw. Sophia Folsom Pitchlynn's plan for a memorial was conceived years before she died in 1871. The mother of Choctaw Chief Peter Pitchlynn and mother-in-law of Chief Samual Garland, she was a woman of means who hoped to perpetuate her legacy. The last will and testament of Sophia, dated April 23, 1859, contained instructions for her burial and dispersed her property - including nine slaves - among family members. ^{[1] [2]} Sophia wanted a suitable monument to be erected at her grave, so that her children, grandchildren and friends may never forget her last resting place. Her wish as stated in her will "that a monument be erected at the grave of her late husband, near Plymouth in the State of Mississippi; and that it be worthy of his name and memory."

Marriage

Sophia married John Pitchlynn ca 1804 and they were parents to several children:^[3][4]

1. Peter Perkins^[3][4]
2. Silas Densmore^[4]
3. Mary (Garland)^[3][4]
4. Thomas Jefferson^[3][4]
5. Eliza Ann Cornelia (Harris)^[3][4]
6. Rhoda (Howell)^[3][4]
7. Betsy (Harris)^[3][4]
8. Keziah (Poland)^[3][4]

Sophia moved with her children, and son-in-law Samuel Garland, to the new Choctaw Nation of Indian Territory. There she farmed and ran her operation in an efficient manner. Both the 1860 census and her will (See Transcription) provide record of her holding of slaves.^[3][5]

Sophia died just shy of her 98th birthday on 18 Dec 1871. Her grave is in the Garland family plot and counts as the oldest birth date recorded in the State of Oklahoma.^[6]

Slaves

Slaves in the Indian Territory were listed with the United States Census for Arkansas. Sophia Pitchlynn's 1860 entry in Eagle County, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory shows that he held ten enslaved persons in that year.^[5] See Slaves of the Garland Family Documentation Page.

Sources

1. ↑ https://www.405magazine.com/an-oklahoma-story-in-stone/
2. ↑ https://digital.libraries.ou.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/pitchlynn/id/1063/rec/13
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8} Sophia Folsom Pitchlynn. Dated April 23, 1859. Re: last will and testament, University of Oklahoma Libraries Western History Collections, https://digital.libraries.ou.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/pitchlynn/id/1063/rec/11
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8} John Pitchlynn. Dated Sept. 11, 1824. Re: last will and testament, University of Oklahoma Libraries Western History Collections, https://digital.libraries.ou.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/pitchlynn/id/647/rec/4
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} "United States Census (Slave Schedule), 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:WKV3-WGW2 : 16 October 2019), Sophia Pitchlynn, 1860.
6. ↑ Oklahoma Gravestone Photo Project, Garland Cemetery, McCurtain Co, Oklahoma, https://oklahomagravestones.org/view.php?id=32007

See Also:

• Find A Grave: Memorial #32236542
• Folsom Family Association of America, Inc.: Descendants of Israel Folsom
• Photograph of Peter Pitchlynn's mother, Sophia Folsom Pitchlynn[1]

Acknowledgements

• This person was created through the import of Lucy Glover Family Tree.ged on 20 May 2011.
• Ancestry Family Trees[2]