Ancestors Archives - Yehuda1491.com

Timmie Jack, Mvskoke Nation Lighthorse

By YehudaMay 31, 2025Ancestors, Indigenous, Mvskoke, Native

Timmie Jack

My great-grandfather’s best friend – a tragic story

I first heard the story about my great-grandfather Pleasant Luther “Duke” Berryhill and Timmie Jack a very long time ago, possibly my latter teen years, from my mother. It was definitely a what the hell moment. But neither of us had the information then, that I have today.

A postcard of the Creek Council House in Okmulgee with a monument outside
that mentions my great-grandfather Pleasant Luther “Duke” Berryhill.

The monument outside the Creek Council House in Okmulgee

Great Seal of the Muscogee Nation

Creek Council House
Capitol of The Muscogee Nation
Erected – 1876

The first contingent of the Creek Indians came from Alabama to the Indian Territory in 1829 under the leadership of Roley McIntosh, Chief of the Loyal Creeks. The main body of the Creek Tribe was transported under contract in 1836. There were about 20,000 in all. The seat of the Tribal government was established at Okmulgee in 1869. The Tribal Government was dissolved in 1906. The last execution under Creek law took place on this spot May 1,1896. Timmie Jack, Euchee Creek, was executed (shot) by his best friend, Pleasant L. (Duke) Berryhill, Captain of The Light Horse Company of Okmulgee District.

Joseph Menad Enus Wilson
Jack Bighead Waddell Cook Jr.
Donors

EEK!

My great-grandfather was Captain of the Mvskoke Nation Okmulgee District Lighthorse. His best friend Timmie Jack was also Lighthorse and had been sentenced to death. The custom was you could choose your executioner. He chose his best friend my great-grandfather, because he didn’t want to give his enemies the satisfaction.

Pretty crazy situation, but I can respect granting Timmie Jack’s last wishes, as difficult as it must have been.

58 years later – Okmulgee Daily Times, Sunday May 2, 1954

Season 3 Episode 8 of the Muscogee POD
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/timmie-jack-the-last-execution/id1613187193

Timmie Jack: The Last Execution

In this episode, we step back in time to Indian Territory in 1896 to explore the complicated & intriguing story of Timmie Jack, the last person to face public execution on the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Council House lawn. His story is known not only for its historical significance but also for some interesting details leading up to the execution date and how our society and legal system operated during that time while nearing Oklahoma statehood.

It’s another exclusive “conversation from our reservation” that you can only find on the #MuscogeePod!

A Creek Indian’s Capital Punishment
https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1625088/m1/1

by Loula Dickerson Arnold, Orbit Magazine, May 1, 1977. Story of the execution of Timmie Jack, Creek Indian, on May 1, 1896 on the grounds of the Creek Council House, Okmulgee, Ok. This was the last public execution in Indian Territory under tribal law.

Ok, if you read and listened to everything, now you know what I know.

Mvto!
-Yehuda

Heritage related posts
Updated periodically – Timmie Jack, Mvskoke Nation Lighthorse
Updated periodically – My Mvskoke ancestors and historical documents
Updated periodically – I have three percent African DNA
Updated periodically – DNA does NOT make you Native

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This post is subject to content updates/additions. If you think any content should be updated or added, please leave a private comment on Bluesky @Yehuda.TurtleIs.land or Mastodon TurtleIsland.social/@Yehuda. Mvto!

My Mvskoke ancestors and historical documents

By YehudaMay 23, 2025Ancestors, Indigenous, Mvskoke, Native

Pleasant Luther “Duke” Berryhill and Jeanetta May Grayson Berryhill

Three generations of Mvskoke ancestors

This post has the immediately preceding direct-line Mvskoke ancestors of mine, with some of their photographs and historical documents that I have managed to collect. Other ancestors before this will be in another post.

Pleasant Luther “Duke” Berryhill

My great-grandfather Pleasant Luther “Duke” Berryhill. He was of mixed Mvskoke and European heritage, and from a prominent Mvskoke family. Duke was born January 1852 in the Mvskoke Nation, Indian Territory. He went to his ancestors August 29, 1929.

He was Dawes Roll #117. He lived through boarding school, the Dawes Commission, Tribal land allotment theft and Oklahoma statehood.

Duke was Captain of the Mvskoke Nation Okmulgee District Lighthorse and active in the Mvskoke Nation Government in Indian Territory. He was an extremely good sharpshooter.

Jeanetta May Grayson Berryhill

My great-grandmother Jeanetta May Grayson Berryhill. She was of full blooded Mvskoke heritage. Jeanetta was born April 18, 1878 in the Mvskoke Nation, Indian Territory. She went to her ancestors in 1926.

She was Dawes Roll #7144 and lived through the Dawes Commission, Tribal land allotment theft & Oklahoma statehood.

Jeanetta had 5 children, my grandmother being her first.

Her parents were Gibson and Judah Grayson.

Pleasant and Jeanetta’s Marriage License

My great-grandfather Pleasant Luther “Duke” Berryhill & great-Grandmother Jeanetta May Grayson Berryhill’s Indian Territory marriage license (Feb 11, 1903) and certificate of marriage (Feb 22, 1903).

Pleasant’s Dawes Rolls Page

Dawes Rolls page from the Indian Territory land allotment tragedy with my great-grandfather Pleasant Luther “Duke” Berryhill at #117.

Jeanetta’s Dawes Rolls Page

Dawes Rolls page from the Indian Territory land allotment tragedy with my great-grandmother Jeanetta Grayson Berryhill at #7144.

Pleasant’s Dawes Rolls Card

Copy of the actual handwritten Dawes Rolls card from the Indian Territory land allotment tragedy. My great-grandfather Pleasant Luther “Duke” Berryhill is #117.

Jeanetta’s Dawes Rolls Card

Copy of the actual handwritten Dawes Rolls card from the Indian Territory land allotment tragedy. My great-grandmother Jeanetta Grayson Berryhill is #7144.

Jeanetta and Pleasant Berryhill

A picture of my great-grandmother Jeanetta Grayson Berryhill & my great-grandfather Pleasant Luther “Duke” Berryhill that was displayed in the Creek Council House in Okmulgee, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Capitol.

Girl and Pleasant Berryhill

My great-grandfather Pleasant Luther “Duke” Berryhill and a teenage girl, possibly my grandmother “Lee”, but it could be her sister or half-sister.

This picture appears to have been taken at the same place and time as the above photo.

I’ll update if I ever definitively confirm identity.

Me and my grandmother Leola “Lee” May Berryhill

My grandmother Leola “Lee” May Berryhill was born May 24, 1904 in the Mvskoke Nation, Indian Territory before the establishment of the so called State of Oklahoma in 1907 and went to see her ancestors October 25, 1989.

She was the youngest member of our family on the Dawes Rolls when she was 1 year old. She was Dawes Roll #814.

She had 2 children, my mother being her first.

Leola’s Dawes Rolls Card

Copy of my grandmother Leola May Berryhill’s actual handwritten Dawes Rolls card from the Indian Territory land allotment tragedy.

Leola’s Muscogee (Creek) Nation land allotment documents

Some of my grandmother Leola May Berryhill’s Muscogee (Creek) Nation land allotment documents from 1905 and 1924.

My mother Mona Lee Smith

All these people deserve a book, but especially my mother, Mona Lee Smith. She is the most amazing person in all history for sure.

She was born July 26, 1930 and went to see her ancestors May 9, 1992.

She had 3 children, and I was her first child. After raising her kids, she became a business woman and owned a fabric shop in a local Chicago area mall.

I will add more later.