Tombstone Tuesday - Lizzie Tadpole Hooker

Our Dear, Beloved Cousin, Lizzie

Lizzie Tadpole was born May 8, 1905 in Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory, the daughter of Tiger and Sallie (Phillips) Tadpole. She was listed on the Final Dawes Roll as a fullblood and was given money in lieu of land. Her parents obtained the allotment of her late grandmother, Polly Vann Tadpole, for her and her sister, Betsy. Later, that land was condemned by the Corps of Engineers for the construction of the Fort Gibson Dam and Lizzie purchased another 'homestead'. That land is still in the family today.

Lizzie was nearly 40 when she finally married her husband, James T. "Skinner" Hooker. They spent time hunting and fishing and traveling. They never had children.

When Lizzie died, she was only 3 months from her 95th birthday. Though many strive to live a long life, Lizzie expressed sadness that she had outlived her husband, her parents and all her siblings. She said she didn't know why she had to live so long and added that she felt like Methuselah. Toward the end of her life, Lizzie refused to speak anything other than the Cherokee language. She died March 1, 2000 and was buried in the Hogan Cemetery in Locust Grove, Oklahoma beside her husband, Skinner.

With Lizzie's passing, our family lost not only a beloved cousin, but a connection to our past that will forever be mourned. Lizzie was our family's last living original Dawes enrollee. When she died, our living connection to the historical Cherokee Nation died too. The sadness that brings to my heart is something I can never put into words.

Rest in peace, Lizzie, among your family and fellow citizens of our great, historic nation.

copyright 2009, Polly's Granddaughter - TCB

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