A pen stroke erased his name and cost him his citizenship cover art

A pen stroke erased his name and cost him his citizenship

A pen stroke erased his name and cost him his citizenship

Listen for free

View show details
A clerk crossed a name from the Dawes Roll in March 1906, erasing a 67-year-old judge and Civil War veteran’s citizenship - what did it cost him?

A pen stroke erased his name and cost him his citizenship

In this episode, we follow the life and legal struggle of William Clyde Thompson from his Choctaw lineage and childhood losses through wartime service and civic leadership to the moment a federal clerk struck his name from the Dawes Roll; what followed were years of courtroom appeals that tested the meaning of belonging. How did a single pen stroke trigger decades of fighting for recognition?

Person: William Clyde Thompson
Date: March 1906
Location: Dawes Roll / Indian Territory / Oklahoma (context of the commission)
Event: Name crossed off the Dawes Roll, prompting legal appeals
Period: Birth February 6, 1839; Civil War service beginning 1861

- A clerk drew a pen through Thompson’s name on the Dawes Roll, nullifying his documented citizenship claim.
- Thompson was a 67-year-old former judge, mayor, and decorated Civil War veteran with injuries from Shiloh and Franklin.
- His family traced Choctaw ancestry back 156 years to Atahobia, who led the Yowani into Texas and signed an 1820 treaty.
- The Yowani suffered massacre and displacement in 1840, after which Thompson’s grandmother Margaret McCoy Thompson raised him across the Red River.
- Thompson spent three years fighting the Dawes Commission’s ruling through federal courts up to the Supreme Court before the Interior Department reversed it.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
No reviews yet