Millard "Monkey" Carey, my great uncle, was the son of Dick and Nancy (Fisher) Carey, Cherokee Nation citizens who were both listed on the Final Dawes Roll. He was one in a set of twins. When the twins were babies, their sister pushed them around in a baby buggy and once when someone saw the two little faces, they said, "Oh look, Monkey and Gorrilla." The nicknames stuck and Millard was always referred to as either Monkey or Monk from then on.
While a young child, Monk's father was killed by a hit and run driver. This left the family of nine children with only one parent and in a desperate state of poverty. After his two older brothers left for World War II, Monk's mother was unable to support the remaining boys on her own so he, along with his brothers, was sent away to attend Seneca Indian School at Wyandotte, Oklahoma.
While attending Seneca Indian school, Monkey participated in boxing and was quite good. His participation in the 1948 Golden Gloves tournaments is featured in this blog this week.
copyright 2010, Polly's Granddaughter - TCB
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