Editing Colbert, Oklahoma (section)

==History==
Colbert men became prominent leaders among the Chickasaw for most of the 18th and 19th centuries, starting with William "de Blainville" Colbert from France born of Scottish blood.  His parents fled during the [[Glorious Revolution]] in Scotland; hence, he was born in exile in [[Blainville-sur-Orne]], [[France]]. William traveled to the [[New World]] to seek a new line of work as a fur trader since the [[Jacobite uprisings]] had ruined his entitlements as a "King Baron." These Colberts were also related to [[Jean Baptiste Colbert]], Treasurer to King [[Louis XIV]]. There is a chateau named after Jean Baptiste Colbert in the aforementioned French town located on the Atlantic coast; it became a safe haven beginning in 1688.

Once in the New World, William Colbert ended up marrying the Chickasaw chief's eldest daughter in order to gain more influence in his trading of furs with the native tribes. It was from this union that the Colbert men started gaining prominence, especially since the next two generations married Chickasaw/Cherokee wives.  They also became chiefs such as [[George Colbert]] ("Tootemastubbe") and [[Levi Colbert]] ("Itawamba Mingo").<ref>Pate, James P. [http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=CO017 Colbert, George,"] ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', Oklahoma Historical Society, 2009. Accessed April 15, 2015.</ref>