Early Life and Education
Holmes Colbert was of mixed race, the son of Benjamin Franklin "Frank" Colbert, of mixed race, and a Chickasaw mother. He was a descendant of James Logan Colbert, a Scots trader from North Carolina who settled in Chickasaw country in the mid-18th century, and his third wife, who had a Chickasaw mother and belonged to her clan. They had six sons. Other sources say the Colberts had five sons. Because the Chickasaw have a matrilineal system, children are considered born into their mother's clan and they gain status in the tribe through her people, including any hereditary leadership positions. The status of their mothers, combined with their father's access to trade goods, led to the Colbert men becoming prominent landowners and leaders in the Chickasaw nation.
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