Aguenackgue1

Family
Marriage*He married a Mohican woman, according to the Indian custom common at the time of using marriages for forming strategic and cultural alliances between tribes.1 
Miami Treaty of 1748* The purpose of the 1748 Miami Treaty, also known as the Treaty of Lancaster, was to establish a formal military and economic alliance between the British colony of Pennsylvania, the Iroquois Confederacy, and the Miami (Twightwee) people. The treaty was designed to:

1. Forge Alliances: by securing the Miami people as British trading partners and allies, and drawing them away from their previous allegiances with the French.

2. Create a Buffer: by allowing Pennsylvania to project its influence into Ohio lands, while intending to use the Miami people and their strategic town of Pickawillany, now Piqua, Ohio, as a physical buffer between the British colonies and the French.

3. Expand Trade: by establishing safe, English-backed trade routes for British goods, such as tools and firearms, into the Ohio River Valley.

The agreement was solidified at a conference in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, from 19 -23 July 1748, and marked a pivotal moment in the escalating colonial rivalries leading up to the French and Indian War.2 
Research Notes*before July 1748Little is known about the Miami chiefs before July 1748. A treaty was concluded that month at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, between the chiefs of several tribes on one side and commissioners appointed by the English colonial authorities on the other. In this treaty, which was merely one of peace and friendship, the name of A-gue-nack-gue, whose name was also recorded in documents as Aguenackgue, signed as principal chief of the Miamis. At that time he lived at Turtle village, a few miles northeast of the present city of Fort Wayne. Two other Miami chiefs from the Wabash country, whose names have not been identified, also signed the treaty, which lasted until after the establishment of the United States government.

Our Miami County source reported that Aguenackgue's son, Little Turtle, succeeded his father as principal chief of the Miami nation upon the death of his father, although Wikipedia stated that Little Turtle was selected as the war chief of the Atchatchakangouen division of the Miami people through his demonstration of military prowess in battle, and that although he was the war chief of the leading division of the tribe, Little Turtle was never the head chief of the Miami, which was a hereditary position.1,3,4 
Indian Names* Getting the Native American Indian names in our project "right" has been a struggle for us because we have often seen the same person's name spelled in several different ways. This was, at first, both frustrating and stressful to those of us who strive for accuracy in the presentation of our research. When we learned that the Miami Indians, who feature prominently in our project, had no written language before their associations with the French and English who kept records by writing them down, we began to understand. It’s all very human. Not every person speaks their words in the same way, and each listener may hear the same words differently. So, it’s not surprising that, phonetically, when names were spoken, they would be written down as each individual listener heard them.5,6,7,8,9,10,11 

Family
Children 1.Tah-cum-wah+1 b. 1720
 2.Pacanne12 b. 1737, d. 1814
 3.Little Turtle+1 b. bt 1747 - 1752, d. 14 Jul 1812

Citations

  1. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919), Volume I, Chapter III, Indian Chiefs and Treaties, pages 28-51. Hereinafter cited as History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  2. [S3053] Indiana Memory Collections, a collaborative effort to provide access to the wealth of primary sources in Indiana libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions. It is a gateway to Indiana's history and culture found in digitized books, manuscripts, photographs, newspapers, maps, and other media; online at https://indianamemory.contentdm.oclc.org/, https://indianamemory.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/…. Hereinafter cited as Indiana Memory Collections.
  3. [S2673] Genealogy Trails, online at https://www.genealogytrails.com/, a site dedicated to transcribing historical and genealogical information helpful to researchers, Miami County, Indiana: Indian Chiefs and Treaties, online at https://www.genealogytrails.com/ind/miami/…. Hereinafter cited as Genealogy Trails.
  4. [S225] Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia, online at www.wikipedia.org, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Turtle. Hereinafter cited as Wikipedia Encyclopedia.
  5. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs and dated 12 July 1990, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", in response to a petition submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs for Federal acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian Tribe; downloaded record number MNI-V001-D004, (file name 066_pf-2.pdf) from the Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs website (https://www.bia.gov) in October 2024. Hereinafter cited as "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc."
  6. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php; the website offers a Search capability and notes that the images were taken from microfilm, and that some years are out of order. The records include the following, although we've discovered they are more mixed up than we expected: Annuity Payroll, (reported to be the1854 cover only, although the handwritten pages that follow appear to us to be from 1854); Annuity Payroll, 1882; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889 (continued); Annuity Payroll, 1891; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Land Division, Francis Godfroy; and 1881 Census of Miami Indians in Indiana and Elsewhere. Hereinafter cited as Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895.
  7. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…, with additional information from a linked Google Spreadsheet. Hereinafter cited as Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  8. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Place of publication not identified: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1907). Hereinafter cited as History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  9. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  10. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Manchester, Indiana: Otho Winger, c1935). Hereinafter cited as The Last of The Miamis.
  11. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana : containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, military records portraits of early settlers and prominent men, personal reminiscences, etc., downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Chicago, Illinois: John Morris, Printer, 1884). Hereinafter cited as History of Wabash County, Indiana.
  12. [S225] Wikipedia Encyclopedia, online at www.wikipedia.org, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacanne

Chief Al-lo-lah1,2

Description*Chief Al-lo-lah was a Miami Indian village chief whose village was located south of the present day city at Wabash, Indiana.2 
Name VariationHe was commonly known as Black Racoon to the early settlers around Wabash.3 
Relationship Note*It's possible these two, Black Racoon and Black Racoon, were the same person.2,4 
Adoption*He adopted Peter Bondy after Peter, when he was about 27 years of age, had arrived in the United States from Canada.1,3 
Miami Custom-Belief* It was the custom and belief of the Miamis that when a loved one died, their spirit could not enter the spirit world until a replacement could be found to take their place in the living world. Only then could the spirit of the dead be released. Sometimes a friend who was unattached could be adopted. The most prevalent custom, however, was to raid an enemy camp and capture women and children. These people, as time healed their sorrow, usually adapted to their new lives and would, thereby, become an instrument of release for the spirit of a departed member of the tribe.5 
(American Indian) Indian Names Getting the Native American Indian names in our project "right" has been a struggle for us because we have often seen the same person's name spelled in several different ways. This was, at first, both frustrating and stressful to those of us who strive for accuracy in the presentation of our research. When we learned that the Miami Indians, who feature prominently in our project, had no written language before their associations with the French and English who kept records by writing them down, we began to understand. It’s all very human. Not every person speaks their words in the same way, and each listener may hear the same words differently. So, it’s not surprising that, phonetically, when names were spoken, they would be written down as each individual listener heard them.6,7,8,9,10,11,12 

Citations

  1. [S748] Find a Grave website, which often provides cemetery and tombstone photos, and sometimes personal biographies, that may be obtained from the site, online at www.findagrave.com, Rev Peter “Wah-pa-pe-tah” Bondy, Memorial# 34693723. Hereinafter cited as Find a Grave website.
  2. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919), Volume I, Chapter II, Aboriginal Inhabitants, The Indians, pages 20-27. Hereinafter cited as History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  3. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Manchester, Indiana: Otho Winger, c1935), John B. Brouillette, pages 23-27. Hereinafter cited as The Last of The Miamis.
  4. [S3054] Aacimohtaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/07/02/…, article published by Diane Hunter on July 2, 2021, https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/07/02/…. Hereinafter cited as Aacimohtaatiiyankwi- Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  5. [S2915] LaMoine N. Marks, Kim-qua-tah: The Story of Hannah Thorpe, 1994; a 14-page booklet. LaMoine Marks was born 11 September 1907 in Wabash County, Indiana. He was a member of the Miami Tribe of Indians and made a lifetime study of the tribe, its people and its ways. From the oral history learned from his father, Charles Marks, to his access of research materials gathered for a tribal history, Marks wrote this personal story of his great-grandmother, Kim-qua-tah. He wrote in his foreword: "The people were real -- the story is fictionalized only enough to provide continuity." Viewed on 13 September 2025, beginning at https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/…. Hereinafter cited as Kim-qua-tah: The Story of Hannah Thorpe.
  6. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs and dated 12 July 1990, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", in response to a petition submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs for Federal acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian Tribe; downloaded record number MNI-V001-D004, (file name 066_pf-2.pdf) from the Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs website (https://www.bia.gov) in October 2024. Hereinafter cited as "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc."
  7. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php; the website offers a Search capability and notes that the images were taken from microfilm, and that some years are out of order. The records include the following, although we've discovered they are more mixed up than we expected: Annuity Payroll, (reported to be the1854 cover only, although the handwritten pages that follow appear to us to be from 1854); Annuity Payroll, 1882; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889 (continued); Annuity Payroll, 1891; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Land Division, Francis Godfroy; and 1881 Census of Miami Indians in Indiana and Elsewhere. Hereinafter cited as Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895.
  8. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…, with additional information from a linked Google Spreadsheet. Hereinafter cited as Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  9. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Place of publication not identified: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1907). Hereinafter cited as History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  10. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  11. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis.
  12. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana : containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, military records portraits of early settlers and prominent men, personal reminiscences, etc., downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Chicago, Illinois: John Morris, Printer, 1884). Hereinafter cited as History of Wabash County, Indiana.

Amehkoonsa1

Biographical Info* Amehkoonsa was a Miami individual whose family and band were part of the complex political movements and negotiations managed by the Miami National Council during the turbulent 1840s removal era. He negotiated at the Forks of the Wabash, where tribal leadership initially sought land exemptions to keep members in Indiana. Amehkoonsa, known as Seek, and his family returned to Indiana from the western reservation in Kansas between late 1847 and early 1848. By the 1850s, Amehkoonsa served the Indiana community locally, acting as a tribal miller and clerk for the Miami National Council.1,2,3 
Name VariationHis name was recorded as Amehkoonsa 'Seek' when his family was granted an exemption from Removal by the U.S. Congress in 1850.1 
Name VariationHe was also known as Seek.1 
(Miami Leader) Indian Removal Act Copied in part, with minor changes, from the "Myaamia, A Living History: Myaamia Removal:

"Following the arrival of Europeans, the Miami were disrupted by waves of disease, war, and relocation. Beginning in 1795, the Miami were forced to sign treaties giving up ever-increasing amounts of their precious homeland to the government of the United States. By the 1830s, the Miami had only about 500,000 acres, which was surrounded by land controlled by the State of Indiana. Land speculators and settlers wanted this land too.

"In 1830, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act. The goal of this act was to force all tribes to move west of the Mississippi. Throughout the 1830s, many tribes suffered their own version of the “Trail of Tears” most commonly associated with the Cherokee Nation’s forced removal in 1838. Throughout this period, the Miami resisted giving up their reservation in Indiana."4 
(Exemption Requested) Miami Removalbetween 1838 and 1845 In the Miami treaty of 1838, the Miami National Council had agreed, for the first time, to consider the possibility of a future Indian Removal, and also contained, for the family of Chief John B. Richardville, the first Exemption from Removal. The Miami treaty of 1840 provided for two additional families, those of Chief Francis Godfroy and Chief Meshingomesia, to continue to receive their share of the annuities at Fort Wayne, Indiana, essentially exempting those families also from Removal. And, on 3 March 1845, the family of Frances Slocum was exempted from Removal by a joint resolution of Congress. By 1845, most Miami National Council leaders who owned reservation land but were not exempted, also sought legal remedy to avoid Removal and protect their homes. They wrote to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, petitioned Congress, and hired Dr. Graham Fitch to lobby for them in Congress.

Using his Indian name, Toohpia, Principal Chief Francis Toohpia LaFontaine and other Miami leaders went to Washington themselves to discuss exemptions. Their letter following the visit showed them taking a new tactic to avoid Removal for Miami landowners, reflecting the reasons for the exemption of the Godfroy family and citing Indiana state law as the impediment to their Removal.

“Certain individuals of our nation, who are not permitted by treaty or by law of Congress to remain in Indiana and draw their annuities there, hold individual reservations of land by treaty, which they have improved, and upon which they are now living, and have paid taxes. A law of the State of Indiana forbids them making private sale of these lands, declaring all contracts with our people null and void. If such of our people emigrate, their farms will be ruined or sold for taxes, and their personal property, stock, etc., sacrificed. Will not our great father permit such of our people to remain upon their lands, and draw their annuities in Indiana, in the same manner as is specified in a similar permission, by treaty and by law of Congress, to a few other of our people? Such permission to be extended to those land owners (not now having it) until the legal inability to sell their lands is removed, or the U.S. buys them….”

They pointed out the hypocrisy that the federal government could force them from their homes on lands they owned as private property, a most sacred American tradition, while at the same time, the state of Indiana refused to allow them to legally sell their property. If they were removed, Miami leaders and their families would likely be swindled out of their lands, if their property was not outright stolen from them.

Dr. Graham Fitch, as a lobbyist for the National Council, sent a list to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, of the Miami who owned reservation land and wished to stay in Indiana. The list of petitioners included additional members of the family of Chief John B. Richardville, whose name was recorded as Pinšiwa ‘Wild Cat', and also the families of Misihkwa, Mahkateehsipana 'Cotesipin', Mihtekwahkia 'Coesse', Amehkoonsa 'Seek', Meehkwaahkonanka 'Benjamin', Meesancihkwa, Šowaapinamwa 'Antoine Revarre' and Waapimaankwa 'White Loon', and the heirs of Sha-co-mo and Chief Majenica. The men on this list were all prominent Miami leaders.1,2,3 
(Removal Petitioner) Miami Removal None of the 1845 petitioners were granted exemptions before the Miami's forced emigration to Kansas began, so tragically, they and their families were also "on Removal" and had to leave their homes and lands in Indiana with all of the other displaced members of the Miami tribe. They had resisted removal for six years and, with each passing year, more families were officially exempted from removal. They believed that everyone would be able to stay on individual family allotments that had been created for decades prior to 1840. All hope of resistance to removal ended, though, when private contractors and the U.S. Army were ordered to forcibly remove those that had not been exempted. U.S. Removal Agent Joseph Sinclair, however, did allow some of the petitioner's family members to temporarily stay behind to harvest the fall crops and sell their reservation land on the assumption that the state of Indiana would lift that ban on them.1,2,3,4 
(Miami Leader) Miami Removal6 October 1846The Miami's forced emigration to the Kansas Territory began on 6 October 1846 and, among those with Miami Indian blood, the only individuals who were permitted to remain in the Wabash country and not be removed to Kansas, were those who were specifically Exempted from Removal: the Meshingomesia Band, plus descendants of Chief Richardville and Francis Godfroy, the Slocum Family and Chief LaFontaine, his wife and their children. Everyone else was "on Removal". It would be winter before their grueling one-month journey brought them to their destination. In order to share their experiences as best we know how, we've copied, without changes, the description of their journey from the "Myaamia, A Living History: Myaamia Removal" source:

"On October 6th, 1846, hundreds of Myaamia were loaded onto three canal boats in Peru, Indiana – a place they called Iihkipihsinonki. Iihkipihsinonki translates to “straight place”. It was named because of the straight course of the Wabash River in that spot. From Iihkipihsinonki the canal boats were pulled along the Wabash-Erie Canal and followed the Wabash north to Ft. Wayne.

"The forced exodus began in earnest the next day, when more Myaamia were forcibly loaded onto canal boats in Ft. Wayne, known to the Myaamia as Kiihkayonki. Kiihkayonki was the original site of their largest village and was called “that Glorious Gate” by the Myaamia leader Mihšihkinaahkwa. That day the forced exodus began.

"On October 7th, Kiihkayonki became the gateway of the removal from Myaamionki. From Kiihkayonki, the five canal boats were pulled to the Miami-Erie canal and began a four-day journey south to Cincinnati, OH. On their way south the Myaamia passed numerous sites of great historical and cultural importance. They passed the site of Fort Defiance, the military bastion from which Anthony Wayne launched his final invasion into Myaamionki in 1794. They also passed Pinkwaawilenionki (Pickawillany) a prominent Myaamia village site in the mid-eighteenth century. Much of the Miami-Erie canal followed the course of the Ahsenisiipi (the Great Miami River); a river that originally was a major route of travel to their hunting grounds along the Ohio River and to their relatives who also called that beautiful place home.

"On October 11th, they reached the growing metropolis of Cincinnati, Ohio. In Cincinnati, the Myaamia were moved to the steamship Colorado, and on October 12th the ship began its journey west on the Kaanseenseepiiwi (Ohio River). While on route to the Mississippi River an infant passed away. After eight days of travel on the Colorado, they arrived in St. Louis, Missouri. The Myaamia were unloaded at Bloody Island, which lay in the middle of the Mississippi River. This location placed the group near the traditional village sites of their Inoka (Illinois) relatives and as such it was a place they knew well. However it was also at the western edge of Myaamionki. To the west lay the traditional homelands of groups that had formerly been their enemies; to their parents’ generation those western lands had been a dangerous place. Yet, the Americans told them these lands in the west were to be their new homes. Upon arriving at Bloody Island an elderly member of the group passed away. The elder and the infant that had passed earlier in the journey were buried on or near the Island according to Myaamia tribal traditions.

"On October 23rd, the Myaamia were loaded onto the steamship Clermont No. 2 and were taken north on the Mississippi River to its confluence with the Missouri River. From this point, they followed the Missouri River west to Kanza Landing, which today lies on the Missouri side of Kansas City. For the first time in their journey, these forced migrants were outside their traditional homelands. After a month of journeying, these Myaamia had moved from the forested bottomlands of the Wabash River Valley to the edge of the great American prairielands of the west. It was a very different landscape, and winter had set in.

"On November 1st, three hundred and twenty five Myaamia were unloaded at Kanza Landing. The next day they traveled the final fifty miles of their journey to Osage River sub-agency in the Unorganized Territory (Kansas). They arrived at Sugar Creek on Nov. 5th, of 1846. It was winter on the plains and the people were forced to sleep in government issued tents and eat government rations until they could build more permanent structures.

"After only just arriving in Kansas the Myaamia were told they had to move again. Kansas was becoming a state and hoped to move American Indians south to Oklahoma to open up land for settlers. In 1873, a small group of Myaamia traveled 150 miles south to what is today Miami, Oklahoma completing the final leg of a journey that began back in Indiana twenty-seven years earlier."4,5,6 
(Return to Indiana) Miami Removal Following the 1846 forced Miami Removal to Kansas, several Miami families quietly made their way back to their homelands in Indiana.1,2,3 
(Exempted in 1850) Miami Removal1850 In 1850, the U.S. Congress granted official removal exemptions to the additional members of the family of Miami Chief John B. Richardville, whose name was recorded as Pinšiwa ‘Wild Cat', and also the families of Waapimaankwa 'White Loon', Šowaapinamwa 'Antoine Revarre', Mihtekwahkia 'Coesse', Misihkwa, Oonseentia 'John Osandiah', Mahkateehsipana 'Cotesipin', Amehkoonsa 'Seek', Mahkateemaankwa, Amehkoonsihkwa 'wife of Benjamin', Kinooseensa 'Peter Langlois' and Elizabeth Langlois, identifying them as specific Miami tribal leaders, community members, individuals, families, and their descendants who had returned to Indiana after the forced removals. With this action, Congress formally legalized their returns, allowing them to remain in Indiana permanently.

The names of Sha-co-mo, Chief Majenica and Meesancihkwa, or Chief Little Turtle, whose family members had also requested exemptions from Removal, were not included, nor was any mention of their heirs.1,2,3 
(American Indian) Indian Names Getting the Native American Indian names in our project "right" has been a struggle for us because we have often seen the same person's name spelled in several different ways. This was, at first, both frustrating and stressful to those of us who strive for accuracy in the presentation of our research. When we learned that the Miami Indians, who feature prominently in our project, had no written language before their associations with the French and English who kept records by writing them down, we began to understand. It’s all very human. Not every person speaks their words in the same way, and each listener may hear the same words differently. So, it’s not surprising that, phonetically, when names were spoken, they would be written down as each individual listener heard them.7,8,9,10,11,12,13 

Citations

  1. [S3054] Aacimohtaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/07/02/…, article published by Diane Hunter on July 2, 2021, https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/07/02/…. Hereinafter cited as Aacimohtaatiiyankwi- Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  2. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…, with additional information from a linked Google Spreadsheet, https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…. Hereinafter cited as Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  3. [S3056] Aacimohtaatiiyankwi, a blog serving as a space for Myaamia ‘Miami’ people to connect, reflect, and share. Our primary goal is to provide a platform for conversations about our community, places, ecological observations, and shared pasts. It also serves as a resource for educational opportunities that support a deeper understanding of Myaamia culture, language, and identity. Aacimohtatiiyaankwi is collaboratively authored by a dedicated team from the Myaamia Center at Miami University, the Cultural Resources Office of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, and guests from the Myaamia community. Through regular posts, we share insights, stories, research, and observations that reflect the ongoing efforts to support Myaamia knowledge; online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org. Hereinafter cited as Aacimohtaatiiyankwi.
  4. [S2788] Telling Our Story: A Living History of the Myaamia, online at https://teachmyaamiahistory.org/, Myaamia Removal, https://teachmyaamiahistory.org/contents/section5/readings/…. Hereinafter cited as Telling Our Story: A Living History of the Myaamia.
  5. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919), Volume I, Chapter III, Indian Chiefs and Treaties, pages 28-51. Hereinafter cited as History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  6. [S748] Find a Grave website, which often provides cemetery and tombstone photos, and sometimes personal biographies, that may be obtained from the site, online at www.findagrave.com, Chief Francis Topeah Lafontaine, Memorial# 42524370, which includes historical information contributed by various sources and authors. Hereinafter cited as Find a Grave website.
  7. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs and dated 12 July 1990, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", in response to a petition submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs for Federal acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian Tribe; downloaded record number MNI-V001-D004, (file name 066_pf-2.pdf) from the Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs website (https://www.bia.gov) in October 2024. Hereinafter cited as "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc."
  8. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php; the website offers a Search capability and notes that the images were taken from microfilm, and that some years are out of order. The records include the following, although we've discovered they are more mixed up than we expected: Annuity Payroll, (reported to be the1854 cover only, although the handwritten pages that follow appear to us to be from 1854); Annuity Payroll, 1882; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889 (continued); Annuity Payroll, 1891; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Land Division, Francis Godfroy; and 1881 Census of Miami Indians in Indiana and Elsewhere. Hereinafter cited as Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895.
  9. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…
  10. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Place of publication not identified: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1907). Hereinafter cited as History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  11. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  12. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Manchester, Indiana: Otho Winger, c1935). Hereinafter cited as The Last of The Miamis.
  13. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana : containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, military records portraits of early settlers and prominent men, personal reminiscences, etc., downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Chicago, Illinois: John Morris, Printer, 1884). Hereinafter cited as History of Wabash County, Indiana.

Amehkoonsihkwa1

Biographical Info* Amehkoonsihkwa, known in records as the "wife of Benjamin" or part of the Meehkwaahkonanka Benjamin family, was a prominent Miami woman connected to the leadership and exemption lists surrounding the forced removals of the 1840s. Rather than serving as an active member of the male-dominated Miami National Council itself, her family and household were part of the core group of Miami leaders and traditional land-holders who navigated the tumultuous post-removal era, leading to an official Congressional exemption from removal by 1850. Amehkoonsihkwa and members of the Benjamin family were among those who returned to or persisted in their Indiana homeland. Her name appears explicitly in historical documentation alongside other prominent local leaders such as Seek and Coesse, whose persistent presence and petitions resulted in an official U.S. Congressional resolution in 1850 allowing them and their descendants to remain legally in Indiana.1,2,3 
Name VariationHer name was recorded as Amehkoonsihkwa 'wife of Benjamin' when her family was granted an exemption from Removal by the U.S. Congress in 1850.1 
Relationship Note*Amehkoonsihkwa and Meehkwaahkonanka Benjamin were married.1 
(Miami Leader) Indian Removal Act Copied in part, with minor changes, from the "Myaamia, A Living History: Myaamia Removal:

"Following the arrival of Europeans, the Miami were disrupted by waves of disease, war, and relocation. Beginning in 1795, the Miami were forced to sign treaties giving up ever-increasing amounts of their precious homeland to the government of the United States. By the 1830s, the Miami had only about 500,000 acres, which was surrounded by land controlled by the State of Indiana. Land speculators and settlers wanted this land too.

"In 1830, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act. The goal of this act was to force all tribes to move west of the Mississippi. Throughout the 1830s, many tribes suffered their own version of the “Trail of Tears” most commonly associated with the Cherokee Nation’s forced removal in 1838. Throughout this period, the Miami resisted giving up their reservation in Indiana."4 
(Miami Leader) Miami Removalbetween 1838 and 1845 In the Miami treaty of 1838, the Miami National Council had agreed, for the first time, to consider the possibility of a future Indian Removal, and also contained, for the family of Chief John B. Richardville, the first Exemption from Removal. The Miami treaty of 1840 provided for two additional families, those of Chief Francis Godfroy and Chief Meshingomesia, to continue to receive their share of the annuities at Fort Wayne, Indiana, essentially exempting those families also from Removal. And, on 3 March 1845, the family of Frances Slocum was exempted from Removal by a joint resolution of Congress. By 1845, most Miami National Council leaders who owned reservation land but were not exempted, also sought legal remedy to avoid Removal and protect their homes. They wrote to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, petitioned Congress, and hired Dr. Graham Fitch to lobby for them in Congress.

Using his Indian name, Toohpia, Principal Chief Francis Toohpia LaFontaine and other Miami leaders went to Washington themselves to discuss exemptions. Their letter following the visit showed them taking a new tactic to avoid Removal for Miami landowners, reflecting the reasons for the exemption of the Godfroy family and citing Indiana state law as the impediment to their Removal.

“Certain individuals of our nation, who are not permitted by treaty or by law of Congress to remain in Indiana and draw their annuities there, hold individual reservations of land by treaty, which they have improved, and upon which they are now living, and have paid taxes. A law of the State of Indiana forbids them making private sale of these lands, declaring all contracts with our people null and void. If such of our people emigrate, their farms will be ruined or sold for taxes, and their personal property, stock, etc., sacrificed. Will not our great father permit such of our people to remain upon their lands, and draw their annuities in Indiana, in the same manner as is specified in a similar permission, by treaty and by law of Congress, to a few other of our people? Such permission to be extended to those land owners (not now having it) until the legal inability to sell their lands is removed, or the U.S. buys them….”

They pointed out the hypocrisy that the federal government could force them from their homes on lands they owned as private property, a most sacred American tradition, while at the same time, the state of Indiana refused to allow them to legally sell their property. If they were removed, Miami leaders and their families would likely be swindled out of their lands, if their property was not outright stolen from them.

Dr. Graham Fitch, as a lobbyist for the National Council, sent a list to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, of the Miami who owned reservation land and wished to stay in Indiana. The list of petitioners included additional members of the family of Chief John B. Richardville, whose name was recorded as Pinšiwa ‘Wild Cat', and also the families of Misihkwa, Mahkateehsipana 'Cotesipin', Mihtekwahkia 'Coesse', Amehkoonsa 'Seek', Meehkwaahkonanka 'Benjamin', Meesancihkwa, Šowaapinamwa 'Antoine Revarre' and Waapimaankwa 'White Loon', and the heirs of Sha-co-mo and Chief Majenica. The men on this list were all prominent Miami leaders.1,2,3 
(Miami Leader) Miami Removal6 October 1846The Miami's forced emigration to the Kansas Territory began on 6 October 1846 and, among those with Miami Indian blood, the only individuals who were permitted to remain in the Wabash country and not be removed to Kansas, were those who were specifically Exempted from Removal: the Meshingomesia Band, plus descendants of Chief Richardville and Francis Godfroy, the Slocum Family and Chief LaFontaine, his wife and their children. Everyone else was "on Removal". It would be winter before their grueling one-month journey brought them to their destination. In order to share their experiences as best we know how, we've copied, without changes, the description of their journey from the "Myaamia, A Living History: Myaamia Removal" source:

"On October 6th, 1846, hundreds of Myaamia were loaded onto three canal boats in Peru, Indiana – a place they called Iihkipihsinonki. Iihkipihsinonki translates to “straight place”. It was named because of the straight course of the Wabash River in that spot. From Iihkipihsinonki the canal boats were pulled along the Wabash-Erie Canal and followed the Wabash north to Ft. Wayne.

"The forced exodus began in earnest the next day, when more Myaamia were forcibly loaded onto canal boats in Ft. Wayne, known to the Myaamia as Kiihkayonki. Kiihkayonki was the original site of their largest village and was called “that Glorious Gate” by the Myaamia leader Mihšihkinaahkwa. That day the forced exodus began.

"On October 7th, Kiihkayonki became the gateway of the removal from Myaamionki. From Kiihkayonki, the five canal boats were pulled to the Miami-Erie canal and began a four-day journey south to Cincinnati, OH. On their way south the Myaamia passed numerous sites of great historical and cultural importance. They passed the site of Fort Defiance, the military bastion from which Anthony Wayne launched his final invasion into Myaamionki in 1794. They also passed Pinkwaawilenionki (Pickawillany) a prominent Myaamia village site in the mid-eighteenth century. Much of the Miami-Erie canal followed the course of the Ahsenisiipi (the Great Miami River); a river that originally was a major route of travel to their hunting grounds along the Ohio River and to their relatives who also called that beautiful place home.

"On October 11th, they reached the growing metropolis of Cincinnati, Ohio. In Cincinnati, the Myaamia were moved to the steamship Colorado, and on October 12th the ship began its journey west on the Kaanseenseepiiwi (Ohio River). While on route to the Mississippi River an infant passed away. After eight days of travel on the Colorado, they arrived in St. Louis, Missouri. The Myaamia were unloaded at Bloody Island, which lay in the middle of the Mississippi River. This location placed the group near the traditional village sites of their Inoka (Illinois) relatives and as such it was a place they knew well. However it was also at the western edge of Myaamionki. To the west lay the traditional homelands of groups that had formerly been their enemies; to their parents’ generation those western lands had been a dangerous place. Yet, the Americans told them these lands in the west were to be their new homes. Upon arriving at Bloody Island an elderly member of the group passed away. The elder and the infant that had passed earlier in the journey were buried on or near the Island according to Myaamia tribal traditions.

"On October 23rd, the Myaamia were loaded onto the steamship Clermont No. 2 and were taken north on the Mississippi River to its confluence with the Missouri River. From this point, they followed the Missouri River west to Kanza Landing, which today lies on the Missouri side of Kansas City. For the first time in their journey, these forced migrants were outside their traditional homelands. After a month of journeying, these Myaamia had moved from the forested bottomlands of the Wabash River Valley to the edge of the great American prairielands of the west. It was a very different landscape, and winter had set in.

"On November 1st, three hundred and twenty five Myaamia were unloaded at Kanza Landing. The next day they traveled the final fifty miles of their journey to Osage River sub-agency in the Unorganized Territory (Kansas). They arrived at Sugar Creek on Nov. 5th, of 1846. It was winter on the plains and the people were forced to sleep in government issued tents and eat government rations until they could build more permanent structures.

"After only just arriving in Kansas the Myaamia were told they had to move again. Kansas was becoming a state and hoped to move American Indians south to Oklahoma to open up land for settlers. In 1873, a small group of Myaamia traveled 150 miles south to what is today Miami, Oklahoma completing the final leg of a journey that began back in Indiana twenty-seven years earlier."4,5,6 
(Return to Indiana) Miami Removal Following the 1846 forced Miami Removal to Kansas, several Miami families quietly made their way back to their homelands in Indiana.1,2,3 
(Exempted in 1850) Miami Removal1850 In 1850, the U.S. Congress granted official removal exemptions to the additional members of the family of Miami Chief John B. Richardville, whose name was recorded as Pinšiwa ‘Wild Cat', and also the families of Waapimaankwa 'White Loon', Šowaapinamwa 'Antoine Revarre', Mihtekwahkia 'Coesse', Misihkwa, Oonseentia 'John Osandiah', Mahkateehsipana 'Cotesipin', Amehkoonsa 'Seek', Mahkateemaankwa, Amehkoonsihkwa 'wife of Benjamin', Kinooseensa 'Peter Langlois' and Elizabeth Langlois, identifying them as specific Miami tribal leaders, community members, individuals, families, and their descendants who had returned to Indiana after the forced removals. With this action, Congress formally legalized their returns, allowing them to remain in Indiana permanently.

The names of Sha-co-mo, Chief Majenica and Meesancihkwa, or Chief Little Turtle, whose family members had also requested exemptions from Removal, were not included, nor was any mention of their heirs. We suspect that Amehkoonsihkwa's husband, Meehkwaahkonanka 'Benjamin', who had been a prominent leader and member of the Miami National Council during the turbulent 1840s, had died before the Removal Exemptions were granted in 1850.1,2,3 
(American Indian) Indian Names Getting the Native American Indian names in our project "right" has been a struggle for us because we have often seen the same person's name spelled in several different ways. This was, at first, both frustrating and stressful to those of us who strive for accuracy in the presentation of our research. When we learned that the Miami Indians, who feature prominently in our project, had no written language before their associations with the French and English who kept records by writing them down, we began to understand. It’s all very human. Not every person speaks their words in the same way, and each listener may hear the same words differently. So, it’s not surprising that, phonetically, when names were spoken, they would be written down as each individual listener heard them.7,8,9,10,11,12,13 

Citations

  1. [S3054] Aacimohtaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/07/02/…, article published by Diane Hunter on July 2, 2021, https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/07/02/…. Hereinafter cited as Aacimohtaatiiyankwi- Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  2. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…, with additional information from a linked Google Spreadsheet, https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…. Hereinafter cited as Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  3. [S3056] Aacimohtaatiiyankwi, a blog serving as a space for Myaamia ‘Miami’ people to connect, reflect, and share. Our primary goal is to provide a platform for conversations about our community, places, ecological observations, and shared pasts. It also serves as a resource for educational opportunities that support a deeper understanding of Myaamia culture, language, and identity. Aacimohtatiiyaankwi is collaboratively authored by a dedicated team from the Myaamia Center at Miami University, the Cultural Resources Office of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, and guests from the Myaamia community. Through regular posts, we share insights, stories, research, and observations that reflect the ongoing efforts to support Myaamia knowledge; online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org. Hereinafter cited as Aacimohtaatiiyankwi.
  4. [S2788] Telling Our Story: A Living History of the Myaamia, online at https://teachmyaamiahistory.org/, Myaamia Removal, https://teachmyaamiahistory.org/contents/section5/readings/…. Hereinafter cited as Telling Our Story: A Living History of the Myaamia.
  5. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919), Volume I, Chapter III, Indian Chiefs and Treaties, pages 28-51. Hereinafter cited as History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  6. [S748] Find a Grave website, which often provides cemetery and tombstone photos, and sometimes personal biographies, that may be obtained from the site, online at www.findagrave.com, Chief Francis Topeah Lafontaine, Memorial# 42524370, which includes historical information contributed by various sources and authors. Hereinafter cited as Find a Grave website.
  7. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs and dated 12 July 1990, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", in response to a petition submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs for Federal acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian Tribe; downloaded record number MNI-V001-D004, (file name 066_pf-2.pdf) from the Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs website (https://www.bia.gov) in October 2024. Hereinafter cited as "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc."
  8. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php; the website offers a Search capability and notes that the images were taken from microfilm, and that some years are out of order. The records include the following, although we've discovered they are more mixed up than we expected: Annuity Payroll, (reported to be the1854 cover only, although the handwritten pages that follow appear to us to be from 1854); Annuity Payroll, 1882; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889 (continued); Annuity Payroll, 1891; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Land Division, Francis Godfroy; and 1881 Census of Miami Indians in Indiana and Elsewhere. Hereinafter cited as Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895.
  9. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…
  10. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Place of publication not identified: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1907). Hereinafter cited as History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  11. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  12. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Manchester, Indiana: Otho Winger, c1935). Hereinafter cited as The Last of The Miamis.
  13. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana : containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, military records portraits of early settlers and prominent men, personal reminiscences, etc., downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Chicago, Illinois: John Morris, Printer, 1884). Hereinafter cited as History of Wabash County, Indiana.

Aw-taw-waw-taw

Family
Father*Osandiah1,2
(Son) Research Notes According to The Last of the Miamis, Chief Osandiah had once lived with his family at the Miami capital of Kekionga, which is now Fort Wayne, Indiana. He moved with his tribal band to the Big (Great) Miami river, near what is now Piqua, Ohio. There he became a prominent Indian chief. At Osandiah's death, he was succeeded by his son, Aw-taw-waw-taw, who died soon after. The chieftainship then fell to Me-to-cin-yah, son of Aw-taw-waw-taw.1 
Name VariationIn various documents, we've also found his Indian name spelled Atawataw.2 
(American Indian) Indian Names Getting the Native American Indian names in our project "right" has been a struggle for us because we have often seen the same person's name spelled in several different ways. This was, at first, both frustrating and stressful to those of us who strive for accuracy in the presentation of our research. When we learned that the Miami Indians, who feature prominently in our project, had no written language before their associations with the French and English who kept records by writing them down, we began to understand. It’s all very human. Not every person speaks their words in the same way, and each listener may hear the same words differently. So, it’s not surprising that, phonetically, when names were spoken, they would be written down as each individual listener heard them.3,4,5,6,7,8,9 

Family
Child 1.Me-to-cin-yah+2 b. 1760, d. 1839

Citations

  1. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Manchester, Indiana: Otho Winger, c1935), Metocinyah, pages 30-32. Hereinafter cited as The Last of The Miamis.
  2. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs and dated 12 July 1990, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", in response to a petition submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs for Federal acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian Tribe; downloaded record number MNI-V001-D004, (file name 066_pf-2.pdf) from the Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs website (https://www.bia.gov) in October 2024; Anthropological Report (Contractor), Social and Political Organization, Meshingomesia, digital pages 116-122. Hereinafter cited as "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc."
  3. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", 12 July 1990.
  4. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php; the website offers a Search capability and notes that the images were taken from microfilm, and that some years are out of order. The records include the following, although we've discovered they are more mixed up than we expected: Annuity Payroll, (reported to be the1854 cover only, although the handwritten pages that follow appear to us to be from 1854); Annuity Payroll, 1882; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889 (continued); Annuity Payroll, 1891; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Land Division, Francis Godfroy; and 1881 Census of Miami Indians in Indiana and Elsewhere. Hereinafter cited as Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895.
  5. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…, with additional information from a linked Google Spreadsheet. Hereinafter cited as Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  6. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Place of publication not identified: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1907). Hereinafter cited as History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  7. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919). Hereinafter cited as History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  8. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis.
  9. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana : containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, military records portraits of early settlers and prominent men, personal reminiscences, etc., downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Chicago, Illinois: John Morris, Printer, 1884). Hereinafter cited as History of Wabash County, Indiana.

Aw-taw-waw-taw1

b. 1817, d. 26 December 1879
Family
Father*Meshingomesia1 d. 23 Dec 1879
Mother*Tak-e-quah1 b. 1789, d. 15 Sep 1879
Birth*1817Aw-taw-waw-taw was born, as calculated from his reported age at death, about 1817.2 
Name VariationHis name was also recorded as Awtawwawtaw.1 
Name VariationLater, about the early 1840s, Tawataw became used as the family's surname3 
Name Variation and he added an English given name and became known as John Tawataw.4 
Marriage*1842He married Betsy Winters, daughter of Sarah __?__, about 1842.4,2 
Children*The wives of Aw-taw-waw-taw and his brother, Pe-con-ge-oh, were sisters of Charles and Joseph Winters. Awtawwawtaw's wife, Me-ta-ke-ke-quah, whose English name was Betsy, was commonly known as Aunt Betsy. They had five children whose English names were Nelson, John, Anna, Lucy and Ellen. Nelson Tawataw married Melvina, a daughter of O-zah-shin-quah. They had a family of several children. His sister, Anna, married as her first husband, Millard Prickett
and left one son named Nelson Prickett, and their oldest daughter married John Walters and left a number of children with the surname Walters. Sadly, though, no one was left to perpetuate the name of Awtawwawtaw, or Tawataw as it came to be known.5 
(Husband) Relationship Note Although the relationship between the WINTERS siblings has been reported clearly by earlier researchers, their works, when merged with our own research, have left us with unanswered questions. We need, and request, help. Here are the facts as we know them:

Betsy Winters and Mary Robertson were reported to be sisters of Joseph Winters and Charles Winters. It was also reported that the sisters, Betsy and Mary, married brothers, Awtawwawtaw and Pe-con-ge-oh, respectively, and that Joseph Winters married Louisa Miller, an adopted sister of Awtawwawtaw and Pe-con-ge-oh. Additionally, Joseph Winter's mother was reported to be Sarah (__?__) Winters, and we suspect, therefore, that she was, probably, also the mother of Betsy Winters, Mary Robertson, and Charles Winters, whom we've not yet even identified. Mary's maiden name was recorded as Robertson and her birth year estimated as 1824, and Betsy's maiden name was recorded as Winters, and her year of birth estimated as 1822. Puzzling, right? Where did the surname Robertson come from? The logical answer is that their mother had married a Robertson before she married Winters. If that's true, though, why is it only the second daughter who was a Robertson? Was Mary Robertson, perhaps, the daughter of a first husband of Sarah, and a stepsister to her Winters siblings? There are so many possibilities: was Mary Robertson a full sister, a half-sister, a stepsister, an adopted sister -- or something else? We have found no helpful information that tells us about their mother, Sarah (__?__) Winters, and would love to have help from someone who knows the answers to our questions!6,4,7,8,2,9,10 
(Husband) Death21 July 1874Aw-taw-waw-taw became a widower when Betsy Winters died on 21 July 1874.4 
(Father) Illness1879He did not live to see the mistake of the division of his father's reservation. During the summer of 1879, Aw-taw-waw-taw's son, Nelson Tawataw, became ill with tuberculosis. He had just finished building his fine new brick house. One visitor to that home reported that she saw, at one time in that house, not only Nelson Tawataw, but also his grandparents, Meshingomesia and Tak-e-quah, his father Aw-taw-waw-taw, his uncle and aunt, Pe-con-ge-oh and Aunt Polly, and other Indians. With the exception of Pe-con-ge-oh's wife, Nelson and all the others of those just named died before the following Christmas. They were buried in the Indian cemetery just back of the Indian church. Fine tombstones for that day were erected to their memory.11 
Death*26 December 1879He died on 26 December 1879 at about age 622 
Burial* and was buried in the Miami Indian Cemetery, Fox, Grant County, Indiana.2 
(American Indian) Indian Names Getting the Native American Indian names in our project "right" has been a struggle for us because we have often seen the same person's name spelled in several different ways. This was, at first, both frustrating and stressful to those of us who strive for accuracy in the presentation of our research. When we learned that the Miami Indians, who feature prominently in our project, had no written language before their associations with the French and English who kept records by writing them down, we began to understand. It’s all very human. Not every person speaks their words in the same way, and each listener may hear the same words differently. So, it’s not surprising that, phonetically, when names were spoken, they would be written down as each individual listener heard them.12,13,14,15,16,17,18 

Family

 Betsy Winters d. 21 Jul 1874
Children 1.Nelson Tawataw19,20 b. 1844, d. 9 Oct 1879
 2.John Tawataw20
 3.Lucy Tawatah20 b. 1850
 4.Ellen Tawatah20 b. 1852
 5.Anna Tawatah20,21 b. 22 Dec 1852

Citations

  1. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Manchester, Indiana: Otho Winger, c1935), Meshingomesia, pages 32-36. Hereinafter cited as The Last of The Miamis.
  2. [S748] Find a Grave website, which often provides cemetery and tombstone photos, and sometimes personal biographies, that may be obtained from the site, online at www.findagrave.com, Aw-Taw-Waw-Taw, Memorial# 11565654. Hereinafter cited as Find a Grave website.
  3. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, Meshingomesia, his family, pages 32-33; reporting that no one was left (in 1935) to perpetuate the name of Awtawwawtaw, or Tawataw, as it came to be known.
  4. [S748] Find a Grave website, online at www.findagrave.com, Betsy “Ta-Ke-E-Quah” Winters, Memorial# 11565659.
  5. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, Meshingomesia, his family, pages 32-36.
  6. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, Meshingomesia, his family, pages 32-33; reporting that the wives of Meshingomesia's two sons were sisters of Joseph and Charles Winters, and that the wife of Po-con-ge-ah was Soek-o-chock-quah and was commonly known as Aunt Polly, and that the wife of Awtawwawtaw was Me-ta-ke-ke-quah and was commonly known as Aunt Betsy.
  7. [S748] Find a Grave website, online at www.findagrave.com, Mary “Polly” (Robertson) Peconga, Memorial# 58901002.
  8. [S748] Find a Grave website, online at www.findagrave.com, Charles “Pe-con-ge-oh” Peconga, Memorial# 11567172.
  9. [S748] Find a Grave website, online at www.findagrave.com, Louisa (Miller) Winters, Memorial# 58901880.
  10. [S748] Find a Grave website, online at www.findagrave.com, Sarah Winters, Memorial# 11567296.
  11. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, Introduction, pages 3-4.
  12. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs and dated 12 July 1990, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", in response to a petition submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs for Federal acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian Tribe; downloaded record number MNI-V001-D004, (file name 066_pf-2.pdf) from the Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs website (https://www.bia.gov) in October 2024. Hereinafter cited as "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc."
  13. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php; the website offers a Search capability and notes that the images were taken from microfilm, and that some years are out of order. The records include the following, although we've discovered they are more mixed up than we expected: Annuity Payroll, (reported to be the1854 cover only, although the handwritten pages that follow appear to us to be from 1854); Annuity Payroll, 1882; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889 (continued); Annuity Payroll, 1891; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Land Division, Francis Godfroy; and 1881 Census of Miami Indians in Indiana and Elsewhere. Hereinafter cited as Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895.
  14. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…, with additional information from a linked Google Spreadsheet. Hereinafter cited as Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  15. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Place of publication not identified: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1907). Hereinafter cited as History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  16. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919). Hereinafter cited as History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  17. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis.
  18. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana : containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, military records portraits of early settlers and prominent men, personal reminiscences, etc., downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Chicago, Illinois: John Morris, Printer, 1884). Hereinafter cited as History of Wabash County, Indiana.
  19. [S748] Find a Grave website, online at www.findagrave.com, Nelson “Shaw-pe-ne-mah” Tawa-Taw, Memorial# 11567271.
  20. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, Meshingomesia, his family, pages 32-33; reporting that Awtawwawtaw and Aunt Betsy had five children, Nelson, John, Anna, Lucy and Ellen; that Anna married Millard Prickett and left one son named Nelson who was still living (1935) in Marion; that Nelson Tawataw married Melvina, a daughter of Ozahshinquah, and had several children, and their oldest daughter married John Walters and had left a number of children, but no one was left (1935) to perpetuate the name of Awtawwawtaw, or Tawataw, as it came to be known.
  21. [S748] Find a Grave website, online at www.findagrave.com, Hannah “Anna/ Waw-pe-ke-quah” (Tawataw) Aveline, Memorial# 118052377.

Ca-the-mun-qua1

Family
Father*John Baptiste Richardville2
(Son-Youngest Son) Will9 April 1841His paternal grandfather, Chief John B. Richardville, prepared his will dated 9 April 1841 in Allen County, Indiana, naming his three daughters, Catees, Susan and La Blonde, one son-in-law, Francis LaFontaine, his surviving son, Mia-que-ah, and his two deceased sons, John B. Richardville and Joseph Richardville. His will named a niece, Margaret Lafalia, and nineteen grandchildren which included three granddaughters, Che-Pe-Quay, Che-me-qua and Alin-Ben-Che-Quay, and three grandsons, Wa-pa-se-pah, Wa-ka-shin-qua and John B. LaFontaine, from his daughter, Catees; one grandson, Ma-ca-the-mun-qua from his daughter, Susan; two grandsons, Ca-the-mun-qua and Shap-pen-do-u-ah, and two granddaughters, Ca-the-mun-quah-quah and Wa-ka-com-me qua, from his deceased son John B. Richardville; one granddaughter, Mon-go-se-quah, and two grandsons, Mon-go-sau and Ke-la-ke-mo-ke-ah, from his daughter, La Blonde; one grandson, Alin-na-ben-she-shau, from his deceased son Joseph Richardville, and four grandchildren from his son, Mia-que-ah, whose names he was unable to recollect. His heirs also included two great grandchildren. The first was identified as the granddaughter of his daughter, Susan, from her son, Ma-ca-the-mun-qua, and was described as the "Daughter Child" by his former wife, Ke she co quah, who was a daughter of Pichiwa; his second great grandchild was identified as Thomas F. Richardville, son of his deceased grandson, Crescent, who was the son of his deceased son Joseph Richardville. Our transcription of his will follows:

In the name of God. Amen!

I, John B. Richardville of the County of Allen, Indiana, Principal Chief of the Miami Tribe of Indians, being of sound mind and memory, knowing the uncertainty of life and desirous to dispose of my affairs while in a sound state of mind, doth make, publish and declare this instrument of writing my last will and testament in manner following, to wit:

First. I commit my soul to that God who gave it, my burial to be under the direction of my executor hereinafter named.

Item First. I devise, will and bequeath to my daughter Catees (alias Catherine), wife of LaFontaine, her heirs and assigns forever, the three following sections of land, to wit: One section of the same situate in the County of Huntington at the forks of the Wabash to be laid out for her by my executor so as to include my houses and improvements there. The other two sections of land to commence at the confluence of the Mississinewa and Wabash rivers running down the Wabash to the lower line of the two sections and back for quantity.

Item 2. I devise, will and bequeath to my daughter La Blonde (alias Maria Louisa) and her heirs and assigns forever, three sections of land on the St. Marys river in the County of Allen, known as my residence on that river.

Item 3. I give, devise, will and bequeath to my daughter Susan and her heirs and assigns forever, three sections of land as follows. One of said sections lying in the County of Huntington nearly opposite Vermilya's Mill and the other two commencing at the confluence of the Salamonie River and the Wabash, to run so far down as a line run to the back line will embrace two sections of land, being the upper two sections of my reserve on the Wabash River below and adjoining the Salamonie.

Item 4. I devise, will and bequeath to my son Mi-aw-que-ah (alias Blind Eyed Richardville) and his heirs and assigns forever, one section of land situate on the Mississinewa river at what is called the Osage Village.

Item 5. I give, will and bequeath to my granddaughter Mon-go-se-quah, the daughter of La Blonde, her heirs and assigns forever, one section of land on the Wabash adjoining the Salamonie river, the residue of said reserve being devised to my daughter Susan.

Item 6. I devise, will and bequeath to my grandson Wa-pa-se-pah (alias Louis La Fontaine) and his heirs and assigns forever, one section of land situated in Miami County, lying on the Wabash River opposite the mouth of the Mississinewa river.

Item 7. I give, devise, will and bequeath to my niece Margaret Lafalia, her heirs and assigns forever, one-half section of land commencing at a point on the Wabash and Erie Canal where Clear Creek intersects the same in Huntington County, thence up the canal until it strikes the lots laid out for the town of Richardville and back for quantity.

Item 8. I give, devise, will and bequeath to each of my grand and great grandchildren, and to their heirs and assigns forever, one-half section of land each, to wit: to the following five children of my daughter Catees, Che-pe-quay, Che-me-qua, Alin-ben-che-quay, her three daughters; to Wa-ka-shin-qua and to John B. Lafontaine (alias Old Man), her two sons, these are the five children of Catees to whom I give ½ section of land each. To Ma-ca-the-mun-qua (alias John), son of Susan and to his daughter child by his former wife, the daughter of Push-ne, each one-half section of land. To Ca-the-mun-qua and to Shap-pen-do-u-ah, sons of my deceased son John B. Richardville Junior, to Ca-the-mun-quah-quah and to Wa-ka-com-me-qua, daughters of said deceased son John B. Richardville, each of the four one-half section of land. To Mon-go-sau and Ke-la-com-me-ka, sons of my daughter La Blonde, each one-half section of land. To Alin-na-ben-she-shau, son of my deceased son Joseph Richardville, one-half section of land; to my great grandson, the son of Crescent, who was the son of Joseph Richardville one-half section of land. To my four grandchildren, the children of my son Mi-aw-que ah, whose names I do not recollect, each one-half section of land.

It is my further will and I hereby direct that my executors cause to be surveyed and set apart to each of the devisees to whom one-half section of land is devised by this my last will and testament, the separate tract to each individual out of any lands I may possess at the time of my death not expressly devised to any individual by this will and file a record of such division with the name of the person to which each tract belongs, in the county where the land lies, a certificate of which shall be evidence of title to such devisee. Setting apart to the children of Catees the section I bought from Black Loon in Huntington County and the section and a half at my mill on the Wabash at Rock Creek. Should I own them at the time of my death being to the children of Catees, ½ section each. Should I dispose of the same in my life time, then they've to be selected as the others.

Item Ninth. All the property both real and personal or mixed, lands or tenements, credits, moneys and effects which I may possess at the time of my death not devised to any devisee in this my last will and testament and all my cattle and household furniture I devise, will and bequeath to my three daughters, La Blonde, Susan and Catees, their heirs and assigns forever.

And lastly, I constitute and appoint Allen Hamilton and the Reverend Julian Benoit as executors of this my last will and testament, and in the case of death, refusal to serve or removal of either beyond the limits of this state, it is my will that the Probate Court appoint and executor in place of the one removed, refusing to serve or deceased, so that there shall be at all times two executors to this my last will and testament.

In testimony whereof, I John B. Richardville have hereunto set my hand and seal this ninth day of April in the year of our Lord, one thousand, eight hundred forty-one.

Signing as his witnesses were John P. Hedges and John E. Hill.1 
(American Indian) Indian Names Getting the Native American Indian names in our project "right" has been a struggle for us because we have often seen the same person's name spelled in several different ways. This was, at first, both frustrating and stressful to those of us who strive for accuracy in the presentation of our research. When we learned that the Miami Indians, who feature prominently in our project, had no written language before their associations with the French and English who kept records by writing them down, we began to understand. It’s all very human. Not every person speaks their words in the same way, and each listener may hear the same words differently. So, it’s not surprising that, phonetically, when names were spoken, they would be written down as each individual listener heard them.3,4,5,6,7,8,9 

Citations

  1. [S2621] Indiana, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1798-1999, online at www.ancestry.com, will of John B. Richardville, Principal Chief of the Miami Tribe of Indians, dated 9 April 1841 in Allen County, Indiana, Probate Will Record, Volumes 1-2a, 1831-1875, pages 35-38, Ancestry online images 40-42 of 815. Hereinafter cited as Indiana, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1798-1999.
  2. [S2691] Richardville Family Tree, from the Elizabeth Glenn Collection, "Richardville, LaFontaine, Langlois, Cass, and Little Turtle genealogical tree", RG-04-01-40-B06-F25-052_Page-10, Ball State University, Digital Media Repository, a project of the university's libraries,, online at https://dmr.bsu.edu/digital/collection/GlennElizaC/id/3447/. Hereinafter cited as Richardville Family Tree.
  3. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs and dated 12 July 1990, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", in response to a petition submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs for Federal acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian Tribe; downloaded record number MNI-V001-D004, (file name 066_pf-2.pdf) from the Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs website (https://www.bia.gov) in October 2024. Hereinafter cited as "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc."
  4. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php; the website offers a Search capability and notes that the images were taken from microfilm, and that some years are out of order. The records include the following, although we've discovered they are more mixed up than we expected: Annuity Payroll, (reported to be the1854 cover only, although the handwritten pages that follow appear to us to be from 1854); Annuity Payroll, 1882; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889 (continued); Annuity Payroll, 1891; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Land Division, Francis Godfroy; and 1881 Census of Miami Indians in Indiana and Elsewhere. Hereinafter cited as Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895.
  5. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…, with additional information from a linked Google Spreadsheet. Hereinafter cited as Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  6. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Place of publication not identified: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1907). Hereinafter cited as History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  7. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919). Hereinafter cited as History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  8. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Manchester, Indiana: Otho Winger, c1935). Hereinafter cited as The Last of The Miamis.
  9. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana : containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, military records portraits of early settlers and prominent men, personal reminiscences, etc., downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Chicago, Illinois: John Morris, Printer, 1884). Hereinafter cited as History of Wabash County, Indiana.

Ca-the-mun-quah-quah1

Family
Father*John Baptiste Richardville2
(Daughter-Youngest Son) Will9 April 1841Her paternal grandfather, Chief John B. Richardville, prepared his will dated 9 April 1841 in Allen County, Indiana, naming his three daughters, Catees, Susan and La Blonde, one son-in-law, Francis LaFontaine, his surviving son, Mia-que-ah, and his two deceased sons, John B. Richardville and Joseph Richardville. His will named a niece, Margaret Lafalia, and nineteen grandchildren which included three granddaughters, Che-Pe-Quay, Che-me-qua and Alin-Ben-Che-Quay, and three grandsons, Wa-pa-se-pah, Wa-ka-shin-qua and John B. LaFontaine, from his daughter, Catees; one grandson, Ma-ca-the-mun-qua from his daughter, Susan; two grandsons, Ca-the-mun-qua and Shap-pen-do-u-ah, and two granddaughters, Ca-the-mun-quah-quah and Wa-ka-com-me qua, from his deceased son John B. Richardville; one granddaughter, Mon-go-se-quah, and two grandsons, Mon-go-sau and Ke-la-ke-mo-ke-ah, from his daughter, La Blonde; one grandson, Alin-na-ben-she-shau, from his deceased son Joseph Richardville, and four grandchildren from his son, Mia-que-ah, whose names he was unable to recollect. His heirs also included two great grandchildren. The first was identified as the granddaughter of his daughter, Susan, from her son, Ma-ca-the-mun-qua, and was described as the "Daughter Child" by his former wife, Ke she co quah, who was a daughter of Pichiwa; his second great grandchild was identified as Thomas F. Richardville, the son of Alin-na-ben-she-shau, who was the son of his deceased son Joseph Richardville. Our transcription of his will follows:

In the name of God. Amen!

I, John B. Richardville of the County of Allen, Indiana, Principal Chief of the Miami Tribe of Indians, being of sound mind and memory, knowing the uncertainty of life and desirous to dispose of my affairs while in a sound state of mind, doth make, publish and declare this instrument of writing my last will and testament in manner following, to wit:

First. I commit my soul to that God who gave it, my burial to be under the direction of my executor hereinafter named.

Item First. I devise, will and bequeath to my daughter Catees (alias Catherine), wife of LaFontaine, her heirs and assigns forever, the three following sections of land, to wit: One section of the same situate in the County of Huntington at the forks of the Wabash to be laid out for her by my executor so as to include my houses and improvements there. The other two sections of land to commence at the confluence of the Mississinewa and Wabash rivers running down the Wabash to the lower line of the two sections and back for quantity.

Item 2. I devise, will and bequeath to my daughter La Blonde (alias Maria Louisa) and her heirs and assigns forever, three sections of land on the St. Marys river in the County of Allen, known as my residence on that river.

Item 3. I give, devise, will and bequeath to my daughter Susan and her heirs and assigns forever, three sections of land as follows. One of said sections lying in the County of Huntington nearly opposite Vermilya's Mill and the other two commencing at the confluence of the Salamonie River and the Wabash, to run so far down as a line run to the back line will embrace two sections of land, being the upper two sections of my reserve on the Wabash River below and adjoining the Salamonie.

Item 4. I devise, will and bequeath to my son Mi-aw-que-ah (alias Blind Eyed Richardville) and his heirs and assigns forever, one section of land situate on the Mississinewa river at what is called the Osage Village.

Item 5. I give, will and bequeath to my granddaughter Mon-go-se-quah, the daughter of La Blonde, her heirs and assigns forever, one section of land on the Wabash adjoining the Salamonie river, the residue of said reserve being devised to my daughter Susan.

Item 6. I devise, will and bequeath to my grandson Wa-pa-se-pah (alias Louis La Fontaine) and his heirs and assigns forever, one section of land situated in Miami County, lying on the Wabash River opposite the mouth of the Mississinewa river.

Item 7. I give, devise, will and bequeath to my niece Margaret Lafalia, her heirs and assigns forever, one-half section of land commencing at a point on the Wabash and Erie Canal where Clear Creek intersects the same in Huntington County, thence up the canal until it strikes the lots laid out for the town of Richardville and back for quantity.

Item 8. I give, devise, will and bequeath to each of my grand and great grandchildren, and to their heirs and assigns forever, one-half section of land each, to wit: to the following five children of my daughter Catees, Che-pe-quay, Che-me-qua, Alin-ben-che-quay, her three daughters; to Wa-ka-shin-qua and to John B. Lafontaine (alias Old Man), her two sons, these are the five children of Catees to whom I give ½ section of land each. To Ma-ca-the-mun-qua (alias John), son of Susan and to his daughter child by his former wife, the daughter of Push-ne, each one-half section of land. To Ca-the-mun-qua and to Shap-pen-do-u-ah, sons of my deceased son John B. Richardville Junior, to Ca-the-mun-quah-quah and to Wa-ka-com-me-qua, daughters of said deceased son John B. Richardville, each of the four one-half section of land. To Mon-go-sau and Ke-la-com-me-ka, sons of my daughter La Blonde, each one-half section of land. To Alin-na-ben-she-shau, son of my deceased son Joseph Richardville, one-half section of land; to my great grandson, the son of Crescent, who was the son of Joseph Richardville one-half section of land. To my four grandchildren, the children of my son Mi-aw-que ah, whose names I do not recollect, each one-half section of land.

It is my further will and I hereby direct that my executors cause to be surveyed and set apart to each of the devisees to whom one-half section of land is devised by this my last will and testament, the separate tract to each individual out of any lands I may possess at the time of my death not expressly devised to any individual by this will and file a record of such division with the name of the person to which each tract belongs, in the county where the land lies, a certificate of which shall be evidence of title to such devisee. Setting apart to the children of Catees the section I bought from Black Loon in Huntington County and the section and a half at my mill on the Wabash at Rock Creek. Should I own them at the time of my death being to the children of Catees, ½ section each. Should I dispose of the same in my life time, then they've to be selected as the others.

Item Ninth. All the property both real and personal or mixed, lands or tenements, credits, moneys and effects which I may possess at the time of my death not devised to any devisee in this my last will and testament and all my cattle and household furniture I devise, will and bequeath to my three daughters, La Blonde, Susan and Catees, their heirs and assigns forever.

And lastly, I constitute and appoint Allen Hamilton and the Reverend Julian Benoit as executors of this my last will and testament, and in the case of death, refusal to serve or removal of either beyond the limits of this state, it is my will that the Probate Court appoint and executor in place of the one removed, refusing to serve or deceased, so that there shall be at all times two executors to this my last will and testament.

In testimony whereof, I John B. Richardville have hereunto set my hand and seal this ninth day of April in the year of our Lord, one thousand, eight hundred forty-one.

Signing as his witnesses were John P. Hedges and John E. Hill.1 
(American Indian) Indian Names Getting the Native American Indian names in our project "right" has been a struggle for us because we have often seen the same person's name spelled in several different ways. This was, at first, both frustrating and stressful to those of us who strive for accuracy in the presentation of our research. When we learned that the Miami Indians, who feature prominently in our project, had no written language before their associations with the French and English who kept records by writing them down, we began to understand. It’s all very human. Not every person speaks their words in the same way, and each listener may hear the same words differently. So, it’s not surprising that, phonetically, when names were spoken, they would be written down as each individual listener heard them.3,4,5,6,7,8,9 

Citations

  1. [S2621] Indiana, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1798-1999, online at www.ancestry.com, will of John B. Richardville, Principal Chief of the Miami Tribe of Indians, dated 9 April 1841 in Allen County, Indiana, Probate Will Record, Volumes 1-2a, 1831-1875, pages 35-38, Ancestry online images 40-42 of 815. Hereinafter cited as Indiana, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1798-1999.
  2. [S2691] Richardville Family Tree, from the Elizabeth Glenn Collection, "Richardville, LaFontaine, Langlois, Cass, and Little Turtle genealogical tree", RG-04-01-40-B06-F25-052_Page-10, Ball State University, Digital Media Repository, a project of the university's libraries,, online at https://dmr.bsu.edu/digital/collection/GlennElizaC/id/3447/. Hereinafter cited as Richardville Family Tree.
  3. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs and dated 12 July 1990, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", in response to a petition submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs for Federal acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian Tribe; downloaded record number MNI-V001-D004, (file name 066_pf-2.pdf) from the Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs website (https://www.bia.gov) in October 2024. Hereinafter cited as "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc."
  4. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php; the website offers a Search capability and notes that the images were taken from microfilm, and that some years are out of order. The records include the following, although we've discovered they are more mixed up than we expected: Annuity Payroll, (reported to be the1854 cover only, although the handwritten pages that follow appear to us to be from 1854); Annuity Payroll, 1882; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889 (continued); Annuity Payroll, 1891; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Land Division, Francis Godfroy; and 1881 Census of Miami Indians in Indiana and Elsewhere. Hereinafter cited as Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895.
  5. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…, with additional information from a linked Google Spreadsheet. Hereinafter cited as Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  6. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Place of publication not identified: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1907). Hereinafter cited as History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  7. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919). Hereinafter cited as History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  8. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Manchester, Indiana: Otho Winger, c1935). Hereinafter cited as The Last of The Miamis.
  9. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana : containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, military records portraits of early settlers and prominent men, personal reminiscences, etc., downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Chicago, Illinois: John Morris, Printer, 1884). Hereinafter cited as History of Wabash County, Indiana.

Cha-ka-pe-ah1

b. 1784
Family
Birth*1784Cha-ka-pe-ah was born about 1784.1 
Marriage*She may have married, as his second wife, Chief Me-to-cin-yah, son of Aw-taw-waw-taw.1 
(American Indian) Indian Names Getting the Native American Indian names in our project "right" has been a struggle for us because we have often seen the same person's name spelled in several different ways. This was, at first, both frustrating and stressful to those of us who strive for accuracy in the presentation of our research. When we learned that the Miami Indians, who feature prominently in our project, had no written language before their associations with the French and English who kept records by writing them down, we began to understand. It’s all very human. Not every person speaks their words in the same way, and each listener may hear the same words differently. So, it’s not surprising that, phonetically, when names were spoken, they would be written down as each individual listener heard them.2,3,4,5,6,7,8 

Family

 Me-to-cin-yah b. 1760, d. 1839

Citations

  1. [S748] Find a Grave website, which often provides cemetery and tombstone photos, and sometimes personal biographies, that may be obtained from the site, online at www.findagrave.com, CHA-KA-PE-AH, Memorial# 35731624. Hereinafter cited as Find a Grave website.
  2. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs and dated 12 July 1990, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", in response to a petition submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs for Federal acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian Tribe; downloaded record number MNI-V001-D004, (file name 066_pf-2.pdf) from the Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs website (https://www.bia.gov) in October 2024. Hereinafter cited as "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc."
  3. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php; the website offers a Search capability and notes that the images were taken from microfilm, and that some years are out of order. The records include the following, although we've discovered they are more mixed up than we expected: Annuity Payroll, (reported to be the1854 cover only, although the handwritten pages that follow appear to us to be from 1854); Annuity Payroll, 1882; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889 (continued); Annuity Payroll, 1891; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Land Division, Francis Godfroy; and 1881 Census of Miami Indians in Indiana and Elsewhere. Hereinafter cited as Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895.
  4. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…, with additional information from a linked Google Spreadsheet. Hereinafter cited as Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  5. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Place of publication not identified: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1907). Hereinafter cited as History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  6. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919). Hereinafter cited as History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  7. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Manchester, Indiana: Otho Winger, c1935). Hereinafter cited as The Last of The Miamis.
  8. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana : containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, military records portraits of early settlers and prominent men, personal reminiscences, etc., downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Chicago, Illinois: John Morris, Printer, 1884). Hereinafter cited as History of Wabash County, Indiana.

Chapendocia1

Family
Father*Me-to-cin-yah1 b. 1760, d. 1839
(3rd Son) Research Notes According to The Last of the Miamis, Me-to-cin-yah's grandfather, Chief Osandiah, had once lived with his family at the Miami capital of Kekionga, which is now Fort Wayne, Indiana. He moved with his tribal band to the Big (Great) Miami river, near what is now Piqua, Ohio. There he became a prominent Indian chief. At Osandiah's death, he was succeeded by his son, Aw-taw-waw-taw, who died soon after. The chieftainship then fell to Me-to-cin-yah, son of Aw-taw-waw-taw. Regarding his name, which had earlier been written as Metosinia by the French and English settlers, the source reported that the chief is better known in history as Me-to-cin-yah. And his name was often written by the author as Metocinyah, without the hyphens. After becoming chief, Me-to-cin-yah led his tribal band back west to Indiana and settled on the Mississinewa river where he raised a large family and became an influential chief. The village of Metocinyah, which was very large and important among the Indians, was located at the mouth of Jocinah Creek in what is now the southern part of Wabash County, Indiana. Jocinah is a modification of the name Metocinyah.

Me-to-cin-yah was thought to have had ten sons and also a number of daughters. Meshingomesia, his oldest son, became the chief of the Mississinewa band when Metocinyah died in 1839. Meshingomesia, early in life, married a Miami wife, Tak-e-quah, and they had two sons and no daughters of their own, although they raised an Indian girl whose mother was an Indian and whose father was a pioneer merchant in Peru, Indiana. Meshingomesia also took an interest in a Potawatomie Indian boy and had him adopted into the Miami tribe. For forty years, Meshingomesia was a trusted leader and advisor of his people, and was the last tribal chief of the Miamis with anything like the power of the old-time chiefs. His reservation was surrounded by white people with whom he lived in peace and by whom he was held in high esteem.

The names of Meshingomesia's nine brothers were believed recorded in 1840 when the Mississinewa Reservation was granted to the entire family of Me-to-cin-yah, although only three of them had been connected to any specific recorded events at the time of the source's publication in 1935. Wapesitah married Kegetonaquah, commonly called Shickaway; Chapendocia, whose wife was No-an-ge-quah, had a number of children; and Me-ta-ke-quah, who was also known as Captain Dixon, married when she was grown, Lydia Tharp, the little white girl who had been stolen from her father's home during the War of 1812 by Mississinewa Indians and raised at the village of Metocinyah. Charles Dixon, the son of Lydia Tharp and Captain Dixon, plays a role, with some of his descendants, in our research project.2,3,1 
Marriage*Chapendocia's wife's name was No-an-ge-quah.1 
(American Indian) Indian Names Getting the Native American Indian names in our project "right" has been a struggle for us because we have often seen the same person's name spelled in several different ways. This was, at first, both frustrating and stressful to those of us who strive for accuracy in the presentation of our research. When we learned that the Miami Indians, who feature prominently in our project, had no written language before their associations with the French and English who kept records by writing them down, we began to understand. It’s all very human. Not every person speaks their words in the same way, and each listener may hear the same words differently. So, it’s not surprising that, phonetically, when names were spoken, they would be written down as each individual listener heard them.4,5,6,7,8,9,10 

Family

 No-an-ge-quah

Citations

  1. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Manchester, Indiana: Otho Winger, c1935), Meshingomesia, his brothers, pages 35-36. Hereinafter cited as The Last of The Miamis.
  2. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, Metocinyah, pages 30-32.
  3. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, Meshingomesia, pages 32-36.
  4. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs and dated 12 July 1990, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", in response to a petition submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs for Federal acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian Tribe; downloaded record number MNI-V001-D004, (file name 066_pf-2.pdf) from the Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs website (https://www.bia.gov) in October 2024. Hereinafter cited as "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc."
  5. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php; the website offers a Search capability and notes that the images were taken from microfilm, and that some years are out of order. The records include the following, although we've discovered they are more mixed up than we expected: Annuity Payroll, (reported to be the1854 cover only, although the handwritten pages that follow appear to us to be from 1854); Annuity Payroll, 1882; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889 (continued); Annuity Payroll, 1891; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Land Division, Francis Godfroy; and 1881 Census of Miami Indians in Indiana and Elsewhere. Hereinafter cited as Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895.
  6. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…, with additional information from a linked Google Spreadsheet. Hereinafter cited as Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  7. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Place of publication not identified: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1907). Hereinafter cited as History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  8. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919). Hereinafter cited as History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  9. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis.
  10. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana : containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, military records portraits of early settlers and prominent men, personal reminiscences, etc., downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Chicago, Illinois: John Morris, Printer, 1884). Hereinafter cited as History of Wabash County, Indiana.

Ching-o-shing-quah1

b. 1839, d. 27 February 1894
Family
Father*Mah-Mah-mum-drah4,1
Mother*O-zah-shin-quah2,1,3,4 b. Oct 1809, d. 25 Jan 1877
Birth*1839Ching-o-shing-quah was born, as calculated from her reported age at death, about 1839 in Indiana.1,5 
Name Variation We note that her Indian name was recorded as Ching-o-shing-quah on her Find a Grave memorial page and was spelled "Chan-shin-gah" in the 1873 will of her mother, O-zah-shin-quah.1,6 
Name VariationHer English name was Melvina1 
Name Variation and as a child used the surname Godfroy, which was the surname of her mother's first husband and Melvina's older sisters.7 
(Granddaughter) ResidenceIn 1845 by a joint resolution of the U.S. Congress, her maternal grandmother, Frances Slocum and her family, which included on that date 22 individuals, were exempted from the Removal Order forcing the Miami from Indiana. The family lived on a prosperous farm and owned cattle, hogs, chickens and a large herd of ponies. Her grandmother's settlement included her two grown daughters, Nancy Ke-ke-nok-esh-wah Brouillette and Jane O-zah-shin-quah Bundy, their husbands, John B. Brouillette and Peter Bundy, and four granddaughters, Eliza Ke-pa-ke-min-quah Godfroy, Frances Godfroy, Ki po ki na mo qua and Ching-o-shing-quah. In 1846, the year of the forced Removal, Ching-o-shing-quah's grandmother persuaded her white nephew, Reverend George R. Slocum, to come from Ohio and help her manage the farm.8 
(Sister-in-Law) Census US 185019 September 1850Melvina was enumerated with her mother and extended family on the 1850 census taken on 19 September 1850 in the household of her sister and brother-in-law, Ke-pa-ke-min-quah and John B. Brouillette in Waltz Township, Wabash County, Indiana. Melvina, who was recorded with the surname "Godfroy", was 11 years old and had attended school within the census year.7 
Marriage*She married Nelson Tawataw, son of Aw-taw-waw-taw and Betsy Winters.1,9,4,3 
(Daughter) Will10 July 1873Her mother, O-zah-shin-quah, prepared her will dated 10 July 1873 in Wabash County, Indiana. Her beneficiaries included her husband, Peter Wah-pa-pe-tah Bondy, whom she also nominated and appointed executor of her estate; her daughters, Rose Ann Pe-me-sah-quah Bondy, Hannah Sah-co-quit-ah Mongosa, Frances Wah-pah-nock-shin-quah Wilson, Eliza Ke-pa-ke-min-quah Brouillette, Elizabeth Ki po ki na mo qua Godfroy and Ching-o-shing-quah Tawataw; her sons, Judson Ke-pah-ke-kap-wah Bondy and Camillious Tak-quah-ke-uh Bondy; and a granddaughter, Nancy On-za-noc-ke-sum-quah Mongosa. Her will also mentioned her deceased sister, Ke-ke-nok-esh-wah Brouillette, and a son-in-law, Nelson Tawataw.6 
Illness*1879During the summer of 1879, her husband, a grandson of Meshingomesia, became ill with tuberculosis. He had just finished building his fine new brick house. One visitor to that home reported that she saw, at one time in that house, not only Nelson Tawataw, but also his grandparents, Meshingomesia and Tak-e-quah, his father Aw-taw-waw-taw, his uncle and aunt, Pe-con-ge-oh and Aunt Polly, and other Indians. With the exception of Pe-con-ge-oh's wife, Nelson and all the others of those just named died before the following Christmas. They were buried in the Indian cemetery just back of the Indian church. Fine tombstones for that day were erected to their memory.10 
(Wife) Death9 October 1879Melvina became a widow when Nelson Tawataw died on 9 October 1879 at about age 35.9 
Death*27 February 1894She died on 27 February 18941 
Burial* and was buried in the Miami Indian Cemetery, Fox, Grant County, Indiana.1 
(American Indian) Indian Names Getting the Native American Indian names in our project "right" has been a struggle for us because we have often seen the same person's name spelled in several different ways. This was, at first, both frustrating and stressful to those of us who strive for accuracy in the presentation of our research. When we learned that the Miami Indians, who feature prominently in our project, had no written language before their associations with the French and English who kept records by writing them down, we began to understand. It’s all very human. Not every person speaks their words in the same way, and each listener may hear the same words differently. So, it’s not surprising that, phonetically, when names were spoken, they would be written down as each individual listener heard them.11,12,13,14,15,16,17 

Family

 Nelson Tawataw b. 1844, d. 9 Oct 1879

Citations

  1. [S748] Find a Grave website, which often provides cemetery and tombstone photos, and sometimes personal biographies, that may be obtained from the site, online at www.findagrave.com, Melvina “Ching-o-shing-quah” Tawataw, Memorial# 11567279. Hereinafter cited as Find a Grave website.
  2. [S748] Find a Grave website, online at www.findagrave.com, Jane O-ZAH-SHIN-QUAH “Yellow Leaf” (Slocum) Bondy, Memorial# 34693520.
  3. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Manchester, Indiana: Otho Winger, c1935), Meshingomesia, his family, pages 32-33; reporting that Awtawwawtaw and Aunt Betsy had five children, Nelson, John, Anna, Lucy and Ellen; that Anna married Millard Prickett and left one son named Nelson who was still living (1935) in Marion; that Nelson Tawataw married Melvina, a daughter of Ozahshinquah, and had several children, and their oldest daughter married John Walters and had left a number of children, but no one was left (1935) to perpetuate the name of Awtawwawtaw, or Tawataw, as it came to be known. Hereinafter cited as The Last of The Miamis.
  4. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, John B. Brouillette, pages 23-27, reporting in part that Ozahshinquah, by her fourth husband, Mah-mah-mum-drah, had one daughter, Chang-ching-quah, who became the wife of Nelson Tawataw.
  5. [S17] 1850 United States Federal Census, online at www.ancestry.com, household of John B. Brouillette, The National Archives in Washington, DC; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M432; Residence Date: 1850; Home in 1850: Waltz, Wabash, Indiana; Roll: 178; Page: 358a; Melvina was recorded as 11 years old, and her year of birth estimated as 1839. Hereinafter cited as 1850 United States Federal Census.
  6. [S2621] Indiana, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1798-1999, online at www.ancestry.com, will of O-zah-shin-quah, or Jane Bondy, of Wabash County, Indiana, dated 10 July 1873, Wabash County Will Records, Volumes A-B, 1842-1880, Book B, pages 220-228, Ancestry online images 371-375 of 482. Hereinafter cited as Indiana, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1798-1999.
  7. [S17] 1850 United States Federal Census, online at www.ancestry.com, household of John B. Brouillette, The National Archives in Washington, DC; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M432; Residence Date: 1850; Home in 1850: Waltz, Wabash, Indiana; Roll: 178; Page: 358a.
  8. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs and dated 12 July 1990, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", in response to a petition submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs for Federal acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian Tribe; downloaded record number MNI-V001-D004, (file name 066_pf-2.pdf) from the Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs website (https://www.bia.gov) in October 2024; Anthropological Report (Contractor), Social and Political Organization, Bundy, digital pages 123-131. Hereinafter cited as "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc."
  9. [S748] Find a Grave website, online at www.findagrave.com, Nelson “Shaw-pe-ne-mah” Tawa-Taw, Memorial# 11567271.
  10. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, Introduction, pages 3-4.
  11. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", 12 July 1990.
  12. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php; the website offers a Search capability and notes that the images were taken from microfilm, and that some years are out of order. The records include the following, although we've discovered they are more mixed up than we expected: Annuity Payroll, (reported to be the1854 cover only, although the handwritten pages that follow appear to us to be from 1854); Annuity Payroll, 1882; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889 (continued); Annuity Payroll, 1891; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Land Division, Francis Godfroy; and 1881 Census of Miami Indians in Indiana and Elsewhere. Hereinafter cited as Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895.
  13. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…, with additional information from a linked Google Spreadsheet. Hereinafter cited as Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  14. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Place of publication not identified: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1907). Hereinafter cited as History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  15. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919). Hereinafter cited as History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  16. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis.
  17. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana : containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, military records portraits of early settlers and prominent men, personal reminiscences, etc., downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Chicago, Illinois: John Morris, Printer, 1884). Hereinafter cited as History of Wabash County, Indiana.

Co-po-no-quah1

Family
Marriage*She married, possibly as his first wife, Me-to-cin-yah, son of Aw-taw-waw-taw.1 
(Miami Wife) Life Changing Event13 March 1813Whether on 13 March 1813, or in the fall of 1814, as conflicting reports have suggested, Lydia Tharp, who was about 4 years old, was stolen from her home in Indiana by the Mississinewa tribal band of Miami Indians. Within a few days Lydia would be delivered by her captors to Co-po-no-quah's husband, Chief Me-to-cin-yah.2,3,4,1 
(Miami Wife) Miami Custom-Belief It was the custom and belief of the Miami that when a loved one died, their spirit could not enter the spirit world until a replacement could be found to take their place in the living world. Only then could the spirit of the dead be released. Sometimes a friend who was unattached could be adopted. The most prevalent custom, however, was to raid an enemy camp and capture women and children. These people, as time healed their sorrow, usually adapted to their new lives and would, thereby, become an instrument of release for the spirit of a departed member of the tribe.1 
(Miami Wife) Life Changing Event The six young Indian warriors who had taken Lydia knew that she was of value to the tribe and was not to be mistreated. They travelled with her for more than three days, doing all they could for her comfort, before arriving at the village of Me-to-cin-yah, their destination. Her captors and the people of the village were excited about her arrival because she would be the replacement to free the spirit of a loved one. As she was surrounded and greeted by excited adults and children speaking a language she didn't know, she also didn't know that by becoming a new member of the tribe she would release the spirit of one who had died. She was given the Miami name Kim-qua-tah, which meant "spirit child", and placed into the care of the chief's wife, Co-po-no-quah, a kind and loving woman. Through signs for communication and an atmosphere of maternal caring, she made Lydia feel welcome and comfortable in her new home. Being so young, Lydia adjusted well to life with the Miami.1 
(Miami Wife) Life Changing Event Kim-qua-tah always remembered her earlier name had been Lydia, and retained some of the language from her original childhood. Although she had to be hidden from sight when white men visited, she shared the cheerful and untroubled life of the other Indian children.1 
(American Indian) Indian Names Getting the Native American Indian names in our project "right" has been a struggle for us because we have often seen the same person's name spelled in several different ways. This was, at first, both frustrating and stressful to those of us who strive for accuracy in the presentation of our research. When we learned that the Miami Indians, who feature prominently in our project, had no written language before their associations with the French and English who kept records by writing them down, we began to understand. It’s all very human. Not every person speaks their words in the same way, and each listener may hear the same words differently. So, it’s not surprising that, phonetically, when names were spoken, they would be written down as each individual listener heard them.5,6,7,8,9,10,11 

Family

 Me-to-cin-yah b. 1760, d. 1839

Citations

  1. [S2915] LaMoine N. Marks, Kim-qua-tah: The Story of Hannah Thorpe, 1994; a 14-page booklet. LaMoine Marks was born 11 September 1907 in Wabash County, Indiana. He was a member of the Miami Tribe of Indians and made a lifetime study of the tribe, its people and its ways. From the oral history learned from his father, Charles Marks, to his access of research materials gathered for a tribal history, Marks wrote this personal story of his great-grandmother, Kim-qua-tah. He wrote in his foreword: "The people were real -- the story is fictionalized only enough to provide continuity." Viewed on 13 September 2025, beginning at https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/…. Hereinafter cited as Kim-qua-tah: The Story of Hannah Thorpe.
  2. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana : containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, military records portraits of early settlers and prominent men, personal reminiscences, etc., downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Chicago, Illinois: John Morris, Printer, 1884), Chapter IX., Pioneer Reminiscences -- continued, pages 103-104, Honorable Elijah Hackleman's narrative. Hereinafter cited as History of Wabash County, Indiana.
  3. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Manchester, Indiana: Otho Winger, c1935), Meshingomesia, his brothers, pages 35-36. Hereinafter cited as The Last of The Miamis.
  4. [S2665] Nelle Decker Hubbard, Pinhook to Brazil, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Brazil, Indiana: Hubbard, Nelle Decker, 1936), from the final section titled, "The Whitaker Family", Chapter IX, "Thorpe Child Stolen By The Indians", (As Related by Eli Hendrix, Pioneer), pages 208-210. Hereinafter cited as Pinhook to Brazil.
  5. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs and dated 12 July 1990, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", in response to a petition submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs for Federal acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian Tribe; downloaded record number MNI-V001-D004, (file name 066_pf-2.pdf) from the Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs website (https://www.bia.gov) in October 2024. Hereinafter cited as "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc."
  6. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php; the website offers a Search capability and notes that the images were taken from microfilm, and that some years are out of order. The records include the following, although we've discovered they are more mixed up than we expected: Annuity Payroll, (reported to be the1854 cover only, although the handwritten pages that follow appear to us to be from 1854); Annuity Payroll, 1882; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889 (continued); Annuity Payroll, 1891; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Land Division, Francis Godfroy; and 1881 Census of Miami Indians in Indiana and Elsewhere. Hereinafter cited as Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895.
  7. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…, with additional information from a linked Google Spreadsheet. Hereinafter cited as Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  8. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Place of publication not identified: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1907). Hereinafter cited as History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  9. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919). Hereinafter cited as History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  10. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis.
  11. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana.

Coesse1

b. 1792, d. 1853
Family
Father*Kat-e-mong-wah1
Biographical Info* Mihtekwahkia, also known as Coesse, was a prominent Miami leader who navigated the turbulent era of the 1840s, engaging with the Miami National Council during negotiations over land cessions and the forced removal of the Miami from Indiana. Coesse and other headmen were involved in the political framework surrounding the Treaty of the Forks of the Wabash in November 1840, which ceded the remaining tribal reservations in Indiana. The Miami National Council, led by figures like Toohpia LaFontaine and supported by leaders like Coesse, worked for six years to delay forced removal, addressing debts and seeking land exemptions. Following the 1846 forced removal, Coesse was among the leaders who secured land ownership and later obtained official U.S. congressional exemptions in 1850 allowing certain families, including his own, to return to or remain in their traditional Indiana homeland. By the early 1850s, Coesse continued serving the community locally, acting as a tribal miller and clerk for the Miami National Council in Indiana.2,3,4 
Birth*1792Coesse was born about 1792 at the bend of the Eel River in Turtle Village, Whitley County, Indiana.1,5  
Name VariationHis name at birth was Me-tek-kah, which meant "forest" or "woods" or, according to his cousin Kilsoquah, "burning the woods.1,6 
Name Variation As a child, he was nicknamed by his Potawatomi friends Ku-wa-ze, or as the Miami's pronounce it, Ko-wa-zi, meaning "old", or in his case "old man". The nickname supplanted his true name, and in various treaties, his name appeared as "Co-i-sa", "Ko-es-say" or "Ko-was-see". Even his family came to call him by that name. It was spelled "Kowazi" in other documents until it finally came to be spelled "Coesse."1,6 
Name VariationHis Indian name was Mihtekwahkia.6 
Name VariationHis name was recorded as Mihtekwahkia 'Coesse' when his family was granted an exemption from Removal by the U.S. Congress in 1850.2 
(Son) DeathHis father died fighting in one of the battles along the Eel River. Coesse's cousin, Kilsoquah, reported often hearing that he had died near where Coesse's second wife was born, and that her father had taken his body and buried it on the bluff near their cabin; and that an intimacy had developed among the families resulting in the marriage of the dead man's son to the daughter of the man who buried him.1 
Marriage*His first wife was White Loon Sister.1 
Relationship Note*Coesse and Kilsoquah were 1st cousins.1 
(Miami Leader) Indian Removal Act Copied in part, with minor changes, from the "Myaamia, A Living History: Myaamia Removal:

"Following the arrival of Europeans, the Miami were disrupted by waves of disease, war, and relocation. Beginning in 1795, the Miami were forced to sign treaties giving up ever-increasing amounts of their precious homeland to the government of the United States. By the 1830s, the Miami had only about 500,000 acres, which was surrounded by land controlled by the State of Indiana. Land speculators and settlers wanted this land too.

"In 1830, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act. The goal of this act was to force all tribes to move west of the Mississippi. Throughout the 1830s, many tribes suffered their own version of the “Trail of Tears” most commonly associated with the Cherokee Nation’s forced removal in 1838. Throughout this period, the Miami resisted giving up their reservation in Indiana."7 
(Husband) DeathCoesse became a widower when his first wife, White Loon Sister, died without leaving any children1 
Marriage* and he married second Tah-con-ze-quah.1 
(Exemption Requested) Miami Removalbetween 1838 and 1845 In the Miami treaty of 1838, the Miami National Council had agreed, for the first time, to consider the possibility of a future Indian Removal, and also contained, for the family of Chief John B. Richardville, the first Exemption from Removal. The Miami treaty of 1840 provided for two additional families, those of Chief Francis Godfroy and Chief Meshingomesia, to continue to receive their share of the annuities at Fort Wayne, Indiana, essentially exempting those families also from Removal. And, on 3 March 1845, the family of Frances Slocum was exempted from Removal by a joint resolution of Congress. By 1845, most Miami National Council leaders who owned reservation land but were not exempted, also sought legal remedy to avoid Removal and protect their homes. They wrote to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, petitioned Congress, and hired Dr. Graham Fitch to lobby for them in Congress.

Using his Indian name, Toohpia, Principal Chief Francis Toohpia LaFontaine and other Miami leaders went to Washington themselves to discuss exemptions. Their letter following the visit showed them taking a new tactic to avoid Removal for Miami landowners, reflecting the reasons for the exemption of the Godfroy family and citing Indiana state law as the impediment to their Removal.

“Certain individuals of our nation, who are not permitted by treaty or by law of Congress to remain in Indiana and draw their annuities there, hold individual reservations of land by treaty, which they have improved, and upon which they are now living, and have paid taxes. A law of the State of Indiana forbids them making private sale of these lands, declaring all contracts with our people null and void. If such of our people emigrate, their farms will be ruined or sold for taxes, and their personal property, stock, etc., sacrificed. Will not our great father permit such of our people to remain upon their lands, and draw their annuities in Indiana, in the same manner as is specified in a similar permission, by treaty and by law of Congress, to a few other of our people? Such permission to be extended to those land owners (not now having it) until the legal inability to sell their lands is removed, or the U.S. buys them….”

They pointed out the hypocrisy that the federal government could force them from their homes on lands they owned as private property, a most sacred American tradition, while at the same time, the state of Indiana refused to allow them to legally sell their property. If they were removed, Miami leaders and their families would likely be swindled out of their lands, if their property was not outright stolen from them.

Dr. Graham Fitch, as a lobbyist for the National Council, sent a list to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, of the Miami who owned reservation land and wished to stay in Indiana. The list of petitioners included additional members of the family of Chief John B. Richardville, whose name was recorded as Pinšiwa ‘Wild Cat', and also the families of Misihkwa, Mahkateehsipana 'Cotesipin', Mihtekwahkia 'Coesse', Amehkoonsa 'Seek', Meehkwaahkonanka 'Benjamin', Meesancihkwa, Šowaapinamwa 'Antoine Revarre' and Waapimaankwa 'White Loon', and the heirs of Sha-co-mo and Chief Majenica. The men on this list were all prominent Miami leaders.2,3,4 
(Removal Petitioner) Miami Removal None of the 1845 petitioners were granted exemptions before the Miami's forced emigration to Kansas began, so tragically, they and their families were also "on Removal" and had to leave their homes and lands in Indiana with all of the other displaced members of the Miami tribe. They had resisted removal for six years and, with each passing year, more families were officially exempted from removal. They believed that everyone would be able to stay on individual family allotments that had been created for decades prior to 1840. All hope of resistance to removal ended, though, when private contractors and the U.S. Army were ordered to forcibly remove those that had not been exempted. U.S. Removal Agent Joseph Sinclair, however, did allow some of the petitioner's family members to temporarily stay behind to harvest the fall crops and sell their reservation land on the assumption that the state of Indiana would lift that ban on them.2,3,4,7 
(Miami Leader) Miami Removal6 October 1846The Miami's forced emigration to the Kansas Territory began on 6 October 1846 and, among those with Miami Indian blood, the only individuals who were permitted to remain in the Wabash country and not be removed to Kansas, were those who were specifically Exempted from Removal: the Meshingomesia Band, plus descendants of Chief Richardville and Francis Godfroy, the Slocum Family and Chief LaFontaine, his wife and their children. Everyone else was "on Removal". It would be winter before their grueling one-month journey brought them to their destination. In order to share their experiences as best we know how, we've copied, without changes, the description of their journey from the "Myaamia, A Living History: Myaamia Removal" source:

"On October 6th, 1846, hundreds of Myaamia were loaded onto three canal boats in Peru, Indiana – a place they called Iihkipihsinonki. Iihkipihsinonki translates to “straight place”. It was named because of the straight course of the Wabash River in that spot. From Iihkipihsinonki the canal boats were pulled along the Wabash-Erie Canal and followed the Wabash north to Ft. Wayne.

"The forced exodus began in earnest the next day, when more Myaamia were forcibly loaded onto canal boats in Ft. Wayne, known to the Myaamia as Kiihkayonki. Kiihkayonki was the original site of their largest village and was called “that Glorious Gate” by the Myaamia leader Mihšihkinaahkwa. That day the forced exodus began.

"On October 7th, Kiihkayonki became the gateway of the removal from Myaamionki. From Kiihkayonki, the five canal boats were pulled to the Miami-Erie canal and began a four-day journey south to Cincinnati, OH. On their way south the Myaamia passed numerous sites of great historical and cultural importance. They passed the site of Fort Defiance, the military bastion from which Anthony Wayne launched his final invasion into Myaamionki in 1794. They also passed Pinkwaawilenionki (Pickawillany) a prominent Myaamia village site in the mid-eighteenth century. Much of the Miami-Erie canal followed the course of the Ahsenisiipi (the Great Miami River); a river that originally was a major route of travel to their hunting grounds along the Ohio River and to their relatives who also called that beautiful place home.

"On October 11th, they reached the growing metropolis of Cincinnati, Ohio. In Cincinnati, the Myaamia were moved to the steamship Colorado, and on October 12th the ship began its journey west on the Kaanseenseepiiwi (Ohio River). While on route to the Mississippi River an infant passed away. After eight days of travel on the Colorado, they arrived in St. Louis, Missouri. The Myaamia were unloaded at Bloody Island, which lay in the middle of the Mississippi River. This location placed the group near the traditional village sites of their Inoka (Illinois) relatives and as such it was a place they knew well. However it was also at the western edge of Myaamionki. To the west lay the traditional homelands of groups that had formerly been their enemies; to their parents’ generation those western lands had been a dangerous place. Yet, the Americans told them these lands in the west were to be their new homes. Upon arriving at Bloody Island an elderly member of the group passed away. The elder and the infant that had passed earlier in the journey were buried on or near the Island according to Myaamia tribal traditions.

"On October 23rd, the Myaamia were loaded onto the steamship Clermont No. 2 and were taken north on the Mississippi River to its confluence with the Missouri River. From this point, they followed the Missouri River west to Kanza Landing, which today lies on the Missouri side of Kansas City. For the first time in their journey, these forced migrants were outside their traditional homelands. After a month of journeying, these Myaamia had moved from the forested bottomlands of the Wabash River Valley to the edge of the great American prairielands of the west. It was a very different landscape, and winter had set in.

"On November 1st, three hundred and twenty five Myaamia were unloaded at Kanza Landing. The next day they traveled the final fifty miles of their journey to Osage River sub-agency in the Unorganized Territory (Kansas). They arrived at Sugar Creek on Nov. 5th, of 1846. It was winter on the plains and the people were forced to sleep in government issued tents and eat government rations until they could build more permanent structures.

"After only just arriving in Kansas the Myaamia were told they had to move again. Kansas was becoming a state and hoped to move American Indians south to Oklahoma to open up land for settlers. In 1873, a small group of Myaamia traveled 150 miles south to what is today Miami, Oklahoma completing the final leg of a journey that began back in Indiana twenty-seven years earlier."7,8,9 
(Return to Indiana) Miami RemovalSpring 1847 Following the 1846 forced Miami Removal to Kansas, several Miami families quietly made their way back to their homelands in Indiana. In the Spring of 1847, among those who, traveling together, returned to Indiana were the families of Principal Chief Francis Toohpia LaFontaine, White Loon, Mia-que-ah, Antoine Revarre and Coesse. They had spent the winter in Kansas and, on the journey home, Chief LaFontaine became ill.2,3,4,10,11 
(Miami Leader) Death13 April 1847 Sadly, Chief LaFontaine didn't make it all the way home. He died on 13 April 1847 in Lafayette, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, at about age 37. Although members of his family believed he had been poisoned, Lafontaine's weight and the rigors of travel are believed by most to have been more likely causes of his death.12,8 
(Exempted in 1850) Miami Removal1850 In 1850, the U.S. Congress granted official removal exemptions to the additional members of the family of Miami Chief John B. Richardville, whose name was recorded as Pinšiwa ‘Wild Cat', and also the families of Waapimaankwa 'White Loon', Šowaapinamwa 'Antoine Revarre', Mihtekwahkia 'Coesse', Misihkwa, Oonseentia 'John Osandiah', Mahkateehsipana 'Cotesipin', Amehkoonsa 'Seek', Mahkateemaankwa, Amehkoonsihkwa 'wife of Benjamin', Kinooseensa 'Peter Langlois' and Elizabeth Langlois, identifying them as specific Miami tribal leaders, community members, individuals, families, and their descendants who had returned to Indiana after the forced removals. With this action, Congress formally legalized their returns, allowing them to remain in Indiana permanently.

The names of Sha-co-mo, Chief Majenica and Meesancihkwa, or Chief Little Turtle, whose family members had also requested exemptions from Removal, were not included, nor was any mention of their heirs.2,3,4 
Census US 1850*17 October 1850Coesse and his wife, Tah-con-ze-quah, who was recorded only as "Squaw", were enumerated on the 1850 census taken on 17 October 1850 in Whitley County, Indiana. Coesse was 58 years of age and owned real estate valued at $3,000, and his wife was 35 years of age. They were not able to read and write English. Their three children, Simon, Louisa and Elizabeth, were each recorded as a Papoose. Simon, the male papoose, was 9 years old, and the two female papooses, Louisa and Elizabeth, were ages 6 and 2 years, respectively.5 
Death*1853He died in the fall of 1853 in Roanoke, Huntington County, Indiana, at about age 61. He had gone to Roanoke to visit his cousin, Kilsoquah, and the day after his arrival fell sick with a fever. He refused both doctor and medicine, telling his cousin he had some trouble in his family and didn't care to live. He died delirious less than two weeks later.1 
Burial* He had died on a Sunday morning, and on the Tuesday forenoon, he was buried in Roanoke on his cousin's farm between his first wife and his cousin, Kilsoquah's, husband. There were no services.1 
(American Indian) Indian Names Getting the Native American Indian names in our project "right" has been a struggle for us because we have often seen the same person's name spelled in several different ways. This was, at first, both frustrating and stressful to those of us who strive for accuracy in the presentation of our research. When we learned that the Miami Indians, who feature prominently in our project, had no written language before their associations with the French and English who kept records by writing them down, we began to understand. It’s all very human. Not every person speaks their words in the same way, and each listener may hear the same words differently. So, it’s not surprising that, phonetically, when names were spoken, they would be written down as each individual listener heard them.13,14,15,16,17,18,19 

Family 1

 White Loon Sister

Family 2

 Tah-con-ze-quah b. 1821
Children 1.Simon Coesse1 b. 1841, d. 1857
 2.Louisa Coesse5 b. 1844
 3.Elizabeth Coesse5 b. 1848

Citations

  1. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Place of publication not identified: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1907), Kilsoquah, pages 79-83. Hereinafter cited as History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  2. [S3054] Aacimohtaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/07/02/…, article published by Diane Hunter on July 2, 2021, https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/07/02/…. Hereinafter cited as Aacimohtaatiiyankwi- Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  3. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…, with additional information from a linked Google Spreadsheet, https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…. Hereinafter cited as Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  4. [S3056] Aacimohtaatiiyankwi, a blog serving as a space for Myaamia ‘Miami’ people to connect, reflect, and share. Our primary goal is to provide a platform for conversations about our community, places, ecological observations, and shared pasts. It also serves as a resource for educational opportunities that support a deeper understanding of Myaamia culture, language, and identity. Aacimohtatiiyaankwi is collaboratively authored by a dedicated team from the Myaamia Center at Miami University, the Cultural Resources Office of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, and guests from the Myaamia community. Through regular posts, we share insights, stories, research, and observations that reflect the ongoing efforts to support Myaamia knowledge; online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org. Hereinafter cited as Aacimohtaatiiyankwi.
  5. [S17] 1850 United States Federal Census, online at www.ancestry.com, household of Coesse, The National Archives in Washington, DC; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M432; Residence Date: 1850; Home in 1850: Whitley, Indiana; Roll: 181; Page: 515b. Hereinafter cited as 1850 United States Federal Census.
  6. [S2704] Jacob Piatt Dunn, True Indian Stories : with Glossary of Indiana Indian Names, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Indianapolis, Indiana: Indiana Historical Society, Sentinel Printing Company, 1909), Chapter II, The Little Turtle, page 45, and Index Glossary, page 259. Hereinafter cited as True Indian Stories : with Glossary of Indiana Indian Names.
  7. [S2788] Telling Our Story: A Living History of the Myaamia, online at https://teachmyaamiahistory.org/, Myaamia Removal, https://teachmyaamiahistory.org/contents/section5/readings/…. Hereinafter cited as Telling Our Story: A Living History of the Myaamia.
  8. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919), Volume I, Chapter III, Indian Chiefs and Treaties, pages 28-51. Hereinafter cited as History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  9. [S748] Find a Grave website, which often provides cemetery and tombstone photos, and sometimes personal biographies, that may be obtained from the site, online at www.findagrave.com, Chief Francis Topeah Lafontaine, Memorial# 42524370, which includes historical information contributed by various sources and authors. Hereinafter cited as Find a Grave website.
  10. [S2953] Larry M. Wyckoff, Miami Indian Reservations in Indiana and Ohio, published 2022, online at https://www.academia.edu/84623627/…, page 47, #107, "To White Loon one section of land, at the crossing of Longlois's creek, on the Ten mile reserve, to run up said creek." White Loon’s reservation was located in Jackson Township, Huntington County and Lafayette Township, Allen County; Township 29 North, of Ranges 10 and 11 East, Survey# 43; referencing Maps 49, 59 and 60. Hereinafter cited as Miami Indian Reservations in Indiana and Ohio.
  11. [S225] Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia, online at www.wikipedia.org, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Loon. Hereinafter cited as Wikipedia Encyclopedia.
  12. [S748] Find a Grave website, online at www.findagrave.com, Chief Francis Topeah Lafontaine, Memorial# 42524370, recording his date of death as 15 April 1847 on the Memorial, and as 14 April 1847 and 13 April 1847 in added material relating to his life and death.
  13. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs and dated 12 July 1990, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", in response to a petition submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs for Federal acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian Tribe; downloaded record number MNI-V001-D004, (file name 066_pf-2.pdf) from the Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs website (https://www.bia.gov) in October 2024. Hereinafter cited as "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc."
  14. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php; the website offers a Search capability and notes that the images were taken from microfilm, and that some years are out of order. The records include the following, although we've discovered they are more mixed up than we expected: Annuity Payroll, (reported to be the1854 cover only, although the handwritten pages that follow appear to us to be from 1854); Annuity Payroll, 1882; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889 (continued); Annuity Payroll, 1891; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Land Division, Francis Godfroy; and 1881 Census of Miami Indians in Indiana and Elsewhere. Hereinafter cited as Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895.
  15. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…
  16. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  17. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  18. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Manchester, Indiana: Otho Winger, c1935). Hereinafter cited as The Last of The Miamis.
  19. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana : containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, military records portraits of early settlers and prominent men, personal reminiscences, etc., downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Chicago, Illinois: John Morris, Printer, 1884). Hereinafter cited as History of Wabash County, Indiana.

Kat-e-mong-wah1

Family
Father*Little Turtle1 b. bt 1747 - 1752, d. 14 Jul 1812
Mother*Mak-Wah Sister1
Birth*Kat-e-mong-wah was born at the bend of the Eel River in Turtle Village, Whitley County, Indiana.1 
Name VariationHe was also known as Black Loon.2 
Death*He died fighting in one of the battles along the Eel River. His niece, Kilsoquah, reported often hearing that he had died near where her cousin, Coesse's second wife was born, and that her father had taken his body and buried it on the bluff near their cabin; and that an intimacy developed among the families resulting in the marriage of the dead man's son to the daughter of the man who buried him.1 
(American Indian) Indian Names Getting the Native American Indian names in our project "right" has been a struggle for us because we have often seen the same person's name spelled in several different ways. This was, at first, both frustrating and stressful to those of us who strive for accuracy in the presentation of our research. When we learned that the Miami Indians, who feature prominently in our project, had no written language before their associations with the French and English who kept records by writing them down, we began to understand. It’s all very human. Not every person speaks their words in the same way, and each listener may hear the same words differently. So, it’s not surprising that, phonetically, when names were spoken, they would be written down as each individual listener heard them.3,4,5,6,7,8,9 

Family
Child 1.Coesse+1 b. 1792, d. 1853

Citations

  1. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Place of publication not identified: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1907), Kilsoquah, pages 79-83. Hereinafter cited as History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  2. [S2704] Jacob Piatt Dunn, True Indian Stories : with Glossary of Indiana Indian Names, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Indianapolis, Indiana: Indiana Historical Society, Sentinel Printing Company, 1909), Chapter II, The Little Turtle, page 45, and Index Glossary, page 259. Hereinafter cited as True Indian Stories : with Glossary of Indiana Indian Names.
  3. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs and dated 12 July 1990, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", in response to a petition submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs for Federal acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian Tribe; downloaded record number MNI-V001-D004, (file name 066_pf-2.pdf) from the Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs website (https://www.bia.gov) in October 2024. Hereinafter cited as "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc."
  4. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php; the website offers a Search capability and notes that the images were taken from microfilm, and that some years are out of order. The records include the following, although we've discovered they are more mixed up than we expected: Annuity Payroll, (reported to be the1854 cover only, although the handwritten pages that follow appear to us to be from 1854); Annuity Payroll, 1882; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889 (continued); Annuity Payroll, 1891; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Land Division, Francis Godfroy; and 1881 Census of Miami Indians in Indiana and Elsewhere. Hereinafter cited as Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895.
  5. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…, with additional information from a linked Google Spreadsheet. Hereinafter cited as Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  6. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  7. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919). Hereinafter cited as History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  8. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Manchester, Indiana: Otho Winger, c1935). Hereinafter cited as The Last of The Miamis.
  9. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana : containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, military records portraits of early settlers and prominent men, personal reminiscences, etc., downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Chicago, Illinois: John Morris, Printer, 1884). Hereinafter cited as History of Wabash County, Indiana.

Kat-tah-ke-mun-qua1

b. 1850
Family
Mother*Jane Richardville1 b. 1820
Birth*1850Kat-tah-ke-mun-qua was born in 1850 in Indiana.1 
(Granddaughter) Miami Annuity List1854Kat-tah-ke-mun-qua was listed with her mother and maternal grandparents on the Miami Annuity Pay-Roll List for 1854 near Huntington, Indian Country, Indiana. She was 2 years old.1 
(American Indian) Indian Names Getting the Native American Indian names in our project "right" has been a struggle for us because we have often seen the same person's name spelled in several different ways. This was, at first, both frustrating and stressful to those of us who strive for accuracy in the presentation of our research. When we learned that the Miami Indians, who feature prominently in our project, had no written language before their associations with the French and English who kept records by writing them down, we began to understand. It’s all very human. Not every person speaks their words in the same way, and each listener may hear the same words differently. So, it’s not surprising that, phonetically, when names were spoken, they would be written down as each individual listener heard them.2,3,4,5,6,7,8 

Citations

  1. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php; the website offers a Search capability and notes that the images were taken from microfilm, and that some years are out of order. The records include the following, although we've discovered they are more mixed up than we expected: Annuity Payroll, (reported to be the1854 cover only, although the handwritten pages that follow appear to us to be from 1854); Annuity Payroll, 1882; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889 (continued); Annuity Payroll, 1891; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Land Division, Francis Godfroy; and 1881 Census of Miami Indians in Indiana and Elsewhere; Annuity Pay-Roll, Miami Indians of Indiana, 1854, which includes a list of Miami Indians who signed the treaty of 5 June 1854 and were to draw annuities in Indiana, page 3, the family of Mi ah gue ah. Hereinafter cited as Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895.
  2. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs and dated 12 July 1990, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", in response to a petition submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs for Federal acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian Tribe; downloaded record number MNI-V001-D004, (file name 066_pf-2.pdf) from the Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs website (https://www.bia.gov) in October 2024. Hereinafter cited as "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc."
  3. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php
  4. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…, with additional information from a linked Google Spreadsheet. Hereinafter cited as Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  5. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Place of publication not identified: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1907). Hereinafter cited as History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  6. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919). Hereinafter cited as History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  7. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Manchester, Indiana: Otho Winger, c1935). Hereinafter cited as The Last of The Miamis.
  8. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana : containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, military records portraits of early settlers and prominent men, personal reminiscences, etc., downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Chicago, Illinois: John Morris, Printer, 1884). Hereinafter cited as History of Wabash County, Indiana.

Ke she co quah1

Family
Father*Pichiwa1
Marriage*She married John Richardville, son of Moohswa and Susan Richardville.1,2 
(American Indian) Indian Names Getting the Native American Indian names in our project "right" has been a struggle for us because we have often seen the same person's name spelled in several different ways. This was, at first, both frustrating and stressful to those of us who strive for accuracy in the presentation of our research. When we learned that the Miami Indians, who feature prominently in our project, had no written language before their associations with the French and English who kept records by writing them down, we began to understand. It’s all very human. Not every person speaks their words in the same way, and each listener may hear the same words differently. So, it’s not surprising that, phonetically, when names were spoken, they would be written down as each individual listener heard them.3,4,5,6,7,8,9 

Family

 John Richardville
Child 1.Daughter Child Richardville2

Citations

  1. [S2691] Richardville Family Tree, from the Elizabeth Glenn Collection, "Richardville, LaFontaine, Langlois, Cass, and Little Turtle genealogical tree", RG-04-01-40-B06-F25-052_Page-10, Ball State University, Digital Media Repository, a project of the university's libraries,, online at https://dmr.bsu.edu/digital/collection/GlennElizaC/id/3447/. Hereinafter cited as Richardville Family Tree.
  2. [S2621] Indiana, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1798-1999, online at www.ancestry.com, will of John B. Richardville, Principal Chief of the Miami Tribe of Indians, dated 9 April 1841 in Allen County, Indiana, Probate Will Record, Volumes 1-2a, 1831-1875, pages 35-38, Ancestry online images 40-42 of 815. Hereinafter cited as Indiana, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1798-1999.
  3. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs and dated 12 July 1990, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", in response to a petition submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs for Federal acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian Tribe; downloaded record number MNI-V001-D004, (file name 066_pf-2.pdf) from the Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs website (https://www.bia.gov) in October 2024. Hereinafter cited as "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc."
  4. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php; the website offers a Search capability and notes that the images were taken from microfilm, and that some years are out of order. The records include the following, although we've discovered they are more mixed up than we expected: Annuity Payroll, (reported to be the1854 cover only, although the handwritten pages that follow appear to us to be from 1854); Annuity Payroll, 1882; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889 (continued); Annuity Payroll, 1891; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Land Division, Francis Godfroy; and 1881 Census of Miami Indians in Indiana and Elsewhere. Hereinafter cited as Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895.
  5. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…, with additional information from a linked Google Spreadsheet. Hereinafter cited as Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  6. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Place of publication not identified: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1907). Hereinafter cited as History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  7. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919). Hereinafter cited as History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  8. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Manchester, Indiana: Otho Winger, c1935). Hereinafter cited as The Last of The Miamis.
  9. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana : containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, military records portraits of early settlers and prominent men, personal reminiscences, etc., downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Chicago, Illinois: John Morris, Printer, 1884). Hereinafter cited as History of Wabash County, Indiana.

Ke-che-cc-me-quah1,2

b. 1833, d. 9 April 1895
Family
(Family Member) Name SpellingsA variation in the spelling of the Bondy surname found in our research was Bundy In this research project, everyone with the surname Bondy or Bundy was a member of the same family. When Peter BONDY returned to the United States from Canada in 1840, his surname, as it was recorded, was spelled BONDY. By the early 1900's, Peter's surname, and the surname of most of his children, had begun to morph and was, in many cases, being recorded as BUNDY, although some of his children retained the BONDY surname. Over the years, as Peter made his way into the history books, he became known as Peter BUNDY.3,4,5,6 
Birth*1833Ke-che-cc-me-quah was born about 1833 in Indiana.2 
Name VariationHer English name was Julia Ann.2 
Marriage*1855She married Samuel Bundy, son of Peter Bundy and O-zah-shin-quah, about 1855.1,2 
(Wife) Death7 April 1875Julia Ann became a widow when Samuel Bundy died on 7 April 1875 at age 40.1 
Death*9 April 1895She died on 9 April 1895 in Grant County, Indiana, at about age 822 
Burial* and was buried in the Miami Indian Cemetery, Fox, Grant County.2 
(American Indian) Indian Names Getting the Native American Indian names in our project "right" has been a struggle for us because we have often seen the same person's name spelled in several different ways. This was, at first, both frustrating and stressful to those of us who strive for accuracy in the presentation of our research. When we learned that the Miami Indians, who feature prominently in our project, had no written language before their associations with the French and English who kept records by writing them down, we began to understand. It’s all very human. Not every person speaks their words in the same way, and each listener may hear the same words differently. So, it’s not surprising that, phonetically, when names were spoken, they would be written down as each individual listener heard them.7,8,9,10,11,12,13 

Family

 Samuel Bundy b. 17 Mar 1835, d. 7 Apr 1875
Child 1.John Bundy14,2 b. 5 Mar 1856

Citations

  1. [S748] Find a Grave website, which often provides cemetery and tombstone photos, and sometimes personal biographies, that may be obtained from the site, online at www.findagrave.com, Samuel “To-cal-en-je-sah” Bundy, Memorial# 91258186. Hereinafter cited as Find a Grave website.
  2. [S748] Find a Grave website, online at www.findagrave.com, Julia Ann (Ke-che-cc-me-quah) Bundy, Memorial# 91258124.
  3. [S17] 1850 United States Federal Census, online at www.ancestry.com, household of John B. Brouillette, The National Archives in Washington, DC; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M432; Residence Date: 1850; Home in 1850: Waltz, Wabash, Indiana; Roll: 178; Page: 358a. Hereinafter cited as 1850 United States Federal Census.
  4. [S748] Find a Grave website, online at www.findagrave.com, Rev Peter “Wah-pa-pe-tah” Bondy, Memorial# 34693723.
  5. [S748] Find a Grave website, online at www.findagrave.com, Rose Ann “Pe-me-sah-quah” (Bondy) Peconga, Memorial# 34693752.
  6. [S748] Find a Grave website, online at www.findagrave.com, Elizabeth “Ki po ki na mo qua” (Bondy) Godfroy, Memorial# 37551417.
  7. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs and dated 12 July 1990, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", in response to a petition submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs for Federal acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian Tribe; downloaded record number MNI-V001-D004, (file name 066_pf-2.pdf) from the Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs website (https://www.bia.gov) in October 2024. Hereinafter cited as "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc."
  8. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php; the website offers a Search capability and notes that the images were taken from microfilm, and that some years are out of order. The records include the following, although we've discovered they are more mixed up than we expected: Annuity Payroll, (reported to be the1854 cover only, although the handwritten pages that follow appear to us to be from 1854); Annuity Payroll, 1882; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889 (continued); Annuity Payroll, 1891; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Land Division, Francis Godfroy; and 1881 Census of Miami Indians in Indiana and Elsewhere. Hereinafter cited as Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895.
  9. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…, with additional information from a linked Google Spreadsheet. Hereinafter cited as Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  10. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Place of publication not identified: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1907). Hereinafter cited as History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  11. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919). Hereinafter cited as History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  12. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Manchester, Indiana: Otho Winger, c1935). Hereinafter cited as The Last of The Miamis.
  13. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana : containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, military records portraits of early settlers and prominent men, personal reminiscences, etc., downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Chicago, Illinois: John Morris, Printer, 1884). Hereinafter cited as History of Wabash County, Indiana.
  14. [S748] Find a Grave website, online at www.findagrave.com, John “Wa-me-com-oh” Bundy, Memorial# 34694084.

Ke-ke-nok-esh-wah1

b. 1800, d. 13 March 1847
Family
Father*She-po-con-ah1,2,3 d. 1833
Mother*Frances Slocum1 b. 4 Mar 1773, d. 9 Mar 1847
Birth*1800Ke-ke-nok-esh-wah was born about 1800.1,3 
Name VariationHer Indian name translated to Cut Finger in English3 
Name Variation and her English name was Nancy.3 
Marriage*She married, as her first husband, a Miami Indian who died soon after the marriage. Ke-ke-nok-esh-wah was left with a daughter who was killed by her lover because she refused to marry him.3 
Marriage*She married second, as his first wife, John B. Brouillette. He was attentive and devoted to his wife, and had a great respect for his mother-in-law. Although they had no children, their marriage was a happy one.4,3,5,1 
Description*She resembled her mother in ability, and was described as being the most in sympathy with her.3 
(Daughter) Frances Slocum Story1835From the History of Miami County, "Late in the year of 1834 or early in the year of 1835, Colonel George W. Ewing, an Indian trader, of Logansport. who had a large trade with the Miamis, stopped for the night at the Deaf Man's village, situated on the Mississinewa river a few miles above its mouth. He was given the hospitality of an Indian home, the mistress of which was a respectable Indian woman, and during the evening he noticed that her children and grandchildren treated her with great respect and obedience. Tired out with his day's travel, Ewing retired soon after eating his supper to a bed of skins and blankets that had been prepared for him in one corner of the cabin. But he did not go to sleep. All the members of the family soon after disappeared, except the old woman, who occupied herself for a time in attending to some ordinary household duties. As she moved about the cabin the trader watched her, noticing something peculiarly striking in her appearance, especially her hair, until he began to suspect that this was a white woman. His suspicion was soon afterward confirmed, when one of her arms was accidentally bared and he saw that the skin above the elbow was white. He then began a conversation with her in the Miami tongue—for she could speak but little English—and on gaining her confidence to some extent asked her pointedly if she was not a white woman.

"The question apparently startled her and at first she gave an evasive answer. But Colonel Ewing made her understand that he was her friend and she finally told him her story, or what she could remember of her early life. She said she had been carried away from near some town on the Susquehanna river when she was a little girl, that she thought her father's name was Slocum and that he was a Quaker.

"Upon arriving at his home the next day Colonel Ewing told his mother what he had learned. She advised him to write to the woman's friends in Pennsylvania. This was almost an impossible task, as Frances could not remember where they lived, further than it was near some town on the Susquehanna river, and nearly three score years had elapsed since she had been carried away from her home. He finally remembered that Lancaster was an old town, near the Susquehanna, and decided to write to the postmaster there, hoping that through this medium the relatives of the 'Lost Sister of Wyoming' might learn of her existence. Following is Colonel Ewing 's letter (dated) Logansport, Indiana, January 20, 1835:

"'Dear Sir: In the hope that some good may result from it, I have taken this means of giving to your fellow-citizens—say the descendants of the early settlers of the Susquehanna—the following information; and if there be any now living whose name is Slocum, to them, I hope, the following may be communicated through the public prints of your place:

"'There is now living near this place, an aged white woman, who a few days ago told me, while I lodged in the camp one night, that she was taken away from her father's house, on or near the Susquehanna, when she was very young—say from five to eight years old, as she thinks—by the Delaware Indians, who were then hostile toward the whites. She says her father's name was Slocum, that he was a Quaker, rather small in stature, and wore a large brimmed hat; was of sandy hair and light complexioned and much freckled; that he lived about half a mile from a town where there was a fort; that they lived in a wooden house of two stories high, and had a spring near the house. She says three Delawares came to the house in the daytime, when all were absent but herself, and perhaps two other children; her father and brothers were absent working in the field. The Indians carried her off, and she was adopted into a family of Delawares, who raised her and treated her as their own child. They died about forty years ago, somewhere in Ohio. She was then married to a Miami, by whom she had four children; two of them are now living—they are both daughters—and she lives with them. Her husband is dead; she is old and feeble, and thinks she will not live long.

"'These considerations induced her to give the present history of herself, which she would never do before, fearing that her kindred would come and force her away. She has lived long and happy as an Indian, and, but for her color, would not be suspected of being anything else than such. She is very respectable and wealthy, sober and honest. Her name is without reproach. She says her father had a large family, say eight children in all—six older than herself, one younger, as well as she can recollect—and she doubts not there are yet living many of their descendants, but seems to think that all her brothers and sisters must be dead, as she is very old herself, not far from the age of eighty. She thinks she was taken prisoner before the last two wars, which must mean the Revolutionary war, as Wayne's war and the late war have been since that one. She has entirely lost her mother tongue, and speaks only as an Indian, which I also understand, and she gave me a full history of herself.

"'Her own Christian name she has forgotten, but says her father's name was Slocum. and he was a Quaker. She also recollects that it was upon the Susquehanna river that they lived, but does not recollect the name of the town near which they lived. I have thought that from this letter you might cause something to be inserted in the newspapers of your country that might possibly catch the eye of some of the descendants of the Slocum family, who have knowledge of a girl having been carried off by the Indians some seventy years ago. This they might know from family tradition. If so, and they will come here, I will carry them where they may see the object of my letter alive and happy, though old and far advanced in life.

"'I can form no idea whereabout upon the Susquehanna river this family could have lived at that early period, namely, about the time of the Revolutionary war, but perhaps you can ascertain more about it. If so, I hope you will interest yourself, and, if possible, let her brothers and sisters, if any be alive—if not, their children—know where they may once more see a relative whose fate has been wrapped in mystery for seventy years, and for whom her bereaved and afflicted parents doubtless shed many a bitter tear. They have long since found their graves, though their lost child they never found. I have been much affected with the disclosure, and hope the surviving friends may obtain, through your goodness, the information I desire for them. If I can be of any service to them, they may command me. In the meantime, I hope you will excuse me for the freedom I have taken with you, a total stranger, and believe me to be, sir, with much respect,

"'Your obedient servant,

"'George W. Ewing.1'" 
(Daughter) Frances Slocum Story1837 "Colonel Ewing was somewhat mistaken as to the age of Frances and the time she had been in captivity. At the time his letter was written she was about sixty-two years old and had dwelt among the Indians for approximately fifty-seven years. When the letter was received by Mrs. Mary Dickson, then postmistress at Lancaster and also the owner of a newspaper called the Lancaster Intelligencer, instead of publishing it she cast it aside and for about two years it lay among a lot of old papers that were considered of no value. In March 1837, John W. Forney became one of the editors and publishers of the paper and soon afterward the letter was handed to him by one who had accidently found it a short time before. Mr. Forney published the letter in the Intelligencer, in a 'special temperance edition,' copies of which were sent to every clergyman in Pennsylvania. Reverend Samuel Bowman, an Episcopal minister, who had lived at one time in Wilkes-Barre, and who knew the story of Frances Slocum, mailed one of the papers to Joseph Slocum at Wilkes-Barre."1 
(Daughter) Frances Slocum Story8 August 1837In a letter dated 8 August 1837, Jonathan J. Slocum, a son of Frances's brother, Joseph Slocum, "wrote to Colonel Ewing as follows:

"'Geo. W. Ewing, Esq.,

"'Dear Sir: At the suggestion of my father and other relations, I have taken the liberty to write to you, although an entire stranger.

"'We have received, but a few days since, a letter written by you to a gentleman in Lancaster, of this state, upon a subject of deep and intense interest to our family. How the matter should have lain so long wrapped in obscurity we cannot conceive. An aunt of mine—sister of my father—was taken away when five years old, by the Indians, and since then we have only had vague and indistinct rumors upon the subject. Your letter we deem to have entirely revealed the whole matter, and set everything at rest. The description is so perfect, and the incidents (with the exception of her age) so correct, that we feel confident.

"'Steps will be taken immediately to investigate the matter, and we will endeavor to do all in our power to restore a lost relative who has been sixty years in Indian bondage.

"'Your friend and obedient servant,

"'Jno. J. Slocum.'"

Colonel Ewing had not forgotten the letter written by him in January, 1835, and no doubt had often wondered as to its fate. Upon the receipt of Mr. Slocum's letter he at once sent the following reply:

"'Logansport, Ind., August 26, 1837

"'Jno. J. Slocum. Esq., Wilkes-Barre,

"'Dear Sir: I have the pleasure of acknowledging the receipt of your letter of the 8th instant, and in answer can add, that the female I spoke of in January 1835, is still alive; nor can I for a moment doubt but that she is the identical relative that has been so long lost to your family.

"'I feel much gratified to think that I have been thus instrumental in disclosing to yourself and friends such facts in relation to her as will enable you to visit her and satisfy yourselves more fully. She recovered from the temporary illness by which she was afflicted about the time I spent the night with her in January 1835, and which was, no doubt, the cause that induced her to speak so freely of her early captivity.

"'Although she is now, by long habit, an Indian, and her manners and customs precisely theirs, yet she will doubtless be happy to see any of you, and I myself will take great pleasure in accompanying you to the house. Should you come out for that purpose, I advise you to repair directly to this place : and should it so happen that I should be absent at the time, you will find others who can take you to her. Bring with you this letter; show it to James T. .Miller, of Peru, Ind., a small town not far from this place. He knows her well. He is a young man whom we have raised. He speaks the Miami tongue and will accompany you if I should not be at home. Inquire for the old white woman, mother-in-law to Brouillette, living on the Mississinewa river, about ten miles above its mouth. There you will find the long lost sister of your father, and, as before stated, you will not have to blush on her account. She is highly respectable, and her name as an Indian is without reproach. Her daughter, too, and her son-in-law, Brouillette, who is also a half-blood, being part French, are both very respectable and interesting people—none in the nation are more so. As Indians they live well, and will be pleased to see you. Should you visit here this fall, I may be absent, as I purpose starting for New York in a few days, and shall not be back till sometime in October. But this need not stop you : for, although I should be gratified to see you, yet it will be sufficient to learn that I have furthered your wishes in this truly interesting manner.

"'The very kind manner in which you have been pleased to speak of me shall be fully appreciated.

"'There are perhaps men who could have heard her story unmoved; but for me, I could not; and when I reflected that there was, perhaps, still lingering on this side of the grave some brother or sister of that ill-fated woman, to whom such information would be deeply interesting, I resolved on the course which I adopted, and entertained the fond hope that my letter, if ever it should go before the public, would attract the attention of someone interested. In this it seems, at last, I have not been disappointed, although I have long since supposed it had failed to effect the object for which I wrote it. Like you, I regret that it should have been delayed so long, nor can I conceive how anyone should neglect to publish such a letter.

"'As to the age of this female, I think she herself is mistaken, and that she is not so old as she imagines herself to be. Indeed, I entertain no doubt but that she is the same person that your family have mourned after for more than half a century past.

"'Your obedient humble servant,

"' George W. Ewing.1'" 
(Daughter) Frances Slocum Story "In due time Colonel Ewing 's letter reached the waiting members of the family at Wilkes-Barre. Arrangements were at once commenced for Joseph Slocum to go to the home of his sister, Mrs. Mary Towne, in central Ohio, and with her proceed to Peru, Indiana, while his brother Isaac, who lived near Sandusky, was to join them there as soon as possible. As the distance from Sandusky to the Miami village was much shorter than that which Joseph and Mrs. Towne had to travel, he arrived several days in advance of his brother and sister. His anxiety to meet the sister, who had so long been mourned as lost, was so great that he could not wait for the arrival of his brother and sister. Accompanied by James T. Miller as interpreter, he repaired to the house of Frances, where he was received with that stolid indifference peculiar to the Indian. She manifested neither pleasure nor surprise at his coming and seemed rather reluctant to tell anything of herself to a stranger. Before she was captured in her childhood, while she and one of her brothers were playing in the blacksmith shop one day, her brother struck the fore finger of her left hand with a hammer and inflicted such an injury that the nail was completely destroyed. As Isaac conversed with the old woman he kept watching her hands. At last, seeing the marked finger, he took hold of her hand and asked how it came to be in that condition.

"'My brother struck it with a hammer in the shop, a long time ago, before I was carried away,' came the answer, but without any show of emotion.

"Isaac Slocum was now convinced that this was his sister. Sadly he returned to Peru to await the coming of Joseph and Mrs. Towne. They arrived a few days later and the three, with Mr. Miller and James B. Fulwiler, went to the house of the old woman whose long life among the Indians had made her an alien to her own race. Mr. Fulwiler afterward said that Frances was 'as cold as an iceberg,' and that her reception of her relatives so affected him that he was compelled to leave the room. The injured finger was again examined and with much persuasion she was induced to tell them something of her life. Her story corresponded in all the essentials to that she had told Colonel Ewing, nearly three years before. She had forgotten her Christian name and when asked if she would remember it if she should hear it she answered, 'It is a long time; I do not know.'"

"'Was it Frances?' asked one of the party. For the first time during the interview something like emotion seemed to move her hitherto expressionless features, and after a few brief moments a faint smile illumined her face as she exclaimed, 'Yes, Franca, Franca !'”.1 
(Daughter) Frances Slocum Story "All doubts were now removed. This indeed was the little auburn haired sister that had been taken from her home in the Wyoming valley sixty-four years before. The company then proposed to Frances that she, with her son-in-law and daughters, accompany them to Peru, but she declined to give an answer until she could consult Chief Godfroy."1 
(Daughter) Frances Slocum Story "The chief advised her to accept the invitation and she promised to visit them the next Sunday and dine with them at the hotel. When they arrived and were conducted into the hotel, before any intimacy could be established, it was necessary that a formal pledge of friendship should be given and received, according to the custom of the Miami Indians. One of the daughters therefore advanced to the table and laid upon it a bundle wrapped in a clean, white cloth. Through the interpreter she then explained that it was a pledge of their confidence and friendship. Instructed by Mr. Miller, Mrs. Towne accepted the pledge in the same solemn and formal manner, and when the bundle was opened it was found to contain a hind quarter of a deer, which had no doubt been killed for the occasion. Through the medium of this ceremony, confidence was established and the visitors conversed more freely than when the brothers and sister visited Frances in her home. [John Franklin] Meginness [in his 1891 Biography of Frances Slocum, the lost sister of Wyoming] says: 'The food cooked by civilized methods did not agree with them (the visitors) and they did not relish it. The circumstances and surroundings had a depressing effect upon Frances and she sought relief in accordance with the customs of savage life. She slipped away quietly, and a few minutes afterwards was found with her blanket pulled over her head, lying on the stoop fast asleep.'"

"When it was proposed that Frances' story should be reduced to writing she at first objected, until the reasons for such a proceeding were explained to her by the interpreter. She then told her story, the main points of which correspond to the facts as narrated in this chapter. At the conclusion of her story, her brothers and sister urged her to return home with them, promising her a home and a share of all they possessed.

”'No, I cannot,' said Frances. 'I have always lived with the Indians; they have always used me very kindly; I am used to them. The Great Spirit has always allowed me to live with them, and I wish to live and die with them. Your wah-puh-mone (looking-glass) may be longer than mine, but this is my home. I do not wish to live any better, or anywhere else, and I think the Great Spirit has permitted me to live so long because I have always lived with the Indians. I should have died sooner if I had left them. My husband and my boys are buried here and I cannot leave them. On his dying day my husband charged me not to leave the Indians. I have a house and large lands, two daughters, a son-in-law, three grandchildren and everything to make me comfortable, why should I go and be like a fish out of water?'"

"In this determination she was supported by her son-in-law and daughters, and when her relatives then asked her to go with them merely for a visit, promising to allow her to return to her children, she answered: 'I cannot, I cannot. I am an old tree. I cannot move about. I was a sapling when they took me away. It is all gone past. I am afraid I should die and never come back. I am happy here. I shall die and lie in that graveyard, and they will raise the pole at my grave with the white flag on it, and the Great Spirit will know where to find me. I should not be happy with my white relatives. I am glad enough to see them, but I cannot go, I cannot go. I have done.1'" 
(Elder Daughter) ResidenceIn 1845 by a joint resolution of the U.S. Congress, her mother and her family, which included on that date 22 individuals, were exempted from the Removal Order forcing the Miami from Indiana. The family lived on a prosperous farm and owned cattle, hogs, chickens and a large herd of ponies. Her mother's settlement included her two grown daughters, Nancy Ke-ke-nok-esh-wah Brouillette and Jane O-zah-shin-quah Bundy, their husbands, John B. Brouillette and Peter Bundy and the four children of Nancy's younger sister, Eliza Ke-pa-ke-min-quah Godfroy, Frances Godfroy, Ki po ki na mo qua and Ching-o-shing-quah. In 1846, the year of the forced Removal, Nancy's mother persuaded her white nephew, Reverend George R. Slocum, to come from Ohio and help her manage the farm.6 
(Daughter) Death9 March 1847Her mother died on 9 March 1847 at age 74.7 
Death*13 March 1847Ke-ke-nok-esh-wah died of grief and care at about age 47, on 13 March 1847, just four days after the death of her beloved mother. She was very afraid that she might be buried alive and requested from her family that she be buried in a coffin with no bottom in it, and that her body be laid on the ground with the bottom-less coffin placed over it.1,3,5 
Burial* Following her wishes for burial, her husband, with her sister and brother-in-law, O-zah-shin-quah and Peter Bundy, had a walnut coffin made for her, with no bottom in it. and her body was laid on the ground with the bottom-less coffin placed over it. Her nephew, Camillious Bundy, told of playing on the box as a child, saying he could see the bones through the cracks in the old coffin.

That same nephew reported that at a later date his father, Peter Bundy, made another box or coffin and placed her bones in it and buried it and planted two cedar trees, one at each end of the grave, to mark it. Ke-ke-nok-esh-wah's Find a Grave memorial reported that she was buried in Plot# 33C of the Slocum Cemetery, Waltz Township, Wabash County, Indiana.3 
(American Indian) Indian Names Getting the Native American Indian names in our project "right" has been a struggle for us because we have often seen the same person's name spelled in several different ways. This was, at first, both frustrating and stressful to those of us who strive for accuracy in the presentation of our research. When we learned that the Miami Indians, who feature prominently in our project, had no written language before their associations with the French and English who kept records by writing them down, we began to understand. It’s all very human. Not every person speaks their words in the same way, and each listener may hear the same words differently. So, it’s not surprising that, phonetically, when names were spoken, they would be written down as each individual listener heard them.8,9,10,11,12,13,14 

Family

 John B. Brouillette b. 1796, d. 17 Jun 1867

Citations

  1. [S2688] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes. This has been an excellent source for us as we've strived to learn more about the Delaware and Miami Indians, and their theft of little Frances Slocum. We've used quotes to identify information taken directly from Bodurtha's book. Additionally, the attached document has been copied directly from Chapter IV, so that you might enjoy his presentation of the full story as much as we have; Volume I, Chapter IV, The Story of Frances Slocum, pages 52-66, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919). Hereinafter cited as Bodurtha's History of Miami County : Volume I, Chapter IV, The Story of Frances Slocum, pages 52-66.
  2. [S748] Find a Grave website, which often provides cemetery and tombstone photos, and sometimes personal biographies, that may be obtained from the site, online at www.findagrave.com, “Deaf Man” She-Po-Con-Ah, Memorial# 34694557. Hereinafter cited as Find a Grave website.
  3. [S748] Find a Grave website, online at www.findagrave.com, Nancy “Ke-Ke-Na-Kush-wa" "Cut Finger” Brouillett, Memorial# 115146096.
  4. [S748] Find a Grave website, online at www.findagrave.com, Rev Jean Baptise “Tah-quah-ke-ah” Brouillett, Memorial# 34693804.
  5. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Manchester, Indiana: Otho Winger, c1935), John B. Brouillette, pages 23-27. Hereinafter cited as The Last of The Miamis.
  6. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs and dated 12 July 1990, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", in response to a petition submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs for Federal acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian Tribe; downloaded record number MNI-V001-D004, (file name 066_pf-2.pdf) from the Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs website (https://www.bia.gov) in October 2024; Anthropological Report (Contractor), Social and Political Organization, Bundy, digital pages 123-131. Hereinafter cited as "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc."
  7. [S748] Find a Grave website, online at www.findagrave.com, Frances “Ma-con-a-quah” Slocum, Memorial# 7457979, which includes comprehensive information and photos of her captivity and life as a Miami Indian.
  8. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", 12 July 1990.
  9. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php; the website offers a Search capability and notes that the images were taken from microfilm, and that some years are out of order. The records include the following, although we've discovered they are more mixed up than we expected: Annuity Payroll, (reported to be the1854 cover only, although the handwritten pages that follow appear to us to be from 1854); Annuity Payroll, 1882; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889 (continued); Annuity Payroll, 1891; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Land Division, Francis Godfroy; and 1881 Census of Miami Indians in Indiana and Elsewhere. Hereinafter cited as Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895.
  10. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…, with additional information from a linked Google Spreadsheet. Hereinafter cited as Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  11. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Place of publication not identified: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1907). Hereinafter cited as History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  12. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919). Hereinafter cited as History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  13. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis.
  14. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana : containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, military records portraits of early settlers and prominent men, personal reminiscences, etc., downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Chicago, Illinois: John Morris, Printer, 1884). Hereinafter cited as History of Wabash County, Indiana.

Kegetonaquah1

Family
Name VariationShe was commonly called Shickaway.1 
(Wife of 2nd Son) Research Notes According to The Last of the Miamis, Me-to-cin-yah's grandfather, Chief Osandiah, had once lived with his family at the Miami capital of Kekionga, which is now Fort Wayne, Indiana. He moved with his tribal band to the Big (Great) Miami river, near what is now Piqua, Ohio. There he became a prominent Indian chief. At Osandiah's death, he was succeeded by his son, Aw-taw-waw-taw, who died soon after. The chieftainship then fell to Me-to-cin-yah, son of Aw-taw-waw-taw. Regarding his name, which had earlier been written as Metosinia by the French and English settlers, the source reported that the chief is better known in history as Me-to-cin-yah. And his name was often written by the author as Metocinyah, without the hyphens. After becoming chief, Me-to-cin-yah led his tribal band back west to Indiana and settled on the Mississinewa river where he raised a large family and became an influential chief. The village of Metocinyah, which was very large and important among the Indians, was located at the mouth of Jocinah Creek in what is now the southern part of Wabash County, Indiana. Jocinah is a modification of the name Metocinyah.

Me-to-cin-yah was thought to have had ten sons and also a number of daughters. Meshingomesia, his oldest son, became the chief of the Mississinewa band when Metocinyah died in 1839. Meshingomesia, early in life, married a Miami wife, Tak-e-quah, and they had two sons and no daughters of their own, although they raised an Indian girl whose mother was an Indian and whose father was a pioneer merchant in Peru, Indiana. Meshingomesia also took an interest in a Potawatomie Indian boy and had him adopted into the Miami tribe. For forty years, Meshingomesia was a trusted leader and advisor of his people, and was the last tribal chief of the Miamis with anything like the power of the old-time chiefs. His reservation was surrounded by white people with whom he lived in peace and by whom he was held in high esteem.

The names of Meshingomesia's nine brothers were believed recorded in 1840 when the Mississinewa Reservation was granted to the entire family of Me-to-cin-yah, although only three of them had been connected to any specific recorded events at the time of the source's publication in 1935. Wapesitah married Kegetonaquah, commonly called Shickaway; Chapendocia, whose wife was No-an-ge-quah, had a number of children; and Me-ta-ke-quah, who was also known as Captain Dixon, married when she was grown, Lydia Tharp, the little white girl who had been stolen from her father's home during the War of 1812 by Mississinewa Indians and raised at the village of Metocinyah. Charles Dixon, the son of Lydia Tharp and Captain Dixon, plays a role, with some of his descendants, in our research project.2,3,1 
Marriage*She was the wife of Wapesitah, son of Me-to-cin-yah, and a younger brother of Meshingomesia, who succeeded their father as Chief of the Mississinewa tribal band of Miami Indians.1 
(American Indian) Indian Names Getting the Native American Indian names in our project "right" has been a struggle for us because we have often seen the same person's name spelled in several different ways. This was, at first, both frustrating and stressful to those of us who strive for accuracy in the presentation of our research. When we learned that the Miami Indians, who feature prominently in our project, had no written language before their associations with the French and English who kept records by writing them down, we began to understand. It’s all very human. Not every person speaks their words in the same way, and each listener may hear the same words differently. So, it’s not surprising that, phonetically, when names were spoken, they would be written down as each individual listener heard them.4,5,6,7,8,9,10 

Family

 Wapesitah

Citations

  1. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Manchester, Indiana: Otho Winger, c1935), Meshingomesia, his brothers, pages 35-36. Hereinafter cited as The Last of The Miamis.
  2. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, Metocinyah, pages 30-32.
  3. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, Meshingomesia, pages 32-36.
  4. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs and dated 12 July 1990, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", in response to a petition submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs for Federal acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian Tribe; downloaded record number MNI-V001-D004, (file name 066_pf-2.pdf) from the Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs website (https://www.bia.gov) in October 2024. Hereinafter cited as "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc."
  5. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php; the website offers a Search capability and notes that the images were taken from microfilm, and that some years are out of order. The records include the following, although we've discovered they are more mixed up than we expected: Annuity Payroll, (reported to be the1854 cover only, although the handwritten pages that follow appear to us to be from 1854); Annuity Payroll, 1882; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889 (continued); Annuity Payroll, 1891; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Land Division, Francis Godfroy; and 1881 Census of Miami Indians in Indiana and Elsewhere. Hereinafter cited as Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895.
  6. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…, with additional information from a linked Google Spreadsheet. Hereinafter cited as Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  7. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Place of publication not identified: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1907). Hereinafter cited as History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  8. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919). Hereinafter cited as History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  9. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis.
  10. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana : containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, military records portraits of early settlers and prominent men, personal reminiscences, etc., downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Chicago, Illinois: John Morris, Printer, 1884). Hereinafter cited as History of Wabash County, Indiana.

Ki po ki na mo qua1

b. 25 September 1836, d. 28 October 1879
Family
Father*Wop-Shing-Qua1,2
Mother*O-zah-shin-quah1,2 b. Oct 1809, d. 25 Jan 1877
Birth*25 September 1836Ki po ki na mo qua was born on 25 September 1836 in Indiana.1,3,4 
Name VariationHer Indian name was spelled Ki po ki na mo qua on her Find a Grave memorial page and "Ke-no-zah-queh" in the 1873 will of her mother, O-zah-shin-quah.1,5 
Name VariationHer Indian name was spelled Kin-o-sac-quah in the Elizabeth Glenn Collecton.3,6,7,8 
Name VariationHer English name was Elizabeth1 
Name Variation and as a child she used the surname Godfroy, which was the surname of her mother's first husband, and Elizabeth's older sisters.9 
(Granddaughter) ResidenceIn 1845 by a joint resolution of the U.S. Congress, her maternal grandmother, Frances Slocum and her family, which included on that date 22 individuals, were exempted from the Removal Order forcing the Miami from Indiana. The family lived on a prosperous farm and owned cattle, hogs, chickens and a large herd of ponies. Her grandmother's settlement included her two grown daughters, Nancy Ke-ke-nok-esh-wah Brouillette and Jane O-zah-shin-quah Bundy, their husbands, John B. Brouillette and Peter Bundy, and four granddaughters, Eliza Ke-pa-ke-min-quah Godfroy, Frances Godfroy, Ki po ki na mo qua and Ching-o-shing-quah. In 1846, the year of the forced Removal, Ki po ki na mo qua's grandmother persuaded her white nephew, Reverend George R. Slocum, to come from Ohio and help her manage the farm.10 
(Sister-in-Law) Census US 185019 September 1850Elizabeth was enumerated with her mother and extended family on the 1850 census taken on 19 September 1850 in the household of her sister and brother-in-law, Ke-pa-ke-min-quah and John B. Brouillette in Waltz Township, Wabash County, Indiana. Elizabeth, who was recorded with the surname "Godfroy", was 13 years old and had attended school within the census year.9 
Marriage*She married, as his second wife, Gabriel Godfroy, son of Francis Godfroy and Sac-a-qua-tah.1,11,2,12 
(Daughter) Will10 July 1873Her mother, O-zah-shin-quah, prepared her will dated 10 July 1873 in Wabash County, Indiana. Her beneficiaries included her husband, Peter Wah-pa-pe-tah Bondy, whom she also nominated and appointed executor of her estate; her daughters, Rose Ann Pe-me-sah-quah Bondy, Hannah Sah-co-quit-ah Mongosa, Frances Wah-pah-nock-shin-quah Wilson, Eliza Ke-pa-ke-min-quah Brouillette, Elizabeth Ki po ki na mo qua Godfroy and Ching-o-shing-quah Tawataw; her sons, Judson Ke-pah-ke-kap-wah Bondy and Camillious Tak-quah-ke-uh Bondy; and a granddaughter, Nancy On-za-noc-ke-sum-quah Mongosa. Her will also mentioned her deceased sister, Ke-ke-nok-esh-wah Brouillette, and a son-in-law, Nelson Tawataw.5 
Death*28 October 1879She died on 28 October 1879 in Peru, Miami County, Indiana, at age 431 
Burial* and was buried in the Francis Godfroy Cemetery, Peru.1 
(American Indian) Indian Names Getting the Native American Indian names in our project "right" has been a struggle for us because we have often seen the same person's name spelled in several different ways. This was, at first, both frustrating and stressful to those of us who strive for accuracy in the presentation of our research. When we learned that the Miami Indians, who feature prominently in our project, had no written language before their associations with the French and English who kept records by writing them down, we began to understand. It’s all very human. Not every person speaks their words in the same way, and each listener may hear the same words differently. So, it’s not surprising that, phonetically, when names were spoken, they would be written down as each individual listener heard them.13,14,15,16,17,18,19 

Family

 Gabriel Godfroy b. 1 Jan 1834, d. 14 Aug 1910
Child 1.Peter Godfroy+8,7 b. 12 Mar 1858, d. 5 Sep 1928

Citations

  1. [S748] Find a Grave website, which often provides cemetery and tombstone photos, and sometimes personal biographies, that may be obtained from the site, online at www.findagrave.com, Elizabeth “Ki po ki na mo qua” (Bondy) Godfroy, Memorial# 37551417. Hereinafter cited as Find a Grave website.
  2. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Manchester, Indiana: Otho Winger, c1935), John B. Brouillette, pages 23-27. Hereinafter cited as The Last of The Miamis.
  3. [S2701] Ball State University Digital Media Repository: Elizabeth Glenn Collection, online at https://dmr.bsu.edu/digital/collection/GlennElizaC/search, Elizabeth Glenn Collection, https://dmr.bsu.edu/digital/collection/GlennElizaC/id/3638. Hereinafter cited as Ball State University Digital Media Repository: Elizabeth Glenn Collection.
  4. [S2701] Ball State University Digital Media Repository: Elizabeth Glenn Collection, online at https://dmr.bsu.edu/digital/collection/GlennElizaC/search, Elizabeth Glenn Collection, https://dmr.bsu.edu/digital/collection/GlennElizaC/id/3639
  5. [S2621] Indiana, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1798-1999, online at www.ancestry.com, will of O-zah-shin-quah, or Jane Bondy, of Wabash County, Indiana, dated 10 July 1873, Wabash County Will Records, Volumes A-B, 1842-1880, Book B, pages 220-228, Ancestry online images 371-375 of 482. Hereinafter cited as Indiana, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1798-1999.
  6. [S2701] Ball State University Digital Media Repository: Elizabeth Glenn Collection, online at https://dmr.bsu.edu/digital/collection/GlennElizaC/search, Elizabeth Glenn Collection, https://dmr.bsu.edu/digital/collection/GlennElizaC/id/3639; Elizabeth (granddaughter of Frances Slocum) Godfroy's Indian name reported as Kin-o-sac-quah.
  7. [S2701] Ball State University Digital Media Repository: Elizabeth Glenn Collection, online at https://dmr.bsu.edu/digital/collection/GlennElizaC/search, Elizabeth Glenn Collection, https://dmr.bsu.edu/digital/collection/GlennElizaC/id/3640
  8. [S2701] Ball State University Digital Media Repository: Elizabeth Glenn Collection, online at https://dmr.bsu.edu/digital/collection/GlennElizaC/search, Elizabeth Glenn Collection, https://dmr.bsu.edu/digital/collection/GlennElizaC/id/3641
  9. [S17] 1850 United States Federal Census, online at www.ancestry.com, household of John B. Brouillette, The National Archives in Washington, DC; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M432; Residence Date: 1850; Home in 1850: Waltz, Wabash, Indiana; Roll: 178; Page: 358a. Hereinafter cited as 1850 United States Federal Census.
  10. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs and dated 12 July 1990, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", in response to a petition submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs for Federal acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian Tribe; downloaded record number MNI-V001-D004, (file name 066_pf-2.pdf) from the Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs website (https://www.bia.gov) in October 2024; Anthropological Report (Contractor), Social and Political Organization, Bundy, digital pages 123-131. Hereinafter cited as "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc."
  11. [S748] Find a Grave website, online at www.findagrave.com, Gabriel Godfroy, Memorial# 5181270.
  12. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, Gabriel Godfroy, page 21.
  13. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", 12 July 1990.
  14. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php; the website offers a Search capability and notes that the images were taken from microfilm, and that some years are out of order. The records include the following, although we've discovered they are more mixed up than we expected: Annuity Payroll, (reported to be the1854 cover only, although the handwritten pages that follow appear to us to be from 1854); Annuity Payroll, 1882; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889 (continued); Annuity Payroll, 1891; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Land Division, Francis Godfroy; and 1881 Census of Miami Indians in Indiana and Elsewhere. Hereinafter cited as Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895.
  15. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…, with additional information from a linked Google Spreadsheet. Hereinafter cited as Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  16. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Place of publication not identified: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1907). Hereinafter cited as History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  17. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919). Hereinafter cited as History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  18. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis.
  19. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana : containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, military records portraits of early settlers and prominent men, personal reminiscences, etc., downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Chicago, Illinois: John Morris, Printer, 1884). Hereinafter cited as History of Wabash County, Indiana.

Kilsoquah1

b. May 1810, d. 4 September 1915
Family
Father*Wak-e-shen-e-quah2,3
Mother*Nah-wa-kah-mo-kwa4
Name Spellings*A variation in the spelling of the Revarre surname found in our research was Revoir.5 
Birth*May 1810Kilsoquah was born in May 1810 near Markle, Huntington County, Indiana.1 
Name-SpellingsHer name was also found in our research as Kiilh-sooh-kwa and Kiilhsoohkwa, as well as Kil-so-quah.6 
Relationship Note*Kilsoquah and Coesse were 1st cousins.1 
Historical Note*1820On 3 August 1906, Kilsoquah, who was about 96 years of age at that time, gave a brief account of her marriages and children to historian, S. P. Kaler, M. L. Galbreath, John F. Mossman and Alexander More when they visited her and her 57-year- old son, Anthony Revarre, at her home in Roanoke. She told them that Chief John Owl, prior to 1820, his wife and one son came to the Eel River country and stayed most of the time, building a cabin at Seek's Village, near Columbia City, Whitley County, Indiana. His wife died and was buried at the village, and Chief Owl, soon after, went back to the Illinois country, leaving his son, John Owl, with Seek, who raised him. On one of her family's visits to Seek's Village, she became acquainted with John. Later, he visited her in Roanoke, and they were married in 1826 and moved to live at Seek's Village. She described her husband, John, as a good Indian who did not drink and, as there was much dissatisfaction with Seek, there was talk of her husband taking his place as chief. Sadly, though, John became sick some months after they were married, and lingered more than a year before he died. They had no children, and John was buried beside or very near his mother at Seek's Village. After his death, Seek was unkind to her and she returned to her father's home in Huntington County.

Four years after the death of her first husband, in 1832, she married Sha-Pe-Ne-Mah, who was half Indian and half French. His American name was Antoine Revarre. Six children were born to them, four dying in infancy. Her son, Anthony Revarre, Jr., who was living with his mother in 1906, was the youngest of her children. He was born on Christmas day, 1849, just two months after his father's death. His Indian name was Wa-pe-mung-quah, meaning White Loon, and he was named after Great White Loon. Her daughter Wan-nog-quan-quah, meaning snow, mist or fog, was nicknamed Mary. She went to Oklahoma about twenty years before and married there. Both Mary and Tony attended the common schools and the Roanoke Academy, and had good English educations.1 
Marriage*1826She married first John Owl, son of Chief John Owl, in 1826.1 
Marriage*1832She married second Antoine Revarre about 1832.5,7 
Married NameAfter her second marriage, her American name was Margaret Revarre.5,7,6 
(Wife) Death1849Kilsoquah became a widow for the second time when Antoine Revarre died in 1849.5 
Miami Removal*Kilsoquah's husband, Antoine Revarre, had died the year before the U.S. Congress granted his family's Exemption from the Miami Removal. His 1850 Exemption permitted his family to remain on their land in Indiana while continuing to receive their annuities there. The Exemption included Revarre's wife, Kilsoquah, and their two daughters, Elizabeth (Revarre) Froman and Mary E. Revarre. Their son, Anthony Revarre, who was born in December of 1849, was also exempted.8,9 
(Cousin) Death1853Her cousin, Coesse, died at her home in Roanoke, Huntington County, Indiana, in the fall of 1853 at about age 61. He had gone to Roanoke to visit with his cousin and the day after his arrival, he fell sick with a fever. He refused both doctor and medicine, telling his cousin he had some trouble in his family and didn't care to live. He died delirious less than two weeks later.1 
(Cousin) BurialCoesse had died on a Sunday morning, and on the Tuesday forenoon, he was buried in Roanoke on his cousin's farm between his first wife and his cousin, Kilsoquah's, husband. There were no services.1 
Census US 1870*25 June 1870Kilsoquah was enumerated on the 1870 census taken on 25 June 1870 in Jackson, Huntington County, Indiana. She was 53 years of age and keeping house. She was unable to read or write, had real estate valued at $7,000 and a personal estate valued at $914. Her two unmarried children, Mary and Anthony, were ages 25 and 21 years, respectively.10 
(Mother) Will5 May 1874Kilsoquah and Antoine Revarre's children, Mary E. Revarre and Anthony Revarre, were named as the sole beneficiaries, share and share alike, in the will of White Loon dated 5 May 1874, and probated in Allen County, Indiana, on 20 January 1877.11 
(Mother) Census US 188030 June 1880Kilsoquah was enumerated with her grandson, James Froman, on the 1880 census taken on 30 June 1880 in the household of her son and daughter-in-law, Millie and Anthony Revarre in Jackson, Huntington County, Indiana. Kilsoquah was 63 years of age and James, who was a son of her daughter, Elizabeth (Revarre) Froman, was 6 years old.12 
Miami Census 1881*17 October 1881Kilsoquah and other members of her extended family were enumerated on the Miami Indian Census taken on 17 October 1881. They were listed as a family group, although four individuals were recorded by the Qua Paw Agency in Oklahoma Territory and two were recorded in Roanoke, Indiana. Kilsoquah, who was recorded in Oklahoma, was listed as #27 and the (widow of Sha-Pe-Ne-Mah Revoir), age 67. Next on the list and also recorded in Oklahoma as #28 and #29, were two of Kilsoquah's grandchildren, Nah wah nah cong aw, alias Mary Froman, age 15, and Na pe no zah, alias Henry Froman, age 11. A third grandchild, listed next, although recorded in Roanoke, was #30, Sah co quah, alias James Froman, age 7. All three of her Froman grandchildren were further identified as the grandchildren of Kilsoquah and Sha-Pe-Ne-Mah and that their mother's name had been No oc quah ze quah, a Revoir. Next on the list as #31, and recorded in Oklahoma, was Kilsoquah's daughter, Nah no com e quah, alias Mary Revoir, age 35, with the note that she was listed on the 1854 census with the family of her father, Sha-Pe-Ne-Mah. And the last member of Kilsoquah's family on the list, as #32 and recorded in Roanoke, was her son, Nah pe mum wah, alias Anthony Revoir, age 32, with the note that he was listed on the 1854 census with the family of his father, Sha-Pe-Ne-Mah.13 
(Mother) Census US 190028 June 1900Kilsoquah was enumerated on the 1900 census taken on 28 June 1900 in the household of her son and daughter-in-law, Millie and Anthony Revarre, in Jackson, Huntington County, Indiana. She was 88 years of age and a widow, had given birth to five children, two of whom were living, and was not able to read, write, or to speak English.14 
Relationship Note*3 August 1906Kilsoquah and her son, Anthony Revarre, were visited at their home on 3 August 1906 by four historians, which included S. P. Kaler, who asked Kilsoquah many questions about her life and extended family. They recorded her story and it was published in Kaler's History of Whitley County, Indiana. Among her stories was what we think is the answer to one of our questions: Who was George W. Slusman, and where did he come from? Kilsoquah told of being lonely after the deaths of her husband, Antoine Revarre, and then her cousin, Coesse, saying she took her two children and went up to Coesse's family near Columbia City and stayed there a year before returning to her home near Roanoke. She said Jacob Slusman, whose surname was spelled "Slessman" by her listeners, came from Columbia City and moved her up; and that he also moved her back the next summer. She said that Mrs. Louisa Coesse and her family lived on the farm up at Columbia City for about ten years after her husband Coesse's death, and then sold out and moved to Peru. She added that they are now all dead except an illegitimate son and half breed, George, who was born after Coesse's death.1 
Death*4 September 1915She died on 4 September 1915 in Jackson, Huntington County, Indiana, at age 105.4,7 
Burial* At the request of Kilsoquah, her physician, Dr. S. Koontz, many years before her death located the bones of her husband, Sha-Pe-Ne-Mah, who had died in 1849, and had them disinterred. Dr. Koontz kept them in his office awaiting the death of Kilsoquah. After she died, Kilsoquah and Sha-Pe-Ne-Mah were buried together in Glenwood Cemetery, Roanoke, Huntington County.15,7 
(American Indian) Indian Names Getting the Native American Indian names in our project "right" has been a struggle for us because we have often seen the same person's name spelled in several different ways. This was, at first, both frustrating and stressful to those of us who strive for accuracy in the presentation of our research. When we learned that the Miami Indians, who feature prominently in our project, had no written language before their associations with the French and English who kept records by writing them down, we began to understand. It’s all very human. Not every person speaks their words in the same way, and each listener may hear the same words differently. So, it’s not surprising that, phonetically, when names were spoken, they would be written down as each individual listener heard them.16,17,18,19,20,21,22 

Family 1

 John Owl

Family 2

 Antoine Revarre d. 1849
Children 1.Elizabeth Revarre+23,12,24,25 b. 1841, d. b 1880
 2.Mary E. Revarre+26,27 b. Aug 1844, d. 10 Mar 1917
 3.Anthony Revarre28,29 b. Dec 1849, d. 4 Nov 1918

Citations

  1. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Place of publication not identified: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1907), Kilsoquah, pages 79-83. Hereinafter cited as History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  2. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, Kilsoquah, pages 79-83, her father's name spelled "Mak-e-shen-quah."
  3. [S2692] Calvin Young, "The Birthplace of Little Turtle", Ohio History Journal, Volume 23, pages 105-149, (April 1914, Number 2), viewed online at https://resources.ohiohistory.org/ohj/search/display.php page 145, her father's name spelled "Wak-shin-gay". Hereinafter cited as "The Birthplace of Little Turtle."
  4. [S1571] Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2017, online at www.ancestry.com, death on 4 September 1915 in Jackson, Huntington, Indiana, USA, of Margaret (Kil-so-quah) Revarre, age 105, Widow of Anthony Revarre, born in May 1810 to "Wok-WA-Gah" and "Nah-WA-Kah-MO-Kwa" in Indiana, informant her son Anthony Revarre, burial in Glenwood Cemetery, Roanoke, referencing Indiana Archives and Records Administration; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Death Certificates; Year: 1910-1919; Roll: 09. Hereinafter cited as Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2017.
  5. [S748] Find a Grave website, which often provides cemetery and tombstone photos, and sometimes personal biographies, that may be obtained from the site, online at www.findagrave.com, Antoine “Sha-Pe-Ne-Mah” Revarre, Memorial# 221456105. Hereinafter cited as Find a Grave website.
  6. [S225] Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia, online at www.wikipedia.org, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiilhsoohkwa. Hereinafter cited as Wikipedia Encyclopedia.
  7. [S748] Find a Grave website, online at www.findagrave.com, Kiilhsoohkwa (Richardville) Revarre, Memorial# 34216800.
  8. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…, with additional information from a linked Google Spreadsheet, from the family of Miami Chief Meshingomesia, whose name, using the "current" modern spelling system, was reported to be Mihšiinkweemiša: Sha-Pe-Ne-Mah, whose name was spelled Šowapinamwa, his English name Antoine Revarre, an adopted nephew; Kilsoquah, whose name was spelled Kiilhsohkwa, her English name Margaret, her married surnames Owl and Revarre, Šowapinamwa's wife; No ze quah, her name spelled Naweekosihkwa, her English name Elizabeth, her married surname Froman, daughter of Kiilhsohkwa ; Wah-na-com-quah, her name spelled Awanohkamihkwa, English name Mary Revarre, married surname Taylor, Šowapinamwa and Kiilhsohkwa's daughter; and three additional individuals, each identified with their given names not known and their surnames Revarre, Pankihšinohkwa, daughter of Kiilhsohkwa, Awansaapia, Šowapinamwa and Kiilhsohkwa's son, and Co-che-no-quah, Šowapinamwa and Kiilhsohkwa's daughter. Hereinafter cited as Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  9. [S3054] Aacimohtaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/07/02/…, article published by Diane Hunter on July 2, 2021, https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/07/02/…. Hereinafter cited as Aacimohtaatiiyankwi- Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  10. [S37] 1870 United States Federal Census, online at www.ancestry.com, household of Margaret Revarre, (her surname recorded as "Revoir" by the census taker), Year: 1870; Census Place: Jackson, Huntington, Indiana; Roll: M593_325; Page: 124B. Hereinafter cited as 1870 United States Federal Census.
  11. [S225] Wikipedia Encyclopedia, online at www.wikipedia.org, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Loon, citing "Last will and testament of Wa-Pe-Mung-Ah (alias White Loon)" (PDF). Allen County Public Library, retrieved 8 November 2021.
  12. [S23] 1880 United States Federal Census, online at www.ancestry.com, household of Anthony and Millie Revarre, (her name recorded as "Melly", and their surname as " Revoir"), Year: 1880; Census Place: Jackson, Huntington, Indiana; Roll: 285; Page: 555a; Enumeration District: 210. Hereinafter cited as 1880 United States Federal Census.
  13. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php; the website offers a Search capability and notes that the images were taken from microfilm, and that some years are out of order. The records include the following, although we've discovered they are more mixed up than we expected: Annuity Payroll, (reported to be the1854 cover only, although the handwritten pages that follow appear to us to be from 1854); Annuity Payroll, 1882; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889 (continued); Annuity Payroll, 1891; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Land Division, Francis Godfroy; and 1881 Census of Miami Indians in Indiana and Elsewhere; Reserve Record# 75, Miami Indian Census of 1881, page 58, family of #27, Kil so quah, widow of Revoir, age 67; #28, Nah wah nah cong aw, alias Mary Froman, age 15, #29, Na pe no zah, alias Henry Froman, age 11, and #30, Sah co quah, alias James Froman, age 7, (grandchildren of Kil so quah and Shop pe ne mah), their mother was No oc quah ze quah, a Revoir; #31, Nah no com e quah, alias Mary Revoir, age 35, and Nah pe mum wah, alias Anthony Revoir, age 32, children of Shop pe ne mah; and we note that the residence location of Kil so quah, her daughter, Mary Revoir, and her grandchildren, Mary Froman and Henry Froman was the Qua Paw Agency in Oklahoma Territory, and the residence location of James Froman, and his uncle, Anthony Revoir, was Roanoke, Indiana. Hereinafter cited as Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895.
  14. [S34] 1900 United States Federal Census, online at www.ancestry.com, household of Anthony and Millie Revarre, Year: 1900; Census Place: Jackson, Huntington, Indiana; Roll: 378; Page: 19; Enumeration District: 0082. Hereinafter cited as 1900 United States Federal Census.
  15. [S748] Find a Grave website, online at www.findagrave.com, Antoine “Sha-Pe-Ne-Mah” Revarre, Memorial# 221456105, with the notation that at the request of his wife, her physician, Dr. S. Koontz, many years after Antoine's death and initial burial, located the bones of Sha-Pe-Ne-Mah, who died in 1849, disinterred them and kept them in his office awaiting the death of Kilsoquah; when she died in 1915, the couple were given a double burial.
  16. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs and dated 12 July 1990, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", in response to a petition submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs for Federal acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian Tribe; downloaded record number MNI-V001-D004, (file name 066_pf-2.pdf) from the Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs website (https://www.bia.gov) in October 2024. Hereinafter cited as "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc."
  17. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php
  18. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…
  19. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  20. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919). Hereinafter cited as History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  21. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Manchester, Indiana: Otho Winger, c1935). Hereinafter cited as The Last of The Miamis.
  22. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana : containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, military records portraits of early settlers and prominent men, personal reminiscences, etc., downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Chicago, Illinois: John Morris, Printer, 1884). Hereinafter cited as History of Wabash County, Indiana.
  23. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php, Reserve Record# 75, Miami Indian Census of 1881, page 58, family of #27, Kil so quah, noting that No oc quah ze quah, a Revoir, daughter of Kil so quah and Shop pe ne mah, was the mother of the three Froman children, Mary, William and James.
  24. [S37] 1870 United States Federal Census, online at www.ancestry.com, household of John R. and Elizabeth Froman, Year: 1870; Census Place: Miami, Miami, Kansas; Roll: M593_439; Page: 400A.
  25. [S2173] Kansas, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1811-1911, online at www.newspapers.com, marriage on 17 June 1866 in Miami County, Kansas, USA of Elizabeth "Revoen" and John R "Foreman", citing Film# 001521943; married at the residence of John Bigley by Thomas Richardville, Minister of the Gospel. Hereinafter cited as Kansas, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1811-1911.
  26. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php, Reserve Record# 75, Miami Indian Census of 1881, page 58, family of #27, Kil so quah, #31. Nah no com e quah, alias Mary Revoir, age 35, daughter of Kil so quah and Shop pe ne mah.
  27. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php, Annuity Pay-Roll, Eel River Miami Tribe of Indians, May 27, 1889, (Act of June 29, 1888), #507. Wah-no-com-e-quah, Mary Taylor, nee Revoir, daughter of Shap-pe-no-wah, Head, age 49.
  28. [S748] Find a Grave website, online at www.findagrave.com, Anthony “Little White Loon” Revarre, Memorial# 64856956.
  29. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php, Reserve Record# 75, Miami Indian Census of 1881, page 58, family of #27, Kil so quah, #32, Nah pe mum wah, alias Anthony Revoir, age 32, son of Kil so quah and Shop pe ne mah.

Le Gris1

Name VariationHis Indian name was Nagohquangogh.1 
Historical Note* He was a chief of the Pepikokia band of the Miami tribe in the 18th century. Also known as The Gray, he was one of three important Miami leaders during the Northwest Indian War, along with Little Turtle and Pacanne. An English-Canadian trader from Detroit, Henry Hay, who spent three months with the Miami, wrote about Le Gris in his diary. During his stay, Pacanne was away on business, leaving decisions to be made by Tah-cum-wah, who was a sister of both Little Turtle and Pacanne, and Le Gris. Hay got along well with Le Gris, and his journal details some personality differences between him and Little Turtle. Although Little Turtle had some say in most of the decisions, he was much more reserved and always sober. Le Gris, by contrast, was talkative, sociable, and prone to drunkenness. Le Gris' Village, along with Kekionga, remained loyal to the British during and after the American Revolution.1 
(Miami Chief) Historical Note1815 An election was held by the Miami chiefs for the selection of a general chief to succeed Little Turtle, who had died in July of 1812. John B. Richardville, Little Turtle's nephew, was chosen their new chief. The source speculated that the election was delayed because of the confusion resulting from the War of 1812 and the defeat of the Miami who, with other Indian tribes, had joined with the British in the conflict. The two most prominent Miami chiefs following the death of Little Turtle were Pacanne and Le Gris. Pacanne was chief of the village on the east side of the St. Joseph river at Kekionga while Le Gris was chief of the village on the west side. Both of these chiefs were closely associated with Little Turtle. Pacanne, who generally represented the Miamis in dealing with the Americans during that period, had died in 1814.2 
(American Indian) Indian Names Getting the Native American Indian names in our project "right" has been a struggle for us because we have often seen the same person's name spelled in several different ways. This was, at first, both frustrating and stressful to those of us who strive for accuracy in the presentation of our research. When we learned that the Miami Indians, who feature prominently in our project, had no written language before their associations with the French and English who kept records by writing them down, we began to understand. It’s all very human. Not every person speaks their words in the same way, and each listener may hear the same words differently. So, it’s not surprising that, phonetically, when names were spoken, they would be written down as each individual listener heard them.3,4,5,6,7,8,9 

Citations

  1. [S225] Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia, online at www.wikipedia.org, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Gris. Hereinafter cited as Wikipedia Encyclopedia.
  2. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Manchester, Indiana: Otho Winger, c1935), John B. Richardville, page 13. Hereinafter cited as The Last of The Miamis.
  3. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs and dated 12 July 1990, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", in response to a petition submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs for Federal acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian Tribe; downloaded record number MNI-V001-D004, (file name 066_pf-2.pdf) from the Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs website (https://www.bia.gov) in October 2024. Hereinafter cited as "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc."
  4. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php; the website offers a Search capability and notes that the images were taken from microfilm, and that some years are out of order. The records include the following, although we've discovered they are more mixed up than we expected: Annuity Payroll, (reported to be the1854 cover only, although the handwritten pages that follow appear to us to be from 1854); Annuity Payroll, 1882; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889 (continued); Annuity Payroll, 1891; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Land Division, Francis Godfroy; and 1881 Census of Miami Indians in Indiana and Elsewhere. Hereinafter cited as Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895.
  5. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…, with additional information from a linked Google Spreadsheet. Hereinafter cited as Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  6. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Place of publication not identified: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1907). Hereinafter cited as History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  7. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919). Hereinafter cited as History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  8. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis.
  9. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana : containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, military records portraits of early settlers and prominent men, personal reminiscences, etc., downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Chicago, Illinois: John Morris, Printer, 1884). Hereinafter cited as History of Wabash County, Indiana.

Chief Little Charley1,2

Relationship Note*Little Charley, who was a chief of the Eel River Miamis and a close associate of Chief Francis Godfroy, was identified as a grandfather of Shingoquah, who married James Aveline. If accurate, the wife of Jocko Godfroy "the younger" was likely a daughter of Chief Little Charley.2,1,3 
(American Indian) Indian Names Getting the Native American Indian names in our project "right" has been a struggle for us because we have often seen the same person's name spelled in several different ways. This was, at first, both frustrating and stressful to those of us who strive for accuracy in the presentation of our research. When we learned that the Miami Indians, who feature prominently in our project, had no written language before their associations with the French and English who kept records by writing them down, we began to understand. It’s all very human. Not every person speaks their words in the same way, and each listener may hear the same words differently. So, it’s not surprising that, phonetically, when names were spoken, they would be written down as each individual listener heard them.4,5,6,7,8,9,10 

Citations

  1. [S2701] Ball State University Digital Media Repository: Elizabeth Glenn Collection, online at https://dmr.bsu.edu/digital/collection/GlennElizaC/search, Elizabeth Glenn Collection, https://dmr.bsu.edu/digital/collection/GlennElizaC/id/3641. Hereinafter cited as Ball State University Digital Media Repository: Elizabeth Glenn Collection.
  2. [S2701] Ball State University Digital Media Repository: Elizabeth Glenn Collection, online at https://dmr.bsu.edu/digital/collection/GlennElizaC/search, Elizabeth Glenn Collection, https://dmr.bsu.edu/digital/collection/GlennElizaC/id/3640
  3. [S2701] Ball State University Digital Media Repository: Elizabeth Glenn Collection, online at https://dmr.bsu.edu/digital/collection/GlennElizaC/search, https://dmr.bsu.edu/digital/collection/GlennElizaC/id/4028/…, Networks of Wabash Valley Metis: 1820s and 30s, RG-04-01-40-B08-F40-005_Page-9, reporting that Francis Godfroy maintained a political network which, during the 1820s and 1830s, primarily involved consistent relationships with Miami leaders such as Jean Baptiste Richardville, Francis LaFontaine, Lagros, Metocina, and Charley--tribal or village chiefs, influential Metis, or both, while also maintaining relations with John Tipton, the dominant Indian Agent of the period; and of significant importance to him throughout his life was his brother, Louis, who was his partner in most of his business ventures.
  4. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs and dated 12 July 1990, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", in response to a petition submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs for Federal acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian Tribe; downloaded record number MNI-V001-D004, (file name 066_pf-2.pdf) from the Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs website (https://www.bia.gov) in October 2024. Hereinafter cited as "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc."
  5. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php; the website offers a Search capability and notes that the images were taken from microfilm, and that some years are out of order. The records include the following, although we've discovered they are more mixed up than we expected: Annuity Payroll, (reported to be the1854 cover only, although the handwritten pages that follow appear to us to be from 1854); Annuity Payroll, 1882; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889 (continued); Annuity Payroll, 1891; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Land Division, Francis Godfroy; and 1881 Census of Miami Indians in Indiana and Elsewhere. Hereinafter cited as Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895.
  6. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…, with additional information from a linked Google Spreadsheet. Hereinafter cited as Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  7. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Place of publication not identified: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1907). Hereinafter cited as History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  8. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919). Hereinafter cited as History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  9. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Manchester, Indiana: Otho Winger, c1935). Hereinafter cited as The Last of The Miamis.
  10. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana : containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, military records portraits of early settlers and prominent men, personal reminiscences, etc., downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Chicago, Illinois: John Morris, Printer, 1884). Hereinafter cited as History of Wabash County, Indiana.

Little Turtle1

b. between 1747 and 1752, d. 14 July 1812
Family
Father*Aguenackgue1
Biographical Info Meesancihkwa, more commonly spelled Mihšihkinaahkwa, and usually known as Chief Little Turtle, was a celebrated war chief and sagamore of the Miami people. He led a powerful Native American confederation to historic victories against U.S. forces during the Northwest Indian War in the 1790s before later advocating for peace and diplomacy.2,3,4 
Birth*between 1747 and 1752Little Turtle was born between 1747 and 1752 in Turtle Village, Indiana.5,6 
Name VariationHis Indian name was Mihšihkinaahkwa, of which Little Turtle is an English translation. The transcription of his native name in historic records had many variations, including Michikinikwa, Meshekunnoghquoh, Michikinakoua, Michikiniqua, Meshecunnaquan, Mischecanocquah, Me-she-kin-no-quah, Me-she-ki-no-quah and Me-she-ke-no-quah, which we've decided to use in this project.5,7 
Name VariationHis name was recorded as Meesancihkwa when his descendants and members of their extended families petitioned the U.S. government for Exemptions from the forced 1846 Removal of the Miami from Indiana.2,3,4 
Biographical Info* About the time Little Turtle succeeded to his chieftainship, his tribe was regarded as the leading one in the West. His people were brave and fearless, were considered more intelligent than those of the surrounding tribes, lived in better habitations, possessed a greater degree of self-respect, and were more careful in their dress and habits. To be the principal chief of this great tribe, one would have had to have both physical and intellectual powers of a high order. Little Turtle was not lacking in any of the essential qualifications. From his mother he inherited many of the superior qualities of the Mohicans. Agile and athletic, his physical ability was not to be questioned for a moment. As a youth his influence was made manifest on numerous occasions, and even the older warriors listened with respect when he presented his views in council. After he became chief, not only his own tribe, but also others of the Miami confederacy, acknowledged him as their great leader and followed him without the slightest envy or jealousy. No military academy taught him the art of war, but in the management of any army he showed the skill of a Napoleon. His prowess in this line is seen in the masterly manner in which lie conducted the assault on General St. Clair's army on 4 November1791. Not until he met General Wayne, whom he designated as "the' man who never sleeps," did Little Turtle acknowledge defeat. He was likewise a statesman, as well as a warrior, and was a conspicuous figure in the negotiation of several of the early treaties with the United States. Having once affixed his signature to a treaty, his honor would not permit him to violate its stipulations, and by this means he won the confidence and esteem of the whites. General George Washington, while president of the United States, presented him with a medal and a handsome sword, which were buried with him at Fort Wayne, where he died on July 14, 1812. He was buried by the white people with honors. A monument was erected over his grave, and it was said of him that "he never offered or received a bribe."1,6 
Research NotesLittle is known about the Miami chiefs before July 1748. A treaty was concluded that month at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in which the name of Little Turtle's father, A-gue-nack-gue, whose name was also recorded in documents as Aguenackgue, signed as principal chief of the Miamis. Our Miami County source reported that Little Turtle succeeded his father, Aguenackgue, as principal chief of the Miami nation upon the death of his father, although Wikipedia stated that Little Turtle was selected as the war chief of the Atchatchakangouen division of the Miami people through his demonstration of military prowess in battle, and that although he was the war chief of the leading division of the tribe, Little Turtle was never the head chief of the Miami, which was a hereditary position. Our further research indicates that, with Little Turtle, the positions of War Chief and Principal Chief were combined and that as Principal Chief, Little Turtle was also serving as War Chief.1,6,5 
Marriage*He married, as his first wife, a sister of Mak-Wah.8 
(Husband) DeathLittle Turtle became a widower when his first wife died at Turtle Village, where Little Turtle had been born, and his father before him, and the couple's children, also. She left two sons and one daughter and Little Turtle could not stay in his Village after her passing. He moved up on the trail to the Fort to be near his brother-in-law, Mak-Wah, to whom he was much devoted.8 
Marriage*He married, as his second wife, a daughter of Mak-Wah.8 
Relationship Note*When Little Turtle married his first wife, he and his friend Mak-Wah became brothers-in-law, and when Little Turtle married his first wife's niece, a daughter of Mak-Wah, as his second wife, Little Turtle became Mak-Wah's son-in-law.8 
Death*14 July 1812Little Turtle died at the home of his son-in-law, Captain William Wells, not far from Kekionga (now Fort Wayne), Allen County, Indiana, on 14 July 1812 in his early 60s. He had been suffering from gout and rheumatism for some time.9,5 
Burial* He was honored with a military-style funeral with full military honors at Fort Wayne, and was buried in his ancestral burial ground near Spy Run.5 
(Deceased) Death15 August 1812His son-in-law, William Wells, was killed at the Battle of Fort Dearborn in 15 August 1812, one month after the death of Little Turtle.5,10 
(Exemption Requested) Miami Removalbetween 1838 and 1845 In the Miami treaty of 1838, the Miami National Council had agreed, for the first time, to consider the possibility of a future Indian Removal, and also contained, for the family of Chief John B. Richardville, the first Exemption from Removal. The Miami treaty of 1840 provided for two additional families, those of Chief Francis Godfroy and Chief Meshingomesia, to continue to receive their share of the annuities at Fort Wayne, Indiana, essentially exempting those families also from Removal. And, on 3 March 1845, the family of Frances Slocum was exempted from Removal by a joint resolution of Congress. By 1845, most Miami National Council leaders who owned reservation land but were not exempted, also sought legal remedy to avoid Removal and protect their homes. They wrote to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, petitioned Congress, and hired Dr. Graham Fitch to lobby for them in Congress.

Using his Indian name, Toohpia, Principal Chief Francis Toohpia LaFontaine and other Miami leaders went to Washington themselves to discuss exemptions. Their letter following the visit showed them taking a new tactic to avoid Removal for Miami landowners, reflecting the reasons for the exemption of the Godfroy family and citing Indiana state law as the impediment to their Removal.

“Certain individuals of our nation, who are not permitted by treaty or by law of Congress to remain in Indiana and draw their annuities there, hold individual reservations of land by treaty, which they have improved, and upon which they are now living, and have paid taxes. A law of the State of Indiana forbids them making private sale of these lands, declaring all contracts with our people null and void. If such of our people emigrate, their farms will be ruined or sold for taxes, and their personal property, stock, etc., sacrificed. Will not our great father permit such of our people to remain upon their lands, and draw their annuities in Indiana, in the same manner as is specified in a similar permission, by treaty and by law of Congress, to a few other of our people? Such permission to be extended to those land owners (not now having it) until the legal inability to sell their lands is removed, or the U.S. buys them….”

They pointed out the hypocrisy that the federal government could force them from their homes on lands they owned as private property, a most sacred American tradition, while at the same time, the state of Indiana refused to allow them to legally sell their property. If they were removed, Miami leaders and their families would likely be swindled out of their lands, if their property was not outright stolen from them.

Dr. Graham Fitch, as a lobbyist for the National Council, sent a list to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, of the Miami who owned reservation land and wished to stay in Indiana. The list of petitioners included additional members of the family of Chief John B. Richardville, whose name was recorded as Pinšiwa ‘Wild Cat', and also the families of Misihkwa, Mahkateehsipana 'Cotesipin', Mihtekwahkia 'Coesse', Amehkoonsa 'Seek', Meehkwaahkonanka 'Benjamin', Meesancihkwa, Šowaapinamwa 'Antoine Revarre' and Waapimaankwa 'White Loon', and the heirs of Sha-co-mo and Chief Majenica. The men on this list were all prominent Miami leaders.2,3,4 
(Removal Petitioner) Miami Removal None of the 1845 petitioners were granted exemptions before the Miami's forced emigration to Kansas began, so tragically, they and their families were also "on Removal" and had to leave their homes and lands in Indiana with all of the other displaced members of the Miami tribe. They had resisted removal for six years and, with each passing year, more families were officially exempted from removal. They believed that everyone would be able to stay on individual family allotments that had been created for decades prior to 1840. All hope of resistance to removal ended, though, when private contractors and the U.S. Army were ordered to forcibly remove those that had not been exempted. U.S. Removal Agent Joseph Sinclair, however, did allow some of the petitioner's family members to temporarily stay behind to harvest the fall crops and sell their reservation land on the assumption that the state of Indiana would lift that ban on them.2,3,4,11 
(Removal Petitioner) Miami Removal1850The name of Meesancihkwa, or Chief Little Turtle, was not included, nor was a mention of his heirs, in 1850, when the U.S. Congress granted official Removal Exemptions to several others, identifying them as specific Miami tribal leaders, community members, individuals, families, and their descendants who had returned to Indiana after the forced removals. The 1850 Removal Exemptions were granted to Waapimaankwa 'White Loon', Šowaapinamwa 'Antoine Revarre', Mihtekwahkia 'Coesse', Misihkwa, Oonseentia 'John Osandiah', Mahkateehsipana 'Cotesipin', Amehkoonsa 'Seek', Mahkateemaankwa, Amehkoonsihkwa 'wife of Benjamin', Kinooseensa 'Peter Langlois' and Elizabeth Langlois. With this action, Congress formally legalized their returns, allowing them to remain in Indiana permanently.2,3,4 
Indian Names* Getting the Native American Indian names in our project "right" has been a struggle for us because we have often seen the same person's name spelled in several different ways. This was, at first, both frustrating and stressful to those of us who strive for accuracy in the presentation of our research. When we learned that the Miami Indians, who feature prominently in our project, had no written language before their associations with the French and English who kept records by writing them down, we began to understand. It’s all very human. Not every person speaks their words in the same way, and each listener may hear the same words differently. So, it’s not surprising that, phonetically, when names were spoken, they would be written down as each individual listener heard them.12,13,14,15,16,17,18 

Family 1

 Mak-Wah Sister
Children 1.Wak-e-shen-e-quah+8
 2.Kat-e-mong-wah+8
 3.Wanagapeth19 b. 1773, d. 1805
 4.Ma-cute-mon-quah8

Family 2

 Mak-Wah Daughter

Citations

  1. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919), Volume I, Chapter III, Indian Chiefs and Treaties, pages 28-51. Hereinafter cited as History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  2. [S3054] Aacimohtaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/07/02/…, article published by Diane Hunter on July 2, 2021, https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/07/02/…. Hereinafter cited as Aacimohtaatiiyankwi- Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  3. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…, with additional information from a linked Google Spreadsheet, https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…. Hereinafter cited as Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  4. [S3056] Aacimohtaatiiyankwi, a blog serving as a space for Myaamia ‘Miami’ people to connect, reflect, and share. Our primary goal is to provide a platform for conversations about our community, places, ecological observations, and shared pasts. It also serves as a resource for educational opportunities that support a deeper understanding of Myaamia culture, language, and identity. Aacimohtatiiyaankwi is collaboratively authored by a dedicated team from the Myaamia Center at Miami University, the Cultural Resources Office of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, and guests from the Myaamia community. Through regular posts, we share insights, stories, research, and observations that reflect the ongoing efforts to support Myaamia knowledge; online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org. Hereinafter cited as Aacimohtaatiiyankwi.
  5. [S225] Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia, online at www.wikipedia.org, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Turtle. Hereinafter cited as Wikipedia Encyclopedia.
  6. [S2673] Genealogy Trails, online at https://www.genealogytrails.com/, a site dedicated to transcribing historical and genealogical information helpful to researchers, Miami County, Indiana: Indian Chiefs and Treaties, online at https://www.genealogytrails.com/ind/miami/…. Hereinafter cited as Genealogy Trails.
  7. [S2673] Genealogy Trails, online at https://www.genealogytrails.com/, Miami County, Indiana: Indian Chiefs and Treaties, online at https://www.genealogytrails.com/ind/miami/…, reporting Little Turtle's name as Me-she-ke-no-quah.
  8. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Place of publication not identified: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1907), Kilsoquah, pages 79-83. Hereinafter cited as History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  9. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Manchester, Indiana: Otho Winger, c1935), Little Turtle, pages 6-9. Hereinafter cited as The Last of The Miamis.
  10. [S225] Wikipedia Encyclopedia, online at www.wikipedia.org, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Wells_(soldier).
  11. [S2788] Telling Our Story: A Living History of the Myaamia, online at https://teachmyaamiahistory.org/, Myaamia Removal, https://teachmyaamiahistory.org/contents/section5/readings/…. Hereinafter cited as Telling Our Story: A Living History of the Myaamia.
  12. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs and dated 12 July 1990, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", in response to a petition submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs for Federal acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian Tribe; downloaded record number MNI-V001-D004, (file name 066_pf-2.pdf) from the Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs website (https://www.bia.gov) in October 2024. Hereinafter cited as "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc."
  13. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php; the website offers a Search capability and notes that the images were taken from microfilm, and that some years are out of order. The records include the following, although we've discovered they are more mixed up than we expected: Annuity Payroll, (reported to be the1854 cover only, although the handwritten pages that follow appear to us to be from 1854); Annuity Payroll, 1882; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889 (continued); Annuity Payroll, 1891; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Land Division, Francis Godfroy; and 1881 Census of Miami Indians in Indiana and Elsewhere. Hereinafter cited as Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895.
  14. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…
  15. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  16. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  17. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis.
  18. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana : containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, military records portraits of early settlers and prominent men, personal reminiscences, etc., downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Chicago, Illinois: John Morris, Printer, 1884). Hereinafter cited as History of Wabash County, Indiana.
  19. [S225] Wikipedia Encyclopedia, online at www.wikipedia.org, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanagapeth

Lus-ke-kuz-quah1

Name VariationHer English name was Rebecca.1 
MarriageShe was a cousin of Chief Meshingomesia and married Waucoon, who was a Potawatomi Indian. They raised a large family of children, all girls except one son who died in infancy.2,1 
(American Indian) Indian Names Getting the Native American Indian names in our project "right" has been a struggle for us because we have often seen the same person's name spelled in several different ways. This was, at first, both frustrating and stressful to those of us who strive for accuracy in the presentation of our research. When we learned that the Miami Indians, who feature prominently in our project, had no written language before their associations with the French and English who kept records by writing them down, we began to understand. It’s all very human. Not every person speaks their words in the same way, and each listener may hear the same words differently. So, it’s not surprising that, phonetically, when names were spoken, they would be written down as each individual listener heard them.3,4,5,6,7,8,9 

Citations

  1. [S2689] Otho Winger, The Frances Slocum Trail, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (North Manchester, Indiana: L. W. Schultz, Revised and Enlarged c1943; Original c1933), Waucoon, pages 65-67. Hereinafter cited as The Frances Slocum Trail.
  2. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Manchester, Indiana: Otho Winger, c1935), Meshingomesia, his family, pages 32-33. Hereinafter cited as The Last of The Miamis.
  3. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs and dated 12 July 1990, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", in response to a petition submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs for Federal acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian Tribe; downloaded record number MNI-V001-D004, (file name 066_pf-2.pdf) from the Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs website (https://www.bia.gov) in October 2024. Hereinafter cited as "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc."
  4. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php; the website offers a Search capability and notes that the images were taken from microfilm, and that some years are out of order. The records include the following, although we've discovered they are more mixed up than we expected: Annuity Payroll, (reported to be the1854 cover only, although the handwritten pages that follow appear to us to be from 1854); Annuity Payroll, 1882; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889 (continued); Annuity Payroll, 1891; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Land Division, Francis Godfroy; and 1881 Census of Miami Indians in Indiana and Elsewhere. Hereinafter cited as Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895.
  5. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…, with additional information from a linked Google Spreadsheet. Hereinafter cited as Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  6. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Place of publication not identified: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1907). Hereinafter cited as History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  7. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919). Hereinafter cited as History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  8. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis.
  9. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana : containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, military records portraits of early settlers and prominent men, personal reminiscences, etc., downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Chicago, Illinois: John Morris, Printer, 1884). Hereinafter cited as History of Wabash County, Indiana.

Ma-cute-mon-quah1

Family
Father*Little Turtle1 b. bt 1747 - 1752, d. 14 Jul 1812
Mother*Mak-Wah Sister1
Birth*Ma-cute-mon-quah was born at the bend of the Eel River in Turtle Village, Whitley County.1 
Marriage*She married White Loon.1 
(American Indian) Indian Names Getting the Native American Indian names in our project "right" has been a struggle for us because we have often seen the same person's name spelled in several different ways. This was, at first, both frustrating and stressful to those of us who strive for accuracy in the presentation of our research. When we learned that the Miami Indians, who feature prominently in our project, had no written language before their associations with the French and English who kept records by writing them down, we began to understand. It’s all very human. Not every person speaks their words in the same way, and each listener may hear the same words differently. So, it’s not surprising that, phonetically, when names were spoken, they would be written down as each individual listener heard them.2,3,4,5,6,7,8 

Family

 White Loon b. 1769, d. 11 Oct 1876

Citations

  1. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Place of publication not identified: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1907), Kilsoquah, pages 79-83. Hereinafter cited as History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  2. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs and dated 12 July 1990, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", in response to a petition submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs for Federal acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian Tribe; downloaded record number MNI-V001-D004, (file name 066_pf-2.pdf) from the Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs website (https://www.bia.gov) in October 2024. Hereinafter cited as "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc."
  3. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php; the website offers a Search capability and notes that the images were taken from microfilm, and that some years are out of order. The records include the following, although we've discovered they are more mixed up than we expected: Annuity Payroll, (reported to be the1854 cover only, although the handwritten pages that follow appear to us to be from 1854); Annuity Payroll, 1882; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889 (continued); Annuity Payroll, 1891; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Land Division, Francis Godfroy; and 1881 Census of Miami Indians in Indiana and Elsewhere. Hereinafter cited as Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895.
  4. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…, with additional information from a linked Google Spreadsheet. Hereinafter cited as Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  5. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  6. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919). Hereinafter cited as History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  7. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Manchester, Indiana: Otho Winger, c1935). Hereinafter cited as The Last of The Miamis.
  8. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana : containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, military records portraits of early settlers and prominent men, personal reminiscences, etc., downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Chicago, Illinois: John Morris, Printer, 1884). Hereinafter cited as History of Wabash County, Indiana.

Mah-Mah-mum-drah1

Family
Marriage*He married, as her fourth husband, O-zah-shin-quah, daughter of She-po-con-ah and Frances Slocum.1,2 
(American Indian) Indian Names Getting the Native American Indian names in our project "right" has been a struggle for us because we have often seen the same person's name spelled in several different ways. This was, at first, both frustrating and stressful to those of us who strive for accuracy in the presentation of our research. When we learned that the Miami Indians, who feature prominently in our project, had no written language before their associations with the French and English who kept records by writing them down, we began to understand. It’s all very human. Not every person speaks their words in the same way, and each listener may hear the same words differently. So, it’s not surprising that, phonetically, when names were spoken, they would be written down as each individual listener heard them.3,4,5,6,7,8,9 

Family

 O-zah-shin-quah b. Oct 1809, d. 25 Jan 1877
Child 1.Ching-o-shing-quah1,2 b. 1839, d. 27 Feb 1894

Citations

  1. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Manchester, Indiana: Otho Winger, c1935), John B. Brouillette, pages 23-27, reporting in part that Ozahshinquah, by her fourth husband, Mah-mah-mum-drah, had one daughter, Chang-ching-quah, who became the wife of Nelson Tawataw. Hereinafter cited as The Last of The Miamis.
  2. [S748] Find a Grave website, which often provides cemetery and tombstone photos, and sometimes personal biographies, that may be obtained from the site, online at www.findagrave.com, Melvina “Ching-o-shing-quah” Tawataw, Memorial# 11567279. Hereinafter cited as Find a Grave website.
  3. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs and dated 12 July 1990, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", in response to a petition submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs for Federal acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian Tribe; downloaded record number MNI-V001-D004, (file name 066_pf-2.pdf) from the Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs website (https://www.bia.gov) in October 2024. Hereinafter cited as "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc."
  4. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php; the website offers a Search capability and notes that the images were taken from microfilm, and that some years are out of order. The records include the following, although we've discovered they are more mixed up than we expected: Annuity Payroll, (reported to be the1854 cover only, although the handwritten pages that follow appear to us to be from 1854); Annuity Payroll, 1882; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889 (continued); Annuity Payroll, 1891; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Land Division, Francis Godfroy; and 1881 Census of Miami Indians in Indiana and Elsewhere. Hereinafter cited as Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895.
  5. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…, with additional information from a linked Google Spreadsheet. Hereinafter cited as Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  6. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Place of publication not identified: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1907). Hereinafter cited as History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  7. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919). Hereinafter cited as History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  8. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis.
  9. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana : containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, military records portraits of early settlers and prominent men, personal reminiscences, etc., downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Chicago, Illinois: John Morris, Printer, 1884). Hereinafter cited as History of Wabash County, Indiana.

Mahkateehsipana1

Name VariationHis name was recorded as Mahkateehsipana 'Cotesipin' when his family was granted an exemption from Removal by the U.S. Congress in 1850.1 
Biographical Info* Mahkateehsipana was a prominent 19th-century member of the National Council of the Miami Nation, serving as a leader and council member representing Miami families during treaty and removal negotiations in the 1840s. He sought exemptions to remain in Indiana because his family owned cultivated farmland, livestock, and harvested crops.1,2,3 
Name VariationHe was also known by the English surname Cotesipin1 
Name Variation which translated meant Black Racoon.1 
(Miami Leader) Indian Removal Act Copied in part, with minor changes, from the "Myaamia, A Living History: Myaamia Removal:

"Following the arrival of Europeans, the Miami were disrupted by waves of disease, war, and relocation. Beginning in 1795, the Miami were forced to sign treaties giving up ever-increasing amounts of their precious homeland to the government of the United States. By the 1830s, the Miami had only about 500,000 acres, which was surrounded by land controlled by the State of Indiana. Land speculators and settlers wanted this land too.

"In 1830, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act. The goal of this act was to force all tribes to move west of the Mississippi. Throughout the 1830s, many tribes suffered their own version of the “Trail of Tears” most commonly associated with the Cherokee Nation’s forced removal in 1838. Throughout this period, the Miami resisted giving up their reservation in Indiana."4 
Relationship Note*It's possible these two, Black Racoon and Black Racoon, were the same person.5,1 
(Exemption Requested) Miami Removalbetween 1838 and 1845 In the Miami treaty of 1838, the Miami National Council had agreed, for the first time, to consider the possibility of a future Indian Removal, and also contained, for the family of Chief John B. Richardville, the first Exemption from Removal. The Miami treaty of 1840 provided for two additional families, those of Chief Francis Godfroy and Chief Meshingomesia, to continue to receive their share of the annuities at Fort Wayne, Indiana, essentially exempting those families also from Removal. And, on 3 March 1845, the family of Frances Slocum was exempted from Removal by a joint resolution of Congress. By 1845, most Miami National Council leaders who owned reservation land but were not exempted, also sought legal remedy to avoid Removal and protect their homes. They wrote to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, petitioned Congress, and hired Dr. Graham Fitch to lobby for them in Congress.

Using his Indian name, Toohpia, Principal Chief Francis Toohpia LaFontaine and other Miami leaders went to Washington themselves to discuss exemptions. Their letter following the visit showed them taking a new tactic to avoid Removal for Miami landowners, reflecting the reasons for the exemption of the Godfroy family and citing Indiana state law as the impediment to their Removal.

“Certain individuals of our nation, who are not permitted by treaty or by law of Congress to remain in Indiana and draw their annuities there, hold individual reservations of land by treaty, which they have improved, and upon which they are now living, and have paid taxes. A law of the State of Indiana forbids them making private sale of these lands, declaring all contracts with our people null and void. If such of our people emigrate, their farms will be ruined or sold for taxes, and their personal property, stock, etc., sacrificed. Will not our great father permit such of our people to remain upon their lands, and draw their annuities in Indiana, in the same manner as is specified in a similar permission, by treaty and by law of Congress, to a few other of our people? Such permission to be extended to those land owners (not now having it) until the legal inability to sell their lands is removed, or the U.S. buys them….”

They pointed out the hypocrisy that the federal government could force them from their homes on lands they owned as private property, a most sacred American tradition, while at the same time, the state of Indiana refused to allow them to legally sell their property. If they were removed, Miami leaders and their families would likely be swindled out of their lands, if their property was not outright stolen from them.

Dr. Graham Fitch, as a lobbyist for the National Council, sent a list to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, of the Miami who owned reservation land and wished to stay in Indiana. The list of petitioners included additional members of the family of Chief John B. Richardville, whose name was recorded as Pinšiwa ‘Wild Cat', and also the families of Misihkwa, Mahkateehsipana 'Cotesipin', Mihtekwahkia 'Coesse', Amehkoonsa 'Seek', Meehkwaahkonanka 'Benjamin', Meesancihkwa, Šowaapinamwa 'Antoine Revarre' and Waapimaankwa 'White Loon', and the heirs of Sha-co-mo and Chief Majenica. The men on this list were all prominent Miami leaders.1,2,3 
(Removal Petitioner) Miami Removal None of the 1845 petitioners were granted exemptions before the Miami's forced emigration to Kansas began, so tragically, they and their families were also "on Removal" and had to leave their homes and lands in Indiana with all of the other displaced members of the Miami tribe. They had resisted removal for six years and, with each passing year, more families were officially exempted from removal. They believed that everyone would be able to stay on individual family allotments that had been created for decades prior to 1840. All hope of resistance to removal ended, though, when private contractors and the U.S. Army were ordered to forcibly remove those that had not been exempted. U.S. Removal Agent Joseph Sinclair, however, did allow some of the petitioner's family members to temporarily stay behind to harvest the fall crops and sell their reservation land on the assumption that the state of Indiana would lift that ban on them.1,2,3,4 
(Miami Leader) Miami Removal6 October 1846The Miami's forced emigration to the Kansas Territory began on 6 October 1846 and, among those with Miami Indian blood, the only individuals who were permitted to remain in the Wabash country and not be removed to Kansas, were those who were specifically Exempted from Removal: the Meshingomesia Band, plus descendants of Chief Richardville and Francis Godfroy, the Slocum Family and Chief LaFontaine, his wife and their children. Everyone else was "on Removal". It would be winter before their grueling one-month journey brought them to their destination. In order to share their experiences as best we know how, we've copied, without changes, the description of their journey from the "Myaamia, A Living History: Myaamia Removal" source:

"On October 6th, 1846, hundreds of Myaamia were loaded onto three canal boats in Peru, Indiana – a place they called Iihkipihsinonki. Iihkipihsinonki translates to “straight place”. It was named because of the straight course of the Wabash River in that spot. From Iihkipihsinonki the canal boats were pulled along the Wabash-Erie Canal and followed the Wabash north to Ft. Wayne.

"The forced exodus began in earnest the next day, when more Myaamia were forcibly loaded onto canal boats in Ft. Wayne, known to the Myaamia as Kiihkayonki. Kiihkayonki was the original site of their largest village and was called “that Glorious Gate” by the Myaamia leader Mihšihkinaahkwa. That day the forced exodus began.

"On October 7th, Kiihkayonki became the gateway of the removal from Myaamionki. From Kiihkayonki, the five canal boats were pulled to the Miami-Erie canal and began a four-day journey south to Cincinnati, OH. On their way south the Myaamia passed numerous sites of great historical and cultural importance. They passed the site of Fort Defiance, the military bastion from which Anthony Wayne launched his final invasion into Myaamionki in 1794. They also passed Pinkwaawilenionki (Pickawillany) a prominent Myaamia village site in the mid-eighteenth century. Much of the Miami-Erie canal followed the course of the Ahsenisiipi (the Great Miami River); a river that originally was a major route of travel to their hunting grounds along the Ohio River and to their relatives who also called that beautiful place home.

"On October 11th, they reached the growing metropolis of Cincinnati, Ohio. In Cincinnati, the Myaamia were moved to the steamship Colorado, and on October 12th the ship began its journey west on the Kaanseenseepiiwi (Ohio River). While on route to the Mississippi River an infant passed away. After eight days of travel on the Colorado, they arrived in St. Louis, Missouri. The Myaamia were unloaded at Bloody Island, which lay in the middle of the Mississippi River. This location placed the group near the traditional village sites of their Inoka (Illinois) relatives and as such it was a place they knew well. However it was also at the western edge of Myaamionki. To the west lay the traditional homelands of groups that had formerly been their enemies; to their parents’ generation those western lands had been a dangerous place. Yet, the Americans told them these lands in the west were to be their new homes. Upon arriving at Bloody Island an elderly member of the group passed away. The elder and the infant that had passed earlier in the journey were buried on or near the Island according to Myaamia tribal traditions.

"On October 23rd, the Myaamia were loaded onto the steamship Clermont No. 2 and were taken north on the Mississippi River to its confluence with the Missouri River. From this point, they followed the Missouri River west to Kanza Landing, which today lies on the Missouri side of Kansas City. For the first time in their journey, these forced migrants were outside their traditional homelands. After a month of journeying, these Myaamia had moved from the forested bottomlands of the Wabash River Valley to the edge of the great American prairielands of the west. It was a very different landscape, and winter had set in.

"On November 1st, three hundred and twenty five Myaamia were unloaded at Kanza Landing. The next day they traveled the final fifty miles of their journey to Osage River sub-agency in the Unorganized Territory (Kansas). They arrived at Sugar Creek on Nov. 5th, of 1846. It was winter on the plains and the people were forced to sleep in government issued tents and eat government rations until they could build more permanent structures.

"After only just arriving in Kansas the Myaamia were told they had to move again. Kansas was becoming a state and hoped to move American Indians south to Oklahoma to open up land for settlers. In 1873, a small group of Myaamia traveled 150 miles south to what is today Miami, Oklahoma completing the final leg of a journey that began back in Indiana twenty-seven years earlier."4,6,7 
(Return to Indiana) Miami Removal Following the 1846 forced Miami Removal to Kansas, several Miami families quietly made their way back to their homelands in Indiana.1,2,3 
(Exempted in 1850) Miami Removal1850 In 1850, the U.S. Congress granted official removal exemptions to the additional members of the family of Miami Chief John B. Richardville, whose name was recorded as Pinšiwa ‘Wild Cat', and also the families of Waapimaankwa 'White Loon', Šowaapinamwa 'Antoine Revarre', Mihtekwahkia 'Coesse', Misihkwa, Oonseentia 'John Osandiah', Mahkateehsipana 'Cotesipin', Amehkoonsa 'Seek', Mahkateemaankwa, Amehkoonsihkwa 'wife of Benjamin', Kinooseensa 'Peter Langlois' and Elizabeth Langlois, identifying them as specific Miami tribal leaders, community members, individuals, families, and their descendants who had returned to Indiana after the forced removals. With this action, Congress formally legalized their returns, allowing them to remain in Indiana permanently.

The names of Sha-co-mo, Chief Majenica and Meesancihkwa, or Chief Little Turtle, whose family members had also requested exemptions from Removal, were not included, nor was any mention of their heirs.1,2,3 
(American Indian) Indian Names Getting the Native American Indian names in our project "right" has been a struggle for us because we have often seen the same person's name spelled in several different ways. This was, at first, both frustrating and stressful to those of us who strive for accuracy in the presentation of our research. When we learned that the Miami Indians, who feature prominently in our project, had no written language before their associations with the French and English who kept records by writing them down, we began to understand. It’s all very human. Not every person speaks their words in the same way, and each listener may hear the same words differently. So, it’s not surprising that, phonetically, when names were spoken, they would be written down as each individual listener heard them.8,9,10,11,12,13,14 

Citations

  1. [S3054] Aacimohtaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/07/02/…, article published by Diane Hunter on July 2, 2021, https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/07/02/…. Hereinafter cited as Aacimohtaatiiyankwi- Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  2. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…, with additional information from a linked Google Spreadsheet, https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…. Hereinafter cited as Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  3. [S3056] Aacimohtaatiiyankwi, a blog serving as a space for Myaamia ‘Miami’ people to connect, reflect, and share. Our primary goal is to provide a platform for conversations about our community, places, ecological observations, and shared pasts. It also serves as a resource for educational opportunities that support a deeper understanding of Myaamia culture, language, and identity. Aacimohtatiiyaankwi is collaboratively authored by a dedicated team from the Myaamia Center at Miami University, the Cultural Resources Office of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, and guests from the Myaamia community. Through regular posts, we share insights, stories, research, and observations that reflect the ongoing efforts to support Myaamia knowledge; online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org. Hereinafter cited as Aacimohtaatiiyankwi.
  4. [S2788] Telling Our Story: A Living History of the Myaamia, online at https://teachmyaamiahistory.org/, Myaamia Removal, https://teachmyaamiahistory.org/contents/section5/readings/…. Hereinafter cited as Telling Our Story: A Living History of the Myaamia.
  5. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919), Volume I, Chapter II, Aboriginal Inhabitants, The Indians, pages 20-27. Hereinafter cited as History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  6. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, Volume I, Chapter III, Indian Chiefs and Treaties, pages 28-51.
  7. [S748] Find a Grave website, which often provides cemetery and tombstone photos, and sometimes personal biographies, that may be obtained from the site, online at www.findagrave.com, Chief Francis Topeah Lafontaine, Memorial# 42524370, which includes historical information contributed by various sources and authors. Hereinafter cited as Find a Grave website.
  8. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs and dated 12 July 1990, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", in response to a petition submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs for Federal acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian Tribe; downloaded record number MNI-V001-D004, (file name 066_pf-2.pdf) from the Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs website (https://www.bia.gov) in October 2024. Hereinafter cited as "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc."
  9. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php; the website offers a Search capability and notes that the images were taken from microfilm, and that some years are out of order. The records include the following, although we've discovered they are more mixed up than we expected: Annuity Payroll, (reported to be the1854 cover only, although the handwritten pages that follow appear to us to be from 1854); Annuity Payroll, 1882; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889 (continued); Annuity Payroll, 1891; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Land Division, Francis Godfroy; and 1881 Census of Miami Indians in Indiana and Elsewhere. Hereinafter cited as Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895.
  10. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…
  11. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Place of publication not identified: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1907). Hereinafter cited as History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  12. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  13. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Manchester, Indiana: Otho Winger, c1935). Hereinafter cited as The Last of The Miamis.
  14. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana : containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, military records portraits of early settlers and prominent men, personal reminiscences, etc., downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Chicago, Illinois: John Morris, Printer, 1884). Hereinafter cited as History of Wabash County, Indiana.

Chief Majenica1

Biographical Info* Chief Majenica, which was also spelled Mah-gin-e-kah, or Mejineca, was a prominent leader and orator of the Miami Nation in Indiana during the early 19th century. He was known for his pure Miami lineage, strong will, and influence near the Forks of the Wabash. Historical accounts noted him as one of the respected, pure-blooded Miami leaders remaining during a time of immense pressure from American expansion and impending tribal removal. Contemporary newspapers described him as a man of powerful presence in council, whose speeches were concise, judicious, and commanded deep attention. He died around March 1840 near the Forks of the Wabash in Indiana, just prior to the pivotal Treaty of 1840 that led to the forced removal of many Miami citizens. The unincorporated community of Majenica, Indiana in Huntington County was named in his honor.1,2,3 
(Miami Leader) Indian Removal Act Copied in part, with minor changes, from the "Myaamia, A Living History: Myaamia Removal:

"Following the arrival of Europeans, the Miami were disrupted by waves of disease, war, and relocation. Beginning in 1795, the Miami were forced to sign treaties giving up ever-increasing amounts of their precious homeland to the government of the United States. By the 1830s, the Miami had only about 500,000 acres, which was surrounded by land controlled by the State of Indiana. Land speculators and settlers wanted this land too.

"In 1830, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act. The goal of this act was to force all tribes to move west of the Mississippi. Throughout the 1830s, many tribes suffered their own version of the “Trail of Tears” most commonly associated with the Cherokee Nation’s forced removal in 1838. Throughout this period, the Miami resisted giving up their reservation in Indiana."4 
(Exemption for Heirs) Miami Removalbetween 1838 and 1845 In the Miami treaty of 1838, the Miami National Council had agreed, for the first time, to consider the possibility of a future Indian Removal, and also contained, for the family of Chief John B. Richardville, the first Exemption from Removal. The Miami treaty of 1840 provided for two additional families, those of Chief Francis Godfroy and Chief Meshingomesia, to continue to receive their share of the annuities at Fort Wayne, Indiana, essentially exempting those families also from Removal. And, on 3 March 1845, the family of Frances Slocum was exempted from Removal by a joint resolution of Congress. By 1845, most Miami National Council leaders who owned reservation land but were not exempted, also sought legal remedy to avoid Removal and protect their homes. They wrote to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, petitioned Congress, and hired Dr. Graham Fitch to lobby for them in Congress.

Using his Indian name, Toohpia, Principal Chief Francis Toohpia LaFontaine and other Miami leaders went to Washington themselves to discuss exemptions. Their letter following the visit showed them taking a new tactic to avoid Removal for Miami landowners, reflecting the reasons for the exemption of the Godfroy family and citing Indiana state law as the impediment to their Removal.

“Certain individuals of our nation, who are not permitted by treaty or by law of Congress to remain in Indiana and draw their annuities there, hold individual reservations of land by treaty, which they have improved, and upon which they are now living, and have paid taxes. A law of the State of Indiana forbids them making private sale of these lands, declaring all contracts with our people null and void. If such of our people emigrate, their farms will be ruined or sold for taxes, and their personal property, stock, etc., sacrificed. Will not our great father permit such of our people to remain upon their lands, and draw their annuities in Indiana, in the same manner as is specified in a similar permission, by treaty and by law of Congress, to a few other of our people? Such permission to be extended to those land owners (not now having it) until the legal inability to sell their lands is removed, or the U.S. buys them….”

They pointed out the hypocrisy that the federal government could force them from their homes on lands they owned as private property, a most sacred American tradition, while at the same time, the state of Indiana refused to allow them to legally sell their property. If they were removed, Miami leaders and their families would likely be swindled out of their lands, if their property was not outright stolen from them.

Dr. Graham Fitch, as a lobbyist for the National Council, sent a list to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, of the Miami who owned reservation land and wished to stay in Indiana. The list of petitioners included additional members of the family of Chief John B. Richardville, whose name was recorded as Pinšiwa ‘Wild Cat', and also the families of Misihkwa, Mahkateehsipana 'Cotesipin', Mihtekwahkia 'Coesse', Amehkoonsa 'Seek', Meehkwaahkonanka 'Benjamin', Meesancihkwa, Šowaapinamwa 'Antoine Revarre' and Waapimaankwa 'White Loon', and the heirs of Sha-co-mo and Chief Majenica. The men on this list were all prominent Miami leaders.1,2,3 
(Removal Petitioner) Miami Removal None of the 1845 petitioners were granted exemptions before the Miami's forced emigration to Kansas began, so tragically, they and their families were also "on Removal" and had to leave their homes and lands in Indiana with all of the other displaced members of the Miami tribe. They had resisted removal for six years and, with each passing year, more families were officially exempted from removal. They believed that everyone would be able to stay on individual family allotments that had been created for decades prior to 1840. All hope of resistance to removal ended, though, when private contractors and the U.S. Army were ordered to forcibly remove those that had not been exempted. U.S. Removal Agent Joseph Sinclair, however, did allow some of the petitioner's family members to temporarily stay behind to harvest the fall crops and sell their reservation land on the assumption that the state of Indiana would lift that ban on them.1,2,3,4 
(Miami Leader) Miami Removal6 October 1846The Miami's forced emigration to the Kansas Territory began on 6 October 1846 and, among those with Miami Indian blood, the only individuals who were permitted to remain in the Wabash country and not be removed to Kansas, were those who were specifically Exempted from Removal: the Meshingomesia Band, plus descendants of Chief Richardville and Francis Godfroy, the Slocum Family and Chief LaFontaine, his wife and their children. Everyone else was "on Removal". It would be winter before their grueling one-month journey brought them to their destination. In order to share their experiences as best we know how, we've copied, without changes, the description of their journey from the "Myaamia, A Living History: Myaamia Removal" source:

"On October 6th, 1846, hundreds of Myaamia were loaded onto three canal boats in Peru, Indiana – a place they called Iihkipihsinonki. Iihkipihsinonki translates to “straight place”. It was named because of the straight course of the Wabash River in that spot. From Iihkipihsinonki the canal boats were pulled along the Wabash-Erie Canal and followed the Wabash north to Ft. Wayne.

"The forced exodus began in earnest the next day, when more Myaamia were forcibly loaded onto canal boats in Ft. Wayne, known to the Myaamia as Kiihkayonki. Kiihkayonki was the original site of their largest village and was called “that Glorious Gate” by the Myaamia leader Mihšihkinaahkwa. That day the forced exodus began.

"On October 7th, Kiihkayonki became the gateway of the removal from Myaamionki. From Kiihkayonki, the five canal boats were pulled to the Miami-Erie canal and began a four-day journey south to Cincinnati, OH. On their way south the Myaamia passed numerous sites of great historical and cultural importance. They passed the site of Fort Defiance, the military bastion from which Anthony Wayne launched his final invasion into Myaamionki in 1794. They also passed Pinkwaawilenionki (Pickawillany) a prominent Myaamia village site in the mid-eighteenth century. Much of the Miami-Erie canal followed the course of the Ahsenisiipi (the Great Miami River); a river that originally was a major route of travel to their hunting grounds along the Ohio River and to their relatives who also called that beautiful place home.

"On October 11th, they reached the growing metropolis of Cincinnati, Ohio. In Cincinnati, the Myaamia were moved to the steamship Colorado, and on October 12th the ship began its journey west on the Kaanseenseepiiwi (Ohio River). While on route to the Mississippi River an infant passed away. After eight days of travel on the Colorado, they arrived in St. Louis, Missouri. The Myaamia were unloaded at Bloody Island, which lay in the middle of the Mississippi River. This location placed the group near the traditional village sites of their Inoka (Illinois) relatives and as such it was a place they knew well. However it was also at the western edge of Myaamionki. To the west lay the traditional homelands of groups that had formerly been their enemies; to their parents’ generation those western lands had been a dangerous place. Yet, the Americans told them these lands in the west were to be their new homes. Upon arriving at Bloody Island an elderly member of the group passed away. The elder and the infant that had passed earlier in the journey were buried on or near the Island according to Myaamia tribal traditions.

"On October 23rd, the Myaamia were loaded onto the steamship Clermont No. 2 and were taken north on the Mississippi River to its confluence with the Missouri River. From this point, they followed the Missouri River west to Kanza Landing, which today lies on the Missouri side of Kansas City. For the first time in their journey, these forced migrants were outside their traditional homelands. After a month of journeying, these Myaamia had moved from the forested bottomlands of the Wabash River Valley to the edge of the great American prairielands of the west. It was a very different landscape, and winter had set in.

"On November 1st, three hundred and twenty five Myaamia were unloaded at Kanza Landing. The next day they traveled the final fifty miles of their journey to Osage River sub-agency in the Unorganized Territory (Kansas). They arrived at Sugar Creek on Nov. 5th, of 1846. It was winter on the plains and the people were forced to sleep in government issued tents and eat government rations until they could build more permanent structures.

"After only just arriving in Kansas the Myaamia were told they had to move again. Kansas was becoming a state and hoped to move American Indians south to Oklahoma to open up land for settlers. In 1873, a small group of Myaamia traveled 150 miles south to what is today Miami, Oklahoma completing the final leg of a journey that began back in Indiana twenty-seven years earlier."4,5,6 
(Removal Petitioner) Miami Removal1850The name of Chief Majenica was not included, nor was a mention of his heirs, in 1850, when the U.S. Congress granted official Removal Exemptions to several others, identifying them as specific Miami tribal leaders, community members, individuals, families, and their descendants who had returned to Indiana after the forced removals. The 1850 Removal Exemptions were granted to Waapimaankwa 'White Loon', Šowaapinamwa 'Antoine Revarre', Mihtekwahkia 'Coesse', Misihkwa, Oonseentia 'John Osandiah', Mahkateehsipana 'Cotesipin', Amehkoonsa 'Seek', Mahkateemaankwa, Amehkoonsihkwa 'wife of Benjamin', Kinooseensa 'Peter Langlois' and Elizabeth Langlois. With this action, Congress formally legalized their returns, allowing them to remain in Indiana permanently.1,2,3 
(American Indian) Indian Names Getting the Native American Indian names in our project "right" has been a struggle for us because we have often seen the same person's name spelled in several different ways. This was, at first, both frustrating and stressful to those of us who strive for accuracy in the presentation of our research. When we learned that the Miami Indians, who feature prominently in our project, had no written language before their associations with the French and English who kept records by writing them down, we began to understand. It’s all very human. Not every person speaks their words in the same way, and each listener may hear the same words differently. So, it’s not surprising that, phonetically, when names were spoken, they would be written down as each individual listener heard them.7,8,9,10,11,12,13 

Citations

  1. [S3054] Aacimohtaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/07/02/…, article published by Diane Hunter on July 2, 2021, https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/07/02/…. Hereinafter cited as Aacimohtaatiiyankwi- Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  2. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…, with additional information from a linked Google Spreadsheet, https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…. Hereinafter cited as Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  3. [S3056] Aacimohtaatiiyankwi, a blog serving as a space for Myaamia ‘Miami’ people to connect, reflect, and share. Our primary goal is to provide a platform for conversations about our community, places, ecological observations, and shared pasts. It also serves as a resource for educational opportunities that support a deeper understanding of Myaamia culture, language, and identity. Aacimohtatiiyaankwi is collaboratively authored by a dedicated team from the Myaamia Center at Miami University, the Cultural Resources Office of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, and guests from the Myaamia community. Through regular posts, we share insights, stories, research, and observations that reflect the ongoing efforts to support Myaamia knowledge; online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org. Hereinafter cited as Aacimohtaatiiyankwi.
  4. [S2788] Telling Our Story: A Living History of the Myaamia, online at https://teachmyaamiahistory.org/, Myaamia Removal, https://teachmyaamiahistory.org/contents/section5/readings/…. Hereinafter cited as Telling Our Story: A Living History of the Myaamia.
  5. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919), Volume I, Chapter III, Indian Chiefs and Treaties, pages 28-51. Hereinafter cited as History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  6. [S748] Find a Grave website, which often provides cemetery and tombstone photos, and sometimes personal biographies, that may be obtained from the site, online at www.findagrave.com, Chief Francis Topeah Lafontaine, Memorial# 42524370, which includes historical information contributed by various sources and authors. Hereinafter cited as Find a Grave website.
  7. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs and dated 12 July 1990, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", in response to a petition submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs for Federal acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian Tribe; downloaded record number MNI-V001-D004, (file name 066_pf-2.pdf) from the Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs website (https://www.bia.gov) in October 2024. Hereinafter cited as "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc."
  8. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php; the website offers a Search capability and notes that the images were taken from microfilm, and that some years are out of order. The records include the following, although we've discovered they are more mixed up than we expected: Annuity Payroll, (reported to be the1854 cover only, although the handwritten pages that follow appear to us to be from 1854); Annuity Payroll, 1882; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889 (continued); Annuity Payroll, 1891; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Land Division, Francis Godfroy; and 1881 Census of Miami Indians in Indiana and Elsewhere. Hereinafter cited as Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895.
  9. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…
  10. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Place of publication not identified: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1907). Hereinafter cited as History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  11. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  12. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Manchester, Indiana: Otho Winger, c1935). Hereinafter cited as The Last of The Miamis.
  13. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana : containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, military records portraits of early settlers and prominent men, personal reminiscences, etc., downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Chicago, Illinois: John Morris, Printer, 1884). Hereinafter cited as History of Wabash County, Indiana.

Mak-Wah1

Family
Father*Mak-Wah Father1
Birth*Mak-Wah was probably born on St. Mary's River near Fort Wayne, Indiana.1 
Relationship Note*Mak-Wah and Mak-Wah Sister were siblings.1 
(Brother-in-Law) DeathHis sister, the first wife of Little Turtle, died at Turtle Village where her husband had been born, and his father before him, and the couple’s children, also. Her death left two sons and one daughter and Little Turtle could not stay in his Village after her passing. He moved up on the trail to the Fort to be near his brother-in-law, Mak-Wah, to whom he was much devoted.1 
Relationship Note*When Little Turtle married his first wife, he and his friend Mak-Wah became brothers-in-law, and when Little Turtle married his first wife's niece, a daughter of Mak-Wah, as his second wife, Little Turtle became Mak-Wah's son-in-law.1 
(American Indian) Indian Names Getting the Native American Indian names in our project "right" has been a struggle for us because we have often seen the same person's name spelled in several different ways. This was, at first, both frustrating and stressful to those of us who strive for accuracy in the presentation of our research. When we learned that the Miami Indians, who feature prominently in our project, had no written language before their associations with the French and English who kept records by writing them down, we began to understand. It’s all very human. Not every person speaks their words in the same way, and each listener may hear the same words differently. So, it’s not surprising that, phonetically, when names were spoken, they would be written down as each individual listener heard them.2,3,4,5,6,7,8 

Family
Child 1.Mak-Wah Daughter1

Citations

  1. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org. (Place of publication not identified: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1907), Kilsoquah, pages 79-83. Hereinafter cited as History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  2. [S2698] Prepared by the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Affairs and dated 12 July 1990, "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc.", in response to a petition submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs for Federal acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian Tribe; downloaded record number MNI-V001-D004, (file name 066_pf-2.pdf) from the Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs website (https://www.bia.gov) in October 2024. Hereinafter cited as "Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Miami Nation of Indians of the State of Indiana, Inc."
  3. [S2695] Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895, online at https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_miamiannuities.php; the website offers a Search capability and notes that the images were taken from microfilm, and that some years are out of order. The records include the following, although we've discovered they are more mixed up than we expected: Annuity Payroll, (reported to be the1854 cover only, although the handwritten pages that follow appear to us to be from 1854); Annuity Payroll, 1882; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Annuity Payroll, Eel River Tribe, 1889 (continued); Annuity Payroll, 1891; Annuity Payroll, 1895; Land Division, Francis Godfroy; and 1881 Census of Miami Indians in Indiana and Elsewhere. Hereinafter cited as Annuities and Census of the Miami Indians, 1854 - 1895.
  4. [S2694] Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal, online at https://aacimotaatiiyankwi.org/2021/10/28/…, with additional information from a linked Google Spreadsheet. Hereinafter cited as Aacimotaatiiyankwi - Myaamia Exempt From Removal.
  5. [S2690] S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring, History of Whitley County, Indiana.
  6. [S2675] Authur L. Bodurtha, History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, in 2 volumes, downloaded from the Boston Public Library eBooks and Texts Archive at www.archive.org, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919). Hereinafter cited as History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests.
  7. [S2661] Otho Winger, The Last of The Miamis, downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Manchester, Indiana: Otho Winger, c1935). Hereinafter cited as The Last of The Miamis.
  8. [S2662] T. B. Helm, History of Wabash County, Indiana : containing a history of the county; its townships, towns, military records portraits of early settlers and prominent men, personal reminiscences, etc., downloaded from the Family History Library at www.familysearch.org. (Chicago, Illinois: John Morris, Printer, 1884). Hereinafter cited as History of Wabash County, Indiana.