The Acton Potawatomi family connection begins with Chief Ashkum (More and More) — Christian name James Acton Sr. — and his two marriages to first wife Madeline Oscum and second, Angeline Bellaire, Azhnick. He had six children with Madeline: Mary Ann, Susan, Harrison, Cassie, John J. and Joseph Acton; and four children with Angeline: Helen, Zoa, and twins, Mary Louise …
Allotment was a process by which reservation lands held in common by a tribal community were split up and allotted to individual tribal members. The purpose of allotment, as with the 1861 treaty signed by the Potawatomi and the Dawes Act of 1887, was to undermine the legitimacy of tribal governments and open Native land to white settlement. This was …
As American expansionism pushed land-hungry Americans west, the rapid admission of former Native lands, either through outright violence or forced coercion, reignited debates about the institution of slavery as practiced by Southern-American states. In the early 19th-century, conflict erupted as slave-owning states advocated for an equal number of slave states to be admitted for every free state, leading to instances …
With war declared between the American Colonies and Britain, Potawatomi support divided geographically and economically. Aside from those exacting retribution, villages located in the vicinity of key U.S. and English military forts, such as the Detroit and St. Joseph Potawatomi, were often enticed or pressured into allying with neighboring garrisons. Additionally, communities or individuals reliant on Anglo goods for survival …
The Anderson family’s Potawatomi roots began in 18th century Peoria, Illinois, when a Potawatomi woman named Mary C. Tremblay married a blacksmith named John Anderson. They had three children: John Charles, Mary Ann and Peter. John Anderson’s family settled in downtown Peoria, Illinois, where he partnered with William Tobey to establish a plow manufacturing facility. The duo perfected plows specific …
36.5 in L X 1.75 in W Currently on loan from the Kansas State Historical Society and on exhibition at the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center is Abram Burnett’s cane. The wooden cane is painted black, with an iron bottom tip and a non-ferromagnetic metal handle. The metal handle is attached to a dirk [small dagger], concealed in the …
Ashkem was considered a traditional headman and distinguished speaker among the Indiana Potawatomi. He was the principle orator and leading voice of the Wabash Potawatomi, always lecturing on the rights of his people. Ashkem was one of many who resisted the United States’ encroachment into the Great Lakes as well as the Christian conversion of the Potawatomi. Due to his …
Built by Americans in 1803 in what is present day Chicago, Fort Dearborn was constructed in response to the events of the Northwest Indian War (1785-1795). Its presence served as the primary American stronghold in Great Lakes territories illegally ceded to the U.S. by Great Britain. As the War of 1812 was underway, the Potawatomi, led by Segnak, Nuscotomek, and …
The Battle of the Monongahela was one of the first major conflicts and victories for the Native-French alliance during the French and Indian War. It took place at the forks of the Allegheny and Ohio Rivers, near present-day Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is said that a Potawatomi warrior dreamt and foresaw the battle. Using the dream as a battle plan, the …
With the U.S. Navy gaining control of Lake Erie and cutting of British supply lines from Canada, British Major General Henry Proctor was forced to abandon Detroit and flee north to Amherstburg, Ontario in an attempt defend Fort Malden. Camped near Fort Malden were hundreds of allied Native warriors and their families. Outnumbered three to one, Shawnee leader Tecumseh, Potawatomi …