This was originally posted on November 2, 2014.
After waiting for a while, I finally received the file I had ordered from the National Archives, only to discover that the records answered a question (which I will definitely get into in another post soon), but more questions were raised (which I will address in this post!). There is just a lot of conflicting information.
I was originally going to start a post about Winnie Connor, William Hendrix Yernipcut’s grandmother. However, I am going to step back one more generation and write about his great-grandfather, William Connor. Or Conner, Conners, Connors. Whichever one it may be…
On the 1900 US Federal Census, William appears with his wife and five daughters.1900 US Federal Census, District 72, Township 5, Seminole Nation, Indian Territory
William Connor: head of household, Indian, male, unknown birthdate, 55 years of age, married 11 years, born in Indian Territory, both parents born in Florida, farmer; can read, can write, cannot speak English [I’m pretty sure this is wrong]
Liddy Connor: wife, Indian, female, unknown birthdate, 34 years of age, married 11 years, seven children total, five still living, born in Indian Territory, parents’ birthplaces unknown; cannot read, write, or speak English
Josie Connor: daughter, Indian, female, born April 1889, 11 years of age, single, born in Indian Territory, both parents born in Indian Territory; can read, write, and speak English
Lusanna Connor: daughter, Indian, female, born April 1888, 12 years of age, single, born in Indian Territory, both parents born in Indian Territory; can read, write, and speak English
Emma Connor: daughter, Indian, female, born February 1893, 7 years of age, single, born in Indian Territory, both parents born in Indian Territory
Jennie Connor: daughter, Indian, female, born March 1895, 5 years of age, single, born in Indian Territory, both parents born in Indian Territory
Hannah Connor: daughter, Indian, female, born February 1893, 2 years of age, single, born in Indian Territory, both parents born in Indian Territory; can read and write, cannot speak English [well, isn’t that impressive?]
Further down the page, Liddy and her children are listed as Seminole, which makes sense considering that the census was enumerated in Seminole Nation.
Information pulled from Winnie’s Dawes application (Winnie, of course, being William’s daughter) (found on Fold3.com, Dawes Applications, Wynie Conner):
“…and her English maiden name Winnie Conners, and that she left the Seminole Nation in 1892 with her father and went to the Wichita reservation, where her father was a missionary until his death in August, 1900.
…the said Wynie Conner was listed for enrollment…in July, 1898, as a citizen by blood of the Seminole Nation, upon the application of her father, William Conner, whose name appears upon the Seminole roll as 213, and who at that time was the Band Chief of William Conner Band of the Seminole Nation…that as William Conner was a prominent official of the Seminole Nation prior to and during the period in which the Seminole roll was prepared it is quite improbable that he resided on the Wichita reservation for any great length of time between 1892 and 1900.”
Fold3 username Alfreda_Doonkeen wrote a “spotlight” concerning William, describing him as a “non-Indian”.
I sent a message to this user asking if she has any further information concerning the William Connor Band of Seminole Indians, and I am awaiting her response.
The problem I have with the spotlight describing him as a non-Indian is his Seminole Enrollment Census Card.If you click on the photo above, you will notice that William is listed as full blood. His father is noted as Tusekia Meko (band unknown) and his mother is listed as unknown, but of the William Connor band (possibly the information was given by his wife). Each of his children are listed as full blood; as well his daughter Winnie appeared on the Seminole rolls at number 223 as a full blood Seminole. This tells me that William could not have been a non-Indian, unless he, his wife, and his daughter all lied. However, in keeping an open mind, I look forward to learning more!
Something interesting that I had found concerning William comes from a personal family page (I honestly didn’t realize Tripod pages still existed). According to The Baker Family’s Genealogy Pages:
“Tusekia Micco, also known as "Neddie" and "Old Man Conner", was a Creek Indian. He took a Seminole wife, name unknown, and they had a son called William Conner, enrolled as a full-blood Seminole Indian,Roll #213.”
I am completely unsure about this information concerning Tusekia. I will do research because I would love to find the Baker family’s sources. The website goes on to say that Tusekia later married a Creek Indian.
The information concerning Creek Indian is interesting, and will be talked about in the post about Winnie.
On Saturday, May 8, 1897, in the Cherokee Advocate (Tahlequah, Oklahoma), p. 1:
SEMINOLES WILL TREAT
WITH DAWES COMMISSION LOOKING TO ALLOTMENT OF LANDS
To the general council of the Seminole Nation, Present:
The undersigned, your committee, to whom was referred the entire question for report, whether advisable now, to appoint a commission of its members to be in readiness to meet the United States commission, known as the Dawes commission, beg leave to report: that they have given the subject careful thought, and in their judgment believe the time is at hand for such immediate action. Therefore, they deem it wise to recommend the appointment, as they now do, of six or more members, to meet with the said Dawes commission at Wewoka in the Seminole Nation, with full and complete authority, which is hereby given, to carry out the wishes of the General Council in an agreement to be made and concluded between the above mentioned commissions, on the part of the United States and the Seminole Nation, the same, however, being subject to ratification by the powers represented by its commissions, respectively.
Signed: John F. Brown, William Cully, William Connor, Thomas Little, Thomas West and T.S. McGeisey, secretary…
Although Winnie’s Dawes application states her father died in August of 1900, according to his Seminole Enrollment Census Card, William Connor died July 27, 1900.
I hope I am able to find out more about William Connor and the William Connor Band of Seminole. I’m still finding conflicting information concerning whether or not William was born in Florida or Oklahoma.
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