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29 January 2006

BIOGRAPHIES W-Z

WHITE EYES Lenape name Wicocalind. Data to be added. This is a difficult entry. I am working on the entering of the following information submitted by Dewey Fry, Kansas Delaware Crossing, Sons of the American Revolution. Editor

WILAQUENAHO - See Wilaquenaho in the Family History Section.

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Wilcoxen, Melinda - See TAHLEOCKWE. She was also known as Melinda Statler and Tweleniquid. For information on her husband, Rezin Wilcoxen in the entry just below.

WILCOXEN, Rezin - Although not a Native American, he was important in the development of Leavenworth and Wyandotte Counties in present Kansas, and was married to a Munsee, Sabilla Caleb (see CALEB, Sabilla) ,  and a Delaware, Tahleockwe (see TAHLEOCKWE), also known as Melinda Statler.  He was from Virginia,  the son of Scots-Irish Levi Wilcoxen and Catherine (Harris) Wilcoxen, of West Virginia, and the grandson of Thomas Wilcoxen. Rezin was the only son of six children. In 1843, Levi , accompanied by "his whole family, some accompanied by their husbands,"  went to Arkansas, where they settled near Jackson. He died there in 1844. In 1844, the entire family left Arkansas and went to Kansas City [Missouri probably] for a few days, then went to Westport, where his mother and a sister died in 1849. In 1852, most of the remaining family, except for Rezin, went to California. Rezin went to present Wyandotte County, Kansas, 8 January 1850, where he clerked in the dry goods department of the American Fur Company. He boarded with James Findlay. They were together in the store for six years. The American Fur Company was at Secondia, located about nine miles above the mouth if the Kansas River, in the Delaware Reservation. When he married Melinda Statler or Taleockwe, also known as Tweleniquid,  in 1854, he earned the right to live with the Delaware on their reservation. Accordingly, he began farming there in the spring of 1856, growing crops such as wheat, corn, potatoes, oats, and millet, usually raising them for his own home consumption, but he also sold hogs to the Delaware. He remained on his farm until 1867 when he bought the farm of James Ketchum at White Church. In 1888, he sold some of the acreage, keeping a small portion for his home site. He was a Justice of the Peace for seven year, a school director for sixteen years, a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, and was generally a Democrat politically. Rezin was a private in the Twenty-third Kansas State Militia in the Civil War. He was said to have been an old-time farmer of Quindaro Township. (Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas. Historical and Biographical)

The Wyandot Herald, 16 January 1890, said: Rezin Wilcoxen, of White Church, is lying very sick with pneumonia at his home in that place with small hope of recovery, so we are informed.
(Researchers: Vickie Wilkins and Martin Weeks )

There is another account of Rezin Wilcoxon in Cutler's History of Kansas Genealogical and Historical, pp. 876-877:
     R. Wilcoxon, of White Church, Kas., and an old time farmer of Quindaro Township, came to Wyandotte County, Kas., January 8, 1850, and clerked in the dry goods department of the American Fur Company at a place called Secondia, located about nine miles above the mouth of the Kansas River, in the Delaware Reservation. He carried on this business until 1856, and found the Delaware Indians honest, upright, truthful, but with very little notion of business. Their living was entirely derived  from the chase, and they bartered the furs for the necessities of life. Hunting and trapping parties would leave early in the fall and return the following spring, bringing with them pelts and furs with which to pay their debts. In 1854 Mr. Wilcoxen was united in marriage to Miss Malinda Statler, whose Indian name was Twelenioqud. She was educated at the Shawnee Mission. This union gave Mr. Wilcoxen the right to live here with them, so in the spring of 1856 he began farming, opening up land within a mile of where he had been selling goods. His principal crops were wheat, corn, potatoes, oats, millet, etc., usually raising for home consumption although there was a good market for hogs, selling them to the Delawares. Being of a pacific nature from staying at home and attending strictly to his own business, he was never a participant in the bloody times of the border war.. He resided quietly on his farm, attended to [p. 877] this alo0ne, opened up new land and made improvements as rapidly as possible. In 1861 the land was surveyed and parceled, and through his wife and children  he received 240 acres, one 80 in the hills, and 160 acres on the Kansas River. that on the river being the part that he had already improved and cultivated. He remained there until 1867, when he bought the James Ketchum farm at White Church, having sold eighty acres on the river. moved on this, and soon had thirty acres under cultivation. In 1888 he sold seventy-two acres of this, and kept eight acres for a home. He has a beautiful place, a fine house of modern architecture with eight rooms, and the principal part of the grounds in orchard. For the past seven  years Mr. Wilcoxen has been justice of the peace, and has filled the position of school director for sixteen years. He and family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Politically Mr. Wilcoxen has always been Democratic until the Greenback party was formed, after which he voted for their candidates for several elections. At present he is with the Democratic party again. He was a private in the Twenty-third Kansas State Militia during the war, but has the record of never shooting at a man. He was born in West Virginia March 18, 1828, and was the son of Levi and Catherine (Harris) Wilcoxon, both natives also of West Virginia. The Wilcoxons are of Scotch-Irish extraction, and one of the ancestors lived to be one hundred and fourteen years of age. The paternal grandfather of our subject, Thomas Wilcoxon, died before the struggle of independence took place. Our subject is the only son of six children born to his parents. In 1843 his father accompanied by his whole family, three of his daughters being married and accompanied by their husbands, went to Arkansas, settled near Jackson, and here his death occurred in February of the following year. In March, 1844, the entire family left there and came to Kansas City, where they remained a few days. They then went to Westport, where one sister and the mother died in 1849.  In the meantime R. Wilcoxon worked by the day or month and seized on any honorable employment that was offered. One of the brothers-in-law died in 1852 and the same year the remainder of the family, with the exception of our subject, went to California, where they have since died. At the present time, Mr. Wilcoxon is the sole survivor of the family. After entering thee employ of the American Fur Company Mr. Wilcoxon boarded with James Findlay, whose wife was a sister of Judge John Ryland, of La Fayette County, Mo. They were together in the store for six years, and then both left the same year. Mr. Wilcoxon [p. 878] is the father of four children--two sons and two daughters--two sons and one daughter now living: Lucinda (wife of James L. Buckland, who is residing in Wyandotte Township, engaged in farming), Emmet (living with his father), and Oscar (also at home). Leonora was born February 23, 1868, and died December 22, 1884... In 1849-50 the cholera raged in this State, and was so fatal that the Delaware Indians hired Dr. J. B. Stone to come out here. In 1849 1,000 Delaware Indians lived within eight miles of White Church, but when that great scourge occurred they scattered to different parts of the reservation and never got together again.

WINDSETTUND --The English name of Windsettund was  William Henry Anderson.  He died about 1876 shortly after the Delaware moved to Indian Territory.  He was the youngest son of Pooshies who was one of the older sons of Chief William Anderson (whom see under Kikthawhenund) according to family descendants. He was married to Windaalayqua or Annie Anderson and they had a large family. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson lost three children presumably while on the way to Indian Territory.  He was survived by his wife, Anna, four sons; James Anderson, John Anderson, Sam Anderson, and George T. Anderson. It is believed that he is buried in the Delaware Cemetery, one of the earliest ones to be buried there. (This information is from Ruby Cranor's, Some Old Delaware Obituaries. See Bibliography for ordering information.)

ZEIGLER, Ellen--Ellen Zeigler was born March 1840, died 28 July 1911, and  died December 1869. She married Sam S. Swisher born 1829 and died December 1869. Paul Pettit is working on the Swisher Family. He says he thinks that Henry Swisher was Sam's father and the child of his first wife, Agnes. Henry's second wife was named Ruth. Write to Paul cpettit@telis.net of you have further information on the Swisher Family.
The children of Ellen Zeigler and Sam Swisher were:
  1. Mary F. Swisher born 19 October 1943, died 31 September 1943, married Jonathan Mathews born 15 December 1857, died 11 February 1928, thirteen children, four of whom died in infancy:
    (1) Clarence A. Mathews
    (2) Clara Elizabeth Mathews
    (3) Albert N. Mathews
    (4) Stella Mae Mathews
    (5) Rosa Mathews
    (6) Lydia Myrtle Mathews
    (7) Nora Julia Mathews
    (8) Minnie Mathews
    (9) Rene Mathews
  2. James Henry Swisher born October 1861, married Mary ______, one child:
    (1) John William Jasper Swisher
  3. John S. Swisher born 23 September 1863, died 9 May 1943, married 23 September 1902 Nellie May Robertson born 1863.
  4.  Rosalie Swisher born 1867.
  5. Mary Ellen Swisher.  As Ellen Swisher she was  on the List of Delaware Who Elected to Remain in Kansas under 1862 Allotment No. 144, age 24 with her were her children:
    (1) No. 145  Mary P. Swisher, age 6.
    (2) No.  320  James H. Swisher, age 5.
    (3) John S. Swisher, age 2.
    (4) Rosalie Swisher, age 3 months. 

Mary Ellen Zeigler married second Michael Ritzinger, children:
    (5) Annie Ritzinger born 1875.
    (6) Clara Ritzinger born 1877.
There were buried in the Delaware Cemetery near Eudora, Douglas, Kansas. Ellen may have had three other children not listed above.  Researchers: Swiftwater Hahn and Vickie Wilkins

Zeigler names found in the Dawes Commission Listing by Researcher Kansas Delaware Arlene Micucci, a Zeigler Descendant :

Dawes Final Rolls Results: Total Records:  17  Dawes is a list of those members of the Five Civilized Tribes who removed to
Indian Territory (Oklahoma) during the 1800's and were living there during the above dates. IF YOUR ANCESTOR WAS NOT LIVING IN INDIAN TERRITORY DURING 1898-1914 THEY WILL NOT BE LISTED ON DAWES!! Only those Indians who RECEIVED LAND under the provisions of the Dawes Act are listed. It also lists those Freedmen who received land allotments as
provided for in the Dawes Act. These pages can be searched to discover the enrollee's name, age, sex, blood degree, type, census card number and roll number. Check the headings in each column. Type denotes whether the record is from a Dawes card. Ft. Smith Arkansas Criminal Records 1866-1900

Tribe         Last        First   Middle  Age  Sex  Blood   Card                Roll         Misc             Type
Delaware   Zeigler   Betsy                0      F                 148                                                           P
Delaware   Zeigler   Henry      W     51    M     1/4     148                 157                                  BB
Delaware   Zeigler   Phillip               0     M                MCR5052                    COOPER OK    MCR
Choctaw    Zeigler   Cleo                 16     F      1/8    MCR5052                     COOPER OK     MCR
 
Choctaw    Zeigler  Louisa               0       F                  MCR5530                                P
Choctaw    Zeigler  Louisa               0       F                  MCR5568                                P
Choctaw    Zeigler  Louisa             49       F       1/4     MCR5052                  COOPER OK    MCR
Choctaw    Zeigler  P             T        0       M                  MCR5052                                P
Choctaw    Zeigler  P             T        0       M                  MCR5568                                P
Choctaw    Zeigler  Paschal             0       M                  MCR5530                                P
Choctaw    Zeigler  Sweet                5       F      1/8        MCR5052                 COOPER OK   MCR
Cherokee   Zeigler  Charlotte           3       F      1/8     10614                31482             RUBY                       BB
Cherokee   Zeigler  Della                 0        F                100614                                                          P
Cherokee   Zeigler Henry      W       0        M                10614                                                          P
Cherokee   Zeigler Jeremiah            4         M     1/8    10614                31481              RUBY          BB
Cherokee   Zeigler Nancy                8         F       1/8    10614               31480              RUBY          BB
Cherokee   Zeigler Samuel              9         M      1/8     10614              31479              RUBY          BB

This listing will be put in a proper table to make it more presentable. I don't know why it was listed under Fort Smith, Arkansas Criminal Records, but that doesn't mean that any of these persons were "criminals." The MCR numbers may be a record number of some kind. I do not know what the P, BB, MCR under the Category "Type" means. Let me know if you do.  Editor. swiftwater@lenapedelawarehistory.net

These data to be worked into the text. Editor] Sarah Ann died 4 August 1898, probably in Oklahoma. From the Cherokee Nation Delaware Roll dated 31 1904 the following data are given: __________________ District, Ketchum, I. T., Sarah A. McCamish age 63, Tribal Enrollment as a Delaware No. 1707 in 1880, tribal enrollment of her father, Arch Fish, _____, listed as a Shaw.[nee] Indian, and her mother Betsy Fish.]

Times New Roman 14 point. Internet copy 21 May 2005. Photo check A. TH

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