Wabeleganequa (White Wing) "Big Nancy" Cornstalk

Notes:

According to her descendants she married Elijah, having 4 children with him 3 boys and one daughter "little Nancy". She left Elijah, taking Little Nancy with her. She then became the 3rd wife of Tecumseh.

Wabeleganequa married Elijah Adkins 1784. Elijah was born 1768. [Group Sheet]

1. Lewis Adkins was born 05 May 1785; died 14 Jan 1865.
2. Unknown Adkins was born 1786.
3. Richard Adkins
4. Little Nancy Adkins

Wabeleganequa married Chief Tecumseh. Tecumseh was born 09 Mar 1768, Chilicothe, Ross Co, OH; died 05 Oct 1813, Chatham, Chatham-Kent, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Unknown. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Name:
Also known as Stout Man

Young married Catherine Elizabeth See. Catherine (daughter of Frederick Michael See and Catherine Vanderpool) was born 26 Feb 1754, Hampshire Co. VA (now WV); died 1807, Adams Co. OH. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Elizabeth See, daughter of Frederick See and Catherine Vanderpool, was abducted with her mother and several siblings in the "Muddy Creek Massacre" in Greenbrier County, Virginia in 1763. She remained in captivity of the Shawnee Indians for several years. When the time arrived for the Shawnee to release their prisoners, all of the See family except nine-year-old Elizabeth, were freed. Cornstalk would not agree to let her go, but kept her for nine more years during which time his son, Young Cornstalk, a Shawnee Chief, married her. After the death of Young Cornstalk and her release in abt. 1775, she married 2nd, John Peter Shoemaker abt. 1776.

Notes:

Married:
Claim made in Shawnee Heritage By Don Greene. This is a fraud.

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Category:Shawnee_Heritage_Fraud

Notes:

The story of Cornstalk's seizure and murder is one of the dark spots in American history.

Born about 1735 in what is now Ohio, the future chieftain was named "Hokoleskwa," meaning "maize plant"hence the English name "Cornstalk." He was also known as Keigh-tugh-qua and Wynepuechsika.

He may have had at least 8 wives and possibly as many as 30 children.

Little is known of his early life, but by 1763 he had become a Shawnee tribal chieftain and led war parties against several white settlements. He was described as being over 6 ft 6 in. tall with flowing white hair. He was spoke English well and was known for eloquent speeches before colonists.

In 1764, soldiers raided his tribal town and took him captive. He was carried to Fort Pitt as a hostage, but escaped the following year. In the following years, he became Sachem of all Shawnee tribes and finally king of the northern confederacy of Indian tribes, composed of the Shawnees, Delawares, Mingoes, Wyandottes and Cayugas.

On Oct. 10, 1774, he led 1,100 of his braves against an equal number of Colonial troops at Pt. Pleasant and after a violent battle, was defeated. Following his defeat, Cornstalk pursued a peace policy and forbade his braves to molest whites.

But in 1777, with the American Revolution at its height, he returned to Pt. Pleasant with two companions to warn settlers that the British were trying to incite his tribesmen to attack them. Fearing an attack, Colonial soldiers seized Cornstalk and his companions and imprisoned them in Fort Randolph as hostages.

A month later, Cornstalk's son, Ellinipsico, came to the fort to see his father. During his visit, a soldier walking near the fort was killed by an Indian, and other soldiers rushed to Cornstalk's quarters to kill him in revenge.

During the American Revolution the British tried to build a coalition of Indians to fight against the colonists. Chief Cornstalk alone refused to join, although many members of his tribe opposed him. Chief Cornstalk, however, had come to believe that his people's survival depended on their friendly relations with the Virginians. In the spring of 1777, he visited the garrison at Point Pleasant with a small contingent of Indians, and he informed the colonials of the coalition that was forming. While the Virginians waited for reinforcements, the Indians were held as hostages. Following the killing of a white man outside the fort by other Indians, Chief Cornstalk and his men (including his son, Elinipsico) were murdered by the soldiers.

Chief Cornstalk was admired, even by his enemies, as a fine orator and courageous warrior.

Cornstalk, who is described by historians as a handsome, intelligent, and highly honorable man, stood calmly in the doorway to his room and faced his slayers. He was felled by nearly a dozen rifle shots. The soldiers then entered the room and killed Cornstalk's son and two companions. The murder of their chieftain turned the Shawnees from a neutral people into the most implacable warriors, who raided Virginia settlements for 20 years after the incident.

More detailed information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornstalk


Died:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornstalk

In the fall of 1777, Cornstalk made a diplomatic visit to Fort Randolph, an American fort at present-day Point Pleasant, seeking as always to maintain his faction's neutrality. Cornstalk was detained by the fort commander, who had decided on his own initiative to take hostage any Shawnees who fell into his hands. When, on November 10, an American militiaman from the fort was killed nearby by unknown Indians, angry soldiers brutally executed Cornstalk, his son Elinipsico, and two other Shawnees.

Hokoleskwa married Helizikinopo ca 1739. Helizikinopo was born 1715, Pennsylvania; died Aft 1809, Ohio. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Claim made by Shawnee Heritage By Don Greene. This is a fraud.

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Category:Shawnee_Heritage_Fraud

Notes:

Frederick See and his father George See were one of the early settlers of Augusta County, Virginia arriving in about 1743. Frederick built his cabin home along the Greenbrier river on what was called Muddy Creek. In 1755, war broke out between France and England and the French incited the Native Americans to make war on the back-country settlers of Virginia. Many of the settlers moved to safer areas. In 1762 the Greenbrier settlement was renewed, but it wasn't safe.

Chief Cornstalk led a party of 80 or 90 Shawnees crossed over the Ohio River and swept up the Kanawha in July 1863. They came to the Frederick See cabin in a friendly manner. The Sees welcomed them, and as it was near to mealtime they offered to share their food with the Indians. After the meal was finished, the Shawnees lounged around for a bit and rested. Suddenly they fell upon their family, killing Fredrick Michael See, his son-in-law (Littleberry Roach) and Felty Yocum, Frederick's cousin.

The women and children were taken prisoners.


Died:
Killed by Shawnee Indians in Muddy Creek Massacre.

Frederick married Catherine Vanderpool 1744, possibly Augusta Co. VA. Catherine was born 30 Jun 1725, Albany, Albany Co. NY; died 1808, Chillicothe, Ross Co. OH. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Catherine Vanderpool was involved in one of the worst Indian Massacres in early Virginia history, known as "The Muddy Creek Massacre", which occurred in Greenbrier County, Virginia on July 16, 1763. Her husband, Frederick See was killed and scalped, and she was taken captive by the Shawnee Indians with several of her children.

Several accounts of this incident show that she showed incredible bravery during her captivity, which no doubt saved the lives of Catherine and her children ["A Chronicle of the See family and their Kindred", written and compiled by Irene See Brasel (1892-1963)]

On the way to Ohio, those women and children who were unable to keep up were killed. Her grandson, the child of Margaret (See) Roach was killed. Her youngest son, John, was quite weak and Catherine feared for his life. Seeing a warrior riding their horse, Catherine indicated to him that she wanted it. When he refused, she picked up a club and attempted to knock him off the horse. About to kill her, the amused Indians prevented the warrior from doing so.

Once they reached the Shawnee settlement in what is now Ross County, OH, Catherine was called upon to run the gauntlet. Grabbing a stick she began making whirling moves
swinging the stick which pleased all the warriors greatly.

When cold weather came, there was not enough room inside for all the prisoners, so one of Catherine's sons had to sleep outside with the dogs to keep warm.

She became the 5th wife of her captor, Chief Cornstalk.

A document written by Colonel Henry Bouquet to William Penn, Governor of Pennsylvania, on November 15, 1764, stated all tribes led by Chief Cornstalk had at last agreed to release the prisoners, not only from the incident at the See home but a number of other similar incidents at other family homes on the South Branch.

Catherine and at least some of her children must have been separated during their captivity, because her youngest child, John, was adopted by a Shawnee family who had lost their son. John became very fond of his new family. When the time arrived for the Shawnee to release their prisoners, all of the See family except nine-year-old Elizabeth, were freed. Cornstalk would not agree to let her go, but kept her for nine more years during which time his son married her.

The return prisoner list included Catherine See and her children Michael, George, John, Mary, Margaret and Lois...along with Margaret, George, Elizabeth and Sally Yocum (Yoakum). John returned to the Shawnee settlement to his new family, and eventually his uncle, Michael Adam See (brother of Frederick Michael and husband of Barbara Rebecca Harness). ransomed and took him back to Hampshire County, Virginia where the rest of the See family was then living.