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Ioway Cultural Institute : History :
People



Chief White Cloud
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James White Cloud

From the Brown County Genealogical Society newsletter. Original URL is defunct.

James White Cloud "The-gro-wo-nung" was born May 15, 1840 near the sight of the Iowa Indian Mission east of Highland and died July 16, 1940 at his home near White Cloud.

He attended the Iowa Mission school at Highland and received a "fair education" according to George Nuzum's 1906 biography of the Iowa Indians of Kansas & Nebraska.

He fought with the Union Army in the Civil War, served as a Scout for Company C 14th Kan. Cavalry. He killed several men when the Union repealed Quantrill's raid at Lawrence.

The town of White Cloud was named after his father, Chief Frank White Cloud (the Younger "Ma-Has Kah") who was killed by an arrow in a fight with the Pawnee Indians in 1856 (another source states Dec. 17, 1851).

His mother, Mary Many Days Robidoux was a daughter of Joseph Robidoux, founder of St. Joseph, MO and an Iowa Indian woman.

James White Cloud served as Chief of the Iowa Indian Nation from 1865 till his death in 1940. One of his prized possessions was a bear claw necklace that had been in the Iowa tribe for many years.

He was introduced to President Roosevelt while attending a Civil War reunion at Gettysburg in 1938.

On Feb. 28, 1867, White Cloud married "Wy-to-hum-gra-mee" (Pumpkin vine), full blooded Iowa Indian woman, married Indian Custom.

She was born about 1848 and died Aug. 1914. Her father was Sho-tom-he and her mother, Daw-ya-ma-mee. She could not read or write and only spoke her native language. In later years she was known as Grandma Louise White Cloud.

To this union was born two sons, Lewis White Cloud and Thomas White Cloud, who died when he was two years old.

Second marriage was to Lydia Dorian, an Iowa woman, married her Indian Custom, about 1874, lived with her about one year, one child was born to this union, but died when very small. During the time Jim lived with Lydia he had his first wife, and both women lived in the same house. Lydia separated Indian divorce, in 1875.

Third marriage was to Sallie Dorian, a Sac Indian woman, married her Indian Custom about 1875, to this union the following children were born, Emma (White Cloud) Little Crow and Joseph White Cloud. He lived with this Sac woman some seven or eight years, separated, Indian divorce, about 1883.

Fourth marriage was to Josie Dorian, a Ty. Iowa Indian woman, married her in 1884, Indian Costume. To this union one child was born, died in infancy. He lived with her about one year, separated Indian divorce about 1885.

The old Indian rule was for a man to have as many wives as he could support.

James was allocated 160 acres of land in northeast Brown County on the Iowa Reservation, 100 acres of it was in cultivation. He had a three room house, small barn, well, and other outbuildings on his allotment, and a bark house, the only one on the Iowa reservation.

James and Louise White Cloud were buried Tesson cemetery, near the northeast corner of Brown County. The Tesson cemetery was so named for Joseph Tesson, brother-in law of James White Cloud.

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