John Cobb

John Cobb was born 14 Jun 1858 in Leelanau county, Michigan, the son of Kaw be mway as she and mother unknown.

First found record for John is the 1861 annuity roll. Kaw-be-mway-as-she's household is listed as 1 man, 1 woman, 3 children, receiving $23.10, belonging to Chief Waw say quom's band.

1868 annuity roll - Kaw-be-mway-as-she's household is listed as 1 man, 1 woman, 3 children, receiving $79.25, belonging to Chief Waw say quom's band.

In 1870 annuity roll Kaw-be-mway-as-she's household is listed as 1 man, 1 woman, 2 children, receiving $61.20, belonging to Chief Waw-say-quom's band.

John was married to Jane Agosa. She was the daughter of John Lowrie Kesis Agosa and Theresa Bigjoe. Jane was baptised the last Sabbath of May (26 May) of 1861 by Rev. Dougherty at the Grove Hill/New Mission Church in Omena.

A son, James, was born 20 Jun 1884 (from his draft registration and death certificate) or 20 Jun 1890 (from his 1937 social security application where he gave his name as James Jugg Cobb).

The 1900 Federal Census of Leelanau Township lists John, head, born Mar 1860, age 40, married 19 years, occupation - day laborer, gives his Native name as Cobbmwaie, John, full Ottawa, taxed, lives in fixed not movable dwelling; Jane, wife, born May 1862, age 35, 5 children born, 1 child living, Native name Keysis, Jane, full Ottawa; James, son, born Jun 1883, age 16, occupation - day laborer, Native name Cobbmwaie, James, full Ottawa.

A daughter, Josephine, was born 12 Feb 1901. Sadly she died 28 Mar 1902.

1908 Durant Roll - #10 page 38. John is listed as a child of his father.
Head is Kaw-be-mway-aw-she, deah. His wife is unnamed and also dead.
Children are
1. Sarah Re-don-quot, 58, res. Northport, husb. 18-45

2. Mary Wa-an-be-minn-que, 52, res. Beaver Island
  hus. Joe Wa-an-be-minn-quem, 60 Beaver Island
  1. Sarah Wa-an-be-minn-que, 35, Beaver Island
  2. Susan Agosa, 28, Beaver Island, hus. Peter Agosa, 8-20
  3. Agnes Smith, 6, adopted, Beaver Island

3. John Cobb, 50, Omena
  Jane Agosa, 47, Omena
  1. James, 22, Beaver Island

4. Louis, 36, Omena
  Mary, 23, died 24 May 1908, 42-43, nee Sishway
  1. Alice, born 10 May 1908, died 17 May 1908

The 1910 Federal Census of Leelanau township lists John, age 50, married 30 years, speaks English, farmer on general farm; Jane, wife, 48, 7 children born, 1 living, speaks Indian; James, son, 23, speaks English, a laborer at farming. The family is full Ottawa, taxed, living on own land.

Son James registered for the WWI draft 12 Sep 1918 in Leland. He gives his birth as 20 Jun 1884, occupation as farmer, medium height and build, black hair, brown eyes. He is also listed as cross eyed.

The 1920 Federal Census has John, 59, a farmer on a general farm; Jane is 57.

With the birth of James' daughter Maryann on 21 Jul 1921 (from her death record), John and Jane became grandparents.

Son James is married 29 Sep 1921 in Omena to Carrie E. Matheius by J.M. Rogers, Clergyman. Mrs. Mary Ance and Mrs. Mary Agosa were the witnesses. The marriage was recorded at both Leelanau county, and the state of Michigan. James gives his age as 35, Carrie's age is 21.

The 1930 Federal Census for Leelanau township census has John age 71, first married at 19, born Michigan, full Ottawa, a farmer on a general farm. Jane is 68, first married at 16.

Next door is son James J., 42, married at 31, born Michigan, full Ottawa, a farmer on a general farm., wife Carrie E. is 33, married at 22; children are Maryann E., 8; Owen E.,, 6; Ivan J. 3 6/12; and Freda, 9/12.

Jane died in Leelanau township on 13 May 1932 at the age of 68. Cause of death was of heart disease. John was informant and made a couple mistakes in the info he gave. He said she was the widow of John Cobb, and when asked her mother's maiden name gave Jane's name (Jane Jisses) instead of her mother's.

Jane is buried at Hillcrest Cemetery in Omena.

The 1940 Federal Census finds John P., father, age 80, widowed, living with James, head, 55, lived in same house in 1935, farmer on a farm and James' family: wife Carrie, 40 and children Ivan, 13, Freda, 10, Willard, 7, Melvin, 5, and Alvena, 2.

Son James died in 1941.

James is buried at Hillcrest Cemetery in Omena.

John died 30 Jun 1944 in Kasson Township, Leelanau county and is buried at Hillcrest Cemetery in Omena.

...

Adrian

The Adrian Girls Training School was created in 1879 by the Michigan Legislature.

The girls, mainly ages 12 to 17, many of them orphans and runaways, were sent there by the Juvenile Division of the Probate Court of many Michigan counties. The school taught cooking, sewing, homemaking, horticulture and music.

Official attire was white dresses and bonnets. 

1940 Federal Census - Girls Training School, Adrian Township, Lenawee county

Andress, Mary Ellen, 17, b. MI, resided in 1935 - Marquette, Marquette, Michigan
Chippewa, Lorraine, 14, b. MI, resided in 1935 - unknown
Evans, Lilliam, 16, b. MI, resided in 1935 - Harbor Springs, Emmet, Michigan
Henry, Clara, Bell, 15, b. MI, resided in 1935 - Detroit, Wayne, Michigan
Nyberg, Lillian, 15, b. MI, resided in 1935 - Rural, Emmet, Michigan

Finding Aid Records of the Girls Training School - Adrian, Michigan


History of the Industrial Girls School

Good Hart School

A government school was established about 1 mile north of Middle Village in Good Hart in 1860.

Mrs. Albert Ball was the last teacher there as it was closed in 1883. Teaching school meant learning the Native language. Mrs. Ball referenced that she felt her husband was more competent than she, as so much of the language required gesture to specify and enhance the meaning.

Keeping attendance and therefore routine advancement in studies was frustratingly difficult as children hated the captivity and parents did not enforce their presence.

Mrs. Ball found that "smoke sessions" (putting a pipe full of tobacco and pencil and paper at each desk) brougth in the older boys more regularly.

The abandoned government school building later served as a general store when Lowell Lamkin moved his business there after his location burned.

[Above information provided by Jane Cardinal.]

In 1877 Good Hart's population was 100 with 3/4 being Native Americans. This little village had a school for Native American children, two stores, a Catholic church, blacksmith, doctor and post office.

The 1880 Federal Census of Redmond Township, Emmet county gives "at school" as the occupation of the following Native children:

Marion Skippergosh, 9 - daughter of Benedict and Mary Skippergosh
Francis Skippergosh, 6 - son of Benedict and Mary Skippergosh
Mary Kosequot, 12 - daughter of Joseph and Mariah Kosequot
Jane Kosequot, 8 - daughter of Joseph and Mariah Kosequot
Joanne Assinnieway, 13 - daughter of Simon and Sophia Assinnieway
Jane Assinnieway, 8 - daughter of Simon and Sophia Assinnieway
Joseph Markategin, 13 - son of Paul Markategin
Thomas Otagemake, 7 - son of Joseph and Lucy Otagemake

Nine white children also have the "at school" occupation.

Onominese School

1873 Map

The exact date that the Onominese School began is unclear. In 1856 Chief Onumumese removed from Leland to Onumunuse Ville.

From "A History of Leelanau Township", by Lawrence Wakefield, ed., page 45 "Abril and Abigail Stevens bought lots in Waukazooville in May [1856] and additional acreage later. Stevens served as Town Clerk in 1856 and represented Leelanau at the County Convention in September. He also was a teacher at the Onuminese School in 1856-1857."

From Rev. George Smith's diary "3 Oct 1856 went to Onumunese's had full & interesting meeting, appointed prayer-meeting to be conducted by Wasaequam next Friday everning. Mr. Stevens is teaching there. Staid through meeting, come home in com[pany], rode part the way."

From The American Missionary, vol. III #4, published April 1859, Rev. Geo. N. Smith writes "Half the Sabbaths of the quarter I preached at a village (Onumunese Ville) 3 miles distant, where a considerable proportion of our members reside." "A day-school is taught there by a teacher under Government appointment - he is not a professing christian."

Martin A. Melkild wrote in Log Cabin Tales of Leelanau that his parents took John Cobb "for a drive out to visit the old burial grounds at Onominese."

"Before leaving Onimonese, John Cobb pointed to where the Indian Government School building had once stood, and where as a boy he had gone to school. Nothing now remains but a scattered stone pile, or where other buildings of the village once stood. Near by was the spring which still flowed from its clay bank, its clear cool waters the only reminder of a past habitation of Onominese."

John Cobb was born about 1858 and died in 1944. His age matches attending the school that Rev. Smith wrote about.

Larry Wakefield in his book Ghost Towns of Michigan writes "The school opened in 1865, and Ann Craker Morgan, whose husband had died in the Civil war, applied for and got the teaching job. From what her then eight-year old son, Norman, later wrote about it, one gathers that it wasn't althogether a pleasant experience.

"The experience and suffering that we endured in getting over there was one of the hardest trips I ever made through the woods. The location was about 3 miles southwest of Northport. There was not ever the semblance of a road. A fee blazed trees marked the trail, but seemed as though those who did the blazing picked out the roughest ground they could find."

When they got there, Norman wrote, they were in almost as deep woods as those they had passed through.

"But Old Lake Michigan was on one side of us and the house was locate on the edge of the bank, which was nearly two hundred feet about the water and the bank was nearly perpendicular. Of all the wild places to try to exist, I don't believe a worse one could be found."

 Ann Morgan taught there for two years, until loneliness and isolation finally got her down. She had about twenty Indian pupils, ranging from seven to seventeen as near as anybody could tell. 

Arvid H. Craker wrote in Zechariah Craker and all his Children  [When Rev. Dougherty's school closed in 1865] "Ann was left without a job, but she had heard of a teaching job available in a small Indian settlement about three miles southwest of the village of Northport. She applied and was accepted. Ann had no idea of the remoteness of the place when she accepted the job. The trip getting there was a very difficult one, there was no road cut and only an Indian trail to follow. When she and Norman finally arrived they found no village. There were no other buildings in sight; only a bleak, desolate school house - - very small and not very comforting. The building sat very near a high, steep bluff about 200 feet above the roar of the waves on Lake Michigan. The school house had three rooms connected to it for living quarters, and though they were very small Ann and Norman soon moved in to make the best of it. She opened the school the following Monday by ringing the bell. A few Indian children came from all directions out of the surrounding woods. These Indian children were far less advanced than those she had been teaching at Omena and she found that she didn't need to study at all herself. She taught them slowly and patiently. They kept coming until she had about twenty regular pupils to teach. Rev. George N. Smith, the Indian Missionary and Congregational minister at Northport, came to the village called Onumunese, almost every other Sunday to hold religious services in the school house. Ann's signature is left on a few marriage certificates as a witness to the ceremonies performed there by Rev. Smith. The visits of Rev. Smith and his family were about the only chance she and Norman had to see other white people. Occasionally they saw people from the J. W. Ranger farm which was about one and a half miles from the school building.

After living there alone for one year, Ann invited Esther Ranger, an old maid, to come and live with them. The sound of her carpet loom in one of the rooms was comforting for both Ann and Norman during the second year at Onumunese. But in 1867 she decided not to return and made plans to stay in the village of Northport."

Picture from the Ruth Craker collection, Omena.

From the diaries of Rev. George N. Smith:

5 July 1868 - Wasaequam suggests that Seddie Powers start teaching at OnVille.

7 July - Took Seddie & her things over to OnVille - Willie with her - She expects to begin School tomorrow.

2 Oct - Seddie closed 1 quarter School

5 Oct - Freemont [ship] came 7 AM to UD & left 9 AM Annie [Rev. Smith's daughter] & Seddie went on her, Seddie is going home, Annie is going with her to visit

[Seddie Powers married George N. Smith Jr. on 23 Dec 1868 and didn't go back to teaching.]

13 Oct 1868 Mr Ranger is employed to teach at the school in OnVille.

It is unknown who the students other than John Cobb were, who the other teachers were, or when the school closed.

Kaw-be-mway-aw-she / Cobb

Kaw-be-mway-aw-she and Charlotte had a daughter, Sarah on 10 May 1854 (from her death record). Another daughter, Mary, was born a few years later. More children may have been born but didn't survive. Charlotte is called Charlotte Shomoney on Mary's second marriage and Charlotte Pabo on Louis' death certificate.

The first record found for Kaw-be-mway-aw-she is the 1858 annuity roll. A member of Chief Waw-say-quom's band  Kaw-be-mway-nay-aw-she's  family consists of one male, one female, and two children. He receives $16.84

A son, John, was born 14 Jun 1858 (after the above annuity roll.)

In the 1861 annuity roll Kaw-be-mway-as-she's household is listed as 1 male, 1 female, 3 children, receiving $23.10, belonging to Chief Waw say quom's band.


In the 1865 annuity roll Kaw-be-mway-aw-she's family now consists of one male, one female and four children, receiving $24.00 - Chief Waw say quom's band [There is now an additional, unknown child, born before 1865.]

In 1868 Kaw-be-mway-aw-she has one male, one female, three children. He receives $79.25 - Chief Waw say quom's band [The children would be Sarah, Mary and John. Unknown child is no longer listed.]

In the 1870 annuity roll Kaw-be-mway-aw-she has one male, one female, two children, receiving $61.20 He is still a member of Chief Waw-say-quom's band. [Children are Mary and John. Daughter Sarah was listed with husband Joseph Pedonquot on the 1870 roll.]

The 1870 Federal Census for Kaw-be-mway-as-she has not been found.

On 26 Jun 1872, Jno Kaw be mway way as she received the patent to land in T31N R11W (Leelanau township, Leelanau county) consisting of 40 acres in NE 1/4 of NE 1/4 of section 5 and 40 acres in the NW 1/4 of SE 1/4 of section 17. Note that the two locations are not adjoining. [This is different than the listing of land chosen by him under the 1855 treaty which had John receiving the NE 1/4 NE 1/4 of section 8 (60.2 acres) and the SE 1/4 of the NE 1/4 of section 17 (40 acres), which are adjoining lots.]

On 22 Feb 1875 son Louis is born. Date is from his death certificate which also names his mother as Charlette Pabo. On both of his marriages Louis said his mother was unknown/dead. As Louis is born later than the others, it is unknown if his mother would have also been the mother of the older children, or is a second wife of John's.

The 1894 Michigan State Census, Leland township, Leelanau county, lists John Copp, 65, married, farmer with wife Mary, 60, married, 2 children born, 2 children living. [These are Mary's children and not John's.]

The 1900 Federal Census has John living in Leland township. He is 70, born Feb 1830, married, a farmer on a farm he owns with no mortgage. With him are wife Mary, born Mar 1835, 65, 9 children born, 1 child living; Louis, son, born Feb 1876, 24, farmer; Nancy, adopted, born Oct 1890, 9; and William, step-son, born Mar 1878, 28, farm laborer.

John Cobb died 14 Jun 1906 in Leland township at the given age of 78. His parents are unknown. No informant is given, but undertaker is John Cobb Jr of Gills Pier. Burial is at Gills Pier. Cause of death is peritonitis caused by being kicked by a horse.

The field notes for the Durant roll list #10 page 38:
Kaw-be-mway-aw-she, dead. His wife is unnamed and also dead.

1. Sarah Pe-don-quot, 58, res. Northport, husb. 18-45

2. Mary Wa-an-be-minn-que, 52, res. Beaver Island
   hus. Joe Wa-an-be-minn-quem 60, Beaver Island
   1. Sarah Wa-an-be-minn-que, 35, Beaver Island
   2. Susan Agosa, 28, Beaver Island
        hus. Peter Agosa, 8-20
   3. Agnes Smith, 6, adopted, Beaver Island

3. John Cobb, 50 Omena
    Jane Agosa, 47, Omena
    1. James, 22, Beaver Island

4. Louis, 36, Omena
    Mary, 23, died 24 May 1908, 42-43, nee Sishway
    1. Alice, born 10 May 1908 died 17 May 1908

Marie Cobb, (possible wife of John, not listed in Durant field notes) died 25 Aug 1909. She is listed as 78, daughter of Nockwaygezick. She had 5 children, 1 living. Informant and undertaker is John Big Joe, and she is buried at Gills Pier.

Craker School

Unnamed students at the Craker-Brown School - ca 1913 - nearest school to Aghosatown.

The Craker school was built in 1860 at the southwest corner of Overlook and Davis Roads. Unfortunately there is no trace of it today. It is referred to as the Brown School because it was built on land once owned by G. Brown.

The Grand Traverse Herald of 24 Dec 1912 tells of Amelia Miller finishing her fall term at teacher.

"We had a country school in those days located on the south-west corner of the crossroad north of where your folks live. The site is now covered with brush. Both my sister and I went to that school. There was about 15 white and about the same number of Indians. I grew up with them. They were Chippewas and I learned their language fairly well. We played together at school and I went fishing and hunting with them. I played baseball on their team in Omena. I even had a little Indian girl friend when I was about 8 years old. Her name was Anna Neongaby. They were my friends and I was one of theirs. Basically they were honest. It usually was the whites that made them otherwise."  (Letter from Russ Scott to Amanda Stewart 1984 - printed in Omena Historical Society Timelines, vol. 5 #2 - Fall 2009).