Anna Tabasash 1876-1927

 

Anna Tabasash was born 5 Apr 1876 in Charlevoix, Michigan, the daughter of Joseph Tabasash and Mary Shawagonada.

1880 Federal Census - Hayes, Charlevoix, Michigan

Tabasash, Joseph, 57, farming

Mary, 43, wife, keeping house

David, 22, son, laborer

William, 21, son, laborer

Mary Ann, 18, daughter, doing housework

Jane, 16, daughter, doing housework

Daniel, 13, son, at home

Charles, 11, son, at home

Simon, 8, son, at home

Annie, 4, daughter, at home

Brother Daniel died 10 Jun 1884 in Charlevoix. His age was given as 28 years, 6 months.

Anna attended school at Carlisle Indian Industrial School, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, arriving 15 Aug 1889, leaving 21 Jun 1894.

Sister Jane married John Bigjoe on 7 Sep 1890 in Leelanau, Michigan

Anna left the Carlisle school on 15 Jun 1894

On 23 Feb 1895 Anna, 19,  married Frank Kewagoshkum, 22, in Charlevoix, Charlevoix, Michigan. Frank was the son of Louis Kewagoshkum and Susan Salquish.

Son Edward was born 23 Apr 1896. [From draft registration]

Anna married Richard Boulton about 1900. [Record not found].

Daughter Ida was born 14 Mar 1900 in Charlevoix [from her death record, which also gives her age at death as 7 years 2 months, 14 days, which calculates to 2 Nov 1900. But she was listed as born Mar 1899 in the 1900 census].

1900 Federal Census - Hayes township, Charlevoix [Census taker spells Boulton as Baldwin for Anna and Richard, as Barret for Edward and Ida]

Tabasash, Joseph, born 1830, age 70

" Mary, wife, born 1833, age 67, 9 children born, 4 children living

" William, son, born Apr 1859, age 41, day laborer

" Soliman, son, born Apr 1873, age 27, day laborer

Baldwin, Anna, daughter, born Mar 1876, age 24, married 0 years, 2 children born, 2 children living

Barret, Edward, grandson, born Apr 1895, age 5

Barret, Ida, granddaughter, born Mar 1899, age 1

Baldwin, Richard, son-in-law, born Mar 1867, age 33, married 0 years, day laborer.

Daughter Prudence was born 12 Sep 1901 (from her death record).

Daughter Deliah was born 23 Dec 1902 in Charlevoix. Sadly she died 16 Sep 1903 in Charlevoix.

Son Richard Jr. was born about 1904

Mother Mary died 15 Jun 1904 in Hayes township, Charlevoix of old age. Her birth was given as 31 May 1827, age 77 years, 15 days, the daughter of John Shawaneba and Theresa Agache. Informant was son William, who gave her age at first marriage as 30. She was the mother of 13 children, 5 living. Burial was at Susan Lake Cemetery.

Daughter Laura E. was born about 1907

Son Edward Topsaw was enrolled at Mt. Pleasant Indian Industrial Boarding School 1 Sep 1907 for 3 years.

Daughters Ida and  Prudence were enrolled at Mt. Pleasant School 1 Sep 1907 for 3 years.

Daughter Ida died 16 Jan 1908 in Mt. Pleasant, Isabella, Michigan. Her age was given as 7 years, 2 months, 14 days. Cause was Tb.

Mt. Pleasant School Register - Prudence 1908

1908 Durant Field Notes line 6 page 23

Taw-baw-sosh or Joseph Taw-baw-sosh, 81, Charlevoix; wife dead

child 1 - William Tabasash, age 47, Charlevoix, single, no children

child 2 - Mary Ann Kew-a-gish-kon or Mary Ann Tabasosh, 45, Charlevoix; husband dead

    William Kew-was-cush-ean or William Mitchell, 22, Charlevoix

    Thomas Mitchell, 10, Charlevoix

child 3 - Jane Oliver, 43, Charlevoix; husband Joe Oliver Jr, 38, no children

child 4 - Solomon Tabasosh, 36, Charlevoix, separated from Jane Tabasosh, nee Quonga or Pequonga, 34, Bay Shore, daughter of Peter Shedonquot.

    Pete Wahbaose, 16, Mt. Pleasant School

child 5 - Annie Boulton, 33, Charlevoix; husband Richard Boulton, 42, mother said to be an Ottwaw, father a white man, Indians say he is a Canadian Indian, do not enroll without further evidence, Durant.

    Edward Boulton, 12, Mt. Pleasant School

    Ida Boulton,9, Mt. Pleasant School, died 18 Jan 1908

    Prudence Boulton, 8, Mt. Pleasant School

    Richard Boulton, 4, Charlevoix

    Laura Boulton, 2, Charlevoix

Central Michigan Times published this letter to Santa from Prudence, dated 15 Dec 1908

Son Alexander J. was born 1909

Mt. Pleasant school register -1910 - Edward Topsaw, Prudence Boulton.

1910 Federal Census - Evangeline township, Charlevoix

Boulton, Richard, 47, married twice, married 10 years, laborer, wood cutter

Anna, 34, married twice, married 10 years, 5 children born, 4 children living, went to Carlisle school

Richard Jr., 6

Laura E., 3

Alexander J., 1

Isaac, Thomas, cousin, 34, laborer, wood cutter.

Daughter Rosetta was said to be born Nov 1912 [from 1920 census.].

Daughter Leona was said to be born in May 1915 [from 1920 census].

Father Joseph died 20 Dec 1915 in Resort township, Emmet county. Birth was given as 15 Mar 1824, age as 91 years, 9 months, 6 days. Cause was old age. "He had dinner. Found dead in morning." 

Sister Mary Ann married Dan Mitchell on 27 Apr 1916 in Charlevoix

5 Jun 1917 son Edward registered for the draft in Otsego county.

.

Anna's family was written about by Ernest Hemingway in his "Nick Adams" stories

From The Doctor and the Doctor's Wife:

"Dick Boulton came from the Indian camp to cut up logs for Nick’s father. He brought his son Eddy and another Indian named Billy Tabeshaw with him. They came in through the back gate out of the woods, Eddy carrying the long cross-cut saw. It flopped over his shoulder and made a musical sound as he walked. Billy Tabeshaw carried two big canthooks. Dick had three axes under his arm."

[Dick argues with the doctor.]

"Dick Boulton looked at the doctor. Dick was a big man. He knew how big a man he was. He

liked to get into fights. He was happy. Eddy and Billy Tabeshaw leaned on their cant-hooks and

looked at the doctor. The doctor chewed the beard on his lower lip and looked at Dick Boulton. Then he turned away and walked up the hill to the cottage. They could see from his back how angry he was. They all watched him walk up the hill and go inside the cottage."

"Dick said something in Ojibway. Eddy laughed but Billy Tabeshaw looked very serious. He did

not understand English but he had sweat all the time the row was going on. He was fat with only a few hairs of mustache like a Chinaman. He picked up the two cant-hooks. Dick picked up the axes and Eddy took the saw down from the tree. They started off and walked up past the cottage and out the back gate into the woods. Dick left the gate open. Billy Tabeshaw went back and fastened it. They were gone through the woods."

[The doctor tells his wife he got into an argument with Dick.]

"Well, Dick owes me a lot of money for pulling his squaw through pneumonia and I guess he

wanted a row so he wouldn’t have to take it out in work."

[Does this story tell us that Anna had been sick?]

From Ten Indians

“Have you got an Indian girl, Nickie?” Joe asked.

“No.”

“He has too, Pa,” Frank said. “Prudence Mitchell’s his girl.”

“She’s not.”

“He goes to see her every day.”

“I don’t.” Nick, sitting between the two boys in the dark, felt hollow and happy inside himself to

be teased about Prudence Mitchell. “She ain’t my girl,” he said.

“Listen to him,” said Carl. “I see them together every day.”

His father sat watching Nick eat the pie.

“What did you do this afternoon?” Nick asked.

“I went for a walk up by the Indian camp.”

“Did you see anybody?”

“The Indians were all in town getting drunk.”

“Didn’t you see anybody at all?”

“I saw your friend, Prudie.”

“Where was she?”

“She was in the woods with Frank Washburn. I ran onto them. They were having quite a time.”

His father was not looking at him.

“What were they doing?”

“I didn’t stay to find out.”

“Tell me what they were doing.”

“I don’t know,” his father said. “I just heard them threshing around.”

“How did you know it was them?”

“I saw them.”

“I thought you said you didn’t see them.”

“Oh, yes, I saw them.”

“Who was it with her?” Nick asked.

“Frank Washburn.”

“Were they—were they—”

“Were they what?”

“Were they happy?”

“I guess so.”

His father got up from the table and went out the kitchen screen door. When he came back Nick

was looking at his plate. He had been crying.

His father cleared off the table.

“Where were they in the woods?” Nick asked.

“Up back of the camp.” Nick looked at his plate. His father said, “You better go to bed, Nick.”

“All right.”

Nick went into his room, undressed, and got into bed. He heard his father moving around in the

living room. Nick lay in the bed with his face in the pillow.

“My heart’s broken,” he thought. “If I feel this way my heart must be broken.”

[Prudence is said to be Prudence Boulton.]

If it is true the Ernest Hemingway did the things he wrote about, it is possible he got his heart broken by Prudence.

Anna divorced Richard Boulton, date unknown. [From notation on her marriage to William Boak.]

Anna married William Boak on 13 Aug 1917 in Charlevoix.

Mt. Pleasant school register - 1917-1918; Richard, age 13, enrolled 3 Oct 1917; Alexander, age 9, enrolled 19 Apr 1918; Laura, age 11, enrolled 19 Apr 1918.

Mt. Pleasant school register - 1918-1919; Richard, age 14,  Alexander, age 10, Laura age 11.

Daughter Prudence died 15 Feb 1918 in Charlevoix. Her birth was given as 12 Sep 1911, but her age as 16 years, 5 months, 3 days, which calculates to 12 Sep 1901. Cause was strychnine poisoning. Informant was Anna.

Prudence was buried at Greensky Hill cemetery.

Son Harry was born Nov 1919.

Mt. Pleasant school register - Richard, Alex and Laura 1919-1920

Mt. Pleasant school register -  Alex 1920-21

1920 Federal Census - 215 Hurlburt, Charlevoix, Charlevoix, Michigan, taken 3 Jan.

Boak, William, 50, wheelsman on steamboat

Anna, wife, 43

Harry, son, 7/12

Bolton, Laura, stepdaughter, 13

Bolton, Rosetta, stepdaughter, 7 10/12

Bolton, Leona, stepdaughter, 4 8/12

1920 Federal Census - Gaylord, Otsego, Michigan

Edward Bolton, 28, boarder, laborer in the woods.

Daughter Laura, 16, was married, with her mother's consent, on 3 Jun 1922 in Charlevoix to Jack Peters, 26, son of Peter Peters and Lucy Beaver. Ceremony was performed by Harry R. E. Duant, Methodist minister. Her mother Anna and stepfather William Boak were witnesses.

Mt. Pleasant school register - Alex 1922-23 

Mt. Pleasant school register - Alex 1923-24

Sister Mary Ann Mitchell died 12 Mar 1924 in Petoskey

Daughter Leona was enrolled at Mt. Pleasant Indian School on 19 Sep 1927

Anna died 16 Nov 1927 in Charlevoix. Her parents were given as Joseph Tabashaw and Mary Shawagonada.

Anna was buried at Greensky Hill cemetery. 

Mt. Pleasant school register - Leona, age 13, 1928-29

Mt. Pleasant school register - Leona 1929-30, notion says she graduated 3 Jun 1930.

Brother William died 13 Apr 1930 in Charlevoix

His death notice was published in the Charlevoix Sentinel.

1930 Federal Census - 206 Antrim Street, Charlevoix, Michigan

Rosetta Boulton, 18, was listed as a waitress at a hotel owned by Cora E. Noble.

Daughter Rosetta married Beverly Bugg on 28 Jul 1931

Sister Jennie Bigjoe died 20 Jun 1934 in Charlevoix.

Son Alexander married Mary McSawby 5 Sep 1936 in Charlevoix.

Daughter Leona, 21, married Kenneth D. Salisbury, 25, son of Claude V. Salisbury and Priscilla Humphrey on 6 Feb 1937 in Hale, Iosco, Michigan.

The Petoskey Evening News of 18 Jan 1939 tells of Harry Boak being a boxer.

1940 Federal Census - City of Charlevoix, taken 3 May 1940

Alexander Boulton, 28

Mary, wife, 22

Richard, son, 2

Dianna, daughter, 4/12

1940 Federal Census - Charlevoix, Michigan

Bugg, Beverly J., head, 33, commercial fisherman

Rosetta A., wife, 28

Beverly J., Jr., son, 8

Charles R., son,5

Roseann E., daughter, 3

Everett D., son, 9/12

Boak, Harry L., lodger, 20, laborer in the building trades.

Son Harry was arrested according to the Emmet County Graphic of 18 Jul 1940.

Petoskey Evening News 10 Sep 1940

The Petoskey Evening News of 17 Sep 1940 tells of Harry's being acquitted.

Son Harry registered for the draft in Charlevoix on 16 Oct 1940

Son Harry enlisted in the U.S. Army on 15 Apr 1942

On 17 Sep 1945 Harry returned from San Fernando, Luzon, Philippines.

Harry was discharged from the army on 10 Dec 1945.

Son Edward registered for the draft on 26 Apr 1942 in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Son Alexander died prior to his widow's (Mary McSawby) marriage to Archie Washegesic on 1 Nov 1947.

The Petoskey News-Review printed a picture of Harry on 28 Jun 1961.

Son Edward died 17 Mar 1962 in Hennepin, Minnesota and was buried at the Fort Snelling National Cemetery.

On 16 Aug 1966, the Petoskey News-Review told of Harry being paroled and charges lowered for his involement in the death of Julius Wasageshik.

Son Harry died 9 Jun 1993 and was buried at the Fort Custer National Cemetery in Augusta, Kalamazoo.

Copyright (c) 2021 Vicki Wilson