BIOGRAPHIES OF PAST GREAT SACHEMS OF KENTUCKY.
* * * * *
=PAST GREAT SACHEM THOMAS ALDEN HORNSEY.=
1874.
Thomas Alden Hornsey was a native of New York State, and on his
grandfather's side was of colonial stock, being a lineal descendant of
John Alden and Priscilla, and was a member of the John Alden Society,
the motto of which was, "Why don't you speak for yourself, John?"
His grandmother was a full-blooded Indian, of the Mohawk Tribe. For
many years he conducted a unique business in Lexington under the sign
of the "Wun Hos Hardwair Stor." Brother Hornsey became a charter
member of Osceola Tribe, No. 8, at its institution in Lexington in
1866, and was its first Senior Sagamore, succeeding to the stump of
Sachem at the next election. He was admitted to the Great Council
of Kentucky in 1873, and was at that time elected Prophet, it not
then being necessary that one be a Past Great Sachem to be eligible
to that stump. The following Great Sun he was chosen Great Sachem,
and performed the duties of that chieftaincy with marked ability.
Shortly after the expiration of his term, his Tribe, Osceola, No. 8,
became defunct, but before its demise he asked for and was granted a
withdrawal card. Twenty years later, at the institution of Miantonomo
Tribe, No. 1, he became a charter member by depositing his card, and
his honors gained in the old Great Council were recognized. He was
a charter member of the present Great Council and was twice raised
to the stump of Great Prophet of that great body, thus having the
distinction of having served three terms as Great Prophet. No Red Man
was held in greater veneration in this Reservation, and when the Great
Spirit called him on the 12th of Beaver Moon, G. S. D. 413, the Order
lost one of its most valued counselors and the members of his Tribe a
true brother, who never wearied in well doing.
[Illustration: THOMAS ALFRED DAVIS]
=PAST GREAT SACHEM THOMAS ALFRED DAVIS=
1875
Brother Davis was born in Maysville, Ky., January 17, 1840, and was
educated in the public schools of that city, with one term in the old
Maysville Seminary, leaving that institution at the age of fourteen.
He learned the printing business in Louisville and Memphis, Tenn.,
from 1855 to 1858, when he went to Philadelphia, where he enlisted
in 1861 in the famous Pennsylvania Reserve Corps, from which he was
discharged for disability. Subsequently he became war correspondent
with the Army of the Potomac for the Philadelphia "Enquirer." Later he
rejoined the army as private in Company L, 20th Pennsylvania Cavalry,
serving under General Sheridan, and was mustered out in 1865, then
being adjutant of that regiment. He returned to Maysville in 1866,
where he founded the Maysville Republican, which later became the
Daily Public Ledger, which publication he edited for forty-two years.
At the institution of Wyandotte Tribe, No. 16, in 1871, he became a
charter member, and was immediately elected Sachem. He was admitted
to the Great Council of Kentucky in 1874 and was elected Great Sachem
in 1875. Unfortunately, his Tribe surrendered its charter before the
expiration of his term, and though he did not transfer his membership
to another Tribe, he ranked as a Past Great Sachem of the old Great
Council. At the institution of the present Wyandotte Tribe, No. 3,
he became a charter member, and his honors were recognized. He was
admitted to the present Great Council in G. S. D. 412 (1903).
Brother Davis was Postmaster of Maysville under the Harrison
administration, 1891-5, and is now State Labor Inspector for Kentucky.
Besides his affiliation with the Red Men, he is a valued member of
the Masonic Orders, Knights of Pythias, Odd Fellows, G. A. R., Elks,
Maccabees, etc.
=PAST GREAT SACHEM J. HULL DAVIDSON=
1895
Brother Davidson was a native of Lexington, and was interested in
many merchantile enterprises. At the time of the renaissance of
Redmanship in Kentucky he was proprietor of a daily newspaper called
the "Argonaut." He was a charter member of Winona Tribe, No. 4, which
was instituted in Hot Moon, G. S. D., 404, and was its first Sachem,
which stump he filled with marked ability, and with such zeal, that
at the institution of the Great Council of Kentucky he was selected
as its first Great Prophet, retiring at the end of his term as Past
Great Sachem. Shortly afterward Brother Davidson moved from Lexington
to embark in the hotel business in New York City, where he is at the
present time. Unfortunately for him and for the Order, his interest
waned, and when Winona Tribe consolidated with No. 1, he not being
present, lost his membership.
=PAST GREAT SACHEM JOHN B. MENDENHALL=
1895-6
Nothing is known of the nativity of John B. Mendenhall. During
the summer of 1894 he came to Lexington and occupied the position
of operator with the Postal Telegraph Company. Several great suns
previous he had been adopted into Ninegret Tribe, of Connecticut, and
there received the degrees. Shortly after arriving at Lexington he
was appointed Deputy Great Incohonee for the Reservation of Kentucky
by Andrew H. Paton, of Massachusetts, Great Incohonee of the Great
Council of the United States, the hope being that there might be
a Renaissance in Redmanship in "the dark and bloody ground." The
hope was fully realized. Mendenhall was an organizer, and with the
assistance of several local palefaces he soon had a petition for a
charter for Miantonomo Tribe, No. 1, bearing 121 accepted signatures.
The Tribe was instituted on the sleep of the 5th of Hunting Moon, G.
S. D. 403, by Great Incohonee Paton. During the ensuing great sun
seven other Council Brands were lighted, and pursuant to Deputy Great
Incohonee Mendenhall's call the Past Sachems of the nine Tribes then
in Kentucky assembled in Lexington on the 27th of Hunting Moon, G. S.
D. 404, and the Great Council of Kentucky was instituted, Mendenhall
being chosen as its first Great Sachem. He served his term as Great
Sachem and was elected Great Prophet and Great Representative to the
Great Council of the United States, but before the lighting of the
council brand of that Great Council in the Corn Moon following, he was
tried on charges in Paughcaughnaughsinque Tribe, No. 6, of Augusta, to
which Tribe he had transferred his membership, preferred by Tribes he
had instituted at Louisville for obtaining wampum from the said Tribes
fraudulently and under false pretenses, and being found guilty, was
expelled from the Order. He soon after left the Reservation, and his
whereabouts at the present time are unknown.
[Illustration: JAMES R. McCONNELL]
=PAST GREAT SACHEM JAMES R. McCONNELL=
1896-7
James R. McConnell came to this country when about ten years of age,
having been born in Belfast, Ireland, April 3, 1847. He received a
common school education and taught for several terms. With his brother
he was engaged in the dry goods business for several years in Aurora,
Indiana, where he resided for many years, returning to Aurora in 1890,
since when he has been living upon the farm where his wife was born.
Brother McConnell was a noted ritualist in Masonry, and while in
Lexington was elected Master of Lexington Lodge, No. 1, and at about
the time of the Renaissance of Redmanship in this Reservation. When
Mendenhall began his canvass for charter members of Miantonomo Tribe,
No. 1, Brother McConnell was one of the first approached, and the
lending of his name and influence to the movement assisted in no
small degree in the establishment of the Order in Kentucky. At the
institution of Tribe No. 1 he was elected its first Senior Sagamore,
and succeeded to the stump of Sachem one month later, the Tribe having
been instituted on the 5th of Cold Moon, G. S. D. 403, just prior to
the close of the term.
A charter member of the Great Council, he was elected its first
Great Senior Sagamore, and was raised to the stump of Great Sachem
at the second session of the Great Council, held at Augusta in 1896,
and was the first Great Sachem to serve a full great sun. During his
administration several new Tribes were added to the roster of the
Great Council, and he visited nearly every Tribe in the Reservation.
At the expiration of his term as Sachem, he was elected Great Prophet,
and served in that capacity the full term, and afterwards served upon
several important committees, attending every Great Council until his
removal to Indiana. He is now a member of Walla Walla Tribe, No. 229,
of Aurora, Indiana, and ranking as a Past Great Sachem in the Great
Council of that Reservation.
[Illustration: WILLIAM EDWIN FITE]
=PAST GREAT SACHEM WILLIAM EDWIN FITE=
1897-8
Brother Fite was born October 20, 1867, near Rome, Adams County,
Ohio. He was educated in the public schools and at the National
Normal University, Lebanon, Ohio. His early life was spent on the
farm. He has been a teacher of much ability, and has been principal
of schools at Wheelersburg and Bethel, Ohio. He was granted a State
Life Certificate by the Ohio Board of School Examiners in 1890; was
employed as Superintendent of Schools of Augusta, Kentucky, in 1893,
and was granted State Certificate in Kentucky in 1894. Was principal
of Minerva Male and Female Academy 1896-1898, when he gave up teaching
to enter the insurance business, in which he has been engaged to the
present time.
Brother Fite was a charter member of Rising Sun Tribe, No. 161, of
Bethel, Ohio, instituted in May, 1893, in which Tribe he gained the
honors of a Past Sachem. While engaged at teaching in Augusta he
assisted at the institution of Paughcaughnaughsinque Tribe, No. 6,
and became a charter member of that Tribe, aiding materially in its
progress. He was a charter member of the Great Council of Kentucky
and was elected its first Great Junior Sagamore, succeeding as Great
Senior Sagamore, and was elected Great Sachem at Ashland, serving
the Great Council with distinction, and at the close of his term was
elected Great Prophet. Having moved from the Reservation before the
expiration of his term in the latter chieftaincy, he was succeeded by
Past Great Sachem Thos. A. Hornsey. He was a member of the Committee
on Laws which formulated the first code adopted by the Great Council,
and served at times on various other important committees. He was
appointed by Great Sachem Winter as a Special Deputy for the purpose
of visiting various Tribes in the Reservation, and through his
instrumentality many weak Tribes were made strong and placed upon the
highway to success.
Brother Fite now resides in Jackson, Ohio, and is engaged in the
insurance business. He is an active member in the Knights of Pythias,
Odd Fellows, Masons, as well as the Improved Order of Red Men.
[Illustration: JOHN ISAAC WINTER]
=PAST GREAT SACHEM JOHN ISAAC WINTER=
1898-9
John Isaac Winter was born at Germantown, Bracken County, Kentucky,
February 20, 1870, and was educated at the Bracken Academy, Augusta.
At the early age of sixteen he entered business in that city, at which
he was successful, and continued there until December, 1897, when he
moved to Maysville, Kentucky, where he opened up one of the largest
furniture stores in the State, known as "The White Palace," which he
continues to conduct with marked success.
Brother Winter was made a Red Man at the institution of
Paughcaughnaughsinque Tribe, No. 6, at Augusta, and was its first
Sachem, filling that stump with distinguished ability, and to his
energy and zeal is due in a large measure the firm establishment of
that Tribe at its inception. As a ritualist he excelled, and one who
has ever seen "John Ike," as he is familiarly called, as Sachem in the
Adoption Degree will never forget it. He was a charter member of the
Great Council of Kentucky and a moving spirit at its founding, being
appointed its first Great Sannap, succeeding as Great Junior Sagamore,
Great Senior Sagamore, and was elected Great Sachem at Winchester in
1898.
Much constructive work was accomplished during his administration,
the "newness" of things having somewhat disappeared, the superficial
giving place to the real, and the actual foundation was laid for the
solid structure afterwards erected.
He is actively identified with the Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias,
Elks, the Blue Lodge, Chapter and Commandery in Masonry, a deacon
in the Central Presbyterian Church of Maysville, and is actively
interested in church work.
[Illustration: W. C. DIEDERICH]
=PAST GREAT SACHEM W. C. DIEDERICH.=
1899-1900
W. C. Diederich was born in Old Hanover, Germany, November 26, 1849.
At an early age he came to this country and was educated in the common
schools. He was adopted into the Improved Order of Red Men in Huron
Tribe, No. 19, of Ashland, which Tribe he served as Sachem, having
been one of its promoters and most enthusiastic members.
Brother Diederich was a charter member of the Great Council of
Kentucky, and having been previously admitted to the Great Council
of Ohio, was appointed by the Great Incohonee as Great Guard of the
Wigwam. He served as a member of the first Committee on Law and
Usage, was appointed Great Michinewa by Great Sachem McConnell, at
Augusta in 1896, and at the third session of the Great Council, held
in the wigwam of his own Tribe at Ashland, in 1897, he was elected
Great Junior Sagamore, succeeding as Great Senior Sagamore in 1898,
and at Louisville, in 1899, he was elected Great Sachem. During his
administration the first great increase in the number of Tribes was
brought about, he having appointed as Organizer J. B. VanZandt, who
was successful in getting Tribes, though for some reason but few
Tribes instituted by him are alive and working at this day. Brother
Diederich was at one time claimed to be accountable for the misdeeds
of his deputy, but upon investigation it was clearly shown he was
in no manner responsible, and he was completely exonerated. Brother
Diederich was and is of sterling integrity, sound and honest to the
core, and this matter is here mentioned simply as a matter of history,
and in no way should reflect upon his honor.
Brother Diederich is now engaged in the grocery business in Ashland,
and attends the sessions of the Great Council with regularity,
enjoying the marked prosperity of the Order, though he has
relinquished the active work to younger heads.
[Illustration: WILLIE WALKER]
=PAST GREAT SACHEM WILLIE WALKER=
1900-1
Willie Walker was born in Ohio County, Kentucky, on Rough Creek, near
a small postoffice at that time called Pattysville, but now called
Shreve. He worked on a farm until past twenty-one, receiving only the
country common school education. Later he attended Hartford College
for a term, and afterward taught school in Ohio County in 1883. In
1884-86 he attended the State A. & M. College (now State University),
at Lexington, and between sessions sold books to obtain money to
pursue his studies, and a part of the time worked on the State College
farm to pay board.
In 1891 he accepted a position as bookkeeper with the firm of DeLong
& Co., Lexington, with whom, and succeeding firms, he remained for
five years, when in 1895 he engaged in the implement business,
where he continued until 1900, when he became Manager of the Huber
Manufacturing Co. for Central and Eastern Kentucky, which position he
now holds.
Brother Walker was adopted into Miantonomo Tribe, No. 1, on the
sleep of December 6th, 1894, was elected Junior Sagamore a few suns
later, receiving his Past Sachem's Certificate in April, 1895, and
was admitted to the Great Council of Kentucky the following month
at Ashland, when he was appointed a member of the Committee on
Returns and Reports. The following great sun, at Winchester, he was
elected Great Junior Sagamore, succeeding as Great Senior Sagamore in
1899, and was elected Great Sachem at Lexington in 1900. During his
administration there was a great revival in Redmanship, thirty-two
new Tribes having been instituted, and it was many great suns later
before the feat was equaled. At the close of his administration he was
elected Great Prophet and Great Representative to the Great Council of
the United States for two great suns, and was the first retiring Great
Sachem to be thus honored.
Brother Walker was always an enthusiast regarding a Widows' and
Orphans' Home, and the first mention of such a project was made by him
in his Long Talk as Great Sachem, he at that time recommending that a
committee be appointed to devise ways and means for the establishment
of such an institution.
[Illustration: GUSTAV AUGUST ELLERKAMP]
=PAST GREAT SACHEM GUSTAV AUGUST ELLERKAMP=
1901-2
The subject of our sketch was born September 30, 1858, at Hoom,
Kingdom of the Netherlands. Upon the death of his father in 1868 he
moved to Hanover, Germany, where he attended the public schools,
emigrating to this country in 1873, landing in Louisville July 30th of
that year, unacquainted with the English language and the customs of
the people. He was engaged in the grocery business until 1892, when he
took a position with C. F. Vissman Co., where he remained fifteen and
a half years, and rose to be manager of their branch house, making it
a success. He attended the Jefferson School of Law during the winters
of 1905-6 and 1906-7, graduating with honors in May, 1907. He was
admitted to the bar April 23, 1907, at Brandenburg, Meade County.
Brother Ellerkamp was a charter member of Shawnee Tribe, No. 9, at
Louisville, and was one of the few faithful members of that Tribe to
hold out against the desertion of nearly 150 members, leaving about 18
to shoulder a debt of several hundred fathoms which was finally paid
off. Later Brother Ellerkamp became a member of Cherokee Tribe, No. 8,
when the Tribes consolidated. While a member of No. 9 he was admitted
to the Great Council of Kentucky in 1899, and at the same session was
elected Great Junior Sagamore, being advanced to the stump of Great
Senior Sagamore the following great sun, and was elected Great Sachem
at Danville in 1901. During his administration great work was done
for the uplifting of the Order, and while he had much to contend with
he made for himself an enviable reputation, even though he was sick a
large portion of the year, and could only direct the action of able
lieutenants. At the conclusion of his term as Great Sachem he was
elected Great Prophet and Great Representative to the Great Council
of the United States for two great suns. He was elected again for two
great suns in 1905, and re-elected in 1907, where he is now serving.
He has served upon many important committees in the Great Council of
the United States, and was a member of the Committee on Permanent Long
House, and to his good offices on that committee is largely due the
selection of Louisville as the permanent location of that building.
He was a member of the Committee on Law and Usage that edited and
arranged the present code of laws of the Great Council of Kentucky.
Brother Ellerkamp is now practicing law in the hunting grounds of
Louisville, and is as ardent a Red Man as ever, attending the councils
of his Tribe and never missing a session of the Great Council of
Kentucky.
[Illustration: JOHN D. WALKER]
=PAST GREAT SACHEM JOHN D. WALKER=
1902
The subject of our sketch was born in Brooksville, Bracken County,
Kentucky, and lived there for thirty years. He attended the public
schools, and at an early age learned the carpenter's trade with his
father. He enlisted in the Confederate army during the Civil War, and
at its close returned to Brooksville and again took up carpentering,
but shortly afterwards engaged in a manufacturing enterprise that
proved profitable for a time. In 1870 he bought out the drug store
of Dr. J. D. Wallins, and conducted that business for several years,
when he attended the Ohio Medical College at Cincinnati, from which
institution he was graduated and returned to his drug business,
practicing medicine in connection with the same. At that time
Bracken County produced large quantities of tobacco, and he became
interested in buying tobacco together with his other duties, becoming
so much interested in this latter enterprise that he devoted his
whole energies to this industry. Becoming interested in politics, he
was elected chief of police for a term of two years, at the end of
which time he was elected sheriff, and served as such for two years,
continuing all the time to handle leaf tobacco. Being successful,
he sought a larger field and went to Cincinnati, where he conducted
a leaf tobacco brokerage business, and while meeting with success,
he was induced to take the road for a large plug and twist tobacco
manufacturer. While on the road he was induced to move to Lexington,
where he organized the Blue Grass Tobacco Company in 1886, and for
about eighteen years he superintended that business, until recently he
established the White Plume Tobacco Company at Lexington, of which he
is now the manager.
Brother Walker was a charter member of Winona Tribe, No. 4, of
Lexington, and received the honors of a Past Sachem by virtue of
being its first Keeper of Wampum, which position he held during the
existence of the Tribe. He was admitted to the Great Council in 1895,
and was elected Great Keeper of Wampum in 1897, serving as such for
five consecutive great suns, and in 1892 was granted the honors of
a Past Great Sachem and elected Great Representative to the Great
Council of the United States for two great suns. He is now a member of
Miantonomo Tribe, No. 1, is a regular attendant at the sessions of the
Great Council, and has the good will and confidence of every member of
that Great Body.
[Illustration: WILLIAM CREERE PELHAM]
=PAST GREAT SACHEM WILLIAM CREERE PELHAM=
1902-3
Brother Pelham was born December 2, 1846, at New Harmony, Indiana,
and was educated at the "Maysville Literary Institute," a preparatory
school. His parents died before he was three years of age, and his
family moved to Maysville, Ky., where he resided until September,
1893, when he moved to Knoxville, Tenn., where he is now connected
with A. Greenwood & Co., an incorporation, as Secretary-Treasurer.
Brother Pelham was a civil engineer and surveyor of wide reputation
while residing in Maysville. He was a charter member of Wyandotte
Tribe, No. 3, and one of its early Sachems, yielding the tomahawk with
remarkable dexterity. Bro. Pelham was one of those rare characters
that is never "rattled," no matter how aggravating the occasion.
He was admitted to the Great Council of Kentucky at Augusta in
1896. He served as chairman of the Committee on Law and Usage during
1897-8, making many important rulings that have stood as law until
this day, and was appointed chairman of the same committee for the
year 1898-9, and again for 1899-1900. He was unable to attend the
session of the Great Council held at Lexington in 1900, nevertheless
he was then elected Great Junior Sagamore, and was raised to his stump
in the wigwam of his own Tribe the next day. The following great sun
he was elected Great Senior Sagamore, and was elected Great Sachem
at Owensboro in 1902. During his administration he made but little
effort to institute new Tribes, preferring to bend his energies
toward building up those already existing. To this end he appointed
an exemplifier, and for three moons kept him on the road, making a
tribal visit nearly every sleep, during that time visiting more than
forty hunting grounds. The experiment was costly, but exceedingly
profitable, and many of the Tribes then visited have been anxiously
awaiting its repetition, but in vain. At the close of his term he was
elected Great Prophet and Great Representative to the Great Council
of the United States for two great suns, but his removal from the
Reservation disqualified him from serving more than one year, and
the Great Council of Kentucky has been deprived of his wise counsel
since. Brother Pelham is still a member of Wyandotte Tribe, No. 3, of
Maysville. He says of himself that he is a "Democrat by conviction, a
Methodist by choice, and a Red Man by adoption."
[Illustration: CHARLES E. LYDDANE]
=PAST GREAT SACHEM CHARLES E. LYDDANE=
1903
The subject of this sketch was born in Clark County, Kentucky,
December 26, 1852, where he has ever lived. He was raised on a farm,
and at the age of twenty years began teaching in the country schools,
and continued in this work twelve years. He began reportorial work in
1884 on the Winchester Democrat, and has been with that paper ever
since, having been editor-in-chief since 1890.
He was twice elected County Superintendent of Schools and served in
that capacity eight years; also served eight years more as member of
the County Board of Examiners.
Brother Lyddane was a charter member of Shawnee Tribe, No. 18,
organized at Winchester in 1887, under the jurisdiction of the Great
Council of Ohio, and was the first Sachem of the Tribe. This Tribe
became defunct, and he became a charter member of Miantonomo Tribe,
No. 1, of Lexington, withdrawing a few suns later to become a charter
member of Onequa Tribe, No. 2, of Winchester, which was instituted the
29th of Cold Moon, G. S. D. 404. and has served that Tribe as Chief of
Records for many great suns, being still in the harness.
He was admitted to the Great Council of Kentucky in 1898, at
Winchester, and was then elected Great Chief of Records, which
position he held for the next five consecutive great suns, when he
retired with the honors of Past Great Sachem. For the past few great
suns he has not been in robust health, and has attended but few
sessions of the Great Council.
Brother Lyddane believes in fraternities, and besides his connection
with the Red Men, he is a Past Master of the Masonic Order, Past Grand
of the Odd Fellows, Past Regent of the Royal Arcanum, and is a high
private in the ranks of the Knights of Pythias. He is a Democrat in
politics and a Baptist in religion.
He was married in 1890 to Miss Fannie Bailey, of Winchester, and has
a happy home, but no children.
[Illustration: HENRY HERMAN DENHARDT]
=PAST GREAT SACHEM HENRY HERMAN DENHARDT=
1904-5
Brother Denhardt was born March 8, 1876, at Bowling Green, Kentucky,
and received his early education in the public schools of that city,
later attending Ogden College, and was graduated from Cumberland
University, Lebanon, Tenn., with the degree of LL. B.
Since his graduation he has been practicing law in his native city,
and for the past eight great suns has been prosecuting attorney.
He became a member of Mohican Tribe, No. 11, by adoption, in April,
1896, and soon after he was advanced to the stump of Sachem. He has
also served his Tribe as Chief of Records for several great suns.
Brother Denhardt was admitted to the Great Council of Kentucky at
Lexington in 1900, and has attended every session of the Great Council
since. He was elected Great Junior Sagamore at Owensboro in 1902,
serving as Great Senior Sagamore in 1903, and at Paducah in 1904 he
was elected Great Sachem. Five great suns prior to his being raised to
the Great Sachem's stump a movement had been started looking towards a
Widows' and Orphans' Home, but no decisive action had been taken, and
Brother Denhardt warmly espoused this cause, and through his ardent
efforts a law was finally adopted creating a fund for this purpose. At
the close of his term as Great Sachem he was elected Great Prophet and
Representative to the Great Council of the United States for two great
suns, and at the expiration of his term in 1907 he was re-elected for
another two great suns.
At the session of the Great Council of the United States, held at
Bridgeport, Conn., in Cold Moon, G. S. D. 417, Brother Denhardt
was appointed by Great Incohonee Farrar a member of the Judiciary
Committee, one of the most important standing committees of the Great
Council of the United States.
While Great Sachem of the Great Council of Kentucky, Brother Denhardt
became a Benedict, and his charming wife is a regular attendant at the
sessions of the Great Council of Kentucky and of the Great Council of
the United States.
[Illustration: LEWIS L. BEBOUT]
=PAST GREAT SACHEM LEWIS L. BEBOUT=
1905-6
The subject of this sketch was born October 6, 1874, at Smithland,
Kentucky, and when twelve years old removed with his parents to
Crittenden County, near Marion. He received a common school education
in Crittenden and Marion County schools, and became editor, owner
and publisher of the "Marion Monitor," a weekly newspaper at Marion,
Ky., at the age of nineteen. He continued in this business but a few
months, when he sold out the entire plant and moved to Paducah in 1894.
Enlisting as private in Co. K, 3rd Ky. U. S. V. Infty. during the
Spanish-American War, he was made 1st Sergeant of his company, and
was commissioned 2d Lieutenant in October, 1898, at Lexington. He
commanded the company longer than either of the other officers and was
in sole command, and remained so, while the company was in Cuba. At
the close of this service he returned to Paducah and engaged in the
insurance business, which he is most successfully conducting at the
present time.
He was a charter member of Otego Tribe, No. 60, and its first C. of
W., and afterwards Chief of Records. When Otego Tribe gave a pow-wow
and incurred a debt of several hundred fathoms, he with nine other
brothers borrowed the necessary money and paid off the entire debt,
in the face of the predicted collapse of the Tribe. Nothing daunted,
he with other faithful brothers inaugurated a hunt for palefaces,
with the result that 106 were captured and adopted at one time, thus
equaling the work of Miantonomo Tribe, No. 1, which accomplished the
same feat in 1895.
He was admitted to the Great Council of Kentucky at Owensboro in
1902, and was at once put forward as a candidate for Great Junior
Sagamore, but without immediate success. He was, however, at this
Council appointed chairman of the Committee on State of the Order,
and at the following session of the Great Council, at Maysville, he
was successful and was raised to the stump of Great Junior Sagamore,
succeeding the following great sun as Great Senior Sagamore, and in
1905, at Frankfort, he was elected Great Sachem. His administration
was conservative and the Order prospered under his judicious rulings.
He was elected Great Prophet at the close of his term as Great Sachem,
and was also elected Great Representative to the Great Council of the
United States for two great suns, at the close of which term he was
returned for another term of like duration.
Brother Bebout married during his chieftaincy of Great Sachem and the
presence of his fair lady adds a charm to the social feature of the
Great Council.
[Illustration: DAN H. RUSSELL]
=PAST GREAT SACHEM DAN H. RUSSELL=
1906-7
Dan H. Russell was born April 7, 1873, at Springfield, Ohio, and was
given a liberal education, graduating from college with high honors.
A young man of remarkable pluck and push, through trials that would
have discouraged any but one of such indomitable will, he "made good,"
and is the president of one of the large corporations of the city of
Louisville, where he has resided for many years.
Brother Russell became a Red Man by adoption into Wahoo Tribe in 1900,
and was immediately put in line for the Sachem's stump, which position
he filled with great success, and piloted the Tribe through perilous
times. He was admitted to the Great Council of Kentucky in 1903, at
Maysville, and the same spirit that prompted him in his business
relations to forge to the front urged him to seek preferment in the
Great Council. Like many of his predecessors, he was not successful
the first time trying, but in 1904, at Paducah, he was elected Great
Junior Sagamore, the following great sun being promoted to the stump
of Great Senior Sagamore, and in 1906, at Frankfort, was elected Great
Sachem. His administration was noted for exceeding vigor, giving much
of his valuable time to the interests of the Order. He inaugurated an
active canvass for new Tribes, and Kentucky, under his leadership,
made a record for new Tribes instituted in one great sun, 45 Tribes
having been added to the roster of the Great Council.
At the close of his term he was accorded the usual honor of being
elected Great Prophet and Great Representative to the Great Council of
the United States for two great suns, where he is now serving.
[Illustration: ROBERT LEE PAGE]
=PAST GREAT SACHEM ROBERT LEE PAGE=
1907-8
Robert Lee Page was born in Allen County, Kentucky, August 18, 1879.
His maternal and paternal ancestors were natives of Virginia, and he
is of the celebrated Page family of that Commonwealth.
He was educated in the public schools of Louisville and a graduate
of the Louisville Male High School and the Louisville Normal School.
After completing his academic course he entered the law department of
the University of Louisville, graduating with the highest honor of a
class of thirty-five.
Shortly after starting the practice of law Brother Page was appointed
Assistant County Attorney of Jefferson County. In June, 1907, he
was appointed County Attorney and served in that capacity until the
general election, when he declined to be a candidate to succeed
himself, preferring to devote his entire time to his private practice.
At the time he was County Attorney of Jefferson County he was the
youngest official ever holding that office in the county.
Brother Page was a charter member of Ptocawa Tribe, No. 80, of
Louisville, and the peculiar spelling of the name is accounted for
from the fact that superfluous letter "P" was prefixed as a compliment
to him. He served as the first Sachem of the Tribe, and was admitted
to the Great Council of Kentucky in 1902, at Owensboro, and was
appointed chairman of the Committee on Returns and Reports by Great
Sachem Pelham, and the following great sun he was appointed to the
same position by Great Sachem McFarlan. At Owensboro, in 1904, he was
elected Great Representative to the Great Council of the United States
for two great suns. At Frankfort, in 1905, he was elected Great Junior
Sagamore, the following great sun being advanced to the stump of Great
Senior Sagamore, and at Lexington, in 1907, he was elected Great
Sachem. During his term the record was broken for the number of new
Tribes instituted during one great sun, 65 standing to his credit. At
the time of his election as Great Sachem he was but 27 years of age,
and he was doubtless the youngest Great Sachem in the United States.
At the close of his term as Great Sachem he was accorded the usual
honors of being elected Great Prophet and Great Representative to the
Great Council of the United States for two great suns.
[Illustration: HENRY WOOD RAY]
=PAST GREAT SACHEM HENRY WOOD RAY=
1908
Brother Ray was born February 10, 1866, at Bowling Green, Kentucky,
and when but four months old his father died, his mother then moving
to Maysville. His schooling was very limited, as at an early age he
felt called upon to help maintain his mother by learning the drug
business. He entered the employ of J. Chenoweth, at Maysville, in
1880, and remained with the same house sixteen years, at the end of
which time he bought out a drug store in the same city, and remained
in business for himself until 1907, when he was compelled to retire on
account of failing health, caused by close attention to his business,
coupled with his arduous duties as Great Chief of Records. He had for
years the largest and best equipped drug store in Maysville.
Brother Ray was adopted into Wyandotte Tribe, No. 3, in March, 1896,
and served in various chieftaincies, earning his honors as a Past
Sachem. He was admitted to the Great Council of Kentucky in 1899 at
Louisville, serving then as representative of his Tribe. At Lexington,
in 1900, he was appointed by Great Sachem Willie Walker chairman of
the Committee on Returns and Reports, and the following great sun
by Great Sachem Ellerkamp a member of the Finance Committee, and at
Owensboro, in 1902, he was made chairman of that committee by Great
Sachem Pelham.
At the Great Council held in Maysville, 1903, he was, on the
retirement of C. E. Lyddane, unanimously elected Great Chief of
Records, and he served in that capacity for five consecutive great
suns, being accorded the honors of a Past Great Sachem at Frankfort,
in 1908, when he was elected Great Representative to the Great Council
of the United States for two great suns.
During the five great suns of his administration of the chieftaincy
of Great Chief of Records he managed the business end of the Order
in the Reservation in the same methodical way that characterized his
private affairs, and saw the Order grow from a membership of 5,089
to 11,950: from 65 Tribes to 182 Tribes. The lay member of the Order
has no conception of the vast labors performed by a faithful Great
Chief of Records, but a small portion of his duties being apparent to
the casual observer. Brother Ray was ever faithful to every duty, and
earned the soubrequet of "The Minute Man." The whole may be summed up
in the words, "He was always there with the goods."
Brother Ray is now filling a position as clerk in the State Auditor's
office at Frankfort.
HORACE J. McFARLAN
=PAST GREAT SACHEM HORACE J. McFARLAN=
1903-4
As a young man, Brother McFarlan was deeply interested in base
ball, and made it a profession. For quite a number of years he was
a favorite umpire in the National League. Prior to his activity in
base ball circles he had received a liberal education, and tiring of
the nomadic life consequent upon following the National game for a
livelihood, he studied law, was admitted to the bar, married and began
practice of his profession at Lagrange, where for some time he was
County Attorney.
Brother McFarlan was adopted into Massasoit Tribe, No. 33, of
Lagrange, and was one of its early Sachems. He was admitted to the
Great Council of Kentucky in 1901, at Danville, and at the same
session was put forward as a "dark horse" for Great Junior Sagamore,
winning the race against a large field. He served as Great Senior
Sagamore in 1902, and at Maysville, in 1903, he was elected Great
Sachem. During his chieftaincy he had the distinction of dedicating
the first wigwam owned by a Tribe of the Improved Order of Red Men in
the Reservation of Kentucky, that of Oswego Tribe, No. 37, hunting
grounds of Dry Ridge. This took place on 18th of Traveling Moon, G.
S. D. 412, and was made the occasion of a great pow-wow, in which the
citizens of the little town most heartily joined. At the close of his
term as Great Sachem he was elected Great Prophet and Representative
to the Great Council of the United States for two great suns. In
consequence of the death of his estimable wife during the great sun of
414 he was unable to attend the Great Council of the United States,
and another was appointed in his stead, but in G. S. D. 415 he was
returned for an additional two great suns.
Brother McFarlan is at present practicing law in the hunting grounds
of Louisville.