In 1898, a number of Indian tribes from New York joined together for the purpose of suing the U.S. Government. The suit involved a broken treaty (imagine that ;) ). Not only did they win the right to sue, they actually won the case and where awarded a sum of money as compensation. The money was to be distributed amongst the members of the tribes (including the Brothertown Tribe).
In order to properly distribute the money, the government requested individuals fill out applications to prove they had a right to settlement distributions. These applications are an incredible source of genealogical information. Thanks to the kind generosity of Caroline Andler of the Brothertown Indian Nation, I have a copy of the Application filed by Thomas Laton Kindness as well as one for his son, Purcell.
Court of Claims Records Relating to the Kansas Claims of New York Indians.
DOCUMENT
An extract from the application
Signature from the application
To view the full applications for both Layton & Purcell download this PDF file – www.nedoba.org/download/NYIndians_Applications_public.pdf
EXTRACTED DATA
Key Data for Thomas Laton Kindness
- date recorded: 18-Nov-1901
- name: Thomas Laton Kindness
- address: Stockton, Chautauqua Co., NY
- birth: August 14(or 15?), 1833, at Brothertown, Oneida Co., NY
- tribe: Brothertown – by right of birth
- spouse: Mary Kindness age 75
- spouse’s tribe: Brothertown
- children: Isaac Henry Kindness, age 41, born 7-May-1860 (only child listed!)
- draw annuities : no
- man’s parents: James J. Kindness & Hannah Kindness
- woman’s parents: Eli Moulton & Catherine Moulton
- parents born: Brothertown NY (which parents?)
- parents tribe: Brothertown tribe (which parents?)
- are they (parents) residents of US: yes (which parents?)
- name of all parent’s children: Ira Kindness, Thomas L. Kindness, Isaac J. Kindness (where is George, James, & Lewis?)
- (he does not know anything about his grandparents but does list his aunt & uncle as Thomas and Polly, both deceased)
- witnesses: Adelbert Farris & Howard Pickett have both known the applicant 20 years and know him to be Thomas Latin [sic] Kindness.
Key Data for Purcell A. Kindness
- date recorded: 16-Sep-1901
- name: Purcell A. Kindness
- address: Brothertown, Calumet Co., WI
- birth: January 25, 1858, at Brothertown
- tribe: Brothertown – by descent
- man’s parents: Laton Kindness & Almira J. Dick, b. Brothertown, NY
- he is an only child and both his parents are still living
- his grandparents: James J. & Hannah Kindness of the Brothertown Tribe
- name grandparent’s children:
- Laton Kindness, Stockton, NY
- Ira Kindness, Brothertown, WI
- Isaac Kindness, Brothertown, WI
- remarks: my Father and Mother drew land in Brothertown Wisconsin
DISCUSSION
Just like every other treasure I have turned up for these folks – this one answers some questions, but raises more.
For whatever reason, Thomas Laton Kindness does not mention his first wife and child in his application. He does however use his birth name, clearly shows he is a resident of Stockton, Chautauqua Co., NY in 1901, and is currently married to Mary Moulton, daughter of Eli & Catherine Moulton. This agrees nicely with the data I have collected for the man known as Laton Kanistanaux.
Laton lists only one child, Isaac Henry born 1860. He makes no mention of William nor either of the girls, Carrie and Lee-o-netto. Yet, they are all still living nearby in 1901! I know from the obituaries that Isaac Henry is a sibling to Carrie and Lee-o-netto, so why doesn’t Laton list them as well? This certainly is a puzzle.
Another oddity – Laton lists brothers Ira and Isaac but neglects to list George, James, and Lewis. Perhaps George has died, but James is living in Wisconsin, and Lewis in living under the very same roof as Laton – how could he forget Lewis?
Laton provides the names of his parents as James J. & Hannah Kindness. This is an important inclusion. Purcell’s application lists his parents as Laton Kindness & Almira Dick and his grandparents as James J. & Hannah Kindness. This information clearly shows the man filing an application under the name Thomas Laton Kindness was indeed the father of Purcell and the man who married Almira Dick in Wisconsin.
One other item I would like to point out in Purcell’s application. When he lists his uncles, he only lists Ira and Isaac. Purcell also neglects to list George, James, and Lewis. I wonder if George, James, and Lewis are actually cousins rather than brothers of Laton?
Purcell states that Isaac is living in Brothertown, Wisconsin when he filled out his application in September of 1901. I had previously located a news clipping showing Isaac was receiving Tioga, PA county aid for health reasons in March of 1901, so it appears he returned to Wisconsin during the summer of 1901.
Now I think I should take a little break from Kanistanaux blogging for a bit and focus on getting some other things taken care of around here. I should be back in a couple weeks with a good review of what I have learned, what I still need to accomplish, and how I might accomplish it.
See the Kanistanaux Home Page for more.
Do you have any information to add or questions?
Please leave a comment.
The Ne-Do-Ba Research Journal 