2019 Winter Newsletter

From: Lloyd Peckman December 5, 2018

SUBJECT: LUKE SCHEER INDIAN GENEALOGIST

I first saw Luke’s name in 2011 when Slina Prothe showed me her proof of Miami Tribal Membership. In 2012, when the Georges’ Strack and Ironstrack of Mi ami University, took us out for dinner; we found out that they and Slina all had the same Marie Louise back ground. Remarkably, Tau Cum Wah (Marie Louise Roy) was Little Turtle’s Sister and the matriarch of most Mi ami Tribal members. Tribal membership only requires proof of Indian heritage. I have a copy of Slina Dora Iola Q.V. Prothe Tribal Membership signed by Chief Floyd Leonard. It has an official Miami Tribe of Oklahoma seal and show Cer tificate Degree of Indian Blood .as V2 degree and in cludes 12 pages of research by Luke Sheer. It shows here Mother as Ethel Q.V. McCoy Brewer and Grand mother as Susan Cronmiller McCoy. According to Luke Scheer, Mary Louise’s first husband was Joseph Druete Sieour De Richardville, a French fort commander. Her second husband was Charles Beaubian. He was half Shawnee and half French. Recently, we uncovered a large packet of Indian Gene alogy and History. It consists of letters, short reports but mainly of many selected pages from books with hand written notes on the edges, written by Luke Scheer of Huntington, Indiana. Most books were re ported as being on hand at the La Cygne Library. Luke visited with Mabel Stainbrook Franklin at La Cygne, Kansas December of 1963. November 24th of 1966, He had an article published in the La Cygne Journal en titled “History of Miami Indians”. This connects Luke to our area. The packet envelope cover states, it was owned by Bud Smith. So who was Bud Smith? Maps of Miami-Linn County in this packet were drawn by, (Edw. Paul (Bud) Smith) of La Cygne, Kansas. I was surprised to see a map note, “my Cousin-Loren Windier”. I knew that my Mother’s 1st. Cousin, Leon Windier had married Ida Smith of Miami heritage; she was Bud’s father’s Sister. Ida has two grandsons still living here. They are Fred and Phil. The Windier home place is located about one mile west of the Miami Mission site in the river bottom where the Indian George Washington had ground. Phil still lives there and believes that Bud has died. To me the most notable page in this packet is: a side story and 9 generation pedigree showing the names

from Wa Ban Ke Kwa married to a French trader Pierre Roy, down to Edw. Paul (Bud) Smith. It included the names of Minnie, Harris and Cronmiller. Mary Louise Cronmiller came to LaCygne in 1870 and had land now known as Linn County Park. It also shows that Hen ry Trinkle was hired to run Nop-shingah store at the top of the hill known as Big Turtle Hill, just north of La Cygne. This October, Jack York, metal detection expert, took Larry Lybarger and me to 18325 E. 2300 Lane, La Cygne, Kansas and showed us the spot where the Store or Trading Post stood. The Old Indian Ceme tery was located about one forth mile northwest. The second most important page is the hand drawn map by Bud. It shows the location of The Store, Indian Cemetery, Big Legs’ Grave, Hells Bend Road and other early cemeteries. There was a great deal of correspon dence between Luke of Indiana and Bud of Kansas. To better connect the dots there are two letters from Irma Scheer, Luke’s Wife from Huntington, Indiana, to Bud Smith at La Cygne, Kansas. The first letter shows the following: Mar. 3, 1985 reports that Luke is seri ously sick. She thanks Bud for sending more Indian history. Apparently Luke died shortly after that. Another letter dated Feb. 5, 1989 states that “I am still trying to put in order Luke’s material, it is an overwhelming task.” It also states “I sold the Richardville house to the Huntington Historical Society.. for $25,000.. hopefully they will be able to restore it”. That 1989 letter envelope has writ ten on the outside “forwarded to RR 5 Butler, Mo.” and the word “Answered”. There were two other important items in this packet. One is a letter dated May 24, 1966 from Luke that was published in the La Cygne Journal stating that Mabel Franklin had discovered the Indian head rights listing which has lead to much research. It points out the 43rd listing as “Koseah or Margaret Richardville”. She was the daughter of Josette Beaubien Roubedeaux and after marrying Michel D. Richardville, they moved to Kansas. Luke asks where was the home of Koseah? He states that it may have been located about three and one half miles west of New Lancaster. As shown by our 1878 Atlas that was adjacent to my Grand mother, Katie Miller Peckman’s birthplace or about

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