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Note: ! William H Conner is buried in grave #2, Lot 48, Sec 5 in Pawhuska. OSAGE CENSUS ROLL FOR 1887, PAGE 376 Roll No. Name Relationship Age 1114 W H Conner Father 43 1115 Woodie Conner Son 4 1116 Joseph B Conner Son 7 ("Wah tsa-a-tah") LETTER FROM DON & THELMA CONNER 1971:
Graninola, OK Sept 16, 1971 Dear Folks,
Thank you very much for the records, I will file them and as you say, hope
to get more. I can't think of any way to trace William Conner's parents, unless
one might hopefully find old-old records in Labette County. His declaration for
pension gives only Chatauqua, Kansas as address - July 14, 1890.... age 44....
enrolled Mar 21, 1862... discharged DeValls Bluff, Ark Mar 22, 1865 - Co. I -
9th Vol Cavalry, Kansas.
I took this item from John J Mathew's book the Osage... Little Bear of the
Little Osages lead his men to join the 9th Kansas Infantry. White Hair allied
with Union Troops at Fort Scott.
One might write the Jesuits at St. Louis and for a fee, they might come up
with records on William Conner's parents, since Father wrote that their records
went back to 1847...although I have William Conner's birthdate about 1845 -
1844? So that might not work either.
I wonder if there might be any records from a Catholic church in the
Lavette area other that St. Pauls. Some records just seem to be lost for good,
I have never been able to complete some of mine.
Sincere wishes Don & Thelma Conner
Attachment to Letter from Don & Thelma Conner
From some Historical Notes from the period 1870 - 1872 from the Book..."First
White Settlement in Oklahoma." by T J Dyer of Alva, Okla. (Published in
1930...bearing the sub-heading, Story of the First White Settlement in what is
now the State of Oklahoma, then known as Indian Territory and other stories.)
"Billy Conner gained some notoriety for the killing and scalping of a Wichita
Chief while on a buffalo hunt with a samll party of Osages. This killing took
place perhaps not so very far from where the City of Alva is now located. It is
said, that Conner scalped his victim with a corn knife, this story being told
and given some credence by former writers. I am quite loath to believe it as I
knew Billy personally. He was wont to dress in the white man's garb while on
the Reservation, but I have seen him in full Indian regalia, and at his belt
dangled a real scalping knife, such as were commonly used by the Osage for this
purpose.
Billy Conner's place was just south across Big Cana from Antoine DeLoyer place.
(First records tell of a Kelly settler here who sold for $600.00 to a Dyer
family who was replaced in 1872 by U S Troops who gave the land to the Osage
DeLoyer family, later called Conner Ford, also Thomason's Ford, later Potter
Ford and on the place is the location of the Old Conner Cemetery now moved to a
high hill above the little town of Boulanger and place just outside the iron
fence enclosing the Old Boulanger Cemetery moved from the Steve and Bessie
Boulanger place whey the water from Hulah Lake were in danger of inundating the
cemeteries.
Billy Conner married an Indian girl by the name of Angelina Penn. Her brother
Ed Penn was a large portly, good-natured fellow. After the killing of the
Wichita Chief, Conner and his samll band of Indians hastily retreated to
Pawhuska, their Agency, knowing full well that they would see more of the
Wichita Indians. All precautions were taken by the Osages to prevent a surprise,
but despite the fact that they had pickets out every where, a Band of Wichitas
some 100 or more, rode into the Agency unnoticed and demanded from the Osages
reparation for their slain Chief.
A Council of War was held at Pawhuska to determine the amount of indemnity to
be paid in settlement of this affair. A United States Marshal from Fort Smith
was there and tried to get possession of Conner. A Cherokee lawyer from
Tahlequah was also there and advised the Indians not to give up Conner to the
Marshal, claiming, among other things, that the Federal Government had no
jurisdiction in such cases and advising them to settle according to Tribal
Customs then prevailing.
My brother was a deputy marshal's guard, and was present at this Council, and I
have the account direct from him. This affair was settled by Tribal Custom and
the Wichita Indians, returned to their reservation, carrying away from Pawhuska
many blankets and various other articles of value, besides a great many
ponies, feeling perhaps, that they had been fully compensated for the loss of
their Chief...
THE LAST RESERVATION TO OPEN IN THE NEW STATE (HISTORY OF THE OSAGE NATION,
IT'S PEOPLE, RESOURCES AND PROSPECTS.) BY PHILLIP DICKERSON, M.A. AUTHOR AND
PUBLISHER COPYWRIGHTED 1906.
THE OSAGE BURIAL AND MOURNING "When the Osage (full-blood) dies he is immediately dressed in the best robes,
and blankets placed upon the corpse and prepared for burial by placing the body
in a half reclining position as if the person were calmly seated in a rocking
chair, in this attitude the body was buried by placing it on the ground and
building a tomb of rough stones but skillfully constructed to resist beasts of
prey in the tomb and his best and favorite pony was often led to the tomb and
shot, that all might pass to the Happy Hunting Ground together.
Professional mourners were hired to bewail the death of the departed and for
some days the mourners go to a lovely wigwan and fast day and night (only men
could be professional mourners). The beloved companion or parents mourn for a
year.
This mourning was often kept up for the more prominently deceased till a War
party was sent at the request of the relatives to roam the hills until a scalp
was obtained from an enemy of a different tribe and brought to Camp at full
speed, after being announced by a runner from the Band, and placed in the hands
of the nearest relative.
The last real scalp for this purpose was a Wichita Chief, A-sah-a-wa, about
1873 which came near to creating a war between the two Nations. The Wichitas
came to Pawhuska with their Agent and U S Marshal and Interpreter, McClusky,
but after a few days the difficulty was settled after a week of counciling. The
authorities realized the danger of pushing their demands for the slaying of the
Wichita Chief, withdrew with the understanding that if they settled it in their
own way that the scalping would be the last between the two tribes. The Osages
paid the Wichitas $2.00 per capita, about $4000.00 and hundreds of dollars
worth of merchandise of every kind to the bereaved widow. This Council was held
in the midst of giant oaks on the banks of Bird Creek, above where the Pawhuska
steel bridge spans the creek that widens at this point into a most beautiful
expanse of water....
From Kansas State Historical Society Sep 11, 1965
William Conner enlisted in Co. I, 9th Cavalry Age 17 Height 5'3" Hair Dark Complexion Dark Marital status Single Occupation Farmer Nativity Dorne County, Kansas Residence Dorne County, Kansas Mustered in at Iola by Lt. Read Enrolled Mar 21, 1862 (according to Pension record) Dorne County was formerly the west side of Labette County and east side of
Cherokee County.
From "Oklahoma A guide to the Sooner State" page 336 Compiled by Kent Ruth
and the staff of the University of Oklahoma Press.
"Grave located SW of Fairfax is of Ne-Ka-Wa-She-Tun-Ka last Osage Chieftain to
receive the complete Osage burial ceremony - this included the killing of his
favorite pony and the placing of a scalp on his grave. The scalp secured in
this case was that of a Wichita Chief A-Sa-Wah, it's taking precipitated an
intertribal incident. The Osages finally settled by making large payments of
money and goods to the Wichitas."
From St. Francis Church, St Paul, Kansas Jul 20, 1957
"Our records are 110 years old and very difficult to read... our records go
back to 1847. Osage half-breeds-Baptismal book page 11.
On the same day the undersigned also baptized solemly Sarah Catherine born
on Dec 10, 1877 on the Cana Osage Reservation, daughter of William Conner
and Angelina Penn, both Osages. Sponsors; Anthony Delorier and Margaret
Belieu in her absence Rosa Pierceson (DeNoye) P. M. P., S.J. On the 25th day of Jul 1876 the undersigned baptized solemly George Adams
son of an Indian called Little Doctor and of an Osage Woman. The boy is
raised by William Conner about 5 years old. Sponsors; William Conner and
Angelina Penn. P. M. P., S.J. This last baptismal record is the one of George Barndollar Conner (evidently
called George Adams at the time) and he is the father of Daniel Irving Conner
(Don Conner).
The Penns and Conners were of the Whitehair Band who lived 6 miles south of the
present town of St. Paul. They also had connections in Chatauqua County town of
Elgin, Kansas.
Note: William Conner a prominent Osage Indian educated at the Osage Mission in
Kansas was one of the best interpreters of this day. An effort was made to have
the Lord's Prayer interpreted. William Conner wrote this over in Osage, the
Card is at the Pawhuska City Museum. He was said to have been a scout with
Custer who campaigned in 1867-68 against the Cheyennes. It is said that he
scalped a Chief at the Battle of the Washita.. this also caused considerable
fuss with Army personnel, etc."
___________ THE WICHITA CHIEF Before the building of the railroads to Caldwell and Hunnewell, Kansas, most of
the cattle from the Salt Fork country were driven to Coffeyville for
shipment. Most of these herds encountered more or less trouble in getting
through the Osage reservation. The cattlemen, of course, were trespassers and
the Indians seemed to know it, therefore they always wanted a beef or two for
the privilege of driving the cattle through their country. The worst place was
in the hills near where old Big Heart lived.
About the year 1879, Ed Hewins, Eli Titus and Captain C H Stone purchased
twenty-seven hundred head of cattle from Bill Williams and old George
Washington, the Caddo chief. They took Bill Conner, an educated Osage along to
help get these cattle through the Osage country. I had helped Captain Stone to
get cattle through the Osage country two different times during the previous
season and so, when they got near the Arkansas River (which was the boundary of
the Osage reservation) he sent a man to get me to help get this herd trough.
After we had passed through all of the country in which we thought there were
very many Indians. Bill Conner left us. The next morning, Captain Stone and Ed
Hewins left the herd and that day, at noon, we camped on a little creek. There
was a band of Osages came to the herd. They wanted two beeves as toll for
allowing the herd to go through. Titus told them that we would not give them
any beeves. They then began to act in a threatening manner, as if they intended
to take the beeves by force. There was thicket of samll bushes that grew on the
creek and we took our knives and each cut one of the saplings. They were just of
the right size to handle nicely and they looked as if they had been made
purposely for war clubs. The indians were more afraid of these clubs than they
were of our guns. They knew that we would shoot only in an extreme case. They
also knew that we would knock them over with these clubs on a slight
provocation. We finally drove them off and preceeded on our journey. That
evening we camped on Caney River, near the big mound, the sun being still two or
three hours high. We had not been there long when Bill Conner came into camp,
as he lived on the Caney. He stayed until after dark. He told us that, several
years before, a white man had camped upon the same spot where our camp was and
that he and some other Osages stole his horses while the man lay asleep in his
wagon. He said that nearly every time they did mischief of this kind they heard
someone talking about it afterward but that they never heard anyone say
anything about these horses having been stolen.
Conner also told us about leading a mourning party; it must have been about
1871. He was then second chief of the tribe and his ambition was to be the head
chief of the Osages. An Osage had died and Conner organized a mourning party.
They crossed the Arkansas River and went west. They put in several days in the
Pond Creek country and in the country south of the Medicine Lodge River, but
they did not see anyone. They then went on out into Western Oklahoma. One night
they camped in a deep draw. When they were ready to leave camp the next
morning, one of the Osages went to bring in the horses. He soon came running
back, saying that a strange Indian was hunting buffalo, just over the hill. The
Osages slipped around and shot him. Then they saw an Indian boy close by, but
this boy saw them and ran. The Osages knew that it would not do to let this boy get away, as he would spread the alarm, so three of them, who were mounted on
the best horses, took after him. They chased him three or four miles but could
not catch him. The three Osages had good horses but the boy had a good horse,
too. The three Osages then went back to where they had killed the strange
Indian and told the other members of their band that they had failed to catch
the fugitive. There was, therefore, only one thing for the whole party to do
then and that was to get out of that country as fast as they could.
The three Osages had run the boy almost into a large camp of Cheyennes and
Wichitas, though they did not know it at the time they abondoned the chase. In
a few hours one hundred and fifty Cheyennes and Wichitas were after them. The
Indian they had killed was a Wichita chief and the one they had chased was his
son. Conner said there never were Indians that ran as they did. They ran day
and night and the Cheyennes and Wichitas were right after them. Then they
reached the Arkansas River, some of the Osages were afoot, their horses
having played out. The pursuers were so close that, when the Osages had crossed
the river and were yet on the sand bar, they could see the Cheyennes and
Wichitas coming down the west bank of the river.
There was small Osage camp near by and Conners' party ran to this camp. The
Wichitas and Cheyennes surrounded this camp and demanded the leader of the
party or fifteen hundred dollars. The first thing the Osages tried to do was to
get a runner out. They knew that, if they could get a runner out, in a few
hours they could have two or three hundred Osages there. A runner tried to slip
through the lines several times but the allies turned him back every time. They
parleyed for a long time -- at one time a majority of the members of the party
were in favor of giving Conner up but he said that he made the best talk of his
life and that, finally, by giving up all the money there was in camp, and their
booty and their horses they satisfied the Wichitas and Cheyennes, who took
their booty and departed for their camp in Western Oklahoma. The reason that
they let the Osages off so easily was that they were afraid that, if they did
much damage, a strong party of Osages would follow them. They could have easily
killed all of the Osages in that camp but neither they nor their horses were in
shape to make another long run like the one they just finished.
Conner said that, if his party could have gotten away after killing the Wichita
chief, he would have had no trouble in getting to be head chief of the Osages
but that the raid had not been a success, as they had been caught and Conner
lost the title of second chief and was reduced to the ranks.
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