Peter Pitchlynn
Encyclopedia
Peter Perkins Pitchlynn (30 January 1806 – 17 January 1881), or Hat-choo-tuck-nee ("The Snapping Turtle"), was a Choctaw
chief
of Choctaw and Anglo-American
ancestry. He was principal chief of the Choctaw from 1864-1866 and surrendered to the Union on behalf of the nation at the end of the Civil War.
Educated in Choctaw culture and American schools, in 1825 he helped found a school for Choctaw boys: the Choctaw Academy in Kentucky. He also worked to reduce the sale of alcohol in their territory. After removal to Indian Territory in the 1830s, he was appointed by the National Council in 1845 as the Choctaw Delegate to Washington, DC. At the time, the Nation was proposing to be recognized by the US Congress as a territory.
After the war, Pitchlynn returned to Washington, DC, to represent Choctaw interests and work for concessions from the government for the Choctaw lands sold under pressure to the United States in 1830 during Indian Removal
. He died in Washington, DC.
, January 30, 1806 as the first son of Sophia Folsom, a Choctaw
of partly Anglo-American descent; her mother Natika was Choctaw and her father was Ebenezer Folsom, a trader. Sophia's Choctaw name was Lk-lo-ha-wah (Loved but lost). Sophia Folsom and John Pitchlynn married in 1804. As the Choctaw had a matrilineal system of property and hereditary leadership, Peter was born into his mother's clan
and people; through her family, he gained status in the tribe.
His father was Major John Pitchlynn, of Scots
descent. The father was raised from childhood by the Choctaw after the death of his father Isaac, a widower. John Pitchlynn served George Washington
as an interpreter for negotiations with the Choctaw.
One of ten children born to the Pitchlynns, after several years at home, Peter was sent to a Tennessee
boarding school about 200 miles from Mississippi. Later he attended an academy in Columbia, Tennessee
. To complete his education, he studied at and graduated from the University of Nashville
, considered one of the finest institutions of the time. It started small like many colleges; its 1827 graduating class held 12 students.
After he obtained his degree, Pitchlynn returned to his family home in Mississippi, where he became a farmer.
, Reverend Cyrus Kingsbury. They had several children: Lycurgus, Peter P. Jr., Leonidas, Rhoda Mary (married D.L. Kannedy), Malvinia (married Loring S.W. Folsom). After his wife's death, Pitchlynn corresponded regularly with his older children while they were away at school, trying to give them guidance. Lycurgus attended a school in Tennessee and Peter Jr. one in Oxford, Georgia.
The Pitchlynn sons had difficulties as youths and adults: Lycurgus and Leonidas were convicted of assault in 1857 and sentenced to prison. The father gained a pardon for them from President John Buchanan
. In 1860, Peter Jr. shot and killed his uncle, Lorenzo Harris, who was married to his father's sister Elizabeth Pitchlynn. Some said it was self-defense.
After Rhonda's death, Peter married a widow, Caroline Lombardy. They had a daughter, Sophia, together, who never married and lived with her father.
in 1825. It sometimes accepted students of other American Indian tribes as well as Choctaw. Pitchlynn stayed closely involved with the school, receiving quarterly reports.
In 1830 Pitchlynn was elected to the National Council of Choctaw. Because of his education, he served as an interpreter and effective liaison between the Choctaw and the US federal government. Impressive in his bearing, he was described "as stately and complete a gentleman of nature's making as ever I beheld," wrote Charles Dickens
.
He moved with the Choctaw to Indian Territory in the 1830s, where they resettled. Pitchlynn's widowed mother, Sophia Folsom Pitchlynn, moved with her son. She had the oldest known grave in Oklahoma.
In 1840 the Council appointed Pitchlynn as a teacher and superintendent of the Choctaw Academy. The following year, they decided to relocate the school to the Choctaw Nation (located in Indian Territory.) Pitchlynn's correspondence shows they were also discussing the need for a girls' school.
Pitchlynn continued to take on more responsibilities for the Nation; in 1845 he was appointed as the Choctaw Delegate to Washington, DC to represent the nation there. That year both the Choctaw and Cherokee
proposed to the US Congress that their respective nations should be recognized as independent United States territories, but this was not supported. In 1847, he helped arrange the removal of further Choctaw from Mississippi to the Choctaw Nation by steamboat
.
In 1861, he was in Washington, D.C.
when the American Civil War
started. He immediately returned to the Choctaw Nation, hoping to escape the expected strife. He had been in Washington to address national affairs of the Choctaw. Despite wanting to avoid the war, the Choctaw were not permitted to remain neutral. Some allied with the Confederacy and others with the Union. All suffered in the aftermath of the war.
Peter P. Pitchlynn was elected Principal Chief of the Choctaws in 1864 and served until 1866.
After he was succeeded as chief, Pitchlynn returned to Washington, DC as the Choctaw Delegate, where he worked to press Choctaw claims for lands in Mississippi sold under pressure to the United States in 1830. He had been collecting information on this issue since the 1850s from officials involved in the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek
. There he joined the Lutheran Church. He also became a prominent member of the Masonic Order. Pitchlynn addressed the President and several congressional committees in defense of Choctaw claims.
After his death in Washington in 1881, Pitchlynn was buried in the Congressional Cemetery
.
Pitchlyn's younger maternal cousin Frances Folsom (1864–1947) married President Grover Cleveland
in the White House
.
Pitchlynn was reported to have told of the origin of the Choctaw:
Choctaw
The Choctaw are a Native American people originally from the Southeastern United States...
chief
Tribal chief
A tribal chief is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies with social stratification under a single leader emerged in the Neolithic period out of earlier tribal structures with little stratification, and they remained prevalent throughout the Iron Age.In the case of ...
of Choctaw and Anglo-American
English American
English Americans are citizens or residents of the United States whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in England....
ancestry. He was principal chief of the Choctaw from 1864-1866 and surrendered to the Union on behalf of the nation at the end of the Civil War.
Educated in Choctaw culture and American schools, in 1825 he helped found a school for Choctaw boys: the Choctaw Academy in Kentucky. He also worked to reduce the sale of alcohol in their territory. After removal to Indian Territory in the 1830s, he was appointed by the National Council in 1845 as the Choctaw Delegate to Washington, DC. At the time, the Nation was proposing to be recognized by the US Congress as a territory.
After the war, Pitchlynn returned to Washington, DC, to represent Choctaw interests and work for concessions from the government for the Choctaw lands sold under pressure to the United States in 1830 during Indian Removal
Indian Removal
Indian removal was a nineteenth century policy of the government of the United States to relocate Native American tribes living east of the Mississippi River to lands west of the river...
. He died in Washington, DC.
Early life and education
Peter P. Pitchlynn was born in Noxubee County, MississippiNoxubee County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 12,548 people, 4,470 households, and 3,222 families residing in the county. The population density was 18 people per square mile . There were 5,228 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile...
, January 30, 1806 as the first son of Sophia Folsom, a Choctaw
Choctaw
The Choctaw are a Native American people originally from the Southeastern United States...
of partly Anglo-American descent; her mother Natika was Choctaw and her father was Ebenezer Folsom, a trader. Sophia's Choctaw name was Lk-lo-ha-wah (Loved but lost). Sophia Folsom and John Pitchlynn married in 1804. As the Choctaw had a matrilineal system of property and hereditary leadership, Peter was born into his mother's clan
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...
and people; through her family, he gained status in the tribe.
His father was Major John Pitchlynn, of Scots
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
descent. The father was raised from childhood by the Choctaw after the death of his father Isaac, a widower. John Pitchlynn served George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
as an interpreter for negotiations with the Choctaw.
One of ten children born to the Pitchlynns, after several years at home, Peter was sent to a Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
boarding school about 200 miles from Mississippi. Later he attended an academy in Columbia, Tennessee
Columbia, Tennessee
Columbia is a city in Maury County, Tennessee, United States. The 2008 population was 34,402 according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. It is the county seat of Maury County....
. To complete his education, he studied at and graduated from the University of Nashville
University of Nashville
The University of Nashville was an educational institution that existed as a distinct entity from 1826 until 1909. During its history, it operated at various times a medical school, a four-year military college, a literary arts college, and a boys preparatory school...
, considered one of the finest institutions of the time. It started small like many colleges; its 1827 graduating class held 12 students.
After he obtained his degree, Pitchlynn returned to his family home in Mississippi, where he became a farmer.
Marriage and family
He soon married Rhonda Folsom, a first cousin. As part of changing practices, they were married by a missionaryMissionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
, Reverend Cyrus Kingsbury. They had several children: Lycurgus, Peter P. Jr., Leonidas, Rhoda Mary (married D.L. Kannedy), Malvinia (married Loring S.W. Folsom). After his wife's death, Pitchlynn corresponded regularly with his older children while they were away at school, trying to give them guidance. Lycurgus attended a school in Tennessee and Peter Jr. one in Oxford, Georgia.
The Pitchlynn sons had difficulties as youths and adults: Lycurgus and Leonidas were convicted of assault in 1857 and sentenced to prison. The father gained a pardon for them from President John Buchanan
John Buchanan
John MacLennan Buchanan, PC, QC is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the 20th Premier of Nova Scotia from 1978 to 1990 and as a member of the Senate of Canada from 1990 to 2006.-Early life:...
. In 1860, Peter Jr. shot and killed his uncle, Lorenzo Harris, who was married to his father's sister Elizabeth Pitchlynn. Some said it was self-defense.
After Rhonda's death, Peter married a widow, Caroline Lombardy. They had a daughter, Sophia, together, who never married and lived with her father.
Career
Pitchlynn was well educated in both Choctaw and European-American culture. He began working on ways to improve Choctaw life. He worked to ban the sale of alcohol in Choctaw territory. Believing that education was important, he persuaded the National Council to found the Choctaw Academy, located in Blue Springs, Scott County, KentuckyScott County, Kentucky
Scott County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The population was 47,173 in the 2010 Census. Its county seat is Georgetown.Scott County is part of the Lexington–Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
in 1825. It sometimes accepted students of other American Indian tribes as well as Choctaw. Pitchlynn stayed closely involved with the school, receiving quarterly reports.
In 1830 Pitchlynn was elected to the National Council of Choctaw. Because of his education, he served as an interpreter and effective liaison between the Choctaw and the US federal government. Impressive in his bearing, he was described "as stately and complete a gentleman of nature's making as ever I beheld," wrote Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
.
He moved with the Choctaw to Indian Territory in the 1830s, where they resettled. Pitchlynn's widowed mother, Sophia Folsom Pitchlynn, moved with her son. She had the oldest known grave in Oklahoma.
In 1840 the Council appointed Pitchlynn as a teacher and superintendent of the Choctaw Academy. The following year, they decided to relocate the school to the Choctaw Nation (located in Indian Territory.) Pitchlynn's correspondence shows they were also discussing the need for a girls' school.
Pitchlynn continued to take on more responsibilities for the Nation; in 1845 he was appointed as the Choctaw Delegate to Washington, DC to represent the nation there. That year both the Choctaw and Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
proposed to the US Congress that their respective nations should be recognized as independent United States territories, but this was not supported. In 1847, he helped arrange the removal of further Choctaw from Mississippi to the Choctaw Nation by steamboat
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
.
In 1861, he was in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
when the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
started. He immediately returned to the Choctaw Nation, hoping to escape the expected strife. He had been in Washington to address national affairs of the Choctaw. Despite wanting to avoid the war, the Choctaw were not permitted to remain neutral. Some allied with the Confederacy and others with the Union. All suffered in the aftermath of the war.
Peter P. Pitchlynn was elected Principal Chief of the Choctaws in 1864 and served until 1866.
After he was succeeded as chief, Pitchlynn returned to Washington, DC as the Choctaw Delegate, where he worked to press Choctaw claims for lands in Mississippi sold under pressure to the United States in 1830. He had been collecting information on this issue since the 1850s from officials involved in the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek
Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek
The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek was a treaty signed on September 27, 1830 between the Choctaw and the United States Government. This was the first removal treaty carried into effect under the Indian Removal Act...
. There he joined the Lutheran Church. He also became a prominent member of the Masonic Order. Pitchlynn addressed the President and several congressional committees in defense of Choctaw claims.
After his death in Washington in 1881, Pitchlynn was buried in the Congressional Cemetery
Congressional Cemetery
The Congressional Cemetery is a historic cemetery located at 1801 E Street, SE, in Washington, D.C., on the west bank of the Anacostia River. It is the final resting place of thousands of individuals who helped form the nation and the city of Washington in the early 19th century. Many members of...
.
Pitchlyn's younger maternal cousin Frances Folsom (1864–1947) married President Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
in the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
.
Pitchlynn was reported to have told of the origin of the Choctaw:
"according to the traditions of the Choctaws, the first of their race came from the bosom of a magnificent sea. Even when they first made their appearance upon the earth they were so numerous as to cover the sloping and sandy shore of the ocean ... in the process of time, however, the multitude was visited by sickness ... their journey lay across streams, over hills and mountains, through tangled forests, and over immense prairies ... so pleased were they with all that they saw that they built mounds in all the more beautiful valleys they passed through, so the Master of Life might know that they were not an ungrateful people."
Legacy and honors
- The Choctaw Nation placed a monument at his gravesite in Congressional Cemetery in his honor.
- His papers are held by the University of Oklahoma, in the Western Histories Collection.
See also
- ApuckshunubbeeApuckshunubbeeApuckshunubbee was one of three principal chiefs of the Choctaw Native American tribe in the early nineteenth century, from before 1800. He led the western or Okla Falaya District in present-day Mississippi...
- PushmatahaPushmatahaPushmataha , the "Indian General", was one of the three regional chiefs of the major divisions of the Choctaw in the nineteenth century. Many historians considered him the "greatest of all Choctaw chiefs"...
- MosholatubbeeMosholatubbeeMushulatubbee was the chief of the Choctaw Okla Tannap , one of the three major Choctaw divisions during the early 19th century...
- Greenwood LeFloreGreenwood LeFloreGreenwood LeFlore or Greenwood Le Fleur was elected Principal Chief of the Choctaw in 1830 before removal. Before that, the nation was governed by three district chiefs and a council of chiefs...
- Phillip MartinPhillip MartinPhillip Martin was the democratically elected Tribal Chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, a federally recognized American Indian tribe of 8,300 enrolled members living on or near 30,000 acres of reservation land in east central Mississippi...
- List of Choctaw Treaties
Further reading
- W. David Baird, Peter Pitchlynn: Chief of the Choctaws, Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1972; reprint 1986
External links
- "Peter P. Pitchlynn Collection", Western Histories Collection, University of Oklahoma Libraries
- Congressional Cemetery: Native Americans List