Mary Gertrude Indian Pah shick e se quah Whistler

  General Notes:

Text: MRS. SARAH A WHISTLER, government Indian interpreter at the Sac and Fox Agency, was appointe d to this position in 1907, but during a number of years previously she had been in the gove rnment employ as a teacher in the Indian school here, and her ability and fitness for leaders hip there led to her present important position. She is numbered among the Oklahoma pioneer s of 1884, and is a native daughter of Iowa. Her father, John Goodell, was born in Connecticu t, but was reared in the state of New York, and although a white man he in time became thorou ghly familiar with the language, manner and customs of the Indians and served a.s a governmen t interpreter in Iowa and Kansas for a number of years. His wife to whom he was married in Bu rlington. Iowa, in 1840, was of French and Indian blood, and previous to her marriage to Mr . Goodell her name was Mrs. Julia Mitchell, she Having married an Indian trader. She is spoke n in the history of the Black Hawk war as the woman, who in 1832 swam the Mississippi river w ith her babe on her back. This daughter is now Mary Keokuk, the widow of Chief Keokuk, a woma n hale and hearty at the age of seventy-eight years and a resident of this village. She was b orn in Wisconsin in 1828, on the Skunk river. She was adopted by Dr. Moore, a surgeon in th e U. S. Army, and was ducated in Philadelphia. Chief Keokuk died at the agency here at the ag e of eighty-eight years. Mrs. Goodell also died at the government agency here at the age of s eventy-five years. In her early life Mrs. Whistler received an excellent educational trainin g in the mission school at Westport, Missouri, and when but fifteen years of age she gave he r hand in marriage to William WThistler, who was born at the historic old Fort Dearborn in Il linois. When a lad of thirteen he came to Kansas and in time became one of the most prominen t imen of the state in those days. He served the commonwealth as a legislator and later wa s a candidate for state senator, but death cut short his life so full of richness and brigh t promises in its early prime. lie was but thirty-eight years at his death, and he left thre e children, two of whom are living, Mrs. Gertrude Kirtley, residing east of Cushing, Oklahoma , and Leo Whistler, of the Sac and Fox Agency. Mrs. Whistler is a woman of unusual business a nd executive ability, her advice being often sought and freely given, and being courteous an d pleasing in her manner she has won many friends in Oklahoma.

Mary married Frederick Kirtley on 17 Jul 1883.