Nancy Bellzona's Picture Book
Pensoneau Family

Of my father's family, none are now living except my brother Narcisse Pensineau, who is a lawyer, and living three miles from Muscotah, St. Clair County, Illinois. He is a brother of the full blood, with me.

When I was thirteen years old I went among the Kickapoos. My father was head-boss for the American Fur Company (author's note, this was owned by John Jacob Astor). He bought goods from Mackinaw to the Kickapoos, Pottawatomies and Miamies, who were then living in Indiana and Illinois, on the Wabash River, and the Vermillion, and other branches of the Wabash. I went to Terre Haute, where there was a trading post. My father gave me a set of tools so that I could repair the Indian guns, and I followed that business a great deal. When I was nineteen years of age I came across the Mississippi River with the Kickapoos. We crossed the Mississippi at Sainte Genevieve, Kaskaskia; 63 families. we first settled on White River. Remained there about five years. Then we went to the Osage; to the Pomme de Terre.

Two or three years before we crossed at Sainte Genevieve the Mexican Kickapoos went off. Pam-wy-tum was the name of the chief who led the Mexican Kickapoos off. That was when I was about sixteen years old, as near as I can remember.

I was five year as among the Sacs and Foxes and was in the Black Hawk War: I was assisting Stephen S. Phelps, a trader, when I was with the Sac and Foxes. He had his trading house on the Yellow Bank, on the Mississippi, in Warren County, Iowa. He belonged to the American Fur Company.

When I went to the Sacs and Foxes the Kicapoos were living on the Pom de Terre. After the Black Hawk War I joined them on the Missouri River above Fort Leavensworth. I was twenty-four year old when I came among the Kicapoos on the Missouri. the American Fur Company sent from their post in Iowa, with a stock of goods. CAMPBELL  was agent for the Kickapoos when they moved across from the Kaskasia. When I came to the Missouri Richard Cummings was the Agent. He was agent for four years.

I was the first trader among the Kickapoos on the Missouri. Mr. Morgan, a settler at Fort leavenworth, also traded with the Indians at that time. I have been with the Kickapoos ever since.

About 1844 I commenced opening a farm on the Stranger Creek, near where Mount Pleasant now is, in Atichison, County.  I lived there ten or eleven years, when I moved up on the Grasshopper, reservation under the treaty of 1854.

I was often in St. Louis when I was a boy, and began to learn to speak English by association with English speaking traders and agents.

I was first appointed interpreter by superintendent WILLIAM CLARK,  and I interpreted for Major Menard at Kaskaaskia about the time the Kickapoos first crossed the Mississippi into Missouri. I first took delegation of the Kickapoos from Oco, St. Clair County, Indiana.

I became interpreter at Kickapoo, on the Missouri River, soon after I came there, after the Black Hawk War. I was appointed by Henry Tiblos to assist him. He was interpreter for the Delaware's, Shawnees and Kickapoos and Pottawatomies. Cummings was agent for all the four tribes. he lived at Westport, Missouri, Titlow had me interpret when there was any business done at Kickapoo.

Tiblow was a full blooded Delaware. He could read and write in English. He is still living among the Delawares, I think, in Indian Territory.

After I had been interpreter some time, Peter Cadue became interpreter for five years. I then became interpreter again. I became interpreter under Major Charles B. Keith, and remained under Bennett and Adams. I was followed by John Anderson, while Adams was still agent. I was interpreter under Vanderslice and Richardson; was interpreter when the treaty was made in President Pierce's time in 1854.

I went to the Indian Territory first in 1856 because of the Kansas troubles. My daughter Papone married Armistead Dawson. she lived with Dawson about three years when she left him, it was about 1852 or 53 when she left Dawson and came back to the tribe, and would not live with him any more. She brought her baby back to the tribe, and rejoined the tribe. Dawson got Jim Whipple to steal the child from his mother when he was about three or four years old, and he kept him till he, Dawson, died. James Whitehead became guardian for the boy after Dawson's death. during agent Adam's time I got the agent to have George Storch appointed guardian, and young Dawson was brought to me and I put him to school in Atchison. He is now living at Muscotah. He is 20 years old. Tom Whipple was a son in law of mine. His wife was Mary Pensineau. They could not live together. She is now in Mexico and Tom is among the Cherokees. Tom's boy by my daughter Mary is now living on the reservation in Kansas. He is twenty-six years old.

When I went to the Indian territory in 1856, seventy or eighty families of Kickapoos living there, and I went among them. I lived down there then four years, when the war of the Rebellion broke out.

I was at the Seminole agency, this side of the Big Canadian, when Albert Pike and Rector came and had a talk with the Indians about taking sides with the South in the Rebellion. He said the people of the North were going to rob the South, like stealing the chickens from a hen's nest. the Seminoles would not join with the South. Pas-co-ca, the head chief of the Seminoles told Pike that he was shipped by the People of the United States in Florida, and that he was not going to fight against the United States again. The Seminoles did not join with the South. The other tribes did, so far as I know.

The Seminoles and some Kickapoos and Creeks, left for the north at once. I came with them. We had a fight at Cross Hollow. The Rebel Creeks fought us all.

I remained in Kansas on the Kickapoo reservation from 1861 to 1875. I then took my family and went to live near where I now live. I live now seven miles from Shawneetown on the north fork of the Canadian, on this side. My family now consists of my wife, and my son Sephen Pensineau and his wife and children and another son of mine named Ap-Pak-kee-mah, who is thirty-six years old. Stephen is twenty-nine.*

I was in the Black Hawk War, as I said, and also in the Mexican war. I got a land grant for my service in the Black Hawk War, and eighty acre warrant, which I sold to Charles B. Keith, of Atchison, for two horses. I want to see if I can get a pension for my service in the Black Hawk War, in the Mexican War, or in the War of the Rebellion. I have been in the service of the country 63 years and am now getting old. I was wounded in the Battles of Cross Hollow. I went out at the time Dr. Badger went. I was with two or three hundred Indians at the Battle of Pea Ridge. (author's note, this is in Arkansas). These Indians were regularly organized into the army. I was not mustered into any company of regiment. We fought as volunteers.

My daughter Papone, after she left Dawson, was married to Musquot and they have seven children. They belong to the common band of Kickapoos, now living on the reservation of thirty sections. They have always lived there. They want a treaty made so they can get their share and go south.

There are now nineteen families of Kickapoos living where I live, on the North Canadian, who have claims on the common reservation of thirty sections in Kansas. They were named in the treaty of 1852. They were in the Indian Territory at the time the treaty was made and were provided for in the treaty. They now want a treaty made so that they can get the benefit of the interest in the land.

My wife became a citizen of the United States and wants to sell her land which she has near Muscotah. I want you to get her a patent for the land.

When you visit the reservation, see Mes-quot. He has a son named Fred, eighteen years old, who is a bright boy.

*Stephen was the father of Narcisse (Narcissus) Paschal Pensoneau, who was my grandfather, and father to Velma Louise Pensoneau Jones, Mrs. Lee Otis Jones.

Donna Flood notes.

Of further interest is a hand written letter dated 1906 which says, "Louison Pensoneau (father to Paschal) was for many years a trader among the Kickapoo Indians who occupied central Illinois from  the Illinois river to the Wabash. His home was at Cahokia, his trading establishment was at Peoria. While his family remained at or near Cahokia he spent much of his time up the county among the Indians, and when Paschal grew up he was much of his time with his father with the Indians, and thoroughly assimilated with them in language, habits and customs. The old man died in 1832, and Paschal, who had become almost completely estranged from his kinfolks, went with the Kickapoos to the west in 1833, and was soon married to a squaw. His brothers and sisters, who ranked socially among the highest class of citizens here, regarded Paschal's alliance with an Indian an intolerable disgrace and if they did not disown him outright, they called him, "off," and never mentioned his name and really did not know where he was or care to know.  Paschal having become to every intent an Indian, ignored all his relative and was completely lost to them.

Paschal never came back to Illinois but once, I think it was about 1876 or 78. His brothers and sisters were then all dead, and he was about 80 years of age. My brother, then alive, and residing at Belleville, Illinois where I was raised, entertained him while there; and afterward described him to me as a striking figure, of stately patriarchal appearance, and an intelligent, dignified and courteous gentleman. He was well dressed, and perfectly at his ease, with nothing in speech or manners to indicate his life long associate with Indians............From my more mature knowledge of the world and mankind, I feel quite sure that the Indian woman Paschal married was fully his peer in all that pertains to moral, social and domestic life."
                                     Sincerely yours,
                                           J.F. Snyder.

Author's note:  for those of my dear kinfolk who hate the word  "squaw" please forgive. The word was in the documents.