Where did the Whitecloud family live?

While we certainly don't have a complete picture of where Benjamin, Mary and their family lived and when, we do have some clues from his written biography, historical documents, and the letters he received while preaching. From tax lists, census documents and city directories, I will here trace the family from 1859 right up to the Chicago city directory in 1890.

This first map shows a possible progression of Benjamin from his birthplace in Alabama (where his father Abraham lived) to the Cherokee Nation in Arkansas Territory, to upper New York just south of Lake Ontario, to Dowagiac, Michigan where he obtained a medical license and he and his wife had their first 2 children, to Chicago where their son Benjamin was born, to Deerfield, IL where he died.

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Benjamin obtained this LICENSE TO PREACH on Feb, 9, 1859 in the Cherokee Nation Arkansas Territory. He received his Ordination Papers on June 23, 1859 in Arkansas Territory, too.

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On June 8, 1860, he was in the state of New York, where he received a letter of reference from a man named Ezra McInty(sp?). On August 13, 1860 he received another one of these letters from Pastor S. D. Phelps of the First Baptist Church of New Haven, New York.

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Subsequent letters are from Clyde, NY on October 10, 1861; Lyons, NY on November 11, 1861; and Port Gibson, NY on January 14, 1862. This map shows the area north of the Finger Lakes and south of Lake Ontario in upstate New York where all of these letters are from.

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Benjamin was in Port Gibson, NY in January of 1862, and on the tax rolls in Kalamazoo, Michigan in December1863. His son Abraham and daughter Hattie have both been listed in later census files as having been born in Michigan. Cass County, Michigan has a rich history. Here is a newspaper from Cass County in 1863.  http://discovercasscounty.com/historic-public-structures/


Benjamin is listed as living in Kalamazoo, Michigan in this December 1863 Tax Roll from Michigan.

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Benjamin is in the 1865 Tax list in Dowagiac, Michigan where he is listed as a physician. We know his children Abraham and Hattie were already born by then, both being born in Michigan.  His son Benjamin was born in Chicago in 1865, this same year.  So we can assume he moved to Chicago in 1865. (He is listed toward the bottom)

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Benjamin is listed in the Chicago Business City Directory in 1866 as a physician with an office at 131 E. Adams.

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Benjamin is listed in the Chicago City Directory in 1867 living at 259 21st Street.

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Benjamin is listed in the Chicago City Directory in 1869, a year before his death.

Name: Benjamin M Whitecloud
Residence Year: 1869
Street address: 99 Butterfield
Residence Place: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Occupation: Physician
Publication Title: Chicago, Illinois, City Directory, 1869

Benjamin died in April 1870 in Deerfield, IL.  He is listed here in the 1870 census.


The rest of the family is listed as living in Deerfield, IL in the same census. For some reason, Mary is listed as Louisa Mordecai. It is here we first see Mary's birthplace listed as New York. Abraham, Hattie and Benjamin Jr. are all listed as well, all under the name Mordecai.

For more census entries, click here.

Whiteclouds in the Chicago Directories

Mary Whitecloud (Mordecai) is living at 21 and 22 Shurtleff Ave. in 1872. This is 2 years after Benjamin's death.

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The 1873 City Directory hasn't been indexed yet, but Mary appears again here. This time is says 27th, ne. corner Shurtleff ave.

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Mary appears in the 1874 Chicago Directory at 22 Shurtleff ave.

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In 1875 Mary is listed as living at 1230 Shurtleff ave. I am not sure if she has moved, or if the street numbers are changing.

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We don't see Mary in the 1876 directory, but she reappears in 1877 at 113 Napoleon pl. She is always listed as Benjamin's widow.

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Mary appears again in the 1882 City Directory at 39 31st street.

Mary disappears from the directories, but in 1889 both of her sons Abraham and Benjamin appear as lamplighters.  Notice they are now using the last name Mordecai -- spelled as Mordeca. They are living at 4209 S. Langley.  This is 2 blocks east of Cottage Grove.

They all appear under Mordecai in the 1890 Chicago Directory, still living at 4209 S. Langley.

Benjamin's Book

Well, the book has arrived! I purchased this from the Jones family, who came to it by way of their aunt, Julia Jones. Dr. Julia Jones was a famous doctor in her own right, as is evidenced by this article about her here. The contents of this book have already amazed me, and so I am started a separate blog called "Benjamin's Book" where I will chronicle and share it's contents. Please feel free to follow that offshoot for all things Benjamin Moses Mordecai AKA Chief Whitecloud. I will also share updates from time to time on this blog, as well!

A Page from Benjamin's Book

Linda sent me a scan of one of the pages of the book.  She said the pages are quite brittle, and the cover is deteriorating.  But I may be looking at my ggggrandfather's own handwriting!  I cannot wait to read the rest of it!  Maybe there are more clues within!

Of great interest to me was the section about young cabbage leaves.  I looked up such a remedy, and found that one paragraph of the above manuscript is written - verbatim -- from many other texts. I assume they were all copied, at least in part, from other books. Benjamin's book goes in a different direction after this portion, perhaps because he had different opinions on some of the other remedy suggestions he found in the original text. His bio states he is not a fan of calomel medicine and mercurial remedies.

"LEAVES of various plants might likewise be applied to the patient's side with advantage. I have often seen great benefit from young cabbage-leaves applied warm to the side in a pleurisy. These not only relax the parts, but likewise draw off a little moisture."

FOUND HERE:

http://www.americanrevolution.org/medicine/med16.html 

New info on Chief Whitecloud / Benjamin Moses Mordecai

I received an email today from a woman named Linda who has a book of Indian Remedies reportedly written by Benjamin Moses Mordecai. Her husband's aunt was a doctor in NY and, when she the aunt died in 1972, the book came to the husband and has been sitting in their closet. Linda herself is a nurse, and is transcribing the book as we speak!

Here is Linda's transcription of the book intro, which is a quick bio of the author:

"A Sketch of the Author’s Life

I was born in the Cherokee Nation, March 20th in 1800. My grandfather was a chief of the Cherokee Nation his name was Doublehead, my grandmother was a white woman her name was Patsy Doublehead. My father was a Dutch Jew, his name was Abram Moses Mordeceai, he came to the Nation in 1793, where he married my mother. They had nine children of which I was the oldest. In the year of 1812 the war broke out and we were obliged to fly to Georgia for protection from the hostile Creek Indians. After the war ended, we returned to the Nation. After we returned, I went to school to the missionaries where I learned to read and write. After I left the missionaries I went to Mobile to school.

When I returned to the Nation I was employed by a Catabawa Indian, whose name was Walking Bear. I dug roots for this Indian two years, he was a very successful man in his practice. All the knowledge he had was gained by experience. It was a curious fact that a man without any guide but his own experience to effect such cures. He cured nearly every one that was brought to him. While I resided with him, he went to the city of Washington after his return I became his student, I staid with him three years.

In the year 1823, I again returned to Mobile, where I staid with a doctor by the name of Shuffield nine months. This man served me many mean tricks, while was curing his patients he was pocketing the money. I advise all patients to beware of a Yankee. After being duped by this Yankee, I returned to my own Nation. After this I studied under a Cherokee Indian Doctor for two years, when he was murdered by the white men, this man was very kind and skillful, I hardly thought before this time that the whites were capable of such barbarities. After the death of my old friend I again returned to Georgia and commenced practicing.

 I did not use any mercurial preparations in my practice and the consequence was I met with opposition on every hand from the old school or calomel doctors. I advise all to beware of mercurial and mineral medicines. These poisons, instead of removing the disorder, for to relief of which they are administered, only tend to confirm the disease more strongly, dooming the victim to slow but certain death. The great God of heaven, in his vegetable kingdom, has provided remedies for the treatment of all manner of diseases, to which the afrail constitution of man is subject. I speak this not from my own alone, but from the experiences of hundreds of others who have been snatched, as it were, from the grave by the use of vegetable medicines.

But I have regressed from my subject.

 After staying in Georgia about one year, I then returned to Mobile where I found a medicine college had been organized during my absence, there physicians were followers of the celebrate Doctor Thomson. I immediately took a course of lectures which lasted nine months. It may not be amiss to state, that I was very much respected by all classes always be under obligation to Doctors Everett and Clark who took a great deal of trouble to instruct me, both in language and physics. The Indians who come to this college for instruction were allowed to hear the lectures and verbal instruction free of charge.

After finishing my course of lectures at this college, I went to the Creek Nation, where I practiced under a Creek doctor for six months, here I learned a great deal of valuable and interesting knowledge. Ever since that time I have lived among the whites. I have cured many of all kinds of diseases, and I hope, by the grace of God, to cure many more, the remedies mentioned in the following work, are not conclusions drawn merely from theory, but the result of successful practice of many years. The more a person studies the products of the vegetable kingdom, the more he finds remaining to be learned.

 - Benjamin Moses Mordeceai "
 

Mordecai Reunion

We had a great time out at Matt & Jan Hayles' for our first Mordecai reunion! Here is a pic from cousin Nancy in Florida who brought us all together!

(From left to right) Linda Hanson, Janice Hayles, Suzy Cole, Nancy McConnell, Danny Mordecai, Janet Evans, and Ed Shannon.
Sheryl Marabotti and her husband are in this second photo - they had to leave before the group shot.

Linda, Janice, Suzy, Nancy and Danny are all siblings, and grandchildren of Ben Mordecai.  Ed is the grandson of Hazel Mordecai.  Sheryl is the greatgranddaughter of Frank Mordecai.   Janet is the greatgranddaughter of Gertrude Mordecai. 

Ben Mordecai, Hazel Mordecai, Frank Mordecai and Gertrude Moredecai were all children of Ben & Tillie Mordecai.  

We all spent time reviewing the family tree and sharing info and stories. Ed told me he remembers his Aunt Gertie from his father's funeral when he was a small boy.  Linda said she remembers visiting Gertie in the city when she was young. 

Here we are sitting around the table reviewing our large family tree!

It was great to meet everyone and share info and I can't wait for the next reunion!  I have to believe that all our grandparents and greatgrandparents and so on were looking down on us, amazed that so many Mordecai descendants found each other!  Chief Whitecloud himself should be proud! :) 

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Mordecai Family Reunion

I was recently contacted by a Mordecai descendant in Florida - Nancy - and we are planning a Mordecai Family Reunion next month in Chicago! So far we have people from 4 different branches of the family coming together for the reunion! Stay tuned for more info as we make plans! Click here for info on our common ancestor, Chief Whitecloud (AKA Benjamin Moses Mordecai)