Mekinges Conner facts for kids

Mekinges Elizabeth Conner (1785 – about 1861) was a Lenape woman. She played an important role in the history of Hamilton County, Indiana, even though not much is widely known about her. Her husband, William Conner, was a well-known pioneer who built a trading post and fur trade business. Mekinges was key to his success because she was the daughter of a powerful Lenape chief. Her high status among her people helped her husband's business grow.

Mekinges's Early Life

Mekinges Elizabeth Conner was born in 1785 in what is now Anderson, in Madison County, Indiana. Her Lenape name was "Ma cun chis," which means "last born." You might also see her name spelled Mckinges. There's even a street named Mckinges Circle in Carmel, Indiana.

Mekinges's father was the important Lenape chief William "Kik tha we nund" (1740–1831). He was also known as Chief William Anderson, and the town of Anderson was named after him. He was the head of the Turkey Clan of the Unami Delaware Indians. Her mother was Mary "Ah Ke Ch Lung Un A Qua" (1760–1825) from the Delaware Indians Turtle Clan. Her English name was Mary Anderson.

The Delaware Indians, also called Lenape, followed a matrilineal system. This means children belonged to their mother's clan. It was also common for married children to live with the mother's family. Mekinges lived with her parents until 1812. Then, she moved with her husband to a place south of Noblesville, Indiana, near the White River.

Mekinges's Marriage and the Treaty

In 1802, Mekinges married William Conner (1777–1855). He was a white fur trader in central Indiana. William Conner also worked as an interpreter at the Treaty of St. Mary's in Ohio in 1818.

During the treaty negotiations, Chief William Anderson, Mekinges, and William Conner were all there. The chief trusted his son-in-law, hoping the talks would help the Delaware Indians. However, the opposite happened. William Conner was the interpreter for Chief Anderson, but he also helped the U.S. government. He was paid well with land and money. He said that the Native Americans would be moved from Indiana anyway, so he decided to profit from it.

The Treaty of St. Mary's led to the Indian removals in Indiana. This meant Mekinges Conner and her six children had to leave Indiana. It's not clear if William Conner traveled with his Native American family part of the way or if they traveled with his business partner. Eight months after Mekinges and her family left, William Conner married Elizabeth Chapman. She was an 18-year-old white woman from Noblesville.

Mekinges's Family Life

Mekinges and William Conner had six children together:

• John Conner (1802–1872)
• James Conner (1817–1872)
• Hamilton "Harry" Conner (1809–1887)
• Elizabeth Conner-Bullett (1818–1876)
• William Conner Jr. (1811–1887)
• Nancy Conner (1815–1834)

These details were confirmed in court records in Hamilton County, Indiana. After Mekinges left Indiana, her children stayed with her and the Delaware Indians. John and James later became important Delaware chiefs.

Mekinges's Later Life and Legacy

When Mekinges left Indiana in September 1821, she took her share of the family business. Her husband, William Conner, had also promised to share any government land he received with their children. William Conner and Mekinges had asked for government land together. This was payment for his help to the United States government during the Treaty of St. Mary's in 1818. He received the land deed in 1830.

However, when William Conner died in 1855, he left all his land (about 6,000 acres) to his second wife, Elizabeth Chapman, and their children. He did not include his Native American children, breaking his promise to Mekinges. In November 1855, Mekinges's children sued William Conner's estate. But in January 1863, the court decided against them. This meant Mekinges's children received no part of William Conner's property.

There is not much information about Mekinges's life after she left Indiana with her people, the Lenape of the Delaware Nation. She first traveled to southern Missouri. Then she crossed southern Illinois and stayed at Fort Kaskaskias due to bad weather. It is thought that she and her children went to southern Arkansas for two years. When the tribe arrived at the Delaware Reservation in Kansas, Mekinges and her younger children were with them. They stayed there until 1930.

Mekinges appears on the 1842 census of the Delaware Indians as "Muck-cun-chase." It is believed she died on July 3, 1861. However, some records suggest she might have lived longer. A "Mu-cun-chus" appears in the 1862 census, aged 73, born around 1779. Her Lenape name was written in many ways, making it hard to be sure. It is thought she moved with the Delaware Indians from Kansas to Indian Territory. Her name "Macumchis" appears as a landowner who died in the Cherokee Nation.

Mekinges Conner was not only the daughter of a Native American chief but also the mother of two Native American chiefs.

Historical Sites Related to Mekinges

The cabin William Conner built for his first wife, Mekinges, is still standing. The Federal-style home he built for his second wife, Elizabeth Chapman, is also there. Both are located at the Conner Prairie Interactive History Park. The Federal-style house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.