Abel Ham Green (1890 - 1959)

Born 1 Jul 1890 in Millston, Jackson, Wisconsin, United States

Ancestors

Died 20 Jan 1959 at age 68 in Adams County, Wisconsin, United States

Abel was Ho-Chunk.

Biography

Birth

Abel was born on 1 July 1890, the son of Mark Green and Ada Frenchman. (Draft Card)

Name

The 1912 Indian census gives his Hocak name as Wasche Kesch She Kah, which appears to be for Wāškéšika, from wāšgé, wāšké, "poplar, quaking aspen"; šik, "good; to treasure, hold in honor, take part in favor"; and -ka a definite article suffix used in personal names. The name would mean, "He Who Honors the Poplar Tree." On the other hand, it could be from something quite different: waškí, "joke, joking, teasing"; and šik in the sense previously given. The name Waškíšika would mean, "Good Joking" or "He Favors Joking." Such a name would refer to the joking relationship between certain relatives, such as nephews/nieces and maternal uncles. This last name is actually the more likely.

His middle name "Ham" was given on his August, 1941 social security application.

Physical Description

When at age 26, on 5 June 1917, he filled out his draft card, where he was described as being of medium height and build, with black hair and brown eyes. He described himself as having "weak eyes."

Occupation

His 1917 draft card states that he worked the family farm with his father. His social security number was 396161177.

Residence

He lived with his mother until her death in 1937. Up to that time he had never married, so his relationship with Sunshine was probably extra-marital. In 1940, according to the Federal census, he lived on his farm, valued at $1200, with his brother Frank and his family. No wife or children recorded.

Sketch

"Abel Green [b. 1892] was still around when Nancy Lurie (Curator Emerita of Anthropology, Milwaukee Public Museum) began work with the Ho-Chunk tribe in the 1940s. She remembers him (private communication, 2007) as 'a quiet man with limited command of English -- his son was named Mark in honor of grandfather. His wife [Nina] rejoiced under the wonderful name of Sunshine Thundercloud. Sunshine was a nickname but the only one she was ever called'." (Weinhold, 25 nt. 9)

Warbundle

As the eldest son, Abel inherited his father's Warbundle which had been handed down to the eldest son since its creation by Black Otter.

Death

The Wisconsin Death Index shows that he died on 20 January 1959 in Adams County, Wisconsin. He is buried in Neillsville, Wisconsin.

Sources

• United States, Selective Service System. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. Registration State: Wisconsin; Roll: 1674590.
• Frank Weinhold, "Black Otter's Narrative: Wisconsin Native Recollections Relating to Pre-History of the Lewis-Clark Expedition," 1-27, in The Encyclopedia of Hočąk (Winnebago) Mythology.
• 1912 Indian Census; Roll: M595_570; Line: 14; Agency: Tomah Indian School. Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M595, 692 rolls); Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Record Group 75; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
• 1937 Indian Census; Roll: M595_573; Page: 38; Line: 1; Agency: Tomah Indian School. Census Rolls, 1885-1940; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M595, 692 rolls); Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Record Group 75; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
• Wisconsin Vital Records Office. Wisconsin Death Index, 1959-67, 1969-97. Madison, Wisconsin, USA: Wisconsin Department of Health. Sub nomine, Green, Abel.
• 1940 United States Federal Census; Census Place: Dewhurst, Clark, Wisconsin; Roll: m-t0627-04465; Page: 2B; Enumeration District: 10-7. United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1940. T627, 4,643 rolls.
• U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.