Elizabeth (White Cloud) Tesson (abt. 1841 - 1886)

Born about 1841 in Missouri

Ancestors

Descendants

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Biography

Elizabeth was Iowa Tribe.

George Nuzum, in his 1906 biography of the Iowan Indians, places Sarah White Cloud, sister of James, as the second wife of Joseph Tesson Sr., giving as children Mary LeClere, Bessie Rhodd and Millie Neff. He also places Sarah's sister, Eliza, as a third wife of Joseph Tesson Sr. with children being Julie Roubidoux.

He writes:

"(Joseph Tesson Sr.'s) Second marriage was to Sarah White Cloud, an Iowa Indian woman (a sister of Jim. White Cloud's) married Indian costom, about 1856 to this union following issue, Mary LeClere (159)- Bessie Rhodd- (244)- Millie Neff- (199)- while Tesson was living with this wife he married her sister Eliza White Cloud and lived with these two sisters at the same time both in the same house and lived with them continuously and with no one else from the time he first married them untill they both died, during all this time these two women lived with Tesson continuously, and with no one else from the time they married him untill they died. To this union of Tesson and Eliza White Cloud, following issue Julia Roubidoux (2) Sarah, Tesson's second wife died 1884 and was buried in the Tesson graveyard, Eliza, Tesson's third wife died Nov. 5, 1888 and was buried in the Tesson grave yard, bouth graves are marked by a family grave stone."
SOURCE: George Nuzum's 1906 "Biography of Iowa Indians of Kansas and Nebraska" (I've retained typographical errors)

The Greene-Chrisman lineage places Sarah White Cloud and her sister as wives of Joseph Jr.

The Mrs. Walter Hall account of children of Francis and Mary Roubidoux gives Robert, Sarah Tesson, Eliza Tesson, Jefferson, James, Martha Kihega and Mary Grant. It notes Mary Roubidoux had no children with Dupuis though raised three step children. This conflicts with the Nuzum which gives Mary as having two children with Dupuis. Had she two children with Dupuis it would have had to have been while she was married to Francis Whitecloud.

The Greene-Chrisman lineage gives the following bio on her:

"She attended school at Highland, Kansas. She was a princess. Her cousins were taught to guard and protect her. No one was ever to draw blood on her or harm her in any way. The Tesson children guarded her at all times; if they let her get hurt they would be punished by their father and mother. They had many fights over her in their early school days. (Coy & Hall, 1954: 9-10)" Source: Source: "Descendants of Man-haw-gaw" lineage file of Steve Chrisman and Jennie Green Chrisman

As I've noted above, Elizabeth White Cloud has been given by varying sources as a wife of Joseph Tesson Sr. and Jr. Susan K. Suttle-White notes:

"I think that this helps to provide the necessary proof that Elizabeth Whitecloud was the wife of Joseph Tesson Sr., and not Jr., though a marriage record has not yet been located.

"1885 Iowa Annuity Roll page 1 -
photocopy from microfilm [no #] of original handwritten record at Horton Agency, Horton, KS.

1. 16-15 Joseph Tesson, ....................head, age 72, M, $21.27 [b. abt.1813]
   
2. 17-16 Eliza Tesson, .........................wife, age 44, F, $21.27 [b. abt.1841]
   
3. 18-17 Millie Tesson, ..................daughter, age 11, F, $21.27
   
4. 19-18 Eliza Whitecloud, .................niece, age 17, F, $21.27
   
5. 20-19 Ralph Kathanimane, .......grandson, age 3, M, $21.27

Total $106.35 rec'd by Joseph Tesson.

"1889 Iowa Annuity Roll page 1 -
photocopy from microfilm [no #] of original handwritten record at Horton Agency, Horton, KS.

1. 16-16 Joseph Tesson, ...........................head, age 77, M, $18.15 [b. abt.1812]
   
2. 17-17 Eliza Tesson, .....dec'd. Jan 1889....wife, age 48, F, $18.15 [b. abt.1841]
   
3. 18-18 Millie Tesson, ........................daughter, age 16, F, $18.15
   
4. 19-19 Ralph Kathanimane, ..............grandson, age 9, M, $18.15
   

Total $72.20 rec'd by Joseph Tesson.

Eliza's death date given by Geo. Nuzum as Nov. 5, 1888 is probably more accurate than the government Iowa Annuity Roll record of "dec'd Jan. 1889".

SOURCE: Susan K. Suttle

Verification is needed on which Eliza White Cloud it was that Godfrey first married. There is also an Elizabeth White Cloud b. 1841, died 1880 and could possibly be her.

Joseph Tesson Sr. and Eliza had one natural daughter who survived to adulthood, Julia Tesson.

They also had an adopted niece, Eliza White Cloud Tesson b. Oct. 15 1866.

"Nu-Wiscummie WhiteCloud (wife of Jefferson WhiteCloud) died when her daughter Eliza WhiteCloud Tesson was four days old. Jeff's sister Eliza WhiteCloud Tesson and her husband, Joseph Tesson, took the baby and raised her as Eliza WhiteCloud Tesson. Eliza WhiteCloud Tesson had lost her baby; she nursed her brother's baby Eliza WhiteCloud on her breast, so Eliza WhiteCloud went by the name of Eliza Tesson until she was to be married to James H. Morris, when she was told that her name was WhiteCloud. She attended school at Highland, Kansas. She was a princess. Her cousins were taught to guard and protect her. No one was ever to draw blood on her or harm her in any way. The Tesson children guarded her at all times; if they let her get hurt they would be punished by their father and mother. They had many fights over her in their early school days...Chief Jefferson WhiteCloud....(a Chief of the Oklahoma Iowas) born 1846, died July 1892...Jefferson was married three times first two wives died."

Ref; St. Joseph Museum Graphic, 1952 pp.3-13. "The Museum's Anniversary Celebration and the White Cloud Family" by Roy Coy and Mrs. Walter Hall. It states as caption under a photo that Florence Hall was a granddaughter of Jefferson White Cloud.

The TESSON CEMETERY listing in "CEMETERIES on LANDS of the IOWA TRIBE of KS & NE" compiled by Susan K. Suttle-White gives the following:

TESSON, Elizabeth (White Cloud) -- b. 1844 - d. Sept. 5, 1880. TESSON, Eliza (White Cloud) -- died Nov. 5, 1888, wife of Joe Tesson.

Sources

• George Nuzum's Biography of the Iowa Indians of Kansas & Nebraska, 1906. Working off photocopy of a photocopy of typed copy of the Nuzum in the library of the St. Joseph Museum. The St. Joseph Museum typewritten copy is one of three. The original photocopy was presented 1989 to the Northwest Genealogical Society by the St. Joseph Museum, by Richard Nolf, Director. The typed manuscript was taken from loose pages in long-hand writing. The photocopy used as source here has margin notes made by Susan K. Suttle-White and supplementary name indexes. Transcription of photocopy for the web by J. M. Kearns. The typographical errors in original typewritten manuscript were intentionally retained.
• Susan Suttle-White
• Jennie Green Chrisman and Steve Chrisman "Descendants of Man-haw-gaw" Family lineage file, 2004
• Mrs. Walter Hall account
• 1885 Iowa Annuity Roll. Horton Agency microfilm of handwritten record, transcribed from photocopy. Iowa Annuity Roll 3rd Quarter 1885 Paid Dec. 31, 1885. Transcribed from photocopy from microfilm of original handwritten record by Susan Suttle-White.
• 1889 Ioway Annity Roll. Horton Agency microfilm of handwritten record, transcribed from photocopy. Transcribed from photocopy f