Allen County, Indiana Genealogy

See the Chief Richardville House - akima Pinšiwa Awiiki and Indians Native Americans pages.

Image of Chief Richardville from the Indians of the Midwest at the Newberry Library. This image is shown and discussed in Chief Richardville's Portraits: An Unsolved Mystery, John Beatty, April 21, 2012, History Center Notes & Queries blog.

Abstract of title of part of the Richardville Reserve in Allen County, Indiana, Publication date 1900 on Archive.org.
Compiled by Kuhne & Company, Inc. Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Abstracts of Title, Allen County, Indiana Richardville Reserve, Twps. 29 and 30, Range 12 East is at the Allen County Public Library Digital Collections at the Allen County Public Library. Compiled by Dreibelbiss Abstract of Title Company, Inc. Fort Wayne, Indiana. A March 6, 2024 post on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook describes this as partial transcript of the Miami Indian Treaty, maps, and the Last Will of John B. Richardville with comment that it is The inventory gives a room by room inventory of the furnishings.

Bottom of page 48 of The pictorial history of Fort Wayne, Indiana : a review of two centuries of occupation of the region about the head of the Maumee River Volume 1 by Griswold, B. J. (Bert Joseph), 1873-1927; Taylor, Samuel R., Mrs, Publication date: 1917 on Archive.org. 48 hits for Richardville including born near Old Apple Tree on page 178, Monument on page 225, drawing on page 233
Within a brief period after his arrival, Joseph Drouet de Richardville married Tah-cum-wah, a daughter of Aque-noch-qua, the reigning Miami chief. Tah-cum-wah was a Sister of Little Turtle, "the greatest Indian of all times." Jean Baptiste de Richardville, son of Joseph Drouet de Richardville and Tah-cum-wah, was born in 1761, as he often stated, "near the old apple tree" in the present Lakeside (city of Fort Wayne)

Legend has it that Peshewa—the “Wildcat” (Richardville’s Indian name) was born under an ancient apple tree at Kekionga or current Fort Wayne. His birth in approximately 1761 was toward the end of the French and Indian War. Copied from The Voice of the Miami by Visit Fort Wayne on Nov. 09, 2014. Nephew of the great war chief Little Turtle who defeated General Arthur St. Clair November 2, 1791 in battle that drove St. Clair’s army from Kikionga to Fort Recovery. It was the worst defeat of the U.S. Cavalry by any Indian Tribes. Richardville House - May 24, 2011 from the The History Center "Today, Michael Galbraith and Angie Quinn are heading to Washington DC, to present a nomination of the Akima Pinsiwa Awiiki (Chief Jean-Baptiste de Richardville House) to the National Park Service." National Historic Landmark Nomination.

1. See our Chief Richardville House section.
2. See our Miami Indian section.
3. Chief Jean Babtiste “Pinšiwa” Richardville at Find A Grave.
4. The Man in the Middle - Chief J. B. Richardville from the Indiana Historical Bureau.
5. The Indiana historian: The man in the middle – Chief J. B. Richardville at the Indiana Memory digital library at IN.gov.
6. Richardville emerged a principal chief in 1816 and remained a leader of the Miamis until his death in 1841. He was a signatory to the Treaty of Greenville (1795), as well as several later treaties between the U.S. government and the Miami people, most notably the Treaty of Fort Wayne (1803), the Treaty of Fort Wayne (1809), the Treaty of Saint Mary's (1818), the Treaty of Mississinewas (1826), the treaty signed at the Forks of the Wabash (1838), and the Treaty of the Wabash (1840). From Jean Baptiste Richardville on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia and comments December 22, 2023 on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook.

7. 

   Receipt Miami annuity, 1823-08-12 in the John Tipton Collection We Do History digital collection by the Indiana Historical Society

   Description	Receipt to Tipton for 190 bushels of salt due to the Miami and Eel River tribes of Indians for 1823 by the treaties of 1803 and 1818. Signed (by their marks) triplicate by 9 Miami chiefs.
   Subject	Receipts (Acknowledgements); Indians of North America; Indians of North America--Government relations; Miami Indians; Eel River Band of Miami Indians; Fort Wayne (Ind.); Tipton, John, 1786-1839; Indian agents--Indiana; Kercheval, Benjamin B., 1793-1855; Salt;
   Creator	Richardville, Jean Baptiste, 1761?-1841; Ma-chick-e-la-out-oh (Big Body); Osage; Nat-a-wen-Saw; Na-go-to-cup-wah; Waup-as-sippon; Ping-quah-whah; Ma-cat-mang-quah; Pappe-ke-chah

   

   Receipt, John Baptiste Richardville to John Tipton, 1824-03-29 in the John Tipton Collection Receipt We Do History digital collection by the Indiana Historical Society

   Description	Receipt from Richardville for one Barshear plow and another agricultural implement; Richardville also known as Peshewa, chief of the Miami people.
   Subject	Receipts (Acknowledgements); Plows; Richardville, Jean Baptiste, 1761?-1841; Miami Indians; Indians of North America; Tipton, John, 1786-1839; Indian agents--Indiana; Fort Wayne (Ind.); Barron, Joseph, 1773-1843;
   Creator	Richardville, John Baptiste, 1761?-1841

   June 27, 2021 discussion of these images on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook.

8. August 13, 2022 post by The History Center on Facebook:

   Born in 1761, Jean Baptiste Richardville (Pinšiwa) was the son of a French fur trader father and a Miami Indian mother named Tacumwa, sister to the Miami war chief Little Turtle. Richardville and his mother built a trading empire based on control of the “long portage” between the St. Mary’s and Wabash Rivers, joining two water systems and thereby completing a pathway for commerce that extended from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. His 1827 home is now recognized as one of the oldest Native American structure in the Midwest, one of the first Greek Revival style houses in Indiana and the only surviving Treaty Houses in the nation. As principal Chief of the Miami, Richardville signed six treaties by 1840 that ultimately ceded over 950,000 acres of land in Indiana to the United States. At the time of his death, he held a fortune that included $200,000 in gold and silver, the equivalent of over $6.8 million today. On August 13, 1841, exactly 181 years ago today, Chief Richardville died in the East Bedroom of his magnificent mansion, still located in southwest Fort Wayne and stewarded by the History Center since 1991. Pinšiwa was first buried in the Cathedral Square Catholic cemetery in Fort Wayne beneath a splendid monument purchased by his daughters; however, with the construction of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in 1860, his gravesite and headstone were moved to the auxiliary Catholic cemetery southwest of downtown. Although there is some question as to whether his remains were disturbed, his monument was relocated, where, unfortunately due to its size and distinctiveness, became a favored target for passenger pistoleers riding along the nearby railway. The monument was then moved a final time in 1873 to the current Catholic cemetery along Lake Avenue, where is sits to this day. #sociallyhistory

9. Page 225, The pictorial history of Fort Wayne, Indiana : a review of two centuries of occupation of the region about the head of the Maumee River by Griswold, B. J. (Bert Joseph), 1873-1927; Taylor, Samuel R., Mrs, Publication date: 1917 on Archive.org.

   THE CHIEF RICHARDVILLE MONUMENT. The monument raised over the burial place of Chief Jean Baptiste de Richardville, in the present Cathedral square (the south half of which was used originally for a burial ground), was, at the time of the removal of the bodies to the Catholic cemetery in the southwestern part of the city, taken to the new burying ground, although the body of the Miami chief was allowed to remain In its original grave. Later, the monument was removed to the present Catholic cemetery, northeast of Fort Wayne. The small shaft of white marble was erected by the chief's daughters, Catherine, La- Blonde and Susan. While standing in the old cemetery, on the bank of the St. Mary's river, directly south from the Pennsylvania tracks, the monument became marred by sportsmen, who used it for a target in order to carry away its chips as souvenirs. It was removed to its present site by a granddaughter. Mrs. Archangel Engelmann, of Huntington, Indiana (daughter of Catherine, the wife of Chief LaFontaine). One panel bears the inscription: "Here Rest the Remains of John B. Richardville. Principal Chief of the Miami Tribe of Indians. He Was Born in Fort Wayne. Indiana, About the Year 1760, and Died in August. 1841." The resting place of the body of Richardville is described as a spot "just at the edge of the Cathedral, between the forward side door and the first buttress of the wall."

   Page 379

   When Chief Richardville and his three daughters removed from Fort Wayne, they took up abode on the reservation four miles south of the town, where, in later times, they lived amidst all the luxuries of the life of the time. After twenty-six years of rule of the Miamis, the chief died August 31, 1841. He was about eighty years of age. The body was placed in the present Cathedral square, the south half of which was then used as a cemetery. Rev. Father Clark, of Peru, Indiana, conducted the funeral services in St. Augustine's Catholic church. Although the body of the chief remains in its original grave, the monument which was erected there was removed later to the

   Page 380

   former Catholic cemetery near the St. Mary's river, south of the Pennsylvania railroad bridge, at Swirmey park. From this site to the present Catholic cemetery, northeast of Fort Wayne, the monument was removed by his grand-daughter, Mrs. Archangel Englemann. The monument was the tribute of the chief's three daughters, Catherine (the wife of Chief LaFontaine), LaBlonde and Susan.

10. Indiana SP de Richardville, Chief Jean-Baptiste, House National Register of Historic Places Registration Form in the Catalog at The National Archives.
11. CHIEF JEAN BAPTISTE RICHARDVILLE a 7-page paper by Craig Leonard at ForksOfTheWabash.org
12. Richardville remembered He helped many Miami people retain their land, By Tom Castaldi for Fort Wayne magazine, Friday, November 18th, 2016
13. Richardville, chief of the Miamis by Roberts, Bessie Keeran ACPL 970.2R39R at FamilySearch.org.
14. Chief J.B. Richardville Gravesite with map by ARCH ( Architecture and Community Heritage)
15. Richardville House likely to become National Landmark May 28, 2011 .
16. Chief Richardson blogs, "Forgotten Pronunciation" and A brief overview of Chief Richardville published January 23, 2013 on History Center Notes & Queries blog for a little more on Chief Richardville.
17. In 2011 his house became the fifth Native American landmark in the country, the first east of the Mississippi River.
18. Keeping Culture Alive an IndianaNewsCenter video.
19. From Vivian Sade of the Journal Gazette March 8, 2012" Chief’s home gains federal status The Waynedale home of a rich and famous Miami Indian chief has been named a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service, part of the Department of the Interior. Chief Jean Baptiste de Richardville’s home at 5705 Bluffton Road – the oldest Native American dwelling in the Midwest – was one of 13 new National Historic Landmarks recognized this week by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. The brick and limestone home, also known as the akima Pinifiwa Awiiki, is a rare surviving example of a treaty house – a site where numerous treaties were negotiated and signed – in the U.S., according to Salazar. The historic home was built by the Miami chief in 1827. Richardville was a successful businessman and was the richest man in Indiana when he died in 1841. Born in 1761, Richardville was the son of a French fur trader father and a Miami Indian mother – Tacamwa, sister to the Miami war chief Little Turtle. Richardville was best known for his strong negotiating skills, in particular with the U.S. government, according to the Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society website."
20. Chief Richardville: Walking the fine line between collaborator and hero by Kevin Leininger of The News-Sentinel newspaper May 8, 2012.
21. Gathering place takes shape Miami Alliance longhouse will take few years by Rosa Salter Rodriguez of The Journal Gazette newspaper November 18, 2012.

22. March 10, 2016 post by The History Center on Facebook:

    Finally, #TBT to 2005 when Linda Booher, Rose Lantz, Carol Linton, Aaron Nagy, and descendants of Chief Richardville created Mini Don for Mastodons on Parade!

23. More ‘buried concerns’: Losing graves has happened fairly frequently in Fort Wayne’s history by Joshua Schipper posted December 15, 2021 in Input Fort Wayne. Discusses Chief Little Turtle burial location, Johnny Appleseed and Archer Cemetery, the Broadway Cemetery now McCulloch Park, Chief Richardville burial location.
24. Richardville descendant dies in county originally named for chief by Editorial board Sep 3, 2022 in The Journal Gazette newspaper. A great-great-great-grandson of Miami Chief Jean Baptiste de Richardville, whose Fort Wayne home is a National Historic Landmark, has died. Richard “Dick” Moore, father of Kokomo Mayor Tyler Moore, passed away Aug. 24. He was 75. A Huntington native, Dick Moore moved to Kokomo in 1972 to work as manager of Anderson Abstract Co., the Kokomo Tribune reports. He bought the business in 1985, and in 1998 renamed it Moore Title & Escrow. He was a member of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and took pride in his Native American ancestry. Sarah Siders, tribal secretary of the Miami Tribe of Indiana, said it is “significant” that a descendant of Richardville is mayor of a city where the Miami chief would have been the ultimate authority.

25. November 17, 2023 post by WANE 15 on Facebook:

    With November being Native American Heritage Month, WANE 15 decided to lookback at a prominent Native American in Fort Wayne’s history: Miami ChiefJean Baptiste de Richardville.

    History, legacy of former Miami chief still seen throughout Fort Wayne Clayton McMahan.

26. January 29, 2024 post by the National Archives at Chicago on Facebook:

    This 1884 case involves a dispute over taxes not paid on land which was bequeathed from the estate of Jean Baptiste Richardville (Pinšiwa), the akima (civil chief) of the Myaamia (Miami) Nation Of Indiana. Wau-pe-man-qua, also known as Mary Strack, was descended from Richardville, and was a member of the Miami Tribe but not considered a citizen of the United States. She claimed immunity from paying taxes due to the agreements in the treaties signed by Richardville. The land was deemed delinquent because of unpaid taxes, and the defendant, Charles H. Aldrich, bid on the land. The court ruled that the Miamis were exempt from taxation.

    Jean Baptiste Richardville was a signatory to the Treaty of Greenville (1795), as well as several later treaties between the U.S. government and the Miami people, most notably the Treaty of Fort Wayne (1803), the Treaty of Fort Wayne (1809), the Treaty of Saint Mary's (1818), the Treaty of Mississinewas (1826), the treaty signed at the Forks of the Wabash (1838), and the Treaty of the Wabash (1840).

    The treaty house the U.S. built as part of the terms of the 1826 Treaty between the Myaamia (Miami) and the United States became a National Historic Landmark in Fort Wayne, IN in 2012. It is named the akima Pinšiwa Awiiki.

    From the series Mixed Admiralty, Law, Chancery, and Criminal Case Files, 1833–1912, Indianapolis, U.S. Circuit Case 7883 NAID 297910175

    #Indianahistory #indigenoushistory #Miamitribe #ChiefRichardvilleHouse #FortWayne

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