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Mary Eaglechild Old Chief Devereaux

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Mary Eaglechild Old Chief Devereaux

Birth	:	1847 Alberta, Canada
Death	:	9 Sep 1930 Browning, Glacier County, Montana, USA
Burial	:	Saint Michaels Cemetery, Browning, Glacier County, USA
Coordinate	:	48.5521540, -113.0214330
Plot	:	St. Michael's Cemetery is a small cemetery approximately 13 acres in size and is located within the town of Browning, on Southwest Boundary Street.
Description	:	[Cherie J. created this memorial with the permission and approval of relative Walter Lamar.] Mary Eagle Child Old Chief Devereaux was also known among some of her relatives as Good Gun Woman, according to Walter Lamar. Mary Eagle Child Old Chief was born in Canada. She was of the Blood Tribe (Kainai). The Kainai Nation, or Blood Tribe, is part of the Blackfoot Confederacy along with the Peigan and the Siksika. The Kanai are considered the oldest residents of the western prairie region of Canada [and] have inhabited the Eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains from at least 6,000 years and... Read More	[Cherie J. created this memorial with the permission and approval of relative Walter Lamar.] Mary Eagle Child Old Chief Devereaux was also known among some of her relatives as Good Gun Woman, according to Walter Lamar. Mary Eagle Child Old Chief was born in Canada. She was of the Blood Tribe (Kainai). The Kainai Nation, or Blood Tribe, is part of the Blackfoot Confederacy along with the Peigan and the Siksika. The Kanai are considered the oldest residents of the western prairie region of Canada [and] have inhabited the Eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains from at least 6,000 years and perhaps as many as 11,000 years. In an email to Cherie J. on 26 March 2013, her granddaughter Catherine Gobert Lamar wrote the following about her beautiful grandmother: "Grandma Devereaux was of the Blood tribe in Canada and that is where she was born. Cardston, Alberta is where we would visit her relatives and they came often to see her and after Grandma died, they continued to visit my mother. [....] the Canadian Blood relatives [....] are referred to as Northern Piegan and we in Montana are the Southern Piegan.. We speak the same language and our cultures are alike." The following narrative is from Walter Lamar's blog: Our Blackfeet Family http://blackfeetfamily.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-12-19T13:05:00 Walter Lamar has given Cherie J. permission to post it here: Mary Old Chief, also known as Mary Eagle Child, was born April 1856-1857 to Old Chief and Bird Tail Woman. Mary was full-blood, Blood Indian from Canada. A record indicates Mary was born in 1844; however, other records show her birth year as 1846, 1847, 1848, 1851, 1856, and 1862. Her siblings are listed as Eagle Child, Black Rabbit, Plain Woman and Almost Owl Woman. Story has it that sometime around the time of the 1873 Cypress Hills Massacre, she warned Elijah Jefferson Devereaux (born 1832 - Maine) and a group of his companions that they were in danger of ambush. Her warning saved the group and the grateful Devereaux asked Mary's parents for her. As per the nature of the times they gave her to him. Mary and Elijah had six children - Spyna (Spina) July 1875, Henry July 1877, Charles June 1879, Annie November 1883, Abigail September 1891, and Jason February 1896. Given the dates of birth of Mary's children it would be more likely her date of birth would have been 1856 or 1857. She died September 9, 1930 at the probable age of 74. Catherine Gobert Lamar (daughter of Abligail Devereaux Gobert and granddaughter of Mary) writes of her remembrances of her grandmother: "I was about seven years old when she died. My sister June and I spent lots of time with her as she was our built in babysitter. I remember us sitting on the floor in front of her rocking chair as she smoked her pipe and told us stories. She didn't speak a word of English so we had to try hard to understand and she never made any attempt to teach us to speak Blackfeet. We slept with her in her feather mattress and and she would say 'non-non' which meant ghost and we would cover our heads and go to sleep. She always had our breakfast cooked and I only remember pancakes. When she had bad dreams she would paint our faces, and June and I would run around all day painted but apparently it didn't bother us because it was something she did from time to time. She took us to the Annual Sun Dances and we would watch while the poles were dragged in by the men on horseback to construct the lodge and then the leafed cover branches. Prior to the Sun Dance taking place a medicine woman would be brought out after nine days of fasting in a tepee. We would wait patiently and when she emerged, June and I would be in awe. Everyone was given pemmican to eat which was part of the ceremony. Later, we would go to someone's lodge to eat and I always remember - there would be a stand with a bundle and Grandma bawled us out if we walked it front of it. No one explained but I now know it was a sacred bundle that was there. Grandma knew all the traditions and customs but didn't pass them to her grandchildren, I wished she would have had my mother or an aunt or uncle explain/translate the stories. My sister Anna Mae Kipp said that our mother Abigail Gobert told her that Grandma didn't want us to have trouble fitting into the white world, so thought it best we did not get too immersed into our Blackfeet ways. I guess she was aware how hard it was for her to try to learn white ways - I don't believe she ever did to a great extent. As I have looked at her pictures throughout the years, she always has a sad look about her. I can't recall her smiling when we were with her though she was kind and good to us. I remember when I was about five or six, she took June and I chokecherry picking when we visited Uncle Charlie Devereaux's ranch. She hitched up a buggy and horse and we went down there to Cut Bank Creek berry picking. She made us sandwiches and had them packed in a lard bucket. She gave us hers after we finished because she thought we might still be hungry. She made certain we did our picking of berries. She in turn dried them to make jelly and syrup. There was not demonstration of affection with hugging or kissing us but we just knew how much she loved us. Anna Mae spent much time with Grandma and Grandpa Devereaux, and I wished I had asked her more about Grandpa; personality etc. "My mother said Grandpa brought Grandma to Fort Benton, Montana and had a frame house for them. Grandpa asked for Grandma from her parents after she saved him and his friends from being ambushed by Indians when they were in Canada. This must have been a hard time for Grandma leaving her people in Canada--the Bloods. Mom said Grandpa allowed Grandma to go back to Canada three months out of each year to be with their folks. To me this probably didn't help with adjustment to the new way of life; however it was a good gesture on Grandpa's part, but maybe grandma was so unhappy that he thought it was the only way to handle the situation. I have no idea if my aunts and uncles went with her or not. I do know that Aunt Annie was born while Grandma was visiting in Canada. Aunt Annie was the closest to Grandma and learned our Blackfeet ways. It seemed Aunt Annie was Grandma's child while Grandpa worked hard to make sure Aunt Spina, Uncle Henry, Uncle Charlie and Mom were assimilated into white ways. Uncle Jason, the youngest child, was born with a skin condition, and Grandma doted over him and protected him. Because she worked so hard to protect him he did not have to work the ranch as hard as Uncle Charlie and Uncle Henry. "Mom told me that Grandma related to her that at one time white women were brought on a boat from St. Louis, Missouri to Fort Benton where many white men were married to Indian woman. There were white men that left their Indian wives for the white women. When they left they took their Indian children with them. Grandma said the Indian women pounded the river bank and wailed as the boat left with their children. Grandma admired Grandpa because he did not do the same to her and so she stayed with him. I believe he ruled with an iron hand. "There was mention that Grandma had been married before Grandpa. After Grandpa's death in 1920, Grandma was left well off financially as a result of the ranch on Cut Bank Creek They had a home on the ranch and also a home in Browning which was real nice because we later lived in it. "Aunt Spina always looked after Grandma and her finances and made certain she was taken care of. As I recall Grandma always had braids and wore a long dress with an apron and black lace-up shoes. Aunt Spina would take her on a train to Spokane from time to time. Mom said, Aunt Spina had a fur coat for Grandma, diamond ear-rings etc. They stayed in all the best hotels. I always thought this was special since Aunt Spina, a very classy lady, was never ashamed to take her full-blood mother who didn't speak English to only the best places. I am sure Grandma was happy to be free to do these interesting things. Aunt Spina died in 1929 and they always said that Grandma was devastated and never recovered from the loss. Mom thought Grandma died in September 1930 of grief and heartbreak. Before she died Uncle Charlie managed her finances and Mom and Aunt Annie looked after her. Uncle Jason, Winslow, and Uncle Charlie's son lived with her. Winslow was with her a lot especially after his mother's death. "Grandma's relatives from Canada visited her often and when she died, Mom said she gave her clothes and belongings to her relatives from Canada including her Buckskin dress, moccasins etc. I recall her wearing a handkerchief around her head and Mom said her people from Canada had come to doctor her for headaches and this was the reason for the handkerchief. Grandma never gave up her traditional ways. All of her children spoke Blackfeet and English fluently. Between my white grandfathers and Federal government they did everything to keep us from being Indian. I grew up white oriented but never did I ever feel white. I have always been Indian in my heart but had no problem associating with white folks. If we ever made fun of white people and scoffed at them, Mom always remembered us that we were half-white. Our white Grandfathers were resourceful hard working men. "I know she liked it when her relatives from Canada came. Her brother, Eagle Child was especially close to her and he and his wives would visit even after Grandma died. "I believe Grandma did not learn English because she never fully accepted her life in the white world with Grandpa. She had no part in any business dealings as Grandpa managed it all without any input from her. I always remember noticing that part of one of grandma's small fingers was missing. My Mom told me that grandma had lost a close relative and cutting off a finger was part of the grieving in the Blood tribe. I wonder if could have been before she was with Grandpa but guess we will never know. Grandma was medium in structure with brown eyes, medium dark complexion and dark hair which was in long braids. She wore a shawl and moccasins when we accompanied her to Sundances and other traditional activities. "She was generous almost to a fault. She once returned in her buggy barefoot after giving away her moccasins. Story has it that Grandpa chastised her for being so generous. "This is most of what I can remember about my Grandma and am grateful that I had the opportunity to have spent time with her." Mary Eaglechild Old Chief Devereaux passed away on 9 September 1930, according to the following record: Montana Death Index, 1907-2007 about Mary Devereaux Name: Mary Devereaux Age: 83 Estimated Birth Year: abt 1847 Gender: Female Death Date: 9 Sep 1930 Index Number: Gla 945 Source: Montana Office of Vital Statistics For additional information on the family and the Blackfeet people, visit the wonderful web site created by Walter Lamar: Our Blackfeet Family.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Mary Eaglechild Old Chief Devereaux's memorial?
Mary Eaglechild Old Chief Devereaux's memorial is located at: Saint Michaels Cemetery, Browning, Glacier County, USA.
When did Mary Eaglechild Old Chief Devereaux death?
Mary Eaglechild Old Chief Devereaux death on 9 Sep 1930 in Browning, Glacier County, Montana, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Mary Eaglechild Old Chief Devereaux's memorial?
Latitude: 48.5521540
Longitude: -113.0214330

Family Members:

Spouse

Elijah Jefferson Devereaux

(1831 - 1920)

Children

Spyna Devereaux Buck

(1875 - 1929)

Henry Jefferson Devereaux Sr.

(1877 - 1975)

Charles Devereaux Sr.

(1880 - 1967)

Annie Devereaux Howard

(1882 - 1956)

Abigail M. “Abbie” Devereaux Gobert

(1891 - 1959)

Jason Devereaux Sr.

(1896 - 1972)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Saint Michaels Cemetery
Browning, Glacier County, USA
Coordinate: 48.5521540, -113.0214330

2. Willow Creek Cemetery
Browning, Glacier County, USA
Coordinate: 48.5421982, -113.0211029

3. Birdrattler Cemetery
Glacier County, USA
Coordinate: 48.6239014, -113.0006027

4. Earring Cemetery
Starr School, Glacier County, USA
Coordinate: 48.5821991, -113.1232986

5. After Buffalo Cemetery
Glacier County, USA
Coordinate: 48.5592003, -113.1631012

6. Nightshoot Cemetery
Glacier County, USA
Coordinate: 48.6530000, -112.9402000

7. Schildt Cemetery
Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Glacier County, USA
Coordinate: 48.5771869, -113.2614731

8. East Glacier Park Cemetery
Glacier County, USA
Coordinate: 48.4606018, -113.2277985

9. Dog Gun Lake Cemetery
East Glacier Park, Glacier County, USA
Coordinate: 48.3642760, -113.1278680

10. Holy Family Mission Cemetery
Browning, Glacier County, USA
Coordinate: 48.4823000, -112.7372000

11. Schultz Cemetery
Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Glacier County, USA
Coordinate: 48.5018100, -112.7259400

12. Denzel Ray Brown Ranch Cemetery
Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Glacier County, USA
Coordinate: 48.7200102, -113.1930311

13. Boggs Ranch Cemetery
Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Glacier County, USA
Coordinate: 48.3193300, -112.8914300

14. Four Horns Cemetery
Glacier County, USA
Coordinate: 48.4124985, -112.7067032

15. Bar NZ Family Cemetery
Browning, Glacier County, USA
Coordinate: 48.4859116, -112.6231800

16. Hidden Lake Colony Cemetery
Hidden Lake Colony, Glacier County, USA
Coordinate: 48.5984000, -112.6065000

17. Saint Anns Catholic Cemetery
Heart Butte, Pondera County, USA
Coordinate: 48.2827000, -112.8378000

18. Seville Colony Cemetery
Seville Colony, Glacier County, USA
Coordinate: 48.7021000, -112.5943000

19. Crown Butte/Connolly Family Cemetery
Glacier County, USA
Coordinate: 48.8229991, -112.7427882

20. Black Family Cemetery
Saint Mary, Glacier County, USA
Coordinate: 48.7436670, -113.4301670

21. Williamson Cemetery
Cut Bank, Glacier County, USA
Coordinate: 48.5791700, -112.4505600

22. Robere Cemetery
Pondera County, USA
Coordinate: 48.3144200, -112.5546000

23. Babb Cemetery
Babb, Glacier County, USA
Coordinate: 48.8630000, -113.4438000

24. Glendale Colony Cemetery
Glendale Colony, Glacier County, USA
Coordinate: 48.8380000, -112.5457000