Battey (Thomas C.) Letters and Drawings, 1871-1996, bulk 1871-1895

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Summary

Title:
Thomas C. Battey letters and drawings
Dates:
1871-1996, bulk 1871-1895
Creators:
Battey, Thomas C. (Thomas Chester), 1828-1897
Abstract:
Letters and drawings of Thomas C. Battey, American Quaker missionary.
Extent:
1.16 Linear Feet (1 box)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Thomas C. Battey letters and drawings, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The seven letters, written by Battey to his wife and children, describe Battey's efforts to help settle the Kiowa/Washington dispute and persuade the U.S. government to free the Kiowa chiefs Satanta and Big Tree. Battey's letters also talk about his experiences working with the Indian council and teaching at a school for Kiowa and Comanche children. He often refers to Satanta, Big Tree, Lone Wolf, and Kicking Bird. Battey's drawings include a sketch book containing ten landscape sketches of the Wichita Mountains in Oklahoma, and a sketch he drew entitled "My Kiowa Camp Home." The ephemera includes a speech entitled "Thomissey and Kicking Bird as Peacemakers" given by Battey's granddaughter, Ruth Edgerton Hoge, typed transcripts of material written by Battey which he intended to add to his book but that most of which never made it into any published version, and copies of photographs of Battey and his wife.

Biographical / historical:

Thomas C. Battey, born in Starksboro, Vermont, in 1828, was a Quaker missionary and teacher to the Caddo, Cheyenne, Apache, and Kiowa. In 1871 Battey moved to Indian Territory to work with the Caddo Indians; two years later Kicking Bird, a Kiowa chief, asked him to start a school for the Kiowa children near Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He was later appointed field agent for the Kiowa Agency. Due to his failing health, Battey returned to his farm in Viola, Kansas in 1874. His book, The life and adventures of a Quaker among the Indians, was published in 1875. Battey moved to Ohio in 1890 and died of cancer in 1897.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Ruth Edgerton Hoge, May and July 1997.
Processing information:

Processed by Brooke M. Black in September 2000; a finding aid was created in 2022.

Arrangement:

Arranged chronologically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Brooke M. Black
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-04-28 11:24:55 -0700 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Thomas C. Battey letters and drawings, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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