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Battey (Thomas C.) Letters and Drawings
mssBattey
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Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Thomas C. Battey letters and drawings
Creator:
Battey, Thomas C. (Thomas Chester), 1828-1897
Identifier/Call Number: mssBattey
Physical Description:
1.16 Linear Feet
(1 box)
Date (inclusive): 1871-1996
Date (bulk): 1871-1895
Abstract: Letters and drawings of Thomas C.
Battey, American Quaker missionary.
Language of Material: Materials are in
English.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information.
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.
[Identification of item]. Thomas C. Battey letters and drawings, The Huntington Library,
San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Ruth Edgerton Hoge, May and July 1997.
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.
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.
Processed by Brooke M. Black in September 2000; a finding aid was created in 2022.
Individual call numbers included in the collection: mssHM 61140-61148.
Existence and Location of Copies
This collection has been digitized in its entirety and the digital reproductions are
available in the
Huntington Digital Library.
Arranged chronologically.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Apache Indians -- Education
Comanche Indians -- Education
Comanche Indians -- Wars
Indians of North America -- Education
Indians of North America -- Great Plains.
Indians of North America -- Wars
Kiowa Indians -- Education
Kiowa Indians -- Wars
Missionaries -- Oklahoma -- Correspondence.
Quakers -- Oklahoma -- Correspondence
Red River War, 1874-1875
Fort Sill (Okla.)
Drawings (visual works) -- Oklahoma
Ephemera (general object genre) -- Oklahoma
Letters (correspondence) -- Oklahoma
Sketches -- Oklahoma
Beede, Cyrus, 1828-1908
Big Tree, Kiowa Chief, 1847-1927
Kicking Bird, -1875
Lone Wolf, Kiowa Indian
Satanta, Kiowa Chief, approximately 1815-1878
Standing, Alfred J.
Society of Friends -- Missions
United States. Office of Indian Affairs. Cheyenne Agency.
United States. Office of Indian Affairs. Kiowa Agency
United States. Office of Indian Affairs. Wichita Agency