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[grandad]

Ya-Ta-Hay
translation (Greetings) :)
I discovered many years ago that one of my ancestors was Native American! And not just any Native American!
My Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Grandfather was a Lakota warrior belonging to the Minnicondia branch of the great Sioux nation his name was Wasee Maza (Iron Tail) later to take the name of Dewey Beard
Iron Tail took part in the battle with General Armstrong Custer at the Battle of The Little Big Horn where the Seventh Calvary was wiped out by an overwhelming band of Cheyenne and Lakota
warriors defending their villages! Iron Tail was just a young teenager during that battle and after the fight he procured Custer's Gun belt and his seventh calvery jacket which remains in the family
(I have Iron Tails war club)
 >>:-(Later Iron Tail was wounded at the massacre at the debacle at Wounded Knee Creek where almost everyone unarmed men, women and children were shot down and killed y white and black soldiers, Iron Tail lost his Father, Mother , wife and infant son at the Creek along with almost all of his brothers after the massacre he was incarcerated at Ft> Sheridan where he was "rescued" by  "Wild" Bill Cody and joined Wild Bills wild west show along with Annie Oakley to travel the country putting on shows he also was taken overseas preforming before kings and queens
His Profile is on the old Buffalo nickle dated around 1920s

Ate' Ya hay Lo
peace
Grandad
Larry

[Martin (Admin)]

Wow, interesting.
I barely know one of my granddads names!  :'(

[grandad]

I have been working on our family history for over 50 years and have written a history of our family notably my mothers side of the family
on her side I have ancestors from Franch, England Ireland, Sweden, Scotland and Russia 
It wasn't easy !
I am now 65 years old and began my research when I was 11 asking elderly family members questions about the family, looking up old brittal family bibles,driving hundreds of miles to visit  church and family grave sites,sometimes having to use a machette to cut the weeds away from the headstones then putting what I had found all together like fitting the pieces of a giant ig saw puzzle, if the piece doesn't fit discard the information and go ask more questions
now I am the oldest and last living relative~there is no one left to question!
I am the family historian
of course I have an older uncle but he comes to me if he has a question about the family
I have printed the book using my PC, Scanner, printer now I am in the process of making the book into a hard back book, the book contains 45 pages of factual information  ::)
hopfully one of my children or grandchildren will preserve the book and add their families to the book as the ages roll on! :angel:

Now I am about ready to travel that road to whos borne no traveler returns!

peace
grandad
Larry

[mikeyh]

Hi grandad. Interesting family history you have! I see you say that one of your ancestors procured custers 7th cavalry Jacket after the battle, yet he wasnt wearing it at the actual fight (was wearing his normal flamboyant attire of buckskin jacket with no insignia) Although his body was initially buried at the site it was later raised and buried with full military honours at West Point. I hve been researching the battle  and as far as I'm aware the only Iron Tail was Sinte Maza an Oglala sioux warrior. Just checking of course!

Mike

[RODDERS]

Apologies for thread jack .......................Ive been 'doing' my family history or many years . Got stuck on a particular relative,born around 1790 ,had researchers on to it ,to no avail !Not done much of it for a couple of years. Maybe I'll go back to it sometime ,when Ive got a space in my life!

[grandad]

Mikyh

excerpt from the Oregon coin club web site

Iron Tail, was a member of the Lakota tribe of the Sioux Indian Nation, born in 1857 in South Dakota. His real Lakota name was Wasee Maza which meant Iron Tail in English. At the age of 99 in November of 1955, he was the last survivor of both The Battle Of The Little Big Horn in 1876, and The Battle Of Wounded Knee
Iron Tail was only a boy when the warriors under Crazy Horse defeated General George Armstrong Custer and his Seventh Cavalry at the Little Big Horn in 1876. During this battle one of four other young Lakotas challenged the others to try to capture Custer alive. After all it would be more challenging to capture him than to simply kill him. They however had no idea what they would do with him if he was captured. When the golden-haired general came into view they charged, and just as Iron Tail was within arms of Custer a Minneconjou warrior named Charging Hawk shot & killed Custer. After the battle was over Iron Tail saw Custer's horse reins still tied to his wrist. Supposedly this is when Iron Tail took the 7th Cavalry jacket and gunbelt that he wore at Powwows years later.
notice the name and where grandad had the jacket and gun belt
I never said that he took the jacket off Custer's body but the jacket was in the Generals possession, most likely in the back pack on the Generals horse.Comanche
peace
 
Grandad Larry

[mikeyh]

hi grandad. I am well aware of this quoted website. It is full of errors appertaining to Native Americans. Iron Tail was a member of the Oglala tribe, one of the five sub-tribes of the Lakota sioux. He first appeared wearing the cavalry jacket at a pow-wow in 1907. He was derided somewhat as there had been no mention beforehand of this jacket (possession of such an item would have elevated his status immediately. He travelled to Washington in 1913 and received the cogressional medal (mainly for being one of three men whose profiles were combined for the 'Buffalo' coin)He travelled back to the Black hills where on May 16 1928 he died. I have spent the last 12 years learning ,and teaching, Native americam history and spoken with several families whose ancestors took part in some of the battles of the 19 th century.they all have a story to tell. Because the History of the Native American is not a wriiten history but handed down by word of mouth and pictograph perhaps the whole truth will never be known! BTW I think you are getting confused with Iron Hail (try googling his name!)

Mikeyh  ( Sunka noupa, sun dance participant 1996/1998/1999)

[grandad]

sorry Mike but this history of Iron Tail" Dewey Beard" was handed down to me by my great great grandfather who told me about Iron Tail and his father Horn Cloud I AM NOT MISTAKEN!
 have you looked up Iron Tail or Wasee Masa on the web?? "My son pass me by"
Please do so ASAP 
Iron tails son was my great great great grandfather and this history came by word of mouth from his son Edward
Of course I cannot prove anything! However I also have been researching my family history for 54 years and I am now 65 years of age there isn't anyone left of my family to vouch for the facts !
I am not going to argue with you!
Just check your facts again please! I am not going to change what I know to be a fact!

Grandad

[mikeyh]

no argument grandad and you carry on believing what you want. its your perogative. i only got involved in all this because mistaken incorrect facts do a great injustice to the Native American Nation. BTW you say you cant prove it? Of course you can! try looking at the different tribal registers that are all on line.

Mikeyh

[grandad]

Thanks for the advice Mikeyh
Ill look em up tonight!
got a couple of drs. apointment today

Peace Grandad