Francis Ermatingers son, Lawrence Ermatinger: LAWRENCE ERMATINGER He was born on August 23, 1828, in Fort Kamloops the son of Francis Ermatinger and of the Okanogan woman, Cleopatra, more commonly called Cleo. Frank took control of Lawrence not long after he was born. He took Lawrence from his mother in 1831 at age three and sent him to Fort Vancouver to be cared for and educated under the direction of Dr. John McLoughlin and his wife Marguerite. Frank and Cleo also had an unnamed daughter who died shortly after she was born. This person grew up to not be care about or be of any interest by anyone. They couldn’t be bothered with him. A sad story. From the Mission Record Book, Methodist Episcopal Church, Willamette Station, Oregon Territory, North America, commenced 1834 this is located at Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon (Mss 1224, Methodist Missions): Baptisms, page 116-117 14 Dec 1834 Laurence Ermatinger Vancouver [by] Jason Lee In a letter to Edward Ermatinger on Feb. 1, 1836 from Fort Vancouver Dr. John McLoughlin wrote, “Your brother is still in the Snake country, and doing every justice to his charge and had a very narrow escape last summer of being killed by the Blackfeet, his son is here at a school I have established for the good of the native children in this quarter. But the boy had so much misery in his youth and has been so sickly that he makes but slow progress he has also an infirmity he is a little deaf, however it is wearing off and I hope he will get cured of it.” Frank called Lawrence a fine little fellow, roguish, and requires looking after. McLoughlin referred to him as slow or slightly retarded. Frank began to think seriously of sending Lawrence to St. Thomas, Ontario to be raised by Edward Ermatinger. He wrote 11 Mar 1836 to Ned, I wish he was with you, however the Dr. is against my sending him down yet. Through the influence of the pious Reverend Beaver, Frank came to the conclusion that the school at Fort Vancouver was the fault of his sons misbehavior and slowness. He took him along with the 1837 outfit to the Flatheads. Somewhere along the way, Ermatinger had found that nine year old Lawrence was a bed-wetter. (Lois McDonald) From the 1837 Rendezvous at Green River, he sent his son east with the missionary W. H. Gray. Taken from Fur Trade Letters of Francis Ermatinger, by Lois H. McDonald is the following paragraph about Lawrences adventure east: In a final word about W. H. Grays, (and Lawrences) adventures. In a word, they were catastrophic, although the two of them made it through to St. Louis. With impatience which typified him, Gray had been unwilling to wait at the Rendezvous for the wagons returning to St. Louis after the trading had ended. When he was unsuccessful in recruiting a party to start early he took off alone, except for the Flatheads, who had come with McLeod from the missions to go with Gray. They were apprehended by the Sioux, and none of the Indians were allowed to live. It was generally believed by the trappers in the Rockies, and by the Flathead, that Gray had deliberately sacrificed the Indians without a struggle when he thought there was doubt of his getting through with his own scalp. Exactly what did happen is not known. DeVoto declares that Gray doctored his journal so that even that sketchy account is probably not reliable. His tale of being robbed of all his personal belongings is contradicted by the fact that the letter written on June 1, 1837, by Francis Ermatinger to his brother Edward, travelled safely with Gray and was delivered with Lawrence to him. William H. Gray wrote his version of the story in his 1870 book History of Oregon, pages 173-174: “It was from this Flathead tribe that the first Indian delegation was sent to ask for teachers. Three of there number volunteered to go with Gray to the States in 1837 to urge their claims for teachers come among them. The party reached Ash Hollow, where they were attacked by about three hundred Sioux warriors, and, after fighting for three hours, killed some fifteen of them, when the Sioux, by means of a French trader then among them, obtained a parley with Gray and his traveling companions, two young men that had started to go to the States with him. While the Frenchman was in conversation with Gray, the treacherous Sioux made a rush upon the three Flatheads, one Snake, and one Iroquois Indian belonging to the party, and killed them. The Frenchman ten turned to Gray and told him and his companions they were prisoners, and must go to the Sioux camp, first attempting to get possession of their guns. Gray informed him at once: “You have killed our Indians in a cowardly manner, and you shall not have our guns,” at the same time telling the young men to watch the first motion of the Indians to take their lives, and if we must die, to take as many Indians with us we could. The Sioux found in the contest thus far, that, notwithstanding they had conquered and killed five, they had lost fifteen, among them one of their war-chiefs, besides several severely wounded. The party wee not further molested till they reached the camp, containing between one and two hundred lodges. A full explanation was had of the whole affair. Gray had two horses killed under him and two balls passed through his hat, both inflicting slight wounds. The party was feasted, and smoked the pipe of peace over the dead body of the chief’s son; next day they were allowed to proceed with nine of their horses; the balance, with the property of the Indians, the Sioux claimed as part pay for their losses, doubtless calculating to waylay and take the balance of the horses. Be that as it may; Gray and his young men reached Council Bluffs in twenty-one days, traveling nights and during storms to avoid the Indians on the plains. At Council Bluffs they found an Indian trader speaking the French language, meaner than the Sioux Indian, by the name of Papeon. The party had been twenty-one days on rations that ordinarily would have been consumed in four days; they had killed and eaten parts of two of the worn-out horses; they had with them six. The party entered the trading establishment and requested some food and the privilege of washing, not as beggars, but expecting to pay for what they required. They waited an hour or more; no food was forthcoming; Gray went to Papeon, the trader, and inquired the reason they could get no food. The old French imp inquired, in his broken French, “Have you got any ting to pa for de tings you vant?” He was asked if gold would pay him, or draft on his company. “Oh, yes.” He said, and in short time food and what was required was produced. This is only a specimen of most Indian traders of the Catholic stamp. There are honorable exceptions.” So ends Gray’s version. The excepted version of the trip to Ash Hollow: Again, in 1837, Big Ignace packed supplies and headed east to St. Louis, Missouri. It had been, eighteen months from Ignaces return, having brought no tidings of any priests on the way. So the tribes decided to try again to induce them personally. From INDIAN AND WHITE IN THE NORTHWEST by Rev. Lawrence Palladino, S.J. Big Ignace traveled with three Flatheads and one Nez Perce, at the rendezvous on the Green River in Wyoming they were joined by William Henry Gray and Lawrence Ermatinger. Ermatinger was the son of Hudsons Bay Company Chief Trader, Francis Ermatinger and the half-brother of Mary Ermatinger Ashley. Referring to Gray, Father Palladino writes, This gentleman was going back to the States from the Presbyterian missions on the Columbia, the object of his journey being to secure assistants for the establishment of a Presbyterian station among the Flatheads. Palladino further writes, Our Indians and Mr. Grays party were now traveling together, and while passing through the country of the hostile Sioux, at a point called Ash Hollow, on the South Platte, they fell in with a large body of warriors, some 300 strong, of that nation. The date was August 7, 1837 and Ash Hollow is now in the present state of Nebraska. A three hour battle ensued, with the Flatheads fighting fiercely managing to sell their lives dearly, killing 15 of the Sioux. The Whites were ordered to stand aside during the battle. Big Ignace was dressed in the manner of a Whiteman, and he was told to stand with W. M. Gray and 1/2 Okanogan Ermatinger, but he seeing the Sioux fall on his companions ran to their side and was killed with them. William Gray later said, that the Sioux dispatched a French trader, Joseph Papier, to negotiate with him and his companions. At the same time they rushed upon the Flatheads, LaMousse, and the Nez Perce and killed them. After a short captivity the two survivors, Gray and 12 year old Lawrence Ermatinger were released. Olga Johnson writes, Ignace dressed as a Whiteman could have stood with Gray and saved his skin, but he would not. Gray later displayed to the Flathead Indian Agent, Peter Ronan the scar of a slight bullet wound which he said he had suffered when he tried to defend the Flatheads, and told him that young Ermatinger also resisted, and that the Sioux only released the White-blooded men from captivity some days later. A present-day historian, however, claims that in the mountain men always believed that William Gray, would-be servant of God, swapped his Indians lives to the Sioux in exchange for his own. (The Flatheads were sons of Chief Big Face and a brother of Palchina).
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 03:55:57 +0000
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