In fact, Parker drafted the Confederate surrender documents with his own handwriting. It was a short-lived career, however, for after but two years he was charged with the misuse of federal funds. It was Parker who made draft corrections in the terms of surrender at Appomattox Court House, April 9, 1865, and penned the final official copies that ended the Civil War. Civil War service Near the […] By the time of Parker’s birth, this once powerful confederation had been reduced to a scattering of reservations struggling for identity and survival. One Real American: The Life of Ely S. Parker, Seneca Sachem and Civil War General by Joseph Bruchac Middle School Abrams 248 pp. 22 early life @emaze_tweets is the … Parker later reported that General Robert E. Lee was momentarily taken aback on seeing Parker in such a prominent position at the surrender. On Christmas Day, 1867, with Ulysses S. Grant as best man, Parker married Miss Minnie Orton Sackett (1850-1932) of Washington, D.C., the stepdaughter of a soldier who had died in the war. Angel when he had served as sub-agent from 1846 to 1848 for the New York Indian Agency. Ely had a classical education at a missionary school, was fully bilingual, and went on to college. Ely reputedly received his first name from Ely Stone, one of the local founders of the mission. Beginning in 1847, Ely Parker continued his education with the thought that he would become a lawyer by "reading of the law" in the offices of Angel and Rice in Ellicottville, New York, north of the Allegany Reservation. The house that Parker occupied during his stay in Ellicottville remains. His work dealt largely with the construction and maintenance of canals. At that time Parker received the Red Jacket medal that had been given to Red Jacket by President George Washington in 1792 and inherited by Jimmy Johnson, Parker's grandfather. But his hopes of becoming a lawyer were dashed when no way could be found around a New York State law which prohibited aliens from being admitted to the bar. By 1863, two years into the Civil War, Parker found himself on Grant’s personal staff. Ely S. Parker was born Hasanoanda, also known as Donehogawa. Ely Parker - Chief, Lawyer, Engineer, and Brigadier General. Working first as a tribal diplomat, and later forming a close friendship with Ulysses S. Grant during the civil war, he came to be the first Native American to hold the position of Head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. 978-1-64700-163-6 $15.54. A portion of their former reservation was finally purchased in 1857, following a treaty of that year. Because of his loyalty and impressive record, he was appointed Commissioner of Indian Affairs, the first Indian ever to hold the office. Many had chosen to adopt the ways of the whites, hoping in this manner to improve their situation. Working first as a tribal diplomat, and later forming a close friendship with Ulysses S. Grant during the civil war, he came to be the first Native American to hold the position of Head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Like most of his tribe, he had two names. Grant did not forget Parker when he became President. He is best known for writing the final draft of … Ely Cathedral; Ely Rural District, a former district surrounding Ely, Cambridgeshire on the west and north; Isle of Ely, a historic region and former county around the city of Ely A year later he became Grant’s military secretary and served at the General’s side until Appomattox, where he copied the terms of surrender given to Robert E. Lee. Colonel Ely S. Parker, was an Iroquois of the Seneca tribe. Parker ultimately left Cayuga Academy to, once again, accompany another Seneca delegation to Washington. Oh, he also penned the document that effectively ended the Civil War. Morgan, Lewis Henry, League of the Ho-de-no-sau-nee, or Iroquois, Sage and Company, 1851; reprinted, Corinth Books, 1962, 1990. He spent his life bridging h… They established a lifelong friendship. He also made a small fortune on Wall Street, only to lose it a few years later. Ely, Cambridgeshire, a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England . He was completely exonerated of any misconduct, but nevertheless resigned from government service in July feeling that the office of commissioner had been greatly reduced in authority and effectiveness. Ely finally slid into an engineering post with the New York City Police Department, a position he held until his death in 1895. Other articles where Ely S. Parker is discussed: Ulysses S. Grant: Grant’s presidency: Notably, Grant named Ely S. Parker, a Seneca Indian who had served with him as a staff officer, commissioner of Indian affairs, and Grant’s wife persuaded him to appoint Hamilton Fish secretary of state. Arthur Caswell Parker. With the outbreak of the Civil War, Parker tried to obtain a release from his engineering responsibilities at Galena but did not receive one. But in 1857 he received an appointment from the Treasury Department to superintend the construction of a custom house and marine hospital in Galena. Ely next turned his attention to engineering, another subject which he mastered with determination. Parker resigned from the army on April 26th. Parker was also a collateral relative of many major figures in the history of the Iroquois including the tribal leader Cornplanter, Governor Blacksnake, and the great orator Red Jacket. Library of Congress Image Parker was educated as a lawyer, but being an American Indian had been unable to sit before the bar, as he was not a U. S. citizen. And so ended an incredible career. Parker was a member of the Southern Treaty Commissionthat renegotiated treaties with those Indian Tribes, mostly from the Southeast, that had sided with the Confederacy. Ely Samuel "Open Door" Parkerwas born in 1828, at birth place, New York, to William Jonoesdona "Dragonfly" Parkerand Elizabeth Gaontgwuttwus Parker (born Johnson). Parker was born in 1828 as the sixth of seven children to William and Elizabeth Parker, of prominent Seneca families, at Indian Falls, New York (then part of the Tonawanda Reservation). Eventually, Parker was commissioned in the early summer of 1863 as captain of engineers and was briefly assigned to General J. E. Smith as division engineer of the 7th Division, XVII Corps. The Tonawanda Reservation had not been restored to the Seneca in the so-called "Compromise" Treaty of Buffalo Creek of 1842 and occupied the diplomatic and legal attention of the Tonawanda Seneca for many years. This firm had represented the Seneca Indians in several cases, and Parker had been previously acquainted with W.P. Ely S. Parker was born to a prominent Seneca family on an Indian reservation near New York, and to many was considered a man between two worlds. Tooker, Elisabeth, "Ely S. Parker, Seneca, ca. It was during his time in Galena that he became acquainted with U.S. Grant and others who would achieve recognition in the war to follow. Parker then returned to the Tonawanda Reservation to request and gain his father's approval to go to war. Indians at this time were not citizens, despite being native born. Ely Parker’s family was well respected and well versed in the ways of the whites. Angel when he had served as sub-agent from 1846 to 1848 for the New York Indian Agency. They would eventually have one daughter. According to Arthur C. Parker in a biography, William Parker, his two brothers, and Elizabeth Johnson, Ely's mother, had migrated to Tonawanda from the Allegany Reservation at the same time that Handsome Lake was driven from Allegany to Tonawanda. Copyright © 2020 LoveToKnow. It was here that Parker initially became acquainted with a store clerk and army veteran, Ulysses S. Grant. Ely S. Parker was born to a prominent Seneca family on an Indian reservation near New York, and to many was considered a man between two worlds. Beginning in 1847, Ely Parker continued his education with the thought that he would become a lawyer by "reading of the law" in the offices of Angel and Rice in Ellicottville, New York, north of the Allegany Reservation. Ely S. Parker, a Native American, Drafted the Surrender Documents for the Civil War. He moved on to engineering positions in Norfolk, Detroit, and finally, in 1857, he accepted the position of superintendent of construction for a number of government projects in Galena, Illinois, where he resided for a number of years. Ely Parker was born in New York in 1828. When still a teenager, he was one of three chosen to meet with President James K. Polk to discuss grievances over the sale of reservation lands to a land developer. The 12 Rungs of Ely’s Ladder of Distinction citizens of the United States, an event that did not occur until 1924. Ely S. Parker (1828-1895) was the first Native American commissioner of Indian affairs. Grant had to personally intervene to allow him to join the army since Indians were not allowed. Parker entered the stock market on Wall Street and made a fortune which he eventually lost in settling a defaulted bond of his business partner. www.neh.gov.Visit our website at www.buffalohistory.org Strong-willed and forthright, Julia Grant also later claimed credit for helping to persuade her… Buffalo Historical Society, 1919 - Generals - 346 pages. All Rights Reserved. The Buffalo History Museum Podcast is made possible by support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The decision resulted in his resignation in 1862. He was taken to Canada for several years where he was taught to hunt and fish, returning to the Tonawanda Reservation at the age of twelve resolved to learn English and to further his formal education. In addition, two years later, on March 2, 1867, Parker's gallant and meritorious service was recognized through his appointment as first and second lieutenant in the cavalry of the Regular Army, and brevet appointments as captain, major, lieutenant-colonel, colonel, and brigadier-general, also in the Regular Army. In September 1861, Ely S. Parker, a Tonawanda Seneca from western New York and a close friend of the Union general Ulysses S. Grant, approached Seward requesting a commission. One such individual was Parker, who early in life determined to live and succeed in the white world. But Parker’s story was bigger than that: it represented the Union’s vision for the nation. During the Civil War, Parker, a close friend and colleague of General Ulysses S. Grant, served the Union cause and penned the final copy of the Confederate army's surrender terms at the Appomattox Courthouse in 1865. Ely S. Parker was a Seneca leader who had a hand in ending the American Civil War. Nov 29, 2013 - Ga-ha-no (aka Caroline G. Parker-Mt. During treaty negotiations between the United States and Native American nations , Parker was responsible for interpreting on behalf of Native American leaders and certifying the signatures of Native leaders on … Recognizing Parker's abilities in his early teens, the Seneca chiefs designated him to assist the numerous Seneca tribal delegations to Albany and Washington, D.C. Ely Parker's father, Seneca Chief William Parker (Jo-no-es-do-wa, c. 1793-1864), was a veteran of the War of 1812 and a grandson of Disappearing Smoke (also known as Old King) a prominent figure in the early history of the Seneca. Parker, however, was denied admittance to the bar in the State of New York on the basis of his race, in that Indians were not This firm had represented the Seneca Indians in several cases, and Parker had been previously acquainted with W.P. Ely S. Parker (1828-1895) was the first Native American commissioner of Indian affairs. He wrote the final draft of the Confederate surrender terms at Appomattox. 123-131. Realizing the significance of the law to his future and that of his people, he turned his attention in that direction. Finally, accused of defrauding the government, a committee of the House of Representatives tried Parker in February, 1871. Although largely vindicated, he resigned and turned his attention away from government. Places Ireland. 0 Reviews . Later, Parker served with the New York City Police Department. 211 South Bench Street, Galena, IL 61036, © 2018 Galena History Museum  |  All Right Reserved. Ely excelled in school and became extremely fluent in English. Leaving the mission school at ten years of age, Parker had only a rudimentary knowledge of English, being able to understand but not speak the language. Yeuell, Donovan, "Ely Samuel Parker, " Dictionary of American Biography, edited by Dumas Malone, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1934, pp. Pleasant) the daughter of William and Elizabeth Parker, and the wife of the Tuscarora man known as John Mt. His father was a miller and a Baptist minister. Waltmann, Henry G., "Ely Samuel Parker, 1869-71, " in The Commissioners of Indian Affairs: 1824-1977, edited by Robert M. Kvasnicka and Herman J. Viola, Lincoln, University of Nebraska Press, 1979, pp. Apparently initially believing Parker to be a black man, Lee finally shook hands with Parker and said, "I am glad to see one real American here." After the Civil War, Parker was commissioned as an officer in the 2nd United States Cavalry on July 1, 1866. Known by his Seneca name, Do-Ne-Ho-Geh-Weh meaning “Keeper of the Western Door,” Parker had a front-row seat to some of the greatest moments in … He refused, telling Parker that the war was “an affair between white men.” “Go home, cultivate your farm,” Seward instructed. Although a strong advocate for assimilation of the American Indian and supporter of Grant's Peace Policy, directed to the improvement of the American Indian, Parker also sought major reform and restructuring of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, an unpopular policy in some political quarters. Parker replied, "We are all Americans.". General Grant and Staff - Lt. Pleasant - Iroquois (Seneca) - 1860 {Note: Caroline G. Parker-Mt. Both Lee and Grant signed the official paperwork at … Parker met Morgan during one of his visits to Albany in 1844, in the company of his maternal grandfather Sachem Jimmy Johnson and Chief John Blacksmith. 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