Rev. Charles Bluejacket
Rev. Charles Bluejacket was born in Michigan in 1817. His father, George Bluejacket, subsequently bought land on the Huron River, and continued farming until 1822, when he moved to Ohio. He was one of the best educated Indians of his day, and Charles for a long time kept copies of his father’s work, done while at school. He was chief warrior in one of the Shawnee bands, and died in 1830.
The subject of this sketch received his early education in a mission school near Ft. Meigs. Afterwards he attended the Friends’ Mission school in Ohio, and latterly the Baptist Mission School, in this county, where he finished his education in ’34. He was elected chief of the Shawnees for four years. He married Miss Pa-wa-see, in ’33; she died in ’41, and the following year he married Julia Ann Doherty. She died July 11th, ’70, and in ’71 he married Miss Louisa Captain.
He has an intelligent family of seven children living, two of whom are married—Mrs. Jonathan Gore, and David, who now lives with the tribe in the Indian Territory. Mr. Bluejacket was interpreter for the tribe for many years, and has frequently visited Washington. He is a man of fine mind, and entertains exalted ideas of his Creator, whom he frequently exhorts his people to imitate. He is a useful citizen, a kind husband, and an affectionate father. His children are intelligent, communicative and well-bred, and in conversation are quite interesting and entertaining, at the same time manifesting a laudable desire to gain information.
Mr. B. is a Methodist minister, has preached to his people in Shawnee tongue, and recently has preached in English to the white race, and is admitted to be a speaker of more than ordinary interest. He has a fine farm in a high state of cultivation; his fine orchard yields bountifully of many choice varieties of fruits. The writer hereof, in the month of March, was served to rare varieties and choice fruit at his residence, and that too in a manner ad with a grace becoming the first circles of society—a thing so much neglected in very many families, while good breeding costs nothing. Mr. B. demonstrates the fact that Indians can be educated and civilized, can have good farms, and can raise good fruit. He has been offered $50 an acre for his farm. A view of his residence will be seen on page 85 of this work.
Atlas Map of Johnson County, Kansas, E. F. Heisler and Co., 1874, p. 71.
