Mary Mongosa
Birth: 1846
Death: 20 Sep 1902 (aged 55–56)
Burial: Francis Godfroy Cemetery, Peru, Miami County, Indiana, USA
Memorial #: 37593518
Bio: Dr. Nathaniel Bradley moved to Miami County, Indiana near the city of Peru in the 1870's and took on a second wife , a Miami Indian woman by the name of Mary MON-GO-SAH, even though he was still married to his first wife from Ireland. The reason he did this was to gain land from the Miami Indians by marrying into the tribe. This was a common practice during the 1800's for white settlers.The children he had with his Miami Indian second wife all resembled their mother more than their father and was accepted by their mother's tribe as Miami more than they were accepted by the white population. Therefore, they all kept their mother's maiden name of MON-GO-SAH...which later became Mongosa.Dr. Nathaniel Bradley and his wife, Mary MON-GO-SAH are my great-great grandparents. Their son, Joseph Sherman Mongosa (1874-1949) married Eclistia Jane PIM-YO-TAH-MAH (1870-1939) and they are my great grandparents. They had seven children including my grandfather Nathaniel Pete Mongosa (1908-1976).----------------------------From Ancestry:Summary Under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment, 12 Jul 1990John “Bull” Mongosa was the oldest of this family and became a well-known leader in the Butler Township community. He was not a preacher, but was regarded as a spiritual figure who dispensed advice and healing (Greenbaum 1989; Mongosa 1939). His son, Joe was married to Eclista Pim Walker (a granddaughter of Pimyotomah). They raised a large family on some of Pimyotomah’s reserve land, and Joe Mongosa later became active in the Godfroy tribal council. John Bull’s daughter Mary was considered to be a “medicine woman.” Her husband, Nathaniel Bradley, was a white doctor who lived in the area. The family was well known to the other Miami families in the area who relied on Mary especially for medical care and midwifery. Her family took in orphans and unwed mothers, and had a reputation for generosity.Mary Mongosa Bradley was also active in tribal politics and was among the signers of the 1897 “Headquarters” agreement (along with her father) (P. Bundy et al., 1897). Mary’s daughter, Anna, continued in this role as informal leader and medicine woman, and handed down some of the healing traditions to her own daughters. Anna married John A. Marks, a Meshingomesia Miami. During the past two generations, Anna’s two daughters, Carmen Ryan (who died in the mid 1980’s) and Lora Siders, have played important roles in mediating between factions of the tribe and in leadership succession at crucial intervals. The Mongosas’ alignment with the Godfroys, through Pimyotomah, and with the Meshingomesias, through the Marks family, was an important factor in their ability to negotiate between warring factions.-------------------------Obit/info submitted by Find A Grave contributor (Sandy & Aimee Harrison).
Family Members
Parents
John Mongosa 1825-1904
Spouse
Nathaniel Bradley 1841-1916
Siblings
Moses Mongosa 1844-1879
Nancy Martha Mongosa Votra 1847-1908
Children
Robert Mongosa 1867-Unknown
Lavina Mongosa Bradley Schroll 1871-1951
Joseph Sherman Mongosa 1874-1949
Anna Elizebeth Bradley Marks 1876-1934
Clarence E. Mongosa - Bradley 1878-1968
Homer A. Mongosa 1882-1904
Mary Belle Mongosa 1889-1889
Monroe Mongosa Bradley 1890-1936
Carrie Mongosa Bradley Day 1892-1926
Created by: Rickey Bellamy (46790113)
Added: 27 May 2009
URL: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/37593518/mary-mongosa
Citation: Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 12 December 2019), memorial page for Mary Mongosa (1846–20 Sep 1902), Find A Grave Memorial no. 37593518, citing Francis Godfroy Cemetery, Peru, Miami County, Indiana, USA ; Maintained by Rickey Bellamy (contributor 46790113) .
