I’m searching for information regarding Mary Ellen Wade (Abell). She was supposedly born in Bardstown, Ky in 1834. Her adoptive parents were the Wades and she married Enoch Booth Abell in 1850. She married several other times as well, but that was later in life. When she wasn’t married, she used the surname Freeborn.
Supposedly her Native American name (in English) was Willow Wisp or Will O’ Wisp. Her father was Running Buffalo and her mother Star Fire. I saw a post here from 2002 that her mother was possibly married to a Chief John. She died in Indiana in 1924.
Any further information about her would be greatly appreciated. If you look up Mary Ellen Wade Abell on Google, y0u will see a picture taken of her in the 1870s or 80s wearing Native American attire.
Thank you in advance!
Just found this site while looking for info for Mary. She was my great great grandmother. Family lore says she was native, but I don’t know of any proof. Would love to find out for sure. Are you a descendant of hers?
She’s my great great great Grandma through her daughter Elvira Ott. Which branch are you?
Sorry, I just found my way back here. Her son Enoch would have been my great great grandfather. Met with some extended family a couple weeks ago and saw some of the old places, she is buried in Mentor cemetery which is not far from where I live, just about 45 minutes or so. Do you live in Indiana?
I haven’t been on here a while. Her son, Little Enoch, was my great grandfather.
She was my great great grandmother… I have no verifiable proof. Just hearsay. There is that photo of a woman supposedly identified as Mary Ellen. My cousin has a huge copy of that photo. I did the DNA from Ancestry, but nothing. I think that that is going to be the only way to establish whether this is fact or fiction—-
My grandmother told me about her when I was very little, but gave no details. All she said is your gg grandmother was Cherokee. Now that’s come into question because someone posted elsewhere that she may have been Choctaw.
I’m thinking that if there are any pow wows in your area, that the photo to see if they can at least ID the clothing she was wearing.
If someone does have actual documentation connecting her to either tribe, I’d like to see it,
Shangjengau,
Thanks for your comments. I share your interest in having an “expert” take a look at the clothing Mary wore in the picture. Like you, I was thinking that it might provide a clue to the tribal connection. It is difficult to tell how old she was in that picture. The image online is a bit fuzzy, so that doesn’t help. Does your cousin have the original? Does the photo have any writing on it? If not, it would be terrific if you could get an image of the photo (I’m guessing it’s too large for a scanned copy). Do you have any old photos of “Big Enoch” and/or Mary other than the two online? I live in Houston, and we have an excellent genealogical library close by that is also connected to the Family Search Library in Utah and many other resources. I have just begun looking through their Native American section and will post any information that I might find. I’ve also considered going to Jasper, the seat of Dubois County, and seeing if they have any undigitized archives I could look through. In addition to Mary Wade, I have a grandfather raised in Birdseye and a lot of history there. His father Reuben Fredrick Bates was a Justice of the Peace in that town for many years. Reuben was married to Sarah Elizabeth Oxley, another prominent family in the early formation of Hall (now Jefferson) township. Reuben died around 1913 and left a large family (19 children in all). My grandfather was the youngest.
Based solely on the part of Kentucky that Mary was born in (i.e. in or around Barren County), most of the tribes were Chickasaw and Choctaw. It proves nothing but is just an observation. Also, the Choctaw Indian School was in central Kentucky.
I just found this website so I’m late to the discussion. Mary Ellen Wade (Abell, Allen, Combs, Collins) was my maternal grandfather’s great aunt. I am a blood descendant of Thomas and Elizabeth Wade, Mary’s adoptive parents. My grandfather, Louis M. Bates, was born and raised in Birdseye, Indiana, where Mary and Enoch Abell raised their children. Even though I am not a blood relative of Mary Wade (Willow Wisp), I have become interested in her and am just finishing a 5000 word narrative that I hope to have published in the Genealogical Record, a biannual publication of the Houston Genealogical Society. I have found several documents in my research and would be happy to communicate with any of you. Does anyone have letters, diaries or other personal communications from or about her?
I just found this website so I’m late to the discussion. Mary Ellen Wade (Abell, Allen, Combs, Collins) was my maternal grandfather’s great aunt. I am a blood descendant of Thomas and Elizabeth Wade, Mary’s adoptive parents. My grandfather, Louis M. Bates, was born and raised in Birdseye, Indiana, where Mary and Enoch Abell raised their children. Even though I am not a blood relative of Mary Wade (Willow Wisp), I have become interested in her and am just finishing a 5000 word narrative that I hope to have published in the Genealogical Record, a biannual publication of the Houston Genealogical Society. I have found several documents in my research and would be happy to communicate with any of you. Does anyone have letters, diaries or other personal communications from or about her?