The Life of Maria Sequichie
Wa lee yah, also known as Maria Sequichie, was born to Charles and Martha Sequichie/Aquicha (Cummings) in the Saline District of the Cherokee Nation (current-day Oklahoma) in 1866. She was the granddaughter of Jennie Powell Sequichie who came to the Cherokee Nation on the Trail of Tears.
Maria attended school at the Cherokee Female Seminary in Tahlequah, one of the first women’s boarding schools west of the Mississippi and then went on to Bacone University. After graduation, Maria taught school in the Cooweescoowee and Delaware districts of the Cherokee Nation.
Maria married John Ross McIntosh, son of John McIntosh, Chief Justice of the Cherokee Nation, in 1891.
The McIntoshes lived in Chelsea, Oklahoma where John served as the Treasurer of Rogers County and was elected as the Speaker of the Cherokee Council. John passed away in 1935, followed by Maria in 1936.
SOURCES
“Eastern Cherokee Applications of the U.S. Court of Claims, 1906-1909.” Imaged. Fold3. https://www.fold3.com/image/221318236 : 2020.
Starr, Emmet. History of the Cherokee Indians and Their Legends and Folklore. OK.: The Warden Company, 1921. Imaged. Hathi Trust Digital Library. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008309824 : 2020.
Libby
February 21, 2022Hi Michelle,
I have some photos of Maria and her husband John Ross McIntosh which I am happy to share. Where did you find your photos of Maria? John’s sister Susan was my maternal great-great grandmother. Susan died, leaving 3 orphaned children, and they were taken in by John and Maria. They had 3 daughter’s of their own, including Lydia who died when she was 4 or 5. The other two were Beatrice and Ethel (as you know). Both Maria and John spoke fluent Cherokee and English. My grandmother had a very long hallway in her home in Wichita, KS and it was lined with family photos going back for generations. She would patiently tell us over and over again who everyone was and how they were connected. It was the best way to learn family history!
Michelle
February 22, 2022Hi Libby,
Thank you so much for sharing about your connection to the McIntosh family. I would love to connect further. I will send you an email.