Caroline Bradby Cook | |
---|---|
Born | Caroline Bradby c. 1839 |
Died | January 15 1913 |
Spouse | Major Cook |
Children | George Major Cook |
Caroline Bradby Cook (born circa 1839 – died January 15 1913) was a Pamunkey leader and Union sympathizer who championed the rights of Virginia's Native Americans and their cultural heritage. [1]
Caroline Bradby Cook was born around 1839 and lived on the Pamunkey Indian Reservation in King William County. [2]
She was married to Major Cook, and in 1861, she had her only child, George Major Cook. [3] Her husband died in the same year. Her son, George Major Cook, became the chief of the Pamunkey in 1902 and served until his death in 1930. [4]
During the American Civil War, Caroline was loyal to the United States and supported their cause. [2] When Union army units camped on the reservation, she washed and cooked for the soldiers, despite them dismantling her house and fence and burning it for wood for their campfires. [1]
After the Civil War, she filed a claim with the Southern Claims Commission for compensation from the government for her ruined property. [5] She received $100 in compensation in 1879. [1]
In 1865, Caroline was a founding member of the Pamunkey Indian Baptist Church. [1]
In 2009, Caroline was honored as a Virginia Women in History inductee. [1]
Pipe bowls owned by Caroline and a 1919 photograph of her (apparently mis-dated) are in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. [6] [7]