William Apeha (abt. 1837 - abt. 1880)

Born about 1837 in Indian Territory, Arkansas

Husband of Sukey Bohanan — married about 1860 in Choctaw Nation Reservation, Indian Territory, United States

Descendants

Died about 1880 at about age 43 in Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory

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Biography

William Apeha was a Choctaw man who was born around 1837 in the Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory. He died around 1873 in the Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory. His name Apeha means "many to join one" or "to go in company with" in Choctaw, as found in the dictionary of the Choctaw language, by Cyrus Byington and Alfred Wright. This reflects his role as a peacemaker and a unifier among his people. He was also a man of faith and culture, who preserved and promoted the Choctaw language and traditions.

^[1]

Interview with Edward Paul Snead a Court Reporter for Judge George R. Childers, of the 17th Judicial District, Idabel, Okla. Grandson of Apeha and Sukey,

Edward Paul Snead, born November 23, 1887, in the community near Shoat Springs and McCann, about five miles east and a little south of the present town of Hugo, Oklahoma. McCann is now called Fallon. My mother was a full-blood Choctaw Indian, her name was Amanda Williams. Her father was named William A-pe-ha, so she just adopted the name of Williams, as so many Choctaw Indians have done about their names.

Sources

1. ↑ WPA Interview, Snead, Edward Paul Interview, 1937 Page 379 Hazel B. Greene, Field Worker, Hugo, Oklahoma.

• Oklahoma and Indian Territory, U.S., Marriage, Citizenship and Census Records, 1841-1927 for William Apeha

• Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records; Washington D.C., USA; Federal Land Patents, State Volumes

• Oklahoma and Indian Territory, Indian and Pioneer Historical Collection, 1937