Sentimental Sunday: Famous Apache/Comanche with TC & Nannie Moore, 1927

The photo at right was sent by Mark's cousin Tom.  It was taken in 1927 in Indiahoma, Oklahoma.  The couple on the right are Mark's and Tom's grandparents, Nancy Flora "Nannie" Jones Moore (1882-1969) and Tandy Clayton "Clayton" Moore (1878-1964).  The photograph was taken by their oldest child, Tom's father, Thomas Gurth "Gurth" Moore (1902-1935) when he visited them at their home in Marlow, Oklahoma, after a drive there from his home in Austin, Texas, in his new 1927 Chevrolet.

Nannie and Clayton wanted Gurth to drive them to nearby Indiahoma to visit the Apache Chevato (Comanche name Chebahtah, 1852-1931), from whom they had leased land when they first came to Oklahoma from Texas in 1901.  Chevato is famous for being the Apache who took Herman Lehmann (1859-1932) captive in the Fredericksburg, Texas, area in 1870.  Chevato later joined with the Comanche and became a bodyguard for Quanah Parker (c1852-1911, the son of another famous Indian captive, Cynthia Ann Parker, c1827-1870).

Tom recorded many stories about Chevato from his grandfather Clayton, but the following is my favorite:

Chevato's wife [Pi-he, the daughter of a cousin of Quanah Parker] had a son [Thomas David Chebahtah, January 1902-1968] before my Dad [Gurth] was born in March [1902].  He was proud of his son, and offered Grandpa [Clayton] two ponies for my dad, saying, "Then I have two boys."  Grandpa told Chevato he would give him two ponies for his son, and then Clayton would have two boys.  Old Chevato ended the conversation -- Grandpa thought that was the only way to get Chevato to forget about trading.

© Amanda Pape - 2010