Singleton and Related Genealogy Pages
A history of many families.
1788 - 1812 (24 years)| Name | Sacagawea SACAJAWEA | |
| Birth | 1788 | near the Continental Divide at the present-day Idaho-Montana border [U.S.]  |
| Gender | Female | |
| HIST | Sacagawea BY: HISTORY.COM EDITORS UPDATED: JULY 29, 2022 | ORIGINAL: APRIL 5, 2010 Table of Contents Who Was Sacagawea? The Louisiana Purchase Lewis and Clark Meet Sacagawea Sacagawea Saves the Day Cameahwait and Sacagawea Sacagawea’s Later Years How Did Sacagawea Die? Legacy Sacagawea Coin Sources Sacagawea was a Shoshone woman who accompanied the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1804-06. Also called the Corps of Discovery, the expedition traveled from the northern plains through the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean and back. Her skills as a translator were invaluable, as was her intimate knowledge of some difficult terrain. Perhaps most significant was her calming presence on both the expedition team and the Native Americans they encountered, who might have otherwise been hostile to the strangers. Remarkably, Sacagawea did it all while caring for the son she bore just two months before departing.. Who Was Sacagawea? Possibly the most memorialized woman in the United States, with dozens of statues and monuments, Sacagawea lived a short but legendarily eventful life in the American West. Born in 1788 or 1789, a member of the Lemhi band of the Native American Shoshone tribe, Sacagawea grew up surrounded by the Rocky Mountains in the Salmon River region of what is now Idaho. The Shoshone were enemies of the gun-possessing Hidatsa tribe, who kidnapped Sacagawea during a buffalo hunt in 1800. The name we know her by is in fact Hidatsa, from the Hidatsa words for bird (“sacaga”) and woman (“wea”). Did you know? Sacagawea was a highly skilled food gatherer. She used sharp sticks to dig up wild licorice, prairie turnips (tubers the explorers called “white apples”) and wild artichokes that mice had buried for the winter. Today, however, many Shoshone, among others, argue that in their language “Sacajawea” means boat-pusher and is her true name. (And in North Dakota the official spelling is “Sakakawea.”) Her captors brought her to the Hidatsa-Mandan settlement near what is now Bismarck, North Dakota; the Mandan is an affiliated tribe. In 1803 or 1804, through a trade, gambling payoff or purchase, Sacagawea became the property of French-Canadian fur trader Toussaint Charbonneau, born no later than 1767 and well over two decades her senior. Charbonneau had lived among Native Americans for so long he had adopted some of their traditions, including polygamy. Sacagawea became one of his two wives and was soon pregnant. The Louisiana Purchase Meanwhile, President Thomas Jefferson had made the Louisiana Purchase from France in 1803—828,000 square miles of almost completely unexplored territory. Within this vast wilderness he hoped would lie the rumored Northwest Passage, the legendary waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans that was long-sought trade route. But Jefferson wanted more from the explorers who would search for the passage: He charged them with surveying the landscape, learning about the varied Native American tribes, collecting natural specimens and making maps. He turned to his secretary, Meriwether Lewis, to head the Corps of Discovery. Lewis, 29, chose his friend and former military superior, 33-year-old William Clark, as his co-captain Lewis and Clark Meet Sacagawea After more than a year of planning and initial travel, Lewis and Clark and their men reached the Hidatsa-Mandan settlement—about 60 miles northwest of present-day Bismarck, North Dakota–on November 2, 1804, when Sacagawea was about six months pregnant. They recognized the potential value of Sacagawea and Charbonneau’s combined language skills. Most of the Corps members spoke only English, but one, Francois Labiche, spoke French as well. Charbonneau spoke French and Hidatsa; Sacagawea spoke Hidatsa and Shoshone (two very different languages). Through this translation chain, communications with the Shoshone would be possible. Lewis and Clark also recognized that the Shoshone had horses they would need to purchase. Without horses, they wouldn’t be able to transport their supplies over the Bitterroot Mountains (a rugged section of the Rockies) and continue toward the Pacific. And they couldn’t procure horses earlier, because they’d be traveling by water until they reached the Rockies’ edge. Sacagawea delivered her son Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau (known as Baptiste) on February 11, 1805. On April 7, Sacagawea, the baby and Charbonneau headed west with the 31 other Corps members. READ MORE: Lewis and Clark: A Timeline of the Expedition Sacagawea Saves the Day Within a month, a near-tragedy earned Sacagawea particular respect. The boat in which she was sailing nearly capsized when a squall hit and Charbonneau, the navigator, panicked. Sacagawea had the presence of mind to gather crucial papers, books, navigational instruments, medicines and other provisions that might have otherwise disappeared—all while simultaneously ensuring her baby’s safety. In appreciation, Lewis and Clark named a branch of the Missouri River for Sacagawea several days later. Clark, in particular, developed a close bond with Sacagawea as she and Baptiste would often accompany him as he took his turn walking the shore, checking for obstacles in the river that could damage the boats. Cameahwait and Sacagawea Five days after the first members of the Corps crossed the Continental Divide at Lemhi Pass, Sacagawea did, as planned, translate the captains’ desire to purchase horses to the Shoshone they encountered. Sacagawea was surprised and happy to recognize the Shoshone’s leader, Chief Cameahwait, as her brother, and they had an emotional reunion. Sacagawea also put her naturalist’s knowledge to use for the Corps. She could identify roots, plants and berries that were either edible or medicinal. Sacagawea’s memories of Shoshone trails led to Clark’s characterization of her as his “pilot.” She helped navigate the Corps through a mountain pass—today’s Bozeman Pass in Montana—to the Yellowstone River. And although it couldn’t be quantified, the presence of a woman—a Native American, to boot—and baby made the whole corps seem less fearsome and more amiable to the Native Americans the Corps encountered, some of whom had never seen European faces before. This eased tensions that might otherwise have resulted in uncooperativeness at best, violence at worst. After reaching the Pacific, Sacagawea returned with the rest of the Corps and her husband and son—having survived illness, flash floods, temperature extremes, food shortages, mosquito swarms and so much more—to their starting point, the Hidatsa-Mandan settlement, on August 14, 1806. For his service Charbonneau received 320 acres of land and $500.33; Sacagawea herself received no compensation.are Sacagawea’s Later Years Three years later, in fall 1809, Sacagawea, Charbonneau and Baptiste ventured to St. Louis, where Charbonneau was taking the kind-hearted Clark up on an offer: Clark would provide the Charbonneau family with land to farm if the parents would agree to let Clark educate Baptiste. The farming didn’t work out, however, and Sacagawea and Charbonneau left Baptiste in St. Louis with Clark—now his godfather—in April 1811 so that they could join a fur-trading expedition. How Did Sacagawea Die? In August 1812, after giving birth to a daughter, Lisette (or Lizette), Sacagawea’s health declined. By December, she was extremely ill with “putrid fever” (possibly typhoid fever). She died at 25, on December 22, 1812, in Fort Manuel, located on a bluff 70 miles south of present-day Bismarck. She may have been buried on the Wind River Reservation, occupied by Lemhi Shoshone tribe, but some scholars dispute that. Within a year, Clark became legal guardian to both Lisette and Baptiste. While little is known of Lisette’s life, Baptiste traveled in Europe and held a variety of jobs in the American West before he died in 1866. Charbonneau died in 1843. Legacy Sacagawea’s fictionalized image as a “genuine Indian princess” was promulgated most widely in the early 20th century by a popular 1902 novel by Eva Emery Dye that took liberties in recounting the travails of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. A suffragist, Dye was not satisfied to present the facts then known about Sacagawea; she wanted to make her a compelling model of female bravery and intelligence, and didn’t mind rewriting history to do so. “Out of a few dry bones I found in the old tales of the trip, I created Sacajawea,” Dye wrote in her journal. Today, some scholars contend that the romanticized versions of the Sacagawea “legend” popularized before and after the publication of Dye’s novel do the real woman a disservice, as her true legacy of accomplishments speaks for itself. Sacagawea Coin In addition to numerous memorials throughout the United States, Sacagawea was honored with a dollar coin made by the U.S. Mint from 2000 to 2008. The manganese brass coin features an image of Sacagawea carrying Jean Baptiste, her infant son. Designed by artist Glenna Goodacre, the coins show Sacagawea looking directly at the viewer, a break with coin-making tradition, where subjects are typically viewed in profile. Goodacre used a modern-day Shoshone student as her model. READ MORE: Native American History Timeline Sources Sacagawea / Sacajawea / Sakakawea. National Women’s Hall of Fame. The Sacagawea Mystique: Her Age, Name, Role and Final Destiny. Columbia Magazine. Sacagawea Golden Dollar Coin. U.S. Mint. BY: HISTORY.COM EDITORS HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Articles with the “HISTORY.com Editors” byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan and Matt Mullen. Citation Information Article TitleSacagawea AuthorHistory.com Editors Website NameHISTORY URLhttps://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/sacagawea Date AccessedMay 19, 2023 PublisherA&E Television Networks Last UpdatedJuly 29, 2022 Original Published DateApril 5, 2010 Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. PRINT PAGE Native Americans More on this Topic | Native American History What Was FDR’s ‘Indian New Deal’? An economic relief program aimed specifically at helping Native American communities during the Great Depression, the legislation marked a sharp U-turn in federal policy toward Indigenous peoples.Read more How Yellowstone Became America’s First National Park There are 63 national parks in the United States, but none has captivated the American imagination quite like Yellowstone National Park, the very first of its kind. The park encompasses more than 2 million acres across Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, and showcases unique natural features and stunning wildlife. But without the efforts of a dedicated […]Read more Why the War of 1812 Was a Turning Point for Native Americans Just three decades after the United States broke free from Great Britain with the American Revolution, the two nations once again went to battle in the War of 1812. But this time, the combatants with the most at stake were arguably a third group: Native Americans. At the time the war broke out, the young American nation […]Read more How Native Americans Protected Alaska During WWII In early June of 1942, six months after Pearl Harbor formally jolted the U.S. into World War II, the Japanese mounted another surprise bombing attack—this time, on Dutch Harbor in the remote Aleutian Islands of Alaska. In the brief ensuing invasion, Japanese naval forces occupied the islands of Attu and Kiska, the first occupation by […]Read more How a Cherokee Leader Ensured His People’s Language Survived Prior to colonization, more than 300 diverse languages were spoken by Native Americans in what is now called the United States. However, nearly all of these languages had one feature in common: they had no written form. In 1809, a Cherokee man named Sequoyah began working on a writing system for his nation’s language. It […]Read more Lewis and Clark: A Timeline of the Extraordinary Expedition With the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the territory of the United States doubled overnight. Months before the $15 million deal was finalized, though, President Thomas Jefferson won approval from Congress to send a team of intrepid explorers to find a passable water route west to the Pacific Ocean. Jefferson tapped his personal secretary, Meriwether Lewis, […]Read more SEE MORE READ MORE ABOUT NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY A+E Networks Contact Us Copyright Policy Privacy Policy Terms of Use Ad Choices Accessibility Support © 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. All Rights Reserved. [1] | |
| HIST | Sacagawea BY: HISTORY.COM EDITORS UPDATED: JULY 29, 2022 | ORIGINAL: APRIL 5, 2010 Table of Contents Who Was Sacagawea? The Louisiana Purchase Lewis and Clark Meet Sacagawea Sacagawea Saves the Day Cameahwait and Sacagawea Sacagawea’s Later Years How Did Sacagawea Die? Legacy Sacagawea Coin Sources Sacagawea was a Shoshone woman who accompanied the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1804-06. Also called the Corps of Discovery, the expedition traveled from the northern plains through the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean and back. Her skills as a translator were invaluable, as was her intimate knowledge of some difficult terrain. Perhaps most significant was her calming presence on both the expedition team and the Native Americans they encountered, who might have otherwise been hostile to the strangers. Remarkably, Sacagawea did it all while caring for the son she bore just two months before departing.. Who Was Sacagawea? Possibly the most memorialized woman in the United States, with dozens of statues and monuments, Sacagawea lived a short but legendarily eventful life in the American West. Born in 1788 or 1789, a member of the Lemhi band of the Native American Shoshone tribe, Sacagawea grew up surrounded by the Rocky Mountains in the Salmon River region of what is now Idaho. The Shoshone were enemies of the gun-possessing Hidatsa tribe, who kidnapped Sacagawea during a buffalo hunt in 1800. The name we know her by is in fact Hidatsa, from the Hidatsa words for bird (“sacaga”) and woman (“wea”). Did you know? Sacagawea was a highly skilled food gatherer. She used sharp sticks to dig up wild licorice, prairie turnips (tubers the explorers called “white apples”) and wild artichokes that mice had buried for the winter. Today, however, many Shoshone, among others, argue that in their language “Sacajawea” means boat-pusher and is her true name. (And in North Dakota the official spelling is “Sakakawea.”) Her captors brought her to the Hidatsa-Mandan settlement near what is now Bismarck, North Dakota; the Mandan is an affiliated tribe. In 1803 or 1804, through a trade, gambling payoff or purchase, Sacagawea became the property of French-Canadian fur trader Toussaint Charbonneau, born no later than 1767 and well over two decades her senior. Charbonneau had lived among Native Americans for so long he had adopted some of their traditions, including polygamy. Sacagawea became one of his two wives and was soon pregnant. The Louisiana Purchase Meanwhile, President Thomas Jefferson had made the Louisiana Purchase from France in 1803—828,000 square miles of almost completely unexplored territory. Within this vast wilderness he hoped would lie the rumored Northwest Passage, the legendary waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans that was long-sought trade route. But Jefferson wanted more from the explorers who would search for the passage: He charged them with surveying the landscape, learning about the varied Native American tribes, collecting natural specimens and making maps. He turned to his secretary, Meriwether Lewis, to head the Corps of Discovery. Lewis, 29, chose his friend and former military superior, 33-year-old William Clark, as his co-captain Lewis and Clark Meet Sacagawea After more than a year of planning and initial travel, Lewis and Clark and their men reached the Hidatsa-Mandan settlement—about 60 miles northwest of present-day Bismarck, North Dakota–on November 2, 1804, when Sacagawea was about six months pregnant. They recognized the potential value of Sacagawea and Charbonneau’s combined language skills. Most of the Corps members spoke only English, but one, Francois Labiche, spoke French as well. Charbonneau spoke French and Hidatsa; Sacagawea spoke Hidatsa and Shoshone (two very different languages). Through this translation chain, communications with the Shoshone would be possible. Lewis and Clark also recognized that the Shoshone had horses they would need to purchase. Without horses, they wouldn’t be able to transport their supplies over the Bitterroot Mountains (a rugged section of the Rockies) and continue toward the Pacific. And they couldn’t procure horses earlier, because they’d be traveling by water until they reached the Rockies’ edge. Sacagawea delivered her son Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau (known as Baptiste) on February 11, 1805. On April 7, Sacagawea, the baby and Charbonneau headed west with the 31 other Corps members. READ MORE: Lewis and Clark: A Timeline of the Expedition Sacagawea Saves the Day Within a month, a near-tragedy earned Sacagawea particular respect. The boat in which she was sailing nearly capsized when a squall hit and Charbonneau, the navigator, panicked. Sacagawea had the presence of mind to gather crucial papers, books, navigational instruments, medicines and other provisions that might have otherwise disappeared—all while simultaneously ensuring her baby’s safety. In appreciation, Lewis and Clark named a branch of the Missouri River for Sacagawea several days later. Clark, in particular, developed a close bond with Sacagawea as she and Baptiste would often accompany him as he took his turn walking the shore, checking for obstacles in the river that could damage the boats. Cameahwait and Sacagawea Five days after the first members of the Corps crossed the Continental Divide at Lemhi Pass, Sacagawea did, as planned, translate the captains’ desire to purchase horses to the Shoshone they encountered. Sacagawea was surprised and happy to recognize the Shoshone’s leader, Chief Cameahwait, as her brother, and they had an emotional reunion. Sacagawea also put her naturalist’s knowledge to use for the Corps. She could identify roots, plants and berries that were either edible or medicinal. Sacagawea’s memories of Shoshone trails led to Clark’s characterization of her as his “pilot.” She helped navigate the Corps through a mountain pass—today’s Bozeman Pass in Montana—to the Yellowstone River. And although it couldn’t be quantified, the presence of a woman—a Native American, to boot—and baby made the whole corps seem less fearsome and more amiable to the Native Americans the Corps encountered, some of whom had never seen European faces before. This eased tensions that might otherwise have resulted in uncooperativeness at best, violence at worst. After reaching the Pacific, Sacagawea returned with the rest of the Corps and her husband and son—having survived illness, flash floods, temperature extremes, food shortages, mosquito swarms and so much more—to their starting point, the Hidatsa-Mandan settlement, on August 14, 1806. For his service Charbonneau received 320 acres of land and $500.33; Sacagawea herself received no compensation.are Sacagawea’s Later Years Three years later, in fall 1809, Sacagawea, Charbonneau and Baptiste ventured to St. Louis, where Charbonneau was taking the kind-hearted Clark up on an offer: Clark would provide the Charbonneau family with land to farm if the parents would agree to let Clark educate Baptiste. The farming didn’t work out, however, and Sacagawea and Charbonneau left Baptiste in St. Louis with Clark—now his godfather—in April 1811 so that they could join a fur-trading expedition. How Did Sacagawea Die? In August 1812, after giving birth to a daughter, Lisette (or Lizette), Sacagawea’s health declined. By December, she was extremely ill with “putrid fever” (possibly typhoid fever). She died at 25, on December 22, 1812, in Fort Manuel, located on a bluff 70 miles south of present-day Bismarck. She may have been buried on the Wind River Reservation, occupied by Lemhi Shoshone tribe, but some scholars dispute that. Within a year, Clark became legal guardian to both Lisette and Baptiste. While little is known of Lisette’s life, Baptiste traveled in Europe and held a variety of jobs in the American West before he died in 1866. Charbonneau died in 1843. Legacy Sacagawea’s fictionalized image as a “genuine Indian princess” was promulgated most widely in the early 20th century by a popular 1902 novel by Eva Emery Dye that took liberties in recounting the travails of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. A suffragist, Dye was not satisfied to present the facts then known about Sacagawea; she wanted to make her a compelling model of female bravery and intelligence, and didn’t mind rewriting history to do so. “Out of a few dry bones I found in the old tales of the trip, I created Sacajawea,” Dye wrote in her journal. Today, some scholars contend that the romanticized versions of the Sacagawea “legend” popularized before and after the publication of Dye’s novel do the real woman a disservice, as her true legacy of accomplishments speaks for itself. Sacagawea Coin In addition to numerous memorials throughout the United States, Sacagawea was honored with a dollar coin made by the U.S. Mint from 2000 to 2008. The manganese brass coin features an image of Sacagawea carrying Jean Baptiste, her infant son. Designed by artist Glenna Goodacre, the coins show Sacagawea looking directly at the viewer, a break with coin-making tradition, where subjects are typically viewed in profile. Goodacre used a modern-day Shoshone student as her model. READ MORE: Native American History Timeline Sources Sacagawea / Sacajawea / Sakakawea. National Women’s Hall of Fame. The Sacagawea Mystique: Her Age, Name, Role and Final Destiny. Columbia Magazine. Sacagawea Golden Dollar Coin. U.S. Mint. BY: HISTORY.COM EDITORS HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Articles with the “HISTORY.com Editors” byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan and Matt Mullen. Citation Information Article TitleSacagawea AuthorHistory.com Editors Website NameHISTORY URLhttps://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/sacagawea Date AccessedMay 19, 2023 PublisherA&E Television Networks Last UpdatedJuly 29, 2022 Original Published DateApril 5, 2010 Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. PRINT PAGE Native Americans More on this Topic | Native American History What Was FDR’s ‘Indian New Deal’? An economic relief program aimed specifically at helping Native American communities during the Great Depression, the legislation marked a sharp U-turn in federal policy toward Indigenous peoples.Read more How Yellowstone Became America’s First National Park There are 63 national parks in the United States, but none has captivated the American imagination quite like Yellowstone National Park, the very first of its kind. The park encompasses more than 2 million acres across Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, and showcases unique natural features and stunning wildlife. But without the efforts of a dedicated […]Read more Why the War of 1812 Was a Turning Point for Native Americans Just three decades after the United States broke free from Great Britain with the American Revolution, the two nations once again went to battle in the War of 1812. But this time, the combatants with the most at stake were arguably a third group: Native Americans. At the time the war broke out, the young American nation […]Read more How Native Americans Protected Alaska During WWII In early June of 1942, six months after Pearl Harbor formally jolted the U.S. into World War II, the Japanese mounted another surprise bombing attack—this time, on Dutch Harbor in the remote Aleutian Islands of Alaska. In the brief ensuing invasion, Japanese naval forces occupied the islands of Attu and Kiska, the first occupation by […]Read more How a Cherokee Leader Ensured His People’s Language Survived Prior to colonization, more than 300 diverse languages were spoken by Native Americans in what is now called the United States. However, nearly all of these languages had one feature in common: they had no written form. In 1809, a Cherokee man named Sequoyah began working on a writing system for his nation’s language. It […]Read more Lewis and Clark: A Timeline of the Extraordinary Expedition With the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the territory of the United States doubled overnight. Months before the $15 million deal was finalized, though, President Thomas Jefferson won approval from Congress to send a team of intrepid explorers to find a passable water route west to the Pacific Ocean. Jefferson tapped his personal secretary, Meriwether Lewis, […]Read more SEE MORE READ MORE ABOUT NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY A+E Networks Contact Us Copyright Policy Privacy Policy Terms of Use Ad Choices Accessibility Support © 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. All Rights Reserved. | |
| _UID | 4B38F1E1A26545BBB068273A1554CD111C26 | |
| _UID | 4B38F1E1A26545BBB068273A1554CD111C26 | |
| Death | 20/22 Dec 1812 | Fort Manuel, located on a bluff 70 miles south of present-day Bismarck, on the Missouri River, Dakota Territory |
| Burial | on the Wind River Reservation, on the Missouri River, Dakota Territory [1] |
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| Person ID | I340831 | Singleton and Related Families |
| Last Modified | 19 May 2023 | |
| Family | Sacagawea SACAJAWEA, b. 1788, near the Continental Divide at the present-day Idaho-Montana border [U.S.] d. 20/22 Dec 1812, Fort Manuel, located on a bluff 70 miles south of present-day Bismarck, on the Missouri River, Dakota Territory (Age 24 years) | |
| _UID | 409E84061FCA4820A0E0C09FC11C3A1DCC7E | |
| _UID | 409E84061FCA4820A0E0C09FC11C3A1DCC7E | |
| Family ID | F227512 | Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Last Modified | 19 May 2023 | |
| Sources |
