Oliver Farrand, the Diamond Merchant Descended from Chief Little Turtle
Oliver Farrand (1838-1921) - Descendant of Little Turtle, Manhattan Jeweler On a chilly December day in Manhattan in 1903, the descendant of a Miami Indian chief married the descendant of a soldier stationed at a fort built to repel the Miami. Their families had known each other for nearly 100 years. Oliver Farrand, 65, was the groom. He was the great-great grandson of Minsikinawqua, better known as Little Turtle, the great Miami military leader and chief.[1] His bride was Hattie Barbour Thompson, 29. Hattie was the great-granddaughter of William Suttenfield, a low-level soldier who once manned the fort at Fort Wayne, specifically to secure white settlement on Indian land. Oliver’s father Nathan and Hattie’s great-grandfather William both served on the Fort Wayne Board of Trustees, the governing body of Fort Wayne for a period before the town was incorporated.[2] Oliver was born in Fort Wayne. His mother was Ann Hackley, whose Miami name wa...