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Talahina R.
Wife of Gen. Sam Houston
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Tiana Rogers, Cherokee wife of Sam Houston died November 4, 1838 of complications from
pneumonia. Tiana Roger's exact date of birth is unknown, but historians believe she was born sometime around 1796.
Tiana's father, a white man named John Rogers was known as "Hell-Fire Jack." He was also known as "Old
Headman Rogers." He was “one of the most conspicuous white men in the whole Cherokee Nation.” Ole Hell-Fire
Jack was a Scots trader who was educated, wealthy and threw such famous Christmas parties that they were wrote
about in missionary records.Tiana's mother was Jennie Due, sister to Oo-loo-te-ka, a Cherokee chief known to the
white man as "Chief Jolly." Their massive Cherokee village was set up on Hiwassee Island in Tennessee,
near present day Dayton. Tiana was only ten years old when a tall striking lad walked into the village one day
carrying a copy of The Iliad in one hand, and a rifle in the other.He took up with Tiana's two half-brothers, John
and James Rogers, and he called himself, Sam Houston. The great chief adopted the lad as his own son, and gave
him the name, "The Raven." |
"The Raven and Tiana were married May 1830 by Cherokee laws. White people did
not always recognize this marriage as his first wife never gave him a divorce. The Raven and Tiana either bought,
or built a large log cabin and named it "The Wigwam Neosho," where Houston set up his famous Trading
Post. The location of The Wigwam is described as being, "near the Neosho River, a little above Cantonment
Gibson, and thirty miles from the lodge of Oo-loo-te-ka." They divorced after he moved to Texas, but legend
says that they never fell out of love with each other, and he did not remarry until after her death. It is said
that John E. Gunter's sister of Muldrow was said to be living with Tiana when she died. Her grave was located
on a hill near the mouth of Skin Bayou at the Old Arkansas River steamboat port of Wilson's Rock. However the grave
of Tiana Rogers is now located at Ft. Gibson National Cemetery in the circle around the flag among army officers
and their wives.
[Original author: J.C. Pinkerton, as posted on "Author's Den" -
submitted by Linda Craig] |