Sixes Mary: A Kwatami Ancestor’s Story (Part II)
Sixes Mary: A Kwatami Ancestor’s Story (Part II)
Series: The World and Legacy of Sixes Mary
Part I: Exploring the Kwatami Homeland
Part II: Sixes Mary: A Kwatami Ancetor's Story
(Part III: Maria of the Sixes:A Life Remembered— Coming Soon)
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| The Sixes River homeland: A landscape of beauty and tradition that Mary was forced to leave behind in 1856. |
History isn't just a collection of dates in an index or names on a census form. For a long time, that’s how I looked at the story of my ancestor, Sixes Mary. I searched for her in the paper trail, hoping for a 'breakthrough' moment in a digital archive. But the deeper I dug, the more I realized that the real story wasn't in the government documents—it was in the gaps between them.
Mary wasn’t just a subject of 19th-century policy. She was a woman who navigated a world designed to erase her, holding her family together with a quiet, fierce determination that still ripples down to us today. This is the second part of our journey to uncover her life, not just as a name on a record, but as a Kwatami woman who refused to let her story be lost to time.
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| Early Oregonian Index of Mary Wilson documenting her birth. While these census and biographical dates provide the 'what' and 'when,' they often lack the 'who.' This is where the |
1. The World Turned Upside Down (1856)
By 1856, Maria was just 17 years old—the same age many of us were when we were just figuring out who we wanted to be. But for her, that year didn’t bring new beginnings; it brought the forced removal of our people from the Sixes River and the Rogue River country.
Imagine being forced to leave behind everything you’ve ever known—your home, the river you grew up on, and the seasonal rhythms your family had followed for generations. She was forced to walk, under military guard, on what we remember as our own "Trail of Tears" toward the Siletz Reservation. It wasn't just a physical journey; it was an incredibly traumatic time of losing the land that defined who she was.
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Sixes River. The mouth of the Sixes River by Gary HalvorsonThe Story of Sixes MarySixes Mary, also known as Mary Wilson, was a respected ancestor of the Kwatami people, a band of the Tututni. Born in the Oregon Territory around 1839, her life spanned a period of immense upheaval for our people. She lived through the era of the 1855 treaty negotiations and the difficult, forced relocations that eventually sent many Indigenous families to the Siletz Reservation.  These linguistic notes preserve the name of our people—Kwa-ta-mi—recorded by researchers who knew our language was disappearing. For Mary, this wasn't just a label; it was the name of her home, her culture, and the heritage she carried with her even when she was forced to move far away from the Sixes River While historical accounts—such as those from Sixes George—describe the Kwatami as being made up of three distinct village groups, the exact village that Sixes Mary called home remains a piece of the puzzle we are still working to uncover. This search for her origins is, in itself, a meaningful part of our family’s ongoing story. It serves as a constant reminder that we are still in the process of reclaiming our history and piecing together the details of a heritage that was meant to be forgotten. |
2. Life on the Siletz Reservation (1857–1865)
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| The Siletz Agency Site, also known as Government Hill, is a historic site and park located in Siletz, Oregon, United States. Beginning in 1855, U.S. Army forcibly relocated over 2,600 people of several different tribes to the Siletz Reservation. The U.S. government established an Indian agency at Siletz in 1857. Seeing the vast, living beauty of the |
Survival: The early years on the reservation were defined by food shortages, disease, and the struggle to maintain cultural practices under the scrutiny of agency officials. She would have been living in a community of disparate tribes that had been forcibly congregated together.
Administrative Control: Life was heavily regimented. She would have been subject to the rules of the Siletz Agency, which restricted movement off the reservation and required tribal members to participate in manual labor or farming projects deemed suitable by the government.
It is deeply sobering to look at this 1865 report and see the entry for the 'Sixes' band: 125 people. Including this number here is an act of witness. It reminds us that Mary was not alone in her struggle; she was surrounded by 125 members of her own community like Sixes George and Sixes Julia each with their own story, all caught in the same impossible circumstances. By naming this number, we honor not just Mary, but every one of those 125 people who were forced away from their home but kept their identity as Kwatami people intact.
While these 125 souls represent the Sixes band recorded in 1865, we know this is a bureaucratic snapshot—an undercount that leaves many others who were hiding or living off-reservation unrecorded, unnamed or didn't make it.
Loss of Traditional Roles: As a young woman, she would have seen the drastic curtailing of traditional activities like gathering, hunting, and fishing, which were restricted by the reservation boundaries and the lack of access to traditional resource sites.
3. Transition Toward 1866
By the mid-1860s, the reservation policies were shifting toward the "allotment" philosophy that would dominate the late 19th century.
The Gap Years: This period was a time of survival, where Mary would have been establishing her presence within the Siletz community, likely building connections with other families who had survived the removals.
Interaction with the Settler World: As the 1860s progressed, some individuals began finding ways to move between the reservation and the growing settler towns (like Empire or others in the Coos/Curry area), often to find work or reconnect with family members who had managed to stay outside the reservation system. Her eventual meeting with Andrew Wilson in 1866 happened at the end of this difficult decade of adaptation.
Family and Life:
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| Marriage Benton County |
Mary Wilson's daughters:
Abigail (Abbie) Wilson: Born 1863, Empire, Coos
Abbie John (Wilson) posted on Ancestry by James Yeaw
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| Posted on Ancestry by Ticey Mason |
Minnie "Mary" Wilson: Born 1870, Empire.
Louisa Wilson: Born 1873, Empire. She represents the difficult realities of the time; while her sisters moved toward the reservation, It is said that Louisa remained in Coos Bay with her father. Her path is a vital part of our family's story, reminding us that survival often meant choosing different, and sometimes separate, ways forward.
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| The book called "Siletz Tribal Reference" by a non-indigenous local, the late Leonard Whitlow Jr. |
The "Shadow Period" (Ages 16–31)
For years, the gap between the 1850s and the 1870 census remained an impenetrable mystery. However, recent breakthroughs in archival research have finally bridged this divide, replacing specul
In the Kwatami tradition, lineage and heritage were often anchored through the female line, a structure that survived even when the state tried to force us into a patriarchal administrative box. During these years, Mary wasn't just surviving; she was acting as the matriarch of her growing family. She actively asserted her rights as a mother, navigated restrictive settler laws to protect her children, and ensured that her daughters—who would eventually carry her memory—remained grounded in their Kwatami identity. Her life during this era is a testament to the enduring power of our matrilineal strength, proving that she was the true architect of our family's survival.
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| Original 1870 Census Record from Family Search Empire, Coos, Oregon |
It is important to note that when census takers later marked Mary as 'unable to read or write,' that label tells only a fraction of the story. By the time we reach the late 1860s, Mary’s life had shifted dramatically: she was no longer just a survivor of the reservation system, but a mother managing a growing family. She married Andrew Wilson in 1866, and by the time their daughters were born, she was living in a world where English was the unavoidable language of law, trade, and survival.
While she may not have had the formal, state-sanctioned 'schooling' of the time, she was clearly learning to navigate this foreign system on her own terms—finding ways to communicate, authorize documents, and protect her family’s future in a landscape that wasn't built for them. We see this in the documents surrounding her daughters: she didn't just passively accept these systems; she actively engaged with them. When she sat before an official to authorize her daughter's marriage, that affidavit wasn't just a piece of paper—it was a conversation. It was a mother asserting her right to protect her child's future, ensuring that her family was not erased by the very systems that tried to marginalize them. Every time she navigated these bureaucratic tools, she was asserting her agency, showing us that even within the 'shadows' of the 19th century, she remained the architect of her family's path.
Defining Her Own Path: The 1870 Census
In the 1870 census, Mary was recorded as 'keeping house.' While the census taker was using this as a standard administrative category, it carries a weight for us that goes far beyond a simple task list. It tells us that amidst the turbulence of the era—in a town like Empire City where the landscape was being fundamentally reshaped—Mary was the anchor of her own home. She wasn't just surviving in this space; she was managing it, creating a sanctuary for her daughters, and carving out a private sphere of stability that existed on her own terms. It serves as a reminder that her life was not defined solely by the labor she provided to the settler community, but by the life she successfully built and maintained for her family
Marriage Record Uncovered:
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| Marriage ingo listed on Genealogy Trails for Benton County They say the truth is in the details, and this discovery is proof. Finding this marriage record for Mary and Andrew was a total game-changer for our research. It’s more than just a date—it’s a direct link to the life they were trying to build together in the face of so much uncertainty. Every time we find a record like this, the 'ghosts' of our past become a little more human, and our family story becomes a little more complete. It’s also striking to realize that Mary’s journey wasn't contained to one map. We see her life unfolding in Empire, but the trail also leads us inland, to places like Benton County. Moving across county lines at that time wasn't just a change of scenery—it was a bold step for a Native woman, stepping out of the 'designated' spaces the government tried to force her into. Finding evidence of her life and her daughters’ milestones in these different areas really underscores her resilience; she was constantly navigating, adapting, and carving out space for her family wherever she could. |
Family oral history suggests Mary’s husband was a soldier. My Grandmother said that he was "a red headed Irishman". This adds a complex layer to her story. Was this marriage a shield? In the brutal reality of the 1860s, a marriage to a white man was one of the few ways a Native woman could remain in her home territory, evading the forced removal policies that were tearing families apart
The Rise of Empire City
In 1853, emigrant settlers arrived to establish Empire City, quickly transforming it into the economic and commercial hub of the region. For over 40 years, it stood as the seat of Coos County government and the primary gateway between Southwest Oregon and the outside world. By the 1880s, it was a thriving port of roughly 600 people, defined by white clapboard buildings lining the wharves, a customhouse, and bustling saloons.
Why Settlers Came For white soldiers and families, Empire City represented a promise of land, trade, and upward mobility. It was a place where one could build a lasting foundation, benefit from the local maritime economy, and participate in the growth of a new American frontier.
Mary’s World Within That Growth But for Mary, this "thriving" port looked very different. The birth of Abigail in 1863, followed by Eva Ann and young Mary, fundamentally shifted the stakes of her life. She was navigating the same landscape as these settlers, but with none of the same structural advantages. Every decision she made—where to live, how to provide, and who to align with—was now shaped by the desperate need to secure a future for her daughters in a landscape that was rapidly changing around them. While the settlers came to Empire to build their new world, Mary was there to ensure her family survived it.
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Empire City as seen on Forgotten OregonPiecing Together the Journey to SiletzFor a long time, the path that led Sixes Mary and her daughters to the Siletz Reservation felt like a missing chapter. While standard genealogical sites can only tell us so much, I recently stumbled upon a different kind of record that helps fill in those gaps. Digging through academic and regional history papers, I found a historical analysis of the Siletz Indian Reservation between 1855 and 1900. It explicitly mentions my ancestor, Mary Wilson, and her children. The documents contain archival orders that tracked her movements, including a stern directive from a reservation agent essentially warning that if she didn't return to the agency with a "bona fide intention to remain," they would no longer provide her with aid. Seeing these official, bureaucratic notes—which document her moving between places like Empire and the Siletz Agency—brings a new level of reality to her life. It shows that her journey wasn't just a simple relocation; it was a constant, difficult negotiation with government agents who were trying to force her into a settled life on the reservation. These records offer a stark look at the pressure our families faced, and they help us understand the very real constraints that eventually pulled them to Siletz.
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| YUMPU regarding Mary Wilson, specifically "page 101. |
The Return to the Agency
The pressure exerted on Mary Wilson reached a formal turning point in the late 19th century. As part of the bureaucratic effort to consolidate tribal members onto the reservation, government officials actively tracked those attempting to live independe
This directive was not just a suggestion; it was an ultimatum that stripped families of their ability to survive off-reservation, threatening the denial of all government aid unless they returned with a 'bona fide intention to remain.'
The tragic reality of this pressure is clearly visible in the archival record. By July 1, 1886, our family appears on the Siletz Agency census—Minnie, 15, and Lavina, 13, are listed, marking the end of their independent life off-reservation. By June 30, 1887, Mary herself is officially recorded, ending the long, determined struggle to remain independent and forcing her back under the reservation system’s control.
The Divided Path
The story of the Wilson family was one of impossible choices. As government pressure intensified, the family’s path diverged: while Mary, Abbie, and Lavina were ultimately pushed toward the Siletz Reservation, oral tradition tells us that one daughter remained in Coos County with her father, Andrew. This separation was not a drifting apart, but a strategic—and painful—response to a world that forced our people to choose between the reservation system and the remnants of their ancestral land.
This experience was not unique to our family; it was a reality of the times, where surviving meant navigating two distinct and often colliding worlds. Whether she stayed to maintain a foothold on ancestral land, or due to the circumstances of her father’s life in the settler community, this dau
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| The BIA agency was an active place in the early 1900s. This photograph shows the buildings on Government Hill and the farmland in what is now the town of Siletz. Siletz Tribal Collection |
Research Note: I am currently working to verify the life and timeline of the fourth daughter of Sixes Mary and Andrew Wilson. While oral history and family records suggest her connection to the Empire areas, archival verification is ongoing. If you have anything to add to these discoveries please reach out.
The "Deeper Discovery"
While the marriage affidavit provided the formal proof of their union, another, more personal record was waiting to be uncovered—a handwritten note that offers a rare, intimate look at the family decisions made during that difficult era.
It is important to note that when we see census takers mark Mary as 'unable to read or write,' that label tells only a fraction of the story. Living off-reservation in a town like Empire City meant navigating a world where English was the language of law, trade, and survival. While she may not have had the formal schooling the state required to call her 'literate,' she was clearly learning to navigate this foreign system on her own terms—finding ways to communicate, authorize documents, and protect her family’s future in a landscape that wasn't built for them.
You can see this firsthand in documents like her daughter’s marriage affidavit. Mary did not sign that paper herself; the hand that wrote those words belonged to a clerk. Yet, that document isn't just a record of a marriage—it is a record of a conversation, where Mary sat before an official and insisted on her right as a mother to authorize her daughter’s future. Every time she utilized these bureaucratic tools, she was asserting her agency, ensuring that her family was not erased by the very systems that tried to marginalize them
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| Mary's daughter Abbie and granddaughter Aurilla. |
There is a quiet, heavy symmetry in this document that is impossible to overlook. Eva was 17 when Mary signed this for her—the exact same age Mary was in 1856 when her own world was upended and she was forced from the Kwatami homelands. In that clerk's office in 1880, Mary wasn't just authorizing a marriage; she was standing at the threshold of a new generation, ensuring that while her own youth had been defined by displacement, her daughter's youth might at least be defined by her own choices.
Family oral history suggests Mary’s husband, Andrew Wilson, was a soldier. Given the heavy military presence on the Siletz Reservation during the 1860s, it is highly probable they met while he was stationed there. In the brutal reality of that era, a marriage to a white man—especially a soldier—was one of the few 'shields' available to a Native woman. For Mary, this partnership was likely a calculated step toward securing a sliver of safety and stability for her children, allowing them to navigate the encroaching settler world with a protection that was otherwise systematically denied to them.
A note on names: You’ll notice this affidavit lists her as 'Eva Wilson,' though we know her as Abigail (Abbie). It's a common thread in our research—names often shifted between census records and family memory, reminding us that these ancestors were more than the labels assigned to them by clerks and officials
As I continue to uncover these records, I am increasingly aware that I am only holding one part of the thread. I know there are other families who descend from Mary’s daughter, Abigail (Abbie) Wilson, who may hold pieces of this story that have never reached the official archives. If you are a descendant of Abbie’s line and have any oral histories, family photographs, or anecdotes passed down through the generations—no matter how small they might seem—I would be honored to hear them. This history belongs to all of us, and by sharing our fragments of memory, we can finally begin to piece together the full portrait of Sixes Mary’s life and legacy. Please feel free to reach out via the comments or contact me directly; let’s keep building this story together.
December 28, 1893
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| Lincoln Leader, 28 Dec, 1893 |
This note from an 1893 Toledo, Oregon newspaper provides a rare, documented moment in Mary’s life. It confirms that even decades later, she was connected to a network of community members and elders, such as 'Uncle' Jim Chitwood, who provided care during her convalescence.
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| According to historical records, Mary Wilson was issued a land allotment in Lincoln, Oregon, on July 26, 1894 (Accession Number: IA-0533-444). The allotment was located in Township 10 South, Range 9 West, Section 9, specifically within Lot or Tract 11. |
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| 531 is listed on the map not The Wilson's at 532, 533 and 534 |
The "Wait" vs. The "Reality": The process to receive an allotment or land patent was often a bureaucratic marathon, sometimes taking years or decades to finalize. By the time the land was officially granted, the individuals were often already elderly, in failing health, or facing the systemic pressures of poverty and displacement that made "building a life" on that land nearly impossible.
For the government, issuing these patents was often about the formal policy of "civilizing" or settling Indigenous people. For families like the Wilsons, the land was their home, but the legal title arrived late, making it hard to use that land as the foundation for the kind of long-term economic stability that the government promised.
That land was supposed to be the "ancestral anchor," but because they had so little time to occupy it before their passing, the physical connection to that specific place often dissipated quickly, leaving you to piece together their story from these fragmented government records instead of oral traditions or family homes.
A Note on Land Records & Maps: "In mapping our ancestors' lives, I have been working to pinpoint the exact location of Mary’s land allotment within the Siletz Reservation records. While historical maps show allotment numbers 532, 533, and 534, the physical placement of these on the government's grid often feels at odds with where our family actually lived and gathered. I am still researching these discrepancies to better understand the geography of Mary's life. If any family members or fellow researchers have insights, records, or mapping information regarding her specific allotment, I would be so grateful to hear from you. Your help brings us one step closer to understanding the full geography of her life
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Family Search Record 24 Jan 1902 ,The 1902 affidavit above is a vital record, but like many legal documents of that era, it holds its own mysteries. Notably, it leaves us with questions about the full extent of Mary's family—such as the absence of her daughter Louisa from this record—and the exact location of the land she was allotted. These gaps are not merely administrative omissions; they are the next steps in our research journey. I am currently working to locate her precise land allotment and to understand the circumstances of her family’s connections during that time. If any family members or fellow researchers have records, maps, or insights that might help, I would be so grateful to hear from you.The Legacy of Sixes MaryWhile the details of her life are often scattered across historical documents, we know that my ancestor, Sixes Mary, passed away on April 22, 1886, at the age of 59. Her story lived on through her daughters—Minnie Reed, Abbie Selsic, and Lavina Felix—who later worked to settle her estate and ensure her legacy was recognized. The records surrounding her estate also offer a glimpse into the complicated administrative challenges our families faced after being displaced. In 1902, her daughters filed a formal affidavit to claim their share of the Siletz General Fund, a process that required them to provide sworn testimony about their lineage and their mother’s passing. Regarding her land, historical records from that era often reflect the displacement and the legal hurdles placed before Indigenous families. While the specific outcomes for individual land allotments were frequently dictated by federal policies—such as the Dawes Act or the shifting mandates of the Siletz Reservation—these documents remain vital for us today. They serve as a bridge, connecting us to the resilience of women like Sixes Mary and the subsequent generations who fought to hold onto their history and their rights. |
For years, the years following her time in Coos Bay remained a shadow period. However, identifying her passing on April 22,1896, provides the final piece of the timeline, allowing us to better understand the later chapter of her life amidst the realities of the Siletz reservation.
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While no photograph of my ancestor, Sixes Mary, exists, we can look at this portrait of Sixes Julia, born in 1838. They were contemporaries, women of the same generation born just one year apart and the same coastal homeland. It is impossible to look at Julia’s face and not wonder how their paths crossed—perhaps as children, or later, as they navigated the heartbreak and survival of life on the Siletz Reservation together.
Both women eventually married white men and built lives for themselves. After their time on the reservation, they followed different paths, navigating the challenges of living off-reservation and establishing their own lives in the face of immense change. |
Conclusion: A Legacy of Resilience
Like my ancestor En-sal-sun, Mary Wilson lived through the profound heartbreak of a world where land was promised but rarely secured. For both of them, the path was never a straight line toward stability; instead, it was a constant navigation of bureaucratic systems that used the promise of land as a tool of control rather than a foundation for a future. Yet, despite being forced back into the reservation system through threats and administrative ultimatums, their stories remain defined not by the land they were denied, but by the strength they held onto. They carried the memory of the "before" times—of the Kwatami homeland and the free coastal life—into a future that sought to erase them. My journey in documenting their lives is an attempt to finally anchor these fragmented stories, ensuring that the legacy they were fighting for is remembered, documented, and honored.
My journey in documenting their lives is an attempt to finally anchor these fragmented stories, ensuring that the legacy they were fighting for is remembered, documented, and honored. As we move into Part III, we will step out of the shadows of these records to explore the enduring world she built for herself and her children.
Read Sixes Mary’s Roots: Exploring the Kwatami Homeland (Part I) here.
To see how these events unfolded in sequence, be sure to check out the next post in this series, where I lay out the full timeline of our history on the coast.
Feedback & Corrections: I strive to ensure the historical information shared here is as accurate as possible. If you spot an error, have additional documentation, or would like to share related family history, please let me know. I welcome any corrections or insights that help deepen our understanding of this shared past.
A Note on the Family Story
My name is Amber Wegmuller, and this project began with a desire to uncover the voices and stories of my ancestors. My grandmother instilled in me the importance of being our family's history keeper, teaching me that our stories deserve to be remembered. As I digitize records, work on our family tree, and piece together the branches of our history, my goal is to honor the people who came before us—the ones whose resilience and stories have shaped who we are today.
Our Ancestral Lineage: This history is rooted in the deep, enduring ties of our people:
Tututni & Kwatami (Siletz): Mikonotunne (Mackanontin), Chemetunne (Joshua), Yukichetunne (Euchre), and Sik-ses-tenne (Sixes).
Grand Ronde: Umpqua, Shasta, Klickitat, and Lower Chinook.
My Blog: http://www.makingitthrough4110.com/
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Sources & Further Reading:
Archival Records
, National Archives and Records Administration. 1870 Census Record
, Oregon County Marriages, 1851-1975. Marriage Record (1880)
, Benton County Clerk. Marriage Record (1866)
, Yamhill, Oregon. Proof of Death
Siletz Agency Census, July 1, 1886: Record for Minnie Wilson (15) and Lavina Wilson (13), National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
Siletz Agency Census, June 30, 1887: Record for Mary Wilson (50) and Lavina Wilson (16), National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
Tribal History & Cultural Context
Tututni Research Starters Tututni and Kwatami Historical Overview Sixes, Oregon: Indigenous History Chinook Jargon and Historical Translations Whitlow, Leonard Jr. (1988). Siletz Family Register 1901, Plus Agency Births and Deaths 1902-1937.
Regional History & Landscapes
Empire City Historical Collection McArthur’s Oregon Geographic Names Oregon Humanities: Historical Perspectives Nesika Beach Community Sisters Rock Huddleston, D. E. (2017).
Early wharfs of Empire City, Coos Bay
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