photo 1887 by Ben Wittick
Geronimo was the nickname given to the Apache chief by the Mexicans. His name
was "Goyathley" or "Goyahkla", (ONE WHO YAWNS) and he was born in June 1829 in
present day Clifton Arizona. In 1846 he was admitted to the Chiricahua Apache
warrior's council. The Chiricahua were divided into three groups, The "Chokonen"
called the true Chiricahua or Cochise Chiricahua, the "Nednhi", southern Chiricahua,
and the "Cihene", eastern or Red Paint People.
In 1858 the Mexican calvery
under General Carrasco, raided the camp and killed Geronimo's wife, three children
and his mother. Carrasco claimed 130 killed and 90 captured in the raid. Geronimo
vowed vengeance and began raiding Mexican and American settlers. He settled on a
reservation but in 1876 the US government attempted to move the Chiricahua from
their home to San Carlos, New Mexico. He began intermittent raids over the next
ten years, alternating with peaceful farming on the San Carlos reservation.
In 1886 he was captured and forced to surrender by General Crook. See Photo
He escaped from Crook on the way to prison in Ft. Bowie, and resumed his raids.
He was pursued by, and later surrendered to Crooks successor General Nelson Miles.
See Photo Geronimo surrendered to Miles on the condition of being held prisoner
for two years and then released to live in peace on the reservation, he was a prisoner
of war for 23 years. He was sent to Ft. Pickens and later settled as a farmer at Fort Sill,
Oklahoma in 1894. He worked at expositions and dictated his autobiography in 1906.
He was held at Ft. Sill until his death in 1909 where he died from a fall off a horse.
In response to the many questions I get about Geronimo here is a list of his relatives
that I have been able to locate.
Father: Taklishim, The Gray One, who died of illness when Geronimo was a boy.
Mother: Juana
Grandfather: Mahko, a chief of the Bedonkohe'
Wife: Alope, a Nednhi girl who had three children with Geronimo, who were killed in a raid on their camp at Janos.
Wife: Chee-hash-kish, a Bedonkohe' womam, he married after the death of his first family.
Son: Chappo, by wife Chee-hash-kish
Daughter: Dohn-say(Tozey), also known as LuLu, by wife Chee-hash-kish
Wife: Nana-tha-thtith also a Bedonkohe' also gave him a child. They were later
killed by Mexican troops raiding thier camp.
Juh(Whoa): Young Friend, son of a Nednhi Chief. He later married Geronimo's sister
and had a son named Asa Daklugie who was Geronimo's interpreter.
Cousin: Jason Betzinez
Cousin: Ishton, who later was married to Juh.
Nephew: Kanseah, was 9 years old on train trip to exile in Florida with Geronimo.
Here is another photo I found labeled Geronimos wife Taz-ayz-slath and child.
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