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Clan Munro USA
Genealogy Pages
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 Abt 1823 - 1908 (~ 85 years)
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| Name |
John William Munro |
| Born |
Abt 1823 |
Fort Benton, Montana  |
- Estimate: This birth date is an estimate based on the birth dates of nearest relatives or contemporaries, or based on other clues such as christening date, marriage date, birth order, etc.
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| Gender |
Male |
| Died |
12 Aug 1908 |
Blackfoot Res, , Montana |
| Person ID |
I30854 |
Munro |
| Last Modified |
19 Dec 2008 |
| Father |
Hugh Munro, Jr., b. 25 Aug 1799, L'assumption, Montcalm Co., Quebec, Canada , d. 1896, Browning, Glacier Co., MT Blackfoot, Indian Res (Age 96 years) |
| Mother |
Sinopah Kit Fox Woman, b. 1796-1798, Dakota Territory , d. Abt 1880, , , , Canada (Age 82 years) |
| Married |
Abt 1820 |
Northwest Terr |
| Family ID |
F10648 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family 1 |
Susan, b. Est 1842, d. Yes, date unknown |
| Children |
| + | 1. Amelia Munro, b. Est 1859, , , Northwest Territories, Canada , d. Yes, date unknown |
| | 2. Francis Munro, b. Est 1868, d. Yes, date unknown |
| | 3. Louis Munro, b. Est 1870, d. Yes, date unknown |
| + | 4. Angus Munro, b. 27 May 1887, d. Yes, date unknown |
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| Last Modified |
20 Jan 2009 |
| Family ID |
F10673 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family 2 |
Isabelle Calder, b. Abt 1825, d. Yes, date unknown |
| Married |
7 Jun 1857 |
| Children |
| + | 1. Azalick Munro, b. Abt 1848, d. Yes, date unknown |
| + | 2. Joseph Munro, b. Abt 1855, Saskatchewan Riv, Alberta, Canada , d. 29 Nov 1911, Blackfoot Reserv, Montana (Age ~ 56 years) |
| + | 3. Victoria Munro, b. 1861, Devil's Lake, Alberta, Canada , d. Yes, date unknown |
| + | 4. William Munro, b. 1864, d. Abt 1936 (Age 72 years) |
| + | 5. Campbell Munro, b. Jan 1867, Montana , d. Yes, date unknown |
| + | 6. Sophia Munro, b. Abt 1871, d. Yes, date unknown |
| | 7. Isabelle Agnes Munro, b. Abt 1872, d. Yes, date unknown |
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| Last Modified |
20 Jan 2009 |
| Family ID |
F10672 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
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| Notes |
- ARCHIVE RECORDS OF JOHN MUNROE & FAMILY
John's birthdate based on Reservation Census Records although these vary widely. He may have been as born as early as 1822. His son, Angus Munro states John's age as 85 when he died 12 August 1908 (thus b. 1823). Gerald Morrison research states a birth year of 1931.
PICTURE:20H*JOHN MUNROE (ca. 1905)
PICTURE:John Munroe, half-blood son of Hugh Munro and his Piegan wife Sinopah, expanded his cattle interests into the empty grazing lands north of the Two Medicine River. (Photo by Thomas Magee)
Blackfoot records states he married Isobella Calder, who was reportedly 1/2 Cree and 1/2 white. Gerald Morrison states he married ISOBEL FRANCOIS LUCIER on 7 June 1857 (no location). Whether married once or twice, "Isobel" appears to have died before 1890 when John returned to the Two Medicine Creek area. Then there is much confusion about the name of wives; they are listed variously as "Susan, Justin(e), and Christine." He was married again, listing Justine as his wife on the 1900 Federal and Blackfoot Census. Listing of oldest children born to John and Isabella are confirmed by affidavits listing their brothers and sisters.
National Archive Blackfoot Census Rolls
Age in... 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 JOHN MUNRO 64 65 66 67 70 74 Susan 32 33 34 35 36 40
Angus 4 5 6 7 7 7
Peter 1 2 3 4 - -
Joseph 7 8 9 10 - -
Wilson/William 12 13 14 15 - -
Francis 15 16 17 18 19 -
4 mo. male
Louis - - - - 13 14
Justin - - - - 23 24
Blackfoot Agency Records (Microfilm # 1275620 - SLC 1994) 1895 1896
JOHN MUNRO Husband 68 74
JUSTIN Wife 36 40
FRANK Son 19 -
LOUIS Son 13 14
ANGUS Son 7 7
JUSTIN Daughter 2 2
In 1897 the following census was recorded for John Munro:
#1795 JOHN MUNRO Head of House age 70
Justine Wife 45
Gust Son 9
Lewis Son 8
Frank, Jr Step-son 16
Francis Son (or S-son?) 22
Justine Daughter 28
The following Blackfoot census is listed for 1899-1902:
Age 1899 1900 1901 1902
JOHN MONROE Father 76 75 75 78
Louis Son 18 20
August (Hank) Son 11 12 14 15
School Records & Census (Microfilm # 1275621 - SLC 1994) 1902
JOHN MUNRO Father 75
LOUIS Son 21 (Cree)
ANGUS Son 14 Mission School
1900 Federal Census, Blackfoot Reservation, Teton County, Montana (Microfilm # 1240915 - Enum Dist # 212 - Dwelling 440
Born Place of b. Father b. Mother b. John Munro Head April 1830 70 Canada Canada Canada Justine Wife March 1855 45 Canada Canada Canada Angus Son April 1889 11 Montana Canada Canada
John states he has been married a total of 20 years
Justin also married 2 years, has had two children; 2 are still living.
On the 1908 Blackfoot affidavits the following is recorded: "Christine Munroe, wife of John Munroe, Sr., says she is a Cree and the wives of William and Joseph are Crees. Christine says that all the children of John Munroe, except Angus and Louis got script. She herself got it. John Munroe put his name down on the books but did not get his script." February 18, 1908
Blackfoot Agency records: Births, Marriages and Deaths MF#1275621-22 #173 JOHN MUNRO 85 years old Died August 12, 1908
Informant: Angus Munroe, son #174
No listing is found for Justine in 1910. Did she return to Canada to live with her family?
JOHN DOCUMENTED BY EARLY WRITERS
John is frequently listed in the writings of early Blackfeet Indian historians as "John Monroe, the son of Hugh Munro the White Blackfoot." In 1890-96 George Bird Grinnell visited the Blackfoot Reservation and surrounding areas accumulating information in his effort to have the area set aside as Glacier National Park. He spent some time in interviewing Piegan Indians as material for a book eventually published as "BLACKFOOT LODGE TALES" by Scribeners and later (1962) reissued by the University of Nebraska Press.
In this history of Blackfoot customs and beliefs Grinnell refers to Hugh and his family:
"The veteran Prairie man, Mr. Hugh Monroe, and his son, John Monroe, have also given me much information. William Jackson, an educated half-breed, who did good service from 1874 to 1879, scouting under Generals Custer and Miles..has given me valuable assistance."
In Warren Hanna's 1988 publication of "lost" Shultz manuscrips (JAMES WILLARD SHULTZ, RECENTLY DISCOVERED TALES OF LIFE AMONG THE INDIANS, Hanna, Mountian Press, Missoula MT 1988) Shultz comments:
TBL:"Piegan, Montana, Oct. 24, 1893 - John Monroe came in yesterday from the headwaters of Badger Creek, and brought with him the head of a very large bull moose which he killed up there. He says there are quite a number of elk, deer and bear in that vicinity, and is going back there tomorrow to have another hunt. Monroe is said to be the best moose hunter in the Northwest. In the early days, when he was employed by the Hudson's Bay Co. way up in the Saskatchewan country, he was far and away the most successful hunter of this game. He is getting pretty old now, and his eyesight is poor, yet it seems he still knows how to "get there."
No-one in this country, Indian or white, knows how to call moose, and they are not much hunted. As near as I can learn Monroe finds the track asnd then instead of following it he keeps circling until he locates the animal".
BIO:JOHN AS "EAGLE CATCHER"
BIO:Before the white men came to Blackfoot country, the Indian standard of value was eagle tail feathers. They were used to make war head-dresses, ornament shields, lances and other weapons. Wings were made into fans, and body feathers cut to fletch arrows.A wary bird, the eagle could not be approached close enough to be killed by bow and arrow, and indeed, it was considered improper to kill one that way. The capture of the eagle was viewed as something of a sacred nature, was preceeded with prayers for help and success, and was the domain of only selected individuals.
BIO:In his volume on the Blackfeet Grinnell identifies John Munro as "a famous eagle catcher." He relates the account narrated by John of how he caught eagles:
TBL:A pit was dug, six feet long, three wide, and four deep, on top of the highest knoll that can be found near a stream. The earth taken out is carried a long way off. Over the pit is laid two long poles lengthwise, and smaller sticks are laid across, resting on the poles. The smaller sticks are covered with juniper twigs and long grass. The skin of a wolf or coyote is stuffed with grass to look natural. A hole is cut in the wolf skin and a rope passed through it, one end being tied to a large piece of meat which lies by the skin, and the other end passing through the roof down into the pit. The bait is covered with grass and the eagle-catcher returns to his lodge for the night.
During the night he sings his eagle songs and burns sweet grass, rubbing the smoke over his arms and body to purify himself. Before day he goes to the eagle pit and lies down in it, uncovering the bait, and holding the rope. In the pit the eagle-catcher can see out through the twig covering, and can hear the sound of an eagle coming. When the bird settles on the ground it does not land on the bait, but at one side of it, striking the ground with a thud - heavily. The eagle walks toward the bait and onto the roof of the pit. Seeing in which direction the head is, the man reaches out through the roof twigs and grasps the eagle by both feet, and draws it into the pit. He wrings the neck to kill the bird, closes the opening and repairs the twig roof. So the man waits and collects the eagles that come through the day. He may get nothing or, again, have 8 or 10 eagles at the end of the day.
At the end of the day the eagle-catcher goes home. He carries his eagles to a special "eagle's lodge" prepared outside the camp. He places them on the ground in a row, and raises their heads, resting them on a stick laid in front of the row. In the mouth of each one is put a piece of pemmican, so that they might not be afraid of people, prayers are said and the feathers were blessed for use.
BIO:JOHN MUNROE'S DESCENDANTS ON THE BLACKFOOT RESERVATION
BIO:John is listed early in the various narrations of Hugh Munro's descendants among the Blackfoot Indians. He, and his sons, were well known to early government and independant agents among the Indians. The majority of Munro descendants on the Blackfoot Reservation today mark their descent from John, mainly though his son, Joseph, who had nine children who settled on the present reservation lands. John not only raised his own family, but also provided a home for nieces and nephews as well as step-children when they had need of a home in the absence of their parents.
PICTURE:20F*CATHOLIC PRIEST WITH MR. & MRS. JOHN MUNROE
PICTURE:One of the most famous of the Black Robes was the Jesuit missionary, Father de Smet, called Long Teeth by the Blackfeet. The Jesuit shown is photographed here with some of the more Christian mixed-blood families of the north side of the Reservation: Mr. & Mrs. John Munroe, Mrs. Upham, Mrs. Kipp, and Mrs. Croft.
BIO:The Jesuit Missionaries, known as "Black Robes," provided the initial Christian contact with the plains Indian tribes. Those entering the Flathead and Blackfoot areas journeyed south from Canadian trading posts. Hugh Munro guided the Jesuit priests into the Flathead area in the 1840's where they established St. Mary and St. Ignatius Missions. Hugh also was the guide for Jesuit Father Peter de Smet when he first came among the Blackfeet in the 1840's. Father Nicholas Point baptized Blackfeet in Montana in 1845 and 1846.
BIO:St. Peter's Mission for the Blackfeet was initially established in about 1857 on the Teton River near Choteau and had a varied and changing history. It was then moved to a location on the Sun River near Fort Shaw where it operated for six months. Due to the nomadic life style of the Blackfeet, plus U.S. Government conflict in the 1860's, the Mission was again established, as St. Peter The Apostle Mission, in 1861 on the Marias River. From 1862 to 1866 St. Peters operated at a site on the left bank of the Missouri River.
BIO:In 1866 the U.S. Government awarded the Blackfoot agency and missionary responsibility to the Methodist Church. Agent John Young, a Methodist minister, came into open conflict with the Jesuit missionaries, and banned them from the reservation and forbid them to preach among the Indians or administer sacraments on Blackfoot territory. For eight years, from 1866 to 1874, the Methodist church was established as tutor and guardian of the Blackfeet children, despite the wishes of their parents.
BIO:After the 1870 "Baker Massacre" in which a peaceful band of Piegans were annihilated by U.S. soldiers from Fort Shaw, Congress decided to shift the general Indian policy to practice peace rather than war. Part of the "Peace Policy" was a more determined effort to educate Blackfoot children, and a day school was established at "Old Agency", the new Blackfoot agency complex at Badger Creek created by Agent John Young.
BIO:When the Blackfoot Reservation boundary was moved north in 1874, St. Peter's Mission was left sixty miles to the south. Unwilling to give up his missionary work and "desert" his Catholic Blackfoot families, Father Prando built a small mission complex just across the reservation boundary on the south side of Birch Creek. Although off the reservation, St Peter's Boarding School continued to operate for many years, providing basic education and training for Blackfoot children.
BIO:In 1887 Chief White Calf, who had been baptized by Father Prando in 1882, contributed land on the Two Medicine River for a Mission church and school. Father Damiani and three Ursuline Sisters built and and opened the mission school, Holy Family, in 1890. With few exceptions the students spent the entire year at the school. They did not go home for holidays and parents were not allowed to visit, although a student recalls that "the families of the children would camp in the bush and the kids would visit them on holidays." Student isolation from family was used to break down the "old ways" and habits, and to convert them to "civilization" by eradicating traditional Blackfoot language, values and daily practices. The curriculum at Holy Family was vocational and spiritual as well as academic. The children started with "ABC's" learning to write and speak English at the same time. School was from grade one through grade five. The students also provided the labor for household duties such as cooking, baking, washing and ironing clothes, etc.
BIO:Some of the children and grandchildren of John Munroe enrolled at Holy Family after 1900 were: Augustine (Hank), Antoine, Campbell, Mary, Sarah, Jennie, Eliza and Charles David Munroe.
BIO:By 1910 there were 771 children of school age who could attend the Holy Family Mission; a day school at the Old Willow Creek complex; the new Agency boarding school at Cut Bank; or the off-reservation schools at Fort Shaw in Montana, or Carisle in Pennsylvania, although the space available in these scools fell far short of the number of children of school age. In 1905 the Browning Day School opened as a public school for children who actually lived in Browning or at the agency itself.
BIO: John was known among his Blackfoot compatriots as "Piskun" or, in english translation - Buffalo Corral. This is probably appropriate as he settled in the Two Medicine River Valley wherein lies a high cliff over which the Indians drove buffalo to kill or collect them for butchering. This bluff still exists only a short distance from the old Holy Family Mission Church and cemetery. Nearby is land still owned by Munro descendants and used for winter cattle grazing.
Ref: Clan Munro files - Munro, Henry Dallas - GEDCOM file HMUNRO.GED dated 9
Oct 1996
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