Andrew Dancer

Andrew was a Yankton Sioux man

Their Dakota name is Ihaƞktoƞwaƞ Dakota Oyate, meaning "People of the End Village" which comes from the period when the tribe lived at the end of Spirit Lake just north of Mille Lacs Lake. Historically, the tribe are known for being the protectors of the sacred Pipestone Quarry for the Oceti Sakowin (Dakota/Sioux). Over time the tribe has been referred to as Nakota Sioux which some say is inaccurate and that the Yankton people are Western Sioux. Elsewhere the Yankton people are referred to as Wiciyela Sioux, or middle Sioux.

Looking toward Sunshine Bottom, German settlers recorded Yankton land extended east into Minnesota to the Jeffers Petroglyphs

Jeffers Petroglyphs looking South East. Image is from a Historic American Buildings Survey (Library of Congress), April, 1990

An example of a petroglyph

Biography:
Andrew Dancer was born c. xxxx to unknown parents. Census records show that he lived with an older brother named Franklin Benjamin and his family until before June 30, 1917, when census records show him living alone. He may have been married at one time to a sister of Eli Brockway, as census records show him as a brother-in-law living with that family in June of 1900

There is no indication as to why he was sent to the Canton Asylum for insane Indians but according to asylum records dated October 1, 1917, Andrew was admitted to the asylum on January 25, 1917, probably by the Yankton Agency. He died in the asylum of unknown causes on November 21, 1918, at the age of 25.

According to the February 23, 1934 letter from Dr. L.L. Culp to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Andrew was buried in the Canton Hiawatha Cemetery in tier 1 plot 85, given an Episcopal ceremony.

His profile is part of the The Canton Asylum One Place Study.

Research Notes:
-age 20 in 1913 census
__________
Sources:

1900 Jun 14, 15, 16 - "United States Census, 1900", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MST6-QQF : Tue Oct 03 22:58:21 UTC 2023), Entry for Eli Brockway and Eunice Brockway, 1900, pg. 863/906, line 18, census of Wahehe Township, Charles Mix, South Dakota

1905 Jun 30 - "United States, Native American, Census Rolls, 1885-1940", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QP3Y-9WV4 : Fri Oct 06 15:40:10 UTC 2023), Entry for Andrew Dancer, 1905, pg. 566/597, line 968, census of the Yankton Sioux Indians, Yankton Agency

1911 Jun 30 - "United States, Native American, Census Rolls, 1885-1940", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:4GMH-Y1T2 : Tue Oct 03 06:40:06 UTC 2023), Entry for Andrew Dancer, 1911, pg. 349/433, line 681, census of the Yankton Indians, Yankton Agency, S.D.

1913 Jun 30 - "United States, Native American, Census Rolls, 1885-1940", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG5L-MKH2 : Fri Oct 06 22:50:01 UTC 2023), Entry for Andrew Dancer, 1913, pg. 33/528, line 349, census of the Yankton Sioux Indians, Yankton Agency

1917 Jun 30 - "United States, Native American, Census Rolls, 1885-1940", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:WQL5-YNPZ : Thu Oct 05 13:58:17 UTC 2023), Entry for Andrew Dancer, 1917, pg. 441/528, line 385 (transferred from 557 the family of Franklin Benjamin indicates he moved out of the household of brother), census of the Yankton Sioux Indians, Yankton Agency

1917 Jul 28 - Camp Verde School: 1910-27; Canton Insane Asylum: 1910-22, Series: Superintendents' Annual Narrative and Statistical Reports, Record Group 75: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 7th and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20408 @ https://catalog.archives.gov/id/155854182?objectPage=879, line 9, census of the 67 patients resident in the Asylum June 30, 1917, Asylum for Insane Indians, Canton, South Dakota

1917 Oct 1 - Camp Verde School: 1910-27; Canton Insane Asylum: 1910-22, Series: Superintendents' Annual Narrative and Statistical Reports, Record Group 75: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 7th and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20408 @ https://catalog.archives.gov/id/155854182?objectPage=774, line 10, census of the Asylum for Insan Indians School

1918 Jun 30 - "United States, Native American, Census Rolls, 1885-1940", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGPG-JH48 : Fri Oct 06 22:20:04 UTC 2023), Entry for Androw Dancer, 1918, pg. 118/605, line 386 (b. 5/29/1893), census of the Yankton Sioux Indians, Yankton Agency

1918 Sep 12 - "United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K6Z6-67G : 24 December 2021), Andrew Dancer, 1917-1918, pg. 1109/1143, Insane by Harry R Hummer, Canton, Lincoln County South Dakota

1918 Nov 21 - Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/14493977/andrew-dancer: accessed February 9, 2024), memorial page for Andrew Dancer (–), Find a Grave Memorial ID 14493977, citing Hiawatha Asylum Cemetery, Canton, Lincoln County, South Dakota, USA; Maintained by Graveaddiction (contributor 46528400).

1918 Nov 21 - Hilton, M. (Ed.). (2023, July 10). Hiawatha Asylum for Insane Indians Historical Marker. Historical Marker. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=183486 Photo by Ruth VanSteenwyk, July 10, 2023, courtesy of HMdb.org

F. C. Eagle 9-5-18 · Andrew Dancer 11-21-18 · Apolorio Moranda 1-14-19