The Geronimo family tree, in his own words and the records

Geronimo told the story of his life to S. M. Barrett, who published it in 1906.¹ It is the only account of the family in his own words, and the Geronimo family tree takes from it every relative he names. Wikipedia gives his own name as Goyaałé, the one who yawns, and his birth as 16 June 1829, near Turkey Creek, a tributary of the Gila River, then in Mexico and now in New Mexico.³

He was the fourth of eight children, four boys and four girls. By 1906 only he, his brother Porico, called White Horse, and his sister Nah-da-ste were living.¹ He does not name the other five, so the chart draws only these two beside him.

Geronimo names his grandfather, Maco, and says that he had been their chief.¹ Barrett's note calls Maco a chief of the Nedni Apaches, while Wikipedia writes Mahko and calls him chief of the Bedonkohe.^1,3 The chart writes the name as Geronimo gives it.

He names neither parent. His father died when he was a small boy, and Barrett's note says the father had married a Bedonkohe woman and joined her people.¹ His mother was killed by Mexican troops in the same attack that killed his first wife and children.¹ Genealogy websites give both parents names, but no source read here does, so the Geronimo family tree draws them as his father and his mother.

After the council of warriors admitted him in 1846, Geronimo went to No-po-so to ask for his daughter Alope. The father asked many ponies for her, and Geronimo brought them.¹ Arizona Highways quotes his words that the greatest joy was that he could now marry the fair Alope.² Three children were born to them.¹

While the men were away trading, Mexican troops attacked their camp. Geronimo said that his aged mother, his young wife and his three small children were among the slain.¹ He dates the attack at Kas-ki-yeh to 1858. Arizona Highways dates the killing to 1851, and Wikipedia places his mother's death at Janos in that year.^2,3 The Geronimo family tree writes 1858 with a question mark and does not draw the three children one by one, because no source read names them.

She-gha was a relative of Cochise. After her capture in 1885 Geronimo took her back from Fort Apache, and she died in 1887 after the prisoners left Fort Marion. She is buried at Barrancas National Cemetery.² Little is known of Shtsha-she.² Ih-tedda was a Mescalero woman, and Geronimo said that sending her home was equal to what white people call divorce.¹ Sousche was also called Mrs. Mary Loto, and Geronimo said they could not live happily.^2,1 Azul nursed him in his last illness.²

Barrett's note says that four of Geronimo's children were killed by Mexicans and four were held as prisoners by the United States government.¹ Arizona Highways names the five whose lives can be followed, and the Geronimo family tree draws them.²

Chee-hash-kish was the mother of Chappo and Dohn-say. Chappo was sent home from the Carlisle Indian School with tuberculosis and died soon after.² Wikipedia says that a daughter, probably Dohn-say, married Zebina Streeter.³ Zi-yeh bore Eva in 1889, and in 1906 Eva was the one child living with her father.^2,1 He held a dance for her coming of age near Fort Sill in September 1905.¹

Ih-tedda gave birth to Lenna at Fort Marion and to Robert after she went home. In 1906 Geronimo said both were living at Mescalero, New Mexico, and that Lenna was married.^1,2 Lenna died in 1918 and Robert in 1966, and both left descendants.² Zi-yeh also had a son, Fenton, who stayed in captivity, and Nana-tha-thtith and She-gha each had a child who died young. Those three are named in the text only.²