When the Expedition party encountered the Seminole woman Old Nancy, she introduced her daughter Little Lucy as the wife of Tom Tiger. This may be the Seminole leader, Captain Tom Tiger, who later was featured in the 1896 book, The Seminoles of Florida, by Minnie Moore-Willson. Willson related the story of the first court case in which a Seminole, Tom Tiger, appeared to testify on his own behalf in an attempt to sue a white man for the return of his horse. The case was lost, but it raised the visibility of injustices suffered by the Seminoles. On Island No. 24 the Expedition party found the name "Tommy Tiger" carved in a tree, along with the names "Billy Fiewel" and "Jack Charley". It is possible that "Tommy Tiger" is the Seminole also known as Tom Tiger, however there were multiple men named Tom or Tommy Tiger around the turn of the century. Captain Tom Tiger died before 1907. His burial site was robbed by white men that year and his bones were stolen, which led to threats of violence until the bones were returned several months later.
It is very difficult to provide contextual information about many of the Native Americans mentioned in the Expedition texts. One difficulty is that names are often spelled multiples ways in various sources, and information in those sources is often conflicting. Another difficulty is the Seminole practice of reusing names within families. There is very little evidence that Tom Tiger and Tommy Tiger are the same men, but it is a possibility.
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For other topics referenced in the Expedition texts, please refer to the Index to Subjects and Names.
1892 Everglades Exploration Expedition : Three Digital Texts, 2015