Frederick (Fredrak) W. Fraske (March 8, 1872 – June 18, 1973) is believed to have been the last surviving veteran of the Indian Wars.

Biography

Fraske was an ethnic

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

born in the city of Posen, which was at that time in the

Province of Posen The Province of Posen (german: Provinz Posen, pl, Prowincja Poznańska) was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1848 to 1920. Posen was established in 1848 following the Greater Poland Uprising as a successor to the Grand Duchy of Posen, w ...

and part of the Kingdom of Prussia. As a young child in 1877, he migrated to the United States with his family, including his parents and four brothers. At the age of 21, on February 22, 1894, in Chicago, which was his home town, he enlisted in the U.S. Army to help his widowed mother support her family of seven. He was assigned to Fort D.A. Russell, which was near Cheyenne, Wyoming, serving as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

with company F of the

17th infantry The 17th Infantry (The Loyal Regiment) was an infantry regiment of the Bengal Army, later of the united British Indian Army. It was formed at Phillour in 1858 by Major J. C. Innes from men of the 3rd, 36th and 61st Bengal Native Infantry regiment ...

as a first aid man and letter carrier. He spoke about Cheyenne of that time as a quiet but wild town, where cattle were unloaded, and the residents were a tough breed. His starting pay in the Army was the standard $9 a month, and then it increased $1 each year. The time that he was in the service was spent preparing for confrontation at the fort, which never occurred. Fraske commented on the fact that he was glad that he never fired a shot in battle with American Indians, and didn't feel any ill will towards them either. He also felt that he understood the difficult position they were in. Fraske never personally had anything other than peaceful encounters with them. In that era, the Army allowed a soldier to be discharged after three years and three months of service instead of serving the full five years, if requested by a soldier with excellent character, and so Fraske took advantage of that law and left the Army in 1897, at the age of 25. After his service ended, he returned to Chicago and worked as a building painter for nearly 40 years, retiring because union work rules didn't allow anyone over age 65 to climb scaffolds. He continued working as a security guard for the Salerno-McGowan Biscuit company for the next 23 years, and then retired at age 88. At the time of his death at age 101, he was living with his daughter Lillian in Chicago, and was receiving part-time nursing assistance from the Veterans Administration. He was buried at

St. Adalbert Cemetery St Adalbert Cemetery is a Roman Catholic cemetery located in Niles, Illinois. It is bordered by Milwaukee Avenue on the east, Albion and Hayes Streets on the south, and Harlem Avenue on the west. Various non-cemetery properties separate it from To ...

in Niles, Illinois.

References

External links

Fredrak Fraske
1872 births 1973 deaths American centenarians Men centenarians American people of the Indian Wars Emigrants from the German Empire to the United States Military personnel from the Province of Posen United States Army soldiers {{US-army-bio-stub

Biography

See also

References

External links