St. Tammany Parish was named after a Delaware Indian chief, not a saint, but the name means pleasant, courteous and easy to talk to.

My husband and I were discussing if there was indeed a St. Tammany. Can you shed some light on this? If so, who was he/she? In not, how did the name come to be?

Leslie Parker,
Wake Forest, N.C.

Dear Leslie,
St. Tammany Parish was established in 1810, but it was not named after a saint. The name Tammany -- also spelled Tamanet or Tamine -- evolved from Tamanend, a legendary Delaware Indian chief who lived from around 1628 to 1698 and was chief of the Lenni Lanape. The name actually means "affable" -- pleasant, courteous, and easy to talk to. His motto was "Unite in peace for happiness; in war for defense." He received his saintly nickname because he was highly regarded and renowned for his virtues and other saintly qualities.

In addition, he signed a peace treaty with William Penn in Pennsylvania in 1683. When Penn, a Quaker, came to the New World in 1682 looking for a peaceful place to live and worship, he quickly made friends with the locals. His policy was to live and let live. He persuaded Tamanend to sell some land for which he generously paid with different kinds of goods. Penn intended that the Native Americans would not be disturbed and all would live together in peace. Several chiefs, including Tamanend, met William Penn at Shakamaxon, a meeting place where a huge old elm tree grew. The elm became known as the "Treaty Elm."

Tamanend and Penn made speeches. William Penn said, "We have come here with a hearty desire to live with you in peace. ... We believe you will deal kindly and justly by us, and we will deal kindly and justly by you. ... We will be as one heart, one head, one body; that if one suffers, the other suffers; that if anything changes the one it changes the other. We will go along the broad pathway of good will to each other together."

Tamanend, through an interpreter, said, "We will live in love with William Penn and his children, as long as the creeks and rivers run, and while the sun, moon, and stars endure."

Of course, the Native Americans thought that they would be allowed to share the land forever. The settlers had other ideas about property ownership, which meant the owners could sell the land to other people. Penn, who insisted that the native people be allowed to share the land, eventually died; those who followed him were not as peaceful or generous.

The legend of Tamanend grew and various things were linked to his name, none of which had much to do with Tamanend.

During the Revolutionary War, some people began calling Tamanend the patron saint of America. They formed societies called the Sons of St. Tammany and chose May 1 as St. Tammany Day. The festivals associated with the celebrations were very popular with the soldiers and often got pretty wild. So by 1812, the army had to ban the celebration of St. Tammany Day and eventually the festival went out of fashion.

In New York City in 1789, William Mooney began an organization called the Society of St. Tammany -- a fraternal and patriotic society with the intention of helping people. But by 1804 it had turned into something quite different -- a very powerful political organization. By 1867, William "Boss" Tweed was the leader of the society that met in a building called Tammany Hall. Members of Tammany Hall used many Indian words to designate their various titles. Each trustee was a Sachem, and the presiding officer was the Grand Sachem. The president of the United States was given the title of Great Grand Sachem.

President James Madison was Great Grand Sachem in 1810. In that year, American settlers in the Florida Parishes rebelled against Spain and attempted to declare themselves a "free and independent state." President Madison took advantage of the revolt and ordered Gov. William Charles Cole Claiborne to take possession of the land Spain still believed it owned after the Louisiana Purchase. Four new parishes were created, one of which was St. Tammany.