Name/Title
Annie TommieEntry/Object ID
5-3506Tags
Annie Tommie, Seminoles, Women's HistoryDescription
Annie TommiePhotograph Details
Subject Person or Organization
Annie TommieCollection
Women's History, History Fort Lauderdale Photograph CollectionCataloged By
Emeri CejkaLexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Secondary Object Term
Print, PhotographicNomenclature Primary Object Term
PhotographNomenclature Sub-Class
Graphic DocumentsNomenclature Class
Documentary ObjectsNomenclature Category
Category 08: Communication ObjectsOther Names and Numbers
Other Numbers
Number Type
Other NumberOther Number
P-489General Notes
Note Type
Historical NoteNote
1. Annie Tommie 1856-1946
Born at Horsehead Hammock in North Miami during the Third Seminole War, Annie Tommie grew up in an era where the Seminoles lived in isolation, making infrequent contact with the small population of white settlers in the region. Around 1901 her mother, Mammy Tommie, relocated their camp to the outskirts of Fort Lauderdale on the north fork of the New River at Broward Boulevard.
The camp where she lived was a hub of Seminole activity and her family had been close friends of the Stranahans since the days of the trading post in the 1890s. By the turn of the century, Annie had achieved a position of authority within her tribe. Her services as a medicine woman were in great demand for Seminoles both locally as well as those residing deep within the Everglades. One of her sons, Tony Tommie, was the first Seminole to attend public school.
By 1926 the urban development of South Florida and drainage of the Everglades had disrupted the traditional lifestyle of the Seminoles. The U.S. Government had proposed a new reservation just west of Dania, and the citizens and the city government of Fort Lauderdale decided that the Tommie camp was a prime candidate to inhabit the new reservation.
As a matrilineal society, it was Annie’s decision to follow the government ruling. With her standing as a medicine woman, Annie had a strong influence among the tribe and was viewed as a matriarch by non-Seminoles. The Tommie’s became the first family to move to the Dania reservation. Annie remained influential to the tribe for many years, and so, it is partly to her credit the reservation thrives today.
Annie Tommie's Seminole Camp c.1920.Created By
eandrews@historyfortlauderdale.orgCreate Date
November 15, 2023Updated By
eandrews@historyfortlauderdale.orgUpdate Date
December 7, 2023