Nancy Ward
Monument to Nancy Ward at her grave site, Benton, Tennessee.
Nancy Ward
Native American leader
Also known as: Agi-ga-u-e, Agigaue, Ghigau, Nanye’hi
Nancy Ward (born c. 1738, probably at Chota village [now in Monroe county, Tennessee, U.S.]—died 1822, near present-day Benton, Tennessee) was a Native American leader who served as an important intermediary in relations between early American settlers and her own Cherokee people. Ward’s perspective on coexistence between the Cherokee and white settlers changed over her life: She was a proponent of friendship during the Revolutionary War period, but by the early 19th century, she supported...