- Term
Leanna Tom
- Alternate Term
Tom, Leanna
- Occupation/Role
Basket weaver
- Nationality/Ethnicity
Mono Lake Paiute-Yosemite Miwok
- Date
circa 1850-1965
circa 1850-1965
circa 1850-1965
- Remarks
Leanna Tom (Tao-Tao-Yumu) was born in Yosemite Valley, California. Her parents were Captain and Suzie Sam, who moved between Yosemite and the Mono Basin and spoke Miwok as well as Paiute. Leanna and her sister Louisa grew up primarily in Yosemite Valley, between Mirror Lake and the site of the Ahwahnee Hotel. After death of her first husband, Leanna married Mack “Bridgeport” Tom, who was also married to her sister Louisa. Leanna and Bridgeport Tom had four children – Agnes, Lllian, Mammie, and Ida. The Tom family lived in Yosemite Valley most summers, where Bridgeport Tom worked driving horse teams for the government. Leanna was employed as a housekeeper for Mrs. David Curry and Mrs. John Degnan, and in the kitchen at the Sentinel Hotel. The family spent winters at ranch at the mouth of Bloody Canyon in the Mono Basin, where they raised horses and cattle. The Toms eventually settled in Coleville, California, on the east side of the Sierra Nevada. After death of her husband, Leanna continued to live in Coleville, while her sister Louisa moved to Yosemite Valley. Leanna died on May 4, 1965 and was buried in Mariposa.
- See Also