Klaudt, Lillian White Corn "Little Soldier"
Lillian White Corn “Little Soldier” Klaudt (1906-2001) and her husband, Reinhold Klaudt (1908-2001), attended BTS in 1928 during a time when Native Americans struggled to find welcome and acceptance in many parts of the country.
A Native American from the Dakotas, she had an interesting ancestral heritage. She was the great granddaughter of Chief Sitting Bull, but, interestingly, her father, “Little Soldier,” and his brother, “One Feather,” had served as scouts for General Custer in the Battle of Little Big Horn.
Lillian married Reinhold Klaudt, a German cattleman who met her on the Fort Berthold Reservation. When the Church of God was introduced into the Dakotas, Lillian and Reinhold became members, and Reinhold became a minister. Eventually, all of the Klaudt family received formal education at BTS and Lee, particularly in the music courses.
When Reinhold and Lillian attended BTS at Cleveland in 1928, the returned to North Dakota to minister during the summer.
Lillian reported, “We North Dakota students are back and have thought about the Bible School. We are working and doing our little part in God’s great cause, using what we have learned for His glory. Brother Carl Milligan is our pastor at present and Brother Klaudt assists him. Both of these students work on the farm where they have to plow over 400 acres. I try to fill my place by playing, singing, and praying. I have been appointed clerk and treasurer of the Sunday School, and try to teach a class. This is the report from the students at this place, so please pray for us and for the church here. The Lord willing we expect to go and help where we can in revivals, and we need your prayers that God may have His way. May God bless you. -- Lillian Little Soldier”
Reinhold and Lillian Klaudt planted churches in the Dakotas, Montana, Minnesota, Colorado, Washington, and Nebraska.
Eventually the family settled in Georgia, and they were more widely known for their family’s Gospel music group, the Klaudt Indian Family, which was popular from the 1940s to the mid-1970s. They dressed in native clothing while singing and were featured throughout the United States. They also had a television program through a connection with Walt Disney.
Lillian died in 2001 and was inducted into the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2004.
/ L.F. Morgan
A Native American from the Dakotas, she had an interesting ancestral heritage. She was the great granddaughter of Chief Sitting Bull, but, interestingly, her father, “Little Soldier,” and his brother, “One Feather,” had served as scouts for General Custer in the Battle of Little Big Horn.
Lillian married Reinhold Klaudt, a German cattleman who met her on the Fort Berthold Reservation. When the Church of God was introduced into the Dakotas, Lillian and Reinhold became members, and Reinhold became a minister. Eventually, all of the Klaudt family received formal education at BTS and Lee, particularly in the music courses.
When Reinhold and Lillian attended BTS at Cleveland in 1928, the returned to North Dakota to minister during the summer.
Lillian reported, “We North Dakota students are back and have thought about the Bible School. We are working and doing our little part in God’s great cause, using what we have learned for His glory. Brother Carl Milligan is our pastor at present and Brother Klaudt assists him. Both of these students work on the farm where they have to plow over 400 acres. I try to fill my place by playing, singing, and praying. I have been appointed clerk and treasurer of the Sunday School, and try to teach a class. This is the report from the students at this place, so please pray for us and for the church here. The Lord willing we expect to go and help where we can in revivals, and we need your prayers that God may have His way. May God bless you. -- Lillian Little Soldier”
Reinhold and Lillian Klaudt planted churches in the Dakotas, Montana, Minnesota, Colorado, Washington, and Nebraska.
Eventually the family settled in Georgia, and they were more widely known for their family’s Gospel music group, the Klaudt Indian Family, which was popular from the 1940s to the mid-1970s. They dressed in native clothing while singing and were featured throughout the United States. They also had a television program through a connection with Walt Disney.
Lillian died in 2001 and was inducted into the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2004.
/ L.F. Morgan
Lillian Little Soldier [Klaudt] (front right) with Paul H. and Margaret Walker in the Dakotas
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The Klaudt Family Singers
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