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History of the Tuscarora
The ancestral home of the Tuscarora Indian Nation was centered in the northeastern part of North Carolina.
Conference about Indian Woods
Visit The Southern Band Tuscarora Indian Tribe Web page (www.southern-band-tuscarora-indians.com)for a more complete Tuscarora history and to see the variety of villages---hemp gatherers; people of the pines; people of the water. In 1701 John Lawson, Surveyor General, identified 15 major Tuscarora towns living along the waterways throughout North Carolina.
Tuscarora Nation of North Carolina has four (4) clans
which are the Bear, Wolf, Turtle and Beaver
*Note the two very different uses of the terms Southern and Northern. Originally the Southern Tribes referred to those tribes south of Pamlico; the Northern Tribes were those between the Roanoke and Pamlico Rivers. When the Tuscarora moved north to New York state, the term "Southern Tribes" changed it's meaning and referred to those Tuscarora Tribes that remained in N.C. in contrast to the "Northern Band" living in N.Y. near Lewiston, Niagra County.
When the first settlers arrived in Bertie County, they settled along the Chowan River building their plantations and Mosely's early map shows the Indian tribes already relocated to the Roanoke River along Bertie's southern border.
White encroachment into their territory was the source of conflict between the Tuscarora and these settlers. For the most part, the Bertie County villages were under the leadership of Chief Tom Blunt (between the Roanoke and Pamlico Rivers) and were friendly to the colonists.
The Chief of the
Tuscarora was a close friend and neighbor of the Blount family of
Bertie. He admired the family so much that he was baptized as "Tom
Blount" taking their name. On September, 1711 when the Tuscarora War
started, Tom Blount refused to allow his people to take sides in it,
warned the southern branch not to bring it into his territory, and
actually posted sentries to prevent any other tribe from entering
Bertie.
As a reward for his loyalty to the settlers, at the defeat of the
southern band of Tuscarora under Chief Hancock, Blount was acceeded by
the Legislature the title of "King of the Tuscarora" and awarded 56,000
acres on the Roanoke River in Bertie as a reservation.. "In perpeturity,
so long as the sun doth shine. Sadly this did not hold true.
Chief John Hancock and his villages near the Neuse River felt continually pressured as New Bern grew. There was raiding of Tuscarora villages, kidnapping young men and women and selling them into slavery.
The Chiefs of the Tuscarora villages decided that their only recourse was to fight back. This leads to the Tuscarora Indian Wars (1711-1713).
Another pictorial map of the war
Excavation of Ft. Neoheroka Battle on March 21, 1713 - Col James Moore
A brief timeline of events:
- Sept 1711, Chief Hancock captures John Lawson, Baron Christoph von Graffenried, leader of the Wiss and Germon colonists at New Bern; and a black servant. Lawson was executed.
- Sept 22, 1711 - Chief Hancock kills 120 colonists, took others captive, burned houses, and seized crops and livestock in Bath County.
- White settlers retaliated
- Jan , 1712 - Col. John Barnwell (S.C. company) capture Ft. Narhantes after bitter battle
- Peace conference ends in tragedy as Col Barnwell's troops kill 50 Tuscarora men and seize over 200 women and children as slaves.
- Chief Tom Blunt is promised control over his own tribe if he will assist the Colonists.
- Chief Blunt captures Chief Hancock and the colonists execute Hancock
- March 21, 1713 - Col James Moore (S.C. troops) attack Ft. Neoheroka killing or capturing ove 900 Tuscarora. Survivors forced into reservation in Hyde County
Excavation of Ft. Neoheroka
- 1717 - Bertie Co. Indian Woods Reservation given to Chief Tom Blunt.
- 1717 - Many Tuscarora Indians left North Carolina to join the Five (Iroquois) Nations in New York.
- 1748 - Survey further restricts and defines the reservation
- Historical Letters
- 1760 - More Tuscarora chose to move to New York.
- 1766 - Lease and subsequent land deals show 18,000 acres but in actuality over 58,000 acres, leave the Tuscarora only 2,196 acres
- 1803 - Last of Tuscarora depart for New York. Remaining descendants blended into the population
- 1831 - Deed written in Niagra County, N.Y. (7 chiefs) gave up their rights to the land in Bertie County.
- 1917 - Tuscarora Chiefs from New York visit Bertie at the end of the 150 year lease
For complete history and chronology see Marilyn Livingston's book "Onkwehonweh-the first people-Tuscarora"
Tuscarora School Website on the Tuscarora Language.
Meaning of Indian Geographical Names
Contributed by: Deborah Cavel-Greant calexeditor@nucleus.com
One of my Bertie lines is that of the Casiah/Kesiah family. My 4X
Grandfather Sandifer Casiah/Kesiah was born in Bertie in 1737. I believe he
got his first name because of the family's friendship with the Sandifer
family who lived near the Indian Woods Reservation. His brother Dunning,
appears to have been named after the Bertie County Dunning family. Another
family member, Buxton, is named after another Bertie County family.
Our Casiah's left Bertie in the 1760s but preserved the tradition of Native
ancestry and continued to speak the Tuscarora language until my generation.
In fact, late in life my father had a series of strokes and for a time
reverted entirely to using Skarure. I am now studying the language, and
thought some of what I have learned may be interesting to Bertie researchers.
Unfortunately in this format I cannot reproduce the fonts used for Skurare.
The 'e,' you see used below is actually a 'tailed' e, and is pronounced as
is the 'i' in pizza. An accent mark before a vowel means the tone drops, an
accent mark following a vowel means the tone rises. A : following a vowel
prolongs the vowel sound. A question mark represents a glottal stop, the
sound heard in English between the two syllables in the word uh-oh.
Casiah/Kesiah
To begin with I'd like to address the Casiah/Kesiah name because of the
questions about how the Cashie River got its name.
One interpretation by Bertie County Historian Harry Thompson :
The Cashie River begins and ends in the county... Cashie is not an Indian
name, as is commonly thought, but a corruption of the proper name,
KESIAH, which appears often in the early records. Kesiah is the
designation on the most reliable map prepared by Edward Moseley in
1733.
Deborah's statement: The original name of the Casiah River was drawn directly from the
Skarure language. I would suggest that the river may have recieved its name
when a European asked one of the Tuscarora, "What's this river called?" and
the Indian thought the newcomer wanted to know the Skarure word for river
and answered, "It-river," ("Kesh-hsh-ungh"). The settler, familar with a
similar-sounding name from the Bible, wrote down "Kesiah" River.
The Skarure word for RIVER is -(i)yhnu- . The Skurare word "ke,'yhnu:?"
has a literal translation of "it-river". The pronunciation of "ke,'yhnu:?"
is: keh-hsh-ungh with a glottal stop on the end. Quishia, Casiah, Kesiah,
Keziah, Kizziah etc. are all reasonable choices to represent the Skarure
pronunciation.
It happened by the end of the 1600s because the Casiah River is documented
as a landmark in Chowan County land records as early as 1707.
CHOWAN CO NC LAND PATENTS
DATE # ACRES PLACE OWNER
Nov 4, 1707 640 Plantations lying on Casiah River John Hardy III
Will of JOHN HARDY III OF CHOWAN CO., NC - 19th January, 1719
Item: I give & bequeath unto my loving Daughter Elizabeth Hardy both my
Plantations lying on CASIAH River where Thomas Williamson now dwells and
containing Six hundred & forty acres. Each as appears by the patents
bearing date November the forth 1707,
(References: Colonial records Gallatin "keynugh" - refering to Cashie
River; Chowan Co. Land Records, and the Blair Rudes Tuscarora- English
Dictionary published 1999 by the University of Toronto.)
This does not necessarily mean that the Casiah *surname* was taken from the
word for river, as there are a number of other Skarure words which sound
similar. However it does seem a logical conclusion. The Tuscarora often
adopted simple nicknames to use when dealing with the settlers. It may be
that Casiah used as a nickname in one generation was adopted by the next
generation as a surname.
We have documented seven Casiah siblings, born between 1730-1750, which
points to a father named or nicknamed Casiah born abt 1700-1710. An
additional four individuals have been uncovered who are either Casiah's
children or grandchildren, but not enough information survives to determine
which. One of these was a Tuscarora Chief who signed an Indian Woods Deed
in NY in 1831. This document proves that the family was Tuscarora, ties
them to Bertie County and shows that some members of the famiy migrated
north.
Since he lived pre-history I had only my own family stories to go on.
However, I found that when I compared our stories to those told by the
Tuscarora in Bertie Co. (even though our Casiahs left Bertie in 1760) - the
stories match. We preserved the tradition of the Casiah family being Deer
Clan, as do the Bertie Co. Tuscarora. And now, to my amazement, when I
translated the village name of Tandequemuc, which Tuscarora oral history
says "Cashie" was Chief of at the time of its destruction... look what I
found.
English Spelling Tuscarora Spelling Translation
Tandequemuc Ta'n-a'kweh-e? (Tan-ahk-weh-ee-ock) Village of the Deer Clan
Tan = village akweh = deer e? = locator indicating "at"
While searching Bertie Records I found the following record. There is an
earlier reference but this one includes a description of where Cashoke was
located. It is described as being in the same place as the old village of
Tandequemuc is shown on maps.
Bertie County North Carolina Deed Book G page 299
John Sutton to James Lockhart of Scotch Hall May 17 1750. 15 pounds for 100
acres..." John Sutton of the province a'f'said son of Thomas Sutton,
Senior.... whereas Mary Jones my aunt by her last will and testament ....
bequeathed to me John Sutton....part of that plantation on which she had
lived..." In CASHOKE. ADJ. HENDERSON's CORNER ON MORATUCK BAY at Spring
Branch....Wit: George Lockhart, Nathaniel ?, Elizabeth Lockhart. August
Court 1750.
Cashoke... In Skarure this form refered to the name of a village chief.
"Ke" means "at", meaning the person is "at" this location, i.e. in this
village, at this location. Hence Cashoke would almost certainly have had
the meaning "Cashia's Village" or "Cashia is Chief here."
Villages
I note that there are questions about the meaning of some of the old
Tuscarora village names. The names and terms which begin with "P", like
poccosin, paricossy etc., are drawn from the Algonquin language. There is
no "P" in Skarure, except for a very few borrowed words which came in after
Europeans arrived.
Also, the word "Ahotskey" is often assumed to mean horse, but it does not.
The Skarure word for horse is "ahawth". Ahotskey is a mispronounced version
of the Skarure word "Rahsuta'?kye" - Rah-soot-Ock-yeh - which literally
means, "Our Ancestors" (plural), implying that this is the place where our
ancestors lived. This was "King" Blunt's town in the 1700's.
(This is a start on village names. I can't guarantee they are 100% correct,
but they are probably pretty close. )
Name - Alternate spelling - Skaure spelling = English translation
Ressootska - Rehorseky "Rahsuta'?kye" = Our Ancestors lived here
Taughousie - "tuhke,'yhnu:?" = Little River
Cauteghna - Cotechney "kahtehnu?a':ka:?" = Loblolly-pine-is-in-water
Kintaigh - Kenta "kine,ha'?he,?" = Many Creeks
**also means* - Village of the Beaver Clan
Unaghnaranara - "una?kw`e:ya?" = Cattails
*Unaghnaranara is another name for Tandequemuc or if it was a different
village. I can't find a reference which tells when Tandequemuc was
abandoned, so there is no way of telling. I don't have enough information.
Tasqui - Tastiahk - "tiwahsa':kye:" = So many feet
Ohaunooc - = Where boats go in the water
Toherooka - "tuher'hkwah" = So grassy
Fort Neoheroka - "-ne- heruke," = Broken Pasture
Rarookshee - "wa?ruh'-cre,h" = Gathering place
Caurookehoe - Cheroohoka "ciru?e,ha':kaka:?" = Nottaway's town
Eukurknormet - = Village of the Clan Mothers
Chounanitz - Junitz = Nottaway's town
All the Upper Nine Tuscarora Towns in 1711 translated:
1) Ressootska - = Our Ancestors were here (Blount's Town)
2) Eukurknormet - = Village of the Clan Mothers
3) Taughousie - = Little River
4) Chounanitz - Junitz = Nottaway's town
5) Caurookehoe - Cheroohoka = Nottaway's town
6) Toherooka - = So grassy
7) Cauteghna - Cotechney = Loblolly-pine-is-in-water
8) Kintaigh - Kenta = Many Creeks, Village of the Beaver Clan
9) Unaghnaranara - = Village of Many Deer
===============Personal Names=============
These are good examples of how Tuscaroran names were simplified by English
speakers. In the first name, the second word is dropped, in the second and
third names syllables are dropped.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
December 2, 1711 Chief Tom Blount and Representatives Chongkerarise,
Rouiatthie and Rouiattatt went to Williamburg Virginia to meet with
Governor Spotswood on behalf of the Upper Towns of the Tuscarora.
Chongkerarise -
Skarure spelling: ce?natkehahs weh`eye
Pronunciation: chonk-gnawt-kehahs way eh-yay
Translation: One raises the dead
(What an extraordinary name! Wouldn't you love to know HIS story?)
Rouiattatt:
Skarure spelling: ru'?ta?rw
Pronunciation: Roo-tau-at (as spelled, compared to Lawson)
Proper pronunciation: Roo-ah-tau-ahrff (Rudes)
Translation: Hickory
Rouiatthie:
Skarure spelling: ru'?ta?rwy
Pronunciation: Roo-tau-ooe (Lawson)
Proper pronunication: Roo-ah-tah-rrwesh (Rudes)
Translation: Walnuts
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
November 25, 1712: Preliminary articles of Peace signed between NC, Chief
Blount and four other Chiefs:
Saroona:
Skarure spelling: Saw`a:nu
Translation: Shawnee
Pronounced: Chaw-ahn-oo
Cited as not being present to sign the Articles:
Sarrontha Horunttocken:
Skarure spelling: Sawanu?a':ka:?
Translation: The Shawnee Chief
Pronounced: Cha-wan-oah-gah-ahk
Heuhanohnoh:
Skarure spelling: Uh`e:wekah`e:wa?ne?
Translation - He is in the front of the canoe
Pronunciation: Oo-eh-wikah-eh-waw-oc-naw-oc
Neowoonttotsery -
Skarure spelling: neyu?uwantah(-)e?n`a:weh
Translation: Chief of two braided together
Pronunciation: Neh-yoon-wan-tah-oc-n-ah-weh
Cheutharuthoa:
Skarure spelling: Cihehreh kw`e:ru?
Translation: Black Rabbit Cihehreh = Black kw`e:ru? = rabbit
Pronunciation: Chah-reh-gwahss-oo-ahk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Runiroy
(Deborah Cavel-Greant calexeditor@nucleus.com)
The accent mark after a vowel means the voice lifts. The
'ock' to represents the glottal stop in the
pronunication. Think of the sound between the
syllables in uh-oh.
Here there are a number of choices, none of which fit Runaroy exactly, but
you can take your choice... The Tuscarora trilled their r's at the end of
words, as do the Italians.
runa'wher (pronounced roona'-ffarr) high-bush blueberry
rune,hn`u:re,'? (pronounced rooneh-hin-'oo-ri-ock) White Oak
runya'?rha?r (pronounced roon-yaw'-ock-rhaw-ockrr) golden robin
runehu'hu (pronounced rooneh-hoo'-hoo) turtledove
Roquist
ra'?kwihs (pronounced raw-ock-kwess) means Turtle Clan
(Deborah Cavel-Greant calexeditor@nucleus.com) The
accent mark after a vowel means the voice lifts. The
'ock' to represents the glottal stop in the
pronunication. Think of the sound between the
syllables in uh-oh
Personal Names
People traditionally got their names in various ways, mostly governed by
the Clan system, sometimes through extraordinary feats, through physical
characteristics or dreams/visions, but it was the Clan Mother's privilege
to bestow names. The Clans owned certain names. The rights to use a name
were acknowledged and repected among the Tuscarora just as the Europeans
used and respected property.
Here's some vocabulary regarding names:
WORD SKARURE SPELLING PHONETIC PRONUNCIATION
Name uhs`e:neh ooh-seh-neh
Clan ur?e'hseh oorth-ih-sheh
My Clan akir?ehse':te ah-dir-ahk-eeh-see'-taw
Your Clan sir?ehse':te seer-ahk-eeh-see'taw
The Tuscarora have several Clans within the Tribe. A Clan is comprised of
the maternal descendants of one woman and is named after a guardian animal
spirit. The NC Tuscarora have the Bear, Beaver, Turtle, Wolf, Deer, Snipe,
and Eel (Nottaway) Clans. A child belongs to their mother's Clan. Members
of a Clan regard themselves as brothers and sisters, so members always
marry outside of their own Clan.
The Clan Mother is the eldest woman in the Clan, and she is the one who
names Clan members. A newborn child is given one of the clan's names that
is not currently in use (that is, a name belonging to someone who has died
or a name that has been given up for a new name by someone still living).
It is my understanding that the child was traditionally looked over for
characteristics which would be a clue as to whose spirit it housed before
it was named. The ancestors were given some time to look the new one over
and decide who was going to take up residence. This is why a name was never
in use by two people at one time.
Clan Mother ukuwana'?tha? oodoo-wawnaw-ahk-tha-ahk
Chiefship (the title) kuwane'hcreh gu-wawn-ah-chreh
mother - ene en-ay
my mother - akene ahk-aynah
father - ria ree-ah
my father - akrie ahk-ree-ah
grandmother - gusud goo-sood
grandfather - ryasud ree-ah-sood
nephew - ka?nu?ne?a'h caw-ahk-nuk-ahk-neh-ahk-ah
Certain names carried special responsibilities, such as those belonging to
chiefs. When a chief died, the women of his clan decided on a successor, a
member from their clan. Rank followed the female line; and the successor
might be any descendant of the late chief's mother or grandmother - his
brother, his cousin or his nephew - but never his son. If the successor was
approved by the other chiefs, he was given the name of the deceased chief.
Bear Clan Uhcihre? ooh-chi-reh-ahk
Beaver Clan Kine?aka:? kinahk-awk-ahk
Turtle Clan Ra'?kwihs Raw-kwiss
Wolf Clan (-)kwar`i:ne Thu-kwar-ee-neh
Deer Clan ahkwahte?a'h ahgwah-teh-ahk-awh
Snipe Clan Tawi'stawis Dawis-dawis
Eel Clan Akunehukwatiha:?' Ah-du-nehoo-kwadi-hah-ahk
(Akunehukwatiha:?' refers to the way they prepared their corn. Just think,
your children for *generations* named for your corn recipe! She must have
been SOME GREAT COOK!)
Hereditary names for Clan Chiefs:
Bear Clan Chief's Names:
Chief of the Bear Clan - Nekaye':te? - Neh-kawyee-teh
The Bear Cub - Utekwahte?a'h - Ooteh-gwahteh-ahk-ah
Beaver Clan's Chief's Names:
He Anoints the Hide Nihnuhk`a:we? - Nee-nook-awee-ahk
It Goes Along Teaching Karihe':tye? - Karrri-hay-dye-ahk
Twenty Canoes Nekahewah(-)the: - Neh-kaw-hia-wath-tha
Snipe Clan Chief's Name:
One is Holding the Tree Karetawa'?ke Kaw-reh-daw-ah-ahk-keh
Turtle Clan Chief's Names:
He Holds the Multitudes Hutyuhkwawa'ske Hoot-yoo-gwah-wah-skeh
His Voice is Small Nihaweha?ah Nee-haw-weh-ahk-ah
Spear Carrier Sekwari?(-)re: Seh-gwahr-ih-ahk-thray
Wolf Clan Chief's Names:
It Is Bent Neyucha'?kte Neh-shu-cha-ah-kuhteh
Chief of Wolf Clan Nayuhkawe'we'?ah Naw-yuh-gaw-weh-weh-ahk-ah
Indian Woods Reservation
Bounded by the Roanoke River and Roquist Creek, the reservation contained some of the more fertile land of the county, and it was not long before whites began to encroach upon this territory. As early as 1721 interlopers threatened to "create Feuds and disturbances" among the Indians.
Reservation life was not satisfactory. By 1731 the original 800 Indians
under King Tom Blunt, the Tuscarora chieftain, had been reduced to 600.
By 1748 continuing friction prompted the assembly to pass legislation to
define more exactly the boundaries of Indian land.
See Reservation Map created in 1748 by the General Assembly of North Carolina.
In 1760 many of these decided to also move to New York, and for a 150 year lease on approximately 8,000 acres, Robert Jones, William Williams, and Thomas Pugh advanced the 155 Indians sufficient money to make the journey. Only 100 older Indians remained. A deed signed in 1766 listed the names of the Tuscarora Chiefs who took part in the property transfer. These included: Chiefs: William Chew, Nicholas Casie, George Warchief, Jonathan Printup, Matthew Jack, William Johnson and Isaac Miller.
A series of exploiting land deals using long-term leases (misrepresenting the amount of acreage) and compensating very poorly, (between 1775-1777) led to the House of Commons appointing a commission to superintend Indian Affairs.
Harry Thompson in his new book Bertie Folklore pg 75-85 gives history of the events in Indian Woods, and also includes a story of "The Indians Gallows Tree". He also refers to an epic written on this subject by William H. Rhodes in the mid 1800's. This famous landmark tree is mentioned in Rich Square newspaper June 3, 1897: "has at last yielded to old age and decay."
Under a Treaty directed by Thomas Jefferson in 1803, many of the remaining Tuscaroras left North Carolina, leaving the remaining reservation land, or the Indian Woods area, which is near Woodville.
In 1831 by a deed written in Niagara County, NY, seven Tuscarora chiefs sold to the people of North Carolina all their rights to the land in Bertie County.This deed covered about 2,000 acres.
Sources: Alan Watson " Bertie County: A brief History"
The Encyclopedia Americana
The Southern Band of The Tuscarora
Visit the webpage of the Southern Band Tuscarora Indian Tribe.
Chief Samuel Smith, the last Chief of the Indian Woods
Reservation, died there in 1803. The Tuscaroran Smith's were the Bear
Clan, called the Medicine Clan. The Tuscarora had a matriarchial society,
following their mothers Clans. The Clan mothers were and are still held in
high regard among the Tuscarora.
The Southern Band Tuscarora are the descendants of those who did not
migrate north. We have the Bear, Deer, Wolf, Big Turtle, Sand Turtle, Snipe
Clans.
A history book of the Tuscarora
Confederacy called:
Onkwehonweh-the first people-Tuscarora has a
wealth of historical information including maps, deeds, villages, names,
languages, and where the Tuscarora are today has recently been written by Marilyn Livingston. (sbtuscoffc@msn.com or sbtuscoffc@earthlink.net) It is for sale for $35.00
plus $6.00tax shipping and handling. To order send check or money order to:
Marilyn Mejorado-Livingston
Southern Band Tuscarora Tribe
832 US 13N
Windsor NC 27983
Census Research
The following is from NORTH CAROLINA RESEARCH-GENEALOGY AND LOCAL
HISTORY by Helen F. M. Leary (well known N.C. Scholar) page 10.
"During the early nineteenth century, Native Americans were described
by federal census takers as free persons of color, mulattos,
or whites simply because no correct racial category was included in
the government's instructions. Consequently, genealogist
searching for their minority or mixed-blood ancestors and local
historians interested in ethnic representation within the community
often must depend on present-day descendants' oral traditions, which
are not primary sources but are nevertheless essential to these
kinds of investigations".
As noted earlier by "The Miller Book" this also was the case in the
eighteenth century.
1984 Webster's definition Mulatto: 1: the-first generation offspring
of a Negro and a White 2: a person of mixed Caucasian and
Negro ancestry.Shared by Neil Baker
Tracing your Native American Genealogy can be difficult because many families chose to blend into the population rather than be transported to the Six Nations. There were many instances of intermarriage and denial of Tuscarora blood.
Marilyn Mejorado-Livingston (sbtuscoffc@earthlink.net)
is always happy to work with you on your genealogy questions. She has helped a number of individuals with their heritage lines.
Placing a QUERY is a good way to ask questions and share information.
http://www.southernbandtuscarora.com/
Follow the link to SURNAMES and you'll find the QUERY PAGE.
Links to Help with Native American Research
HOMEPAGES OF BERTIE CO NATIVE AMERICANS
Emory and Pam Thomas Family page of Thomas, Cale, Salmons, Price and Vanhoy [NEED URL]
Excellent page of information!
Two Water's NATIVE AMERICAN Home Page. NOT WORKING. NEED NEW URL.
Chief Cucklemaker - his story and descendants - Stanley Hoggard
Research from Bertie-L Mailing List
There are varying opinions represented on our Bertie Mailing List, so these comments are meant to be suggestions for further research only! Investigate and make your own determination!
New tests are available for various kinds of DNA testing, including one that detects the presence of Native American ancestry. Unfortunately, that one only works on the maternal line (mother's mother's mother) whereas the oral traditions about Indian blood in my family come through my father's side. But it might be worthwhile for anyone whose mother's mother's mother is in a line alleged to have NA ancestry. Info is at http://familytreedna.com
Have seen statistics to the effect that on the whole, African-Americans are genetically 70% African, 30% other. Would like comparable statistics on the percentage of Native American and African ancestry in "white" (European) Americans. Also on how much of that non-African 30% in African-Americans is Native American versus European. I gather that in Bertie today, claims of Native ancestry are equally common among black and white families? Since there is so much oral history about Native ancestry in the county, it would be interesting to know what genetic evidence can be found to confirm it. Contributed by Paul Johnson.
You must remember that there are a lot of Johnsons, Johnstons in Bertie
over the years.
John Johnson (Johnston) settled in Bertie and established a large
plantation called "Saponia" which was adjacent to the Indian
Reservation. He was the brother of Samuel Johnston, Governor of the
colony of Carolina, and Brother to Hannah Johnston - who married James
Iredel who became the first chief Justice of the NC Supreme Court during
the Revolutionary War. John became a noted Bertie County Clerk of
Court. He was NOT Indian, nor did he in any way descend from Indians.
My sister-in-law was a Johnson. Her Uncle was Rhodes "Mhoon" Johnson
for whom I was his Estate executor. This entire group of Johnsons were
Mhoons, and Rhodes Grandfather changed his name from Mhoon to Johnson in
order to avoid the Confederate Draft. I have been to the cave or dugout
where he and others hid out to avoid conscription.
The Mhoons were a very old prominant family with thousands of acres of
land in Bertie. One became the Treasurer of the State of NC and later
sold his land to the Rascoe Family who still own the land today, and
still have the original deed from that transaction. The Mhoons were NOT
Indian either.
Hawkins were of old English stock, and who came here with a land grant.
I have owned the Hawkins tract, maintained the cemetary where they and
Marcus Johnson are buried. Marcus joined the Union Forces, survived the
war, and returned home with $500.00 in Union Gold money in his pocket,
bought 700 acres of land, and raised a large family on them. Neither
had any Indian blood that I know of, and I spent 20 years researching
them both.
Indian people who remained in Bertie after the end of the Tuscarora Wars
started in 1711, had a tendency to take english names of people they new
and liked. A case in point. King Tom Blount took the name of his good
friend and neighbor Blount - and was baptized with that english name.
One Indian took the name Johnson after John Johnson who lived at
Saponia. Butler was an old English name and acquired by the Indians.
Both Johnson and Butler signed a deed from the Tuscarora to Settlers.
Thus it has arisen that all people with these names must be Indian. Not
true, for they are all good English and Scottish names. In an attempt
to adopt the English customs, religions, and ways, the Indians chose new
names. Harry Thompson Wed Feb 28 06:37:38 2001 archive/latest/157
There was a
WILLIAM TAYLOR who was on a list of "chieftains of the Tuscarora Indians" that
sold 8000 acres for 1800 pounds to the Province of NC 12 July 1766, proved in
Sep Ct. 1767. This is from Bradley's Deeds of Bertie County 1757-1772. I
have also run across this William Taylor in other places in connection with
Indian-related affairs. Researcher: Bill BLinder777@aol.com
Kenneth Johnson kpauljohnson@yahoo.com
In the course of researching my ancestors, I found
that family traditions about Native American ancestry
were strong in several of my lines. All my father's
people were from the area north of Windsor and east of
present-day US 13; Johnsons, Dunlows, Whites,
Hugheses, Millers, Perrys, Cobbs, Willifords, and
Butlers to name the major 19th century families. Of
these, I find that Dunlows have preserved, in several
independent lines, traditions about Indian ancestry
although they are vague about details. To a lesser
extent, this is found among Johnsons. I've been told
it's true of Butlers, and of course know it is true of
Cales and Castellows.
What I'd like to know is what other families from the
Marvel Swamp/Pell Mell Pocosin area (around present
day Askewville) have a traditional claim to Indian
ancestry. So far it all seems to go back to the
Butlers; that is the Dunlows intermarried extensively
with them in the 19th c., and the Johnsons to a lesser
extent, and belief in Native American ancestry seems
to be stronger in these lines the closer you get to
Butlers. (For example, Josiah Dunlow was called
"half-Indian" in family traditions, and this was
alleged to be through his mother, Susanah Butler.)
Are there any other similar traditions in nearby
families?
Paul Johnson
PS-- I went to the Haliwa-Saponi Pow Wow this weekend
in Warren County, NC, and since this tribe absorbed
some Tuscarora long ago, I talked to several Saponi
about family names that might have come from that
tribe. No one recognized any of the Bertie County
names listed above, except Johnsons which they said
they had some of in their community. Mostly
Richardsons and Lynches as best I can tell.
Lea Dowd
....Native American Intermarriage and Land Ownership. ....It has only become
"popular" in the last century for one to have any NA blood. However, by
opening one's eyes and accepting whatever you find that is documentable; the
"brick wall" can be broken through and lead to a fabulous history and story!
The first intermarriage that would disprove this theory would be the most
publicized.... Pocahontas. This marriage was legal and accepted. John
Rolfe's son even came back from England to claim his land, given him by his
grandfather, Powhatan. Among that re-claiming of land, you will aslo see
mention of his Aunt, who had also intermarried with an English colonist.
All of this was documented and in legal records. As a daughter of a "King"
she was regarded as Royalty and accepted by the Queen herself.
A search in any State Archive would turn up several intermarriages which
lead to thousands of NA descendants. These intermarriages were even
encouraged by the English which can also be found in legal records. For
thousands of years, intermarriages with an enemy was commonly practiced in
Europe. As you are dealing with Europeans, why would this mindset change?
Additionally, as many of these Tribes were matrilineal, IF a NA woman
married a white, he became a member of her Tribe and that entitled him to
live and own NA land. This worked well to the colonist's advantage. The
Colonists had outlawed whites living within a specific radius of NA land, so
why do Colonial Records show whites owning land in these areas?
The "secret" here is that MOST of these intermarriages involved the NA being
"Christianized". Upon being "Christianized", these people were given
English names, and accepted. Once Anglicized, their NA ancestry was lost to
most researchers. They became white. Only their Angliziced names remain,
leaving us genealogists trying to find a connection to a surname, where none
exist. Talk about beating your head against a brick wall......
Another example, Capt. John West can be found
http://www.baylink.org/treaty/signes.html The original document stands for
itself. Study the original records on this one and you will be amazed at
who you find here and the "whole story".....
My personal favorite can be found in the Maryland files and the Court
Records involving Margaret Brent in the early 1600's. Now SHE was the first
Woman's Liber in this country. I am just saddened that I could not have
descended from her, she died a spinster. She took on the government of MD
and Lord Calvert and won.....
Maryland Liber ABH, Folio 63. Immigrated 1638.
On two occasions in the capacity of Chief Judge, Giles Brent issued orders
to the Sheriff to attach goods of Gov. Leonard Calvert to satisy certain
civil suits, one of which was brought in behalf of an Indian girl, Mary
Brent (Kitomaqund), the daughter of the Emperor of the Piscataway Indians.
Following the example of her father, she had embraced Christianity at an
early age, and her guardians were Leonard Calvert and Margaret Brent (Gile's
sister).
Another example would be my favorite, the BASS family. Their ancestry has
been proven without a doubt, all through legal records spanning hundreds of
years. http://www.nansemond.nativeland.com/bass.htm
For those more interested in NC records, I suggest following the Chowan Land
and the Tribal members signing off on it..... Then go to the VA records
where they discuss the boundary lines between VA and NC. Look at the
testimonies given and who gave them....
Among the Cherokees, we have Sequoya and McIntosh, both a result of white
and NA liasons. Did you know that the Cherokee were also in early Virginia,
as well as North Carolina?
The Colonial Records are a vast source of information, naming names and
placing these very people. As being NA was not popular until recently, one
does have to remember that much of our history was written by people who did
not want to acknowledge this heritage, "We don't talk about that...". Not
all of the Tribal members died, they were Anglicized and assimilated into
the English culture. It was their only means of survival. Study the Census
Records and State records regarding the Southampton Reservation of the
Nottoway and Nansemond Tribes. It gives new meaning to being a chameleon.
Granville Co., NC is another excellent example of this. The early census
records did not list a column for being a NA, you were either black or
white... however some of the census records were extended to list a column
as a Free Person of Color. Again, I suggest reading the VA legal definition
of the term mulatto, it also gives new meaning to doing genealogy,
especially if looking for NA connections.
.... Not all liasons between a white and a NA
resulted in marriages. The court records show this aspect as well. They
were also bastards produced, but how many people doing genealogy want to
trace themselves back to a bastard child of a white and a NA fling? I
haven't read a family history book yet that talks about this one, why I
don't know. Many of the people listed in Burke's Peerage were actually a
result of a liason and not a marriage and that is acceptable....
Genealogy is a very personal thing. It is done for many reasons, too vast
to even fathom. For those who are really interested in a possible NA
connections, the records can be found, just not on the Internet. They are
buried among miles and miles of dusty folders and papers and will require a
deep desire to know and hours and hours, even years, to prove. It involves
the tracking of NA lands over a period of years, learning where these tribes
were and when and more importantly, learning their history. They were as
motile as our own English ancestors. They had almost no rights, so they are
far more difficult to find.... The ethnohistorians have done a magificent
job in saving the NA history, but most of them were not genealogists...
there is a difference. Helen Rountree has done a wonderful job at sharing
some of these names in her book, "Powhatan's People". lea@gnat.net Sept-1999
East Carolina project: To get meaning of all the names in
the Tuscarora homeland, not just Bertie County. A graduate student is doing her master's thesis on an ethnography of the Tuscarora and she is working closely
with informants who speak the language.
Free men on Census 1810....
that Indians were called freedmen, or
free persons of color, and were not listed as black or white, nor taxed as
either.
Marilyn Livingston
There were two Tuscarora Chiefs named Nicotaw-Warr, and Carrowhaughcohen
and one Clanmother named Eruetsahekeh who leased to the Wyanokes, who had
been run out of VA, hunting and fishing rights on their land on Tuscarora
path called Auhotsky Swamp also referred to as Cochawaesco on nearby
Cutawhiskie Swamp, between the Roanoke and Chowan Rivers, in 1645 for 30
strings of beads.
The Wyanoke spent 4 winters there without paying tribute,
then the Wyanoke sold the land to Henry Plumpton, and Thomas Tuke. Then the
Tuscarora attacked the Wyanoke running them off their lands.
Unfortunenantly the settlers refused to give the Tuscarora their lands
back. This led to a lot of hostilities between the Tuscarora and these
settlers illegally residing on their lands.
Marilyn Livingston
Harry Thompson
Most of the Indian names on our rivers and swamps came from the
Tuscarora.. ie. Roquist - Turtle in Tuscarora, Roquista - Little Turtle.
An East Carolina University professor is working on this subject. He has maps and
names of all trhe Indian Villages. It is believed the Meherrin were not Tuscarora, but cousins, and the Halawi-Saponi were not Tuscarora either.
1740 several Indian families moved North of Penn. before going further
North to NY
What I have is a BIA listing with names of Indian families of different
tribes here in NC. After the Nat Turner Rebellion after 1831, It says the
Indians were threatened to be placed under bondage and immigrated to the
Quaker settlements in Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan.
On down it list some of the Indians in Ohio, in Highland Co., Ohio, in
1807-?Also in Greene Co.Ohio before 1832, today the area is called
Cedarville township in Greene Co. Ohio. the "heart of a Quaker Community".
Also some were in Indiana, Randolph Co. in the 1820's.
There is a side note that Indian families resided in Lake, Logan, Summit,
Highland, and Ross Counties, Ohio after the Indian Removal Act of 1830, the
Nat Turner Rebellion of 1831, and the NC Disenfrachisement Act of 1835...
Some of the Indian families names that were "relocated" are: Dempsey,
Hathcock, Turner, Brooks, Williams, George, Tudor, Hill, Buck, Clearwater,
Cummins, Jones, Mitchell, Crew, Head, Griffin, Teedrough, Collins, Hunt,
Cowger, Coker are listed in the heart of a Quaker Community.
As well as James, Sarah, Macklin, Jeffrey's and Decator, Washington, listed
in Greene Co. Ohio.
Hathcock, Headcock, Barnes, Parker, McGinnis, Reed, Coe, Paine, Manly,
Eaton, Rown, Hawkins, Helmer,Watson, Sweet, Jones, Hill, Martin, James,
Nichols, Austen/Austin, Brown, Hawks, Jordan in Montgomery Counties, NY.
There are also Johnsons, Norton, Whitmore, Mohack, Morgan, Chavers, Colley,
Silverlock, Top, Long, Paine, Mullins, Thorne, Eaton, Bowin, Barnett,
Parker, Duck, Austin, Simmons, Shumake, Melton, Brewington...
These are a few names listed in the BIA records as having their land taken
by land grants in VA, which made the land grab in NC easier...
As of yet the BIA will not give any Natives our listings of our ancestors
sold and or taken out of NC, or removed or sold into slavery in Barbados.
I do have a partial listing of Native American family surnames, but they
are from every Tribe in NC and quiet numerous.
Marilyn
Harry Thompson
There are
statements and allusions in the Native American stories that list Chief
"Cashie,"and that Cashie gave rise to Chief Cucklemaker. This is purely
false, and is not even legend.
"Cashie" was a product of the fictional writer, William H. Rhodes of
1857. He never existed. Cucklemaker did exist, and married a French
lady, taking her father's name "John Kale. They had as offspring
Charney Dundalow alias John Cale as is proved in the pension and service
lists in 1814.
William Rhodes' works are copyrighted, and recently republished. He
used the names "Cashie" and "Roanoke" in honor of our land between the
rivers upon which Bertie is now situated.
David Hoggard
In book L-2 page 56 of Bertie County Deeds.
James Allen,John Wiggins, BillyGeorge,Snifnose George, BileCainCharles
Cornelius,Thomas Blount,John Rogers,George Blount,Wineoak Charles,Bille
Basket, Bile Owens, Lewis Tuffdick, Isaac Miller, Harry Samuel,Bridgers
Thomas, Seniear Thomas Howell, Bille Sockey, Bille Carelius, John Seniear,
Thomas Baskett, John Cain, Billy Blount, Tom Jack, John Litewood, Billy
Roberts, James Mitchell, Capt. Joe, William Pugh, as chieftans of the
Tuskarora Indians, to Robert Jones Jr. attorney of NC province,& William
Williams & Thomas Pugh gent. of same. 12 jul 1766. 1800 pounds proclamation.
8000 acreas on north side of Roanoke River, joining Deep Creek ( Called
Falling Run). Wit. David Standley, Samuel Wynnes, James Bate. Sept Ct 1767
