Blackfoot Cherokee

[lynellarainhawk]

Blackfoot5,

You started this out and so awsomely, too! I am so knew to this that I am still figuring out how to post this stuff.

But, I've been really wondering about Blackfoot Cherokee because there seems to be a lot of it in my mom's side. I've got 3 registered Cherokee numbers from the Dawes Rolls that I still need to double/triple check. Yet my mother always swore we were Blackfoot from Indiana. This is all so exciting. Tom, Vance, Linda, Techteach you are all absolutely awsome and I hope to find that we are all cousins! Bill or Phil was telling me that there are two Blackfoot Cemetarys in Indiana. I just have to find dates and data on those. If anyone can--I know it's you.

I'm hoping too that in these Blackfoot Cherokee mixes I can find information on an Ashby Indian. That is the only name I have, because he was the slave of an Ashby man and this Ashby Indian married the Ashby man's daughter, thus and such/thus and such. Originating somewhere from VA, to Kentucky to Indiana to my dad, George Carl Ashby. I think dad was born in Evansville but not pos. on that right now. Love & Light and Happy Hunting to us all, Lynella.

[Linda]

You've been providing some really awesome data, yourself. I just backtracked on some of your posts and find one about the Blackfoot Cemetery you're family's buried in in Spurgeon, Pike County, Indiana. I missed that somehow, but this very promising. We need somebody who can take a field trip out there and see what they can find.

[Bill Childs]

There is also another "tie-in" - the name of the village of Spurgeon - recall your earlier "noun-transference" type hyposthesis - makes me wonder - the SPURGEON / STURGEON family being relatives of the WILBURN/COLLINS/GIBSON people from KY->OH->S. Ind having mated up in Scioto and Highland Co., Oh. - too assimilated by 1850 to make Richard H.'s lists.
Bill

[vance hawkins]

Scioto River in Ohio was the home of 5 or 6 tibes until their removal sometime after 1794.

Linda, are you saying there was a second Blackfoot cemetary in Pike County -- wasn't that other one from the Blackfoot Church in Pike County, Indiana? Maybe I forgot. Can it be found online and if so, where?

vance

[lynellarainhawk]

You guys are excellent investigators.

Actually, Linda, Everyone in my family except for me and 1 older brother was born in Indiana. Sister Nelda lives there. Lots and lots of cousins live there. My mom & dad said they moved to Colorado cause' they didn't want my sisters marrying our cousins!

Any way, about that field trip. Several of my family have done just that. They have Photo's, old news clippings on hystories, etc. My problem is getting them to hold still long enough to convince them to fork this stuff over! You'd think, as the spoiled family baby, I'd have no trouble!! But I will get everything I can and as I get it I will share it with you. One problem thoough, I don't know how to scan stuff into the computer or send it on! So, I may have to snail mail it all to one of you so you can get it posted. Or, if my son, Carl, 23 yrs. old would come and visit his momma he could do it all. You should see some of these old pictures of my family on my mom's side. There is so much Indian there.

Linda, I am very jealous of your beautiful hair! If you get tired of it, Can I have it? Love & Light.

[lynellarainhawk]

O.K. Here we go,

On the subject of the Blackfoot Cemetary & Church in Spurgeon, I had read an old article at my sister Clara's house a few weeks ago that made it sound like the church had started by the Blackfoot folks in the community. It had a dirt floor. Then it burned down, was rebuilt and I think it said it had burned down again. Whether that article said if it had been rebuilt again or not, I can't recall.

Donna faxed me a Photo of the church as it looked before it burned and a photo of a large stone marker that tell the history of the church. The market stands where the church now no longer exists, because it burned down.

Donna went to school in Spurgeon. She said it was a two level school with 4 class rooms and the classes went from grade 1 through 12.

She also said that Spurgeon was originally called Honey Springs. She can't recall why the name then changed, but it changed to Pleasantville and then later changed to Spurgeon. She faxed me some papers and I'll just pick out the highlights on some of this stuff. (Oh, and she said that the area of Spurgeon where the cemetary/church and our families homes are, was also called the Coleman & Mason Neighborhood, because these families had a lot of holdings there.

Now, this is a pritout from, "Our Past and Our Future," 'Monroe Township,' 'A Chronicle of Spurgeon.' These are based on the accounts of Peter monroe Ferguson, 1928. Among the first settlers of this community were Eiza Richards, John Ferguson (my G-G-G Grandfather) His son Peter, and Wiley Fowler. In 1859, J.W Richardson desided it was time for the platting of a town, thus the beginning of Pleasantvill. The town grew with Humphries, Davis, Campbells, Gentrys and Ash, Fleeners and Zimmerman's. Jack Ross was the blacksmith. In 1866 there was an Aaron Harlan, a chair maker, and a Jack Ross. There are quite a few other names here including Chester and Elnora Arnold (relatives of my dad's mother's) Man, there's a lot of names here! Peter Ferguson built the first school, it was followed by 3 more. Pleasantville was chosen for the site of a Post Office in 1866 and in 1921 the First National Bank. In 1932 the town got their first fire truck. 1921, the Enos Coal Mine erected a tipple about 3 miles north of the town. OOps! I have to back up a tad. I skipped where the name changed from Pleasantville to Spurgeon. Let me see.....After the Post Office around the time of the Bank coming in, HERE IT IS! It was ruled that the town would have to change its name due to there already being a Pleasantville in Indiana. The man that originally founded the town (Richardson it says) being a Baptist Minister and an ardent admirer of the London Evangelist Minister, Reverend Spurgeon, named it Spurgeon on his behalf.

So there ya' go! I actually did something here, didn't I--well no, Donna did, darn it! Donna is snail mailing me the photo's that she tried to fax me today. They came out just big black and white blobs!! The lightening is coming again. I hear the clouds talking. So I'll have to get back to Bill about my family sibblings names and DOB's later. Lynella.

[Linda]

As for the hair, you can pick it up at Wal-Mart for under $7. Clairol, Natural Instincts, #28 "Nutmeg" I just love the way it shines, and covers up all those grays. I don't know who those grays belong to, definetely aren't mine.

Vance, you gave us the info on the Blackfoot Church in your "Richey brothers" post.


Next to Gibson County is Pike County, and there is a "Blackfoot Church" dating to the end of the 18th century, and my ancestors appear here at least by the beginning of the 19th. It says it was named "Blackfoot" because of Indians called "Blackfoot" living nearby.

Spurgeon is in Pike County, so . . . the Blackfoot cemetery may be telling us where Blackfoot Church was. Lynella, can anybody get rubbings or take notes on headstones at that cemetery? Or are there records on a Blackfoot church somewhere?

[techteach]

Lynella,

I probably ought not say this without double checking, but I believe that my gggrandmother is buried near there across the border in Illinois. And there are Masons in my family.

Cindy

[Linda]

Lynella, from what you know so far, when is the earliest your family would have lived in Spurgeon, Indiana? What kind of shape is that cemetery in? Are there any really old headstones? I have a feeling the really old graves probably had wooden markers that are long gone.

[Red Hawk]

I do love this discussion. I am a hoosier by birth but cannot trace anything to the Blackfoot group you are chasing. What I would add is that this area near or on the White River was given to the Delaware (Lennape tribe) by the Miami as a place to live as it was being under utilised by the Miami, Piankasha, Wea, Eel river other allied tribes. This occured around 1790, likely before 1785. the Delaware brought with them a number of "friendly" groups from other eastern tribes who themselves had been pushed to the edge with colonial expansion. Most of these tribes had contact with or were actively Moravian Christians. The actual missionary families who brought this religion to the Delaware were the same who brought the Moravian Christian faith to VA. In some cases they actually rotated between the tribes or replaced each other in a hopscotch fashion as they moved west and south toward TN. The Delaware located themselves mostly along the northern most braches of the White River's West Fork. Other "unnamed" or little known tribes moved into the southern branch of the east fork. The Ochenechee (oops on the spelling here) moved into what would become NW Rush County while a mixed Delaware, Shawnee, Seneca (Mingo) group moved into the eastcentral portion of what would become Rush County. (That would be where my Shawnee family came into the area, on a creek they named Mahoning, Delaware for "mineral lick". The Chief there was named Ben Davis to the English speaking inhabitants.) The area of the lower or western end of the East Fork of the White Rivier was inhabited by Indians from the east according to the negotiations of 1818 at St. Mary's OH. The Miami protested the Delaware's agreement to sell this southern area to the US, as beyond their "title rights". The area according to the Miami was only made available for a place to settle not as a transfer of tribal lands and no sale of it would be possible without Miami approval. (My wife and I personally researched this treaty for the Miami tribe's legal office in 2002.) The Miami complaints on this sale also extended to the fact that a number of smaller bands of Indians had taken up residence in this area with Miami permission and woudl now be likely forcably removed by the Americans. The Blackfoot in Pike County would have been one of these groups as the Piankashaw who's main land base was in SE IL (Little Wabash watershed) used this area for a hunting ground and mentioned specifically these eastern Indian settlements. The Piankashaws said these new Indian settlers were not using the area properly as they had brought pigs, cows and other livestock which had been allowed to run lose and posed a hazard to the native animals. This was due in large part to the fact that a Piankashaw hunter was gored by a psuedo wild/domesticed boar pig. Some of these "eastern Indian settlers" moved West as the Americans asked, while most stayed and found ways to camouflage themselves as waves of settlers came in 1818. Indeed some may have moved west to IL and may be the Blackfoot of IL. At the same time this was occurring the Cherokee Old Settlers (treaty of 1817) were arriving to "tame the Indian lands on behalf of the US government." Armed with federal title deeds of 160 acres per male in a family and new US citizenship (though they had no real understanding that this would extinguish their Indian citizenship), these Cherokee arrived with the first waves of White settlers. This was extremely convenient for the "unnamed and various eastern tribes" who were remaining after the Delaware land sale. This wave of Cherokees meant that being Indian was a bit more palatable for the white settlers as the southern Cherokee were there under US military protection and were extremely advanced in their "civilization". Actually they were far advanced compared to nearly all of the White settlers who themselves were largely illiterate and from Kentucky settler families who had "roughed it for 20 years (while my family burned their farms :D ) The Cherokee were overall literate and well trained in modern skills, thus making themselves indispensible to the new settlements. For the Blackfoot who appear to have been there, the possibity of intermarriage was likely irresistable...hence...Blackfoot/Cherokee IDs. This is a good strong theory and fits well the facts you have found and the history represented in the papers which we studied for the area. Hope this helps.....but I do wish we had burned all the Kentucky families back accross the mountians...us Shawnee never really give up. :cool:

[Linda]

Great stuff! Could you try and scrape together the citations for this data? I'm particularly interested in documentation naming the "Ochenechee" in this area. I haven't heard any reference before to them specifically in a midwestern state.

[lynellarainhawk]

Hey! I feel like I've got a whole new family here! I'm so happy! Linda, is that really Nutmeg? I've tried that one! Now I'm using a Caribean Carmel, with bleech blonde in the front! Kind of punk! I will see about scraping together those citations. Members of my family do have some photographs from that cemetary I believe. And Donna might know if there are still any wooden markers there. Who knows, Nelda might even know. I'll check around.

Red Hawk, I love all of this info. you gave this is awsome stuff and also love your last sentence. Awsome sense of humor in a round about way!

Vance, we'll get this Blackfoot Church stuff sorted out, I promiss!

Well, hubby (Glenn) want the use of the office here to pay his bills, so I gotta go. I'm gonna' fax a print of all this to Donna in exchange for the stuff she sent me. I'll check on earliest dates and markers/photo's/rubbings. Love & Light, Lynella.

[lynellarainhawk]

Linda,

Donna got this from,

http://freepages.geneology.com/~cldebbi/Mason/Spur.htm

It reads like this from the top, down to about the first half of the page.

Our Past and Our Future
Vernon-Kinsey-Shepard-Mason
Casteel-Chronister-Finch-Iverson

A special thanks to Paul Curry for sharing this information.

Reference: Pike County History and
Families 1816-1987 pages 42-45

MONROE TOWNSHIP
A Chronicle of Spurgeon
BY Terry R. Readles

That's That.

Then, The Fergusons are the ones we have traced back the farthest: In the article mentioned above it says, "Among the first settlers of this community were Eliza Richards, John Ferguson and his son Peter, and Wiley Fowler."

So-John Ferguson being my G-G-G-Grandpa on my mom's- mom's side, They were there in the early 1800's. John Ferguson b. 11 Aug. 1778, d. 21 July 1826. Peter Ferguson b. 22 June 1803, d. 5 Nov. 1859. It says, when John and Peter settled in Spurgeon, (Peter was old enough to settle his own place.) Peter's place was just north of the junction where the Jordan addition is now. ("now," being at the time the above article was written.) It says near the bottom of the page to check the site frequently for changes and my sister pulled this off there in 2003.

So the earliest I've tracked any of my family to Spurgeon was early 1800's. But, I have a long way to go. I gotta know all about Ashby, Sutton, Evans, Welty, Gentry and any more on Fergusons. Oh yeah, and Hodges and Arnold.

I haven't talked to Donna today. But she said yesturday that she would snail mail me the photos she has. I'm sure my sister Nelda has dug up a bit of stuff. Possably my sister Sandy has some stuff. Nelda, if she's done it, would be the one with rubbings-since she lives in Indiana. My Brother Kerry may also have some stuff, he's in PA. So I'll have to check around with them. Donna and Kerry are my closest sources. We communicate a lot. Everyone is so much older than me that I grew up thinking they were just friends of the family. NOW I HAVE ALL OF YOU ADOPTED!!!!! Yep, I do it to a lot of cool folks. You're all mine now! Love & Light, Lynella.

[Linda]

Do you have a sense that these Ferguson's were Indian? Or could they have been coming to an area that already had the Blackfoot people there, but they weren't counted as settlers?

[lynellarainhawk]

I sence that there is blood in there, not necessarily from Ferguson's but someone they married. This is where Staton and hodges both come in. Donna went to the Federal Center and looked on the rolls and she has 2 different numbers for an Aaron D. or B. Hodges who was born around 1804. She also found an affidavit signed by him stating he was Indian. With him there are those 2 different numbers so I am confused, but one of them is a #25032, Donna says was on a dawes roll. His daughter Polly Hodges # is right with his, hers is #25031. Then in another place she came up with Aaron Hodges having a number of #194 and there is a Mary A. Hodges with it that has the number of 195. And there was an Amos hodges. I don't have a number for him or know where he fits in. I don't know for certain if the Hodges are related to Staton, Gentry, or Ferguson. Actually I'm thinking Staton or Gentry. Nancy Staton b. 8/14/1799, d. 5/20/1876 was the daughter of Jehu Staton who married a lady named Mahala.
Those names really tickle my curiosity! Jehu and Mahala..... And I don't know anything about Mary Jane Rickets. I would like to know whats on her side. She's the mother of Iva Leota Ferguson. And for the same reason, I want to know more about the Sutton's, my mom gave me some refference to there being Indian there, when I was little. I wish both my parents were still alive so they could help me with this. They probably think its really cute now to watch me trying to put together these little puzzle pieces! Well, gotta go for now. Check ya' later. Lynella.

[techteach]

Lynella:
You just included a name that I have in my line (or I should say our line, since Deb on this forum is a Sinkey descendent too), Rickets. One of our Sinkey's married a Rickets. I followed that Rickets line all the way to Rockbridge County in VA. There are many Rickets buried in the cemetery that my Blackfoot ggggrandmother is buried in and Deb's Blackfoot ancestor. The Rickets married into the Sinkey line. Our story is also Blackfoot Cherokee.
Reading your information has intrigued me. It has been my belief that my great-grandmother, who came from a Rhodes line, although she dissed my ggrandmother who looked and acted Indian, was actually related and part native herself. The Rickets and several Rhoads (Rhodes) are in that cemetery. The Rhodes came from a part of Illinois that is very near your area of Indiana.
The Rickets fought in the Rev War with my Sinkey ggggrandfather. Other Blackfoot-related names are found on my William Sinkey's muster list. You can find this at http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/pa/bedford/military/militia-1.txt I see several Fergusens listed there, coming from the same area of PA that the Sinkeys, Rickets, etc. were from.

Cindy (Techteach)

[lynellarainhawk]

Hey, Thank You. This is awsome. I checked it out. There's even a few Fergusons on there. I will check into this more completely later, but thanks a whole bunch! This is really helpful. Love & Light, Lynella.

[Bill Childs]

Techteach has a RICKETTS line, too.

[Tom]

Hey Lynell, well first let me say I do see a fmily resemblance to one of my Sisters!
The one name that really interests me is the ENO mine!
Since there is Eno folks in the NC area!
Welcome , once again!

[lynellarainhawk]

Yeah, that's what she was saying. Isn't that cool! So now I have somewhere to start there. She really helped me out with that. Tom, did I make a typo up there?? It was Enos. Did I forget the "s"? Anyway if I didn't have a typo, then you could be on to something. I never looked at it that way. Looks like I have more stuff to check out so I'll close again for now. Thanks again guys, you're still awsome Bill! Lynella.

[lynellarainhawk]

Tell me more about your Sinkeys and Rickets and Rhoads. My interest in Rickets is obvious and I would love to hear everything you've got. My curiosity about Rhoads is.....curiosity! There is a State Trooper up here his last name is Rhoads. Boy is he a cutie!! He reminds me of a dark skinned Clark Gable. I bought him a piece of pumpkin pie back, last Thanksgiving. This was before I knew who he was. He was in the restaraunt when I was there. And I'm a sucker for those cute little uniforms! So, yes, now I'm curious. The other night I was going through Ohio census records and Indiana census records and saw a lot of Rickets and Rhoads. That's where Aaron Hodges came from, Scioto County Ohio. Any way, I'll close for now. Talkin' to ya' later, Lynella.:D

[techteach]

Lynella:
I do not know anything more than what is in my great-aunt's memoir. My Rhoads is buried in Newcomerstown, OH. He was born near Fort Wayne, IN and was married in Portage County, OH. I suspect a connection with the Moravians but I cannot confirm it. I also suspect a connection with that part of the family that I know to be native, but I cannot prove it either.
The Rickets married into my family. I followed a line that said had stories of one family (Carrs ?? -- my memory is faulty here) that did not want their daughter to marry or it might have been the Rickets. Anyway, as I poked around, that person who was the unwanted inlaw is on that muster list too. I did not pursue in detail because it was not a direct line. However, I have since then found that other lines give you answers to questions in your line.

Cindy

[lynellarainhawk]

Techteach,

Thank you for your input. It is very helpful and because looking at other lines can give you perspective of your own, is why I wanted to hear about your Rickets. If you come across any more stuff that's really awsome, let me know. Thank you again and I do keep watch for some of your family when I'm looking for mine. When I see a familiar name pop up I jot it down. Love & Light, Lynella.

[Bill Childs]

Lynella's RICKETTS were from Tennessee - just haven't figured out which part yet, or where they came from before that. The Gentry/Leslie/Hodges lines are giving me fits - almost as difficult as Collins or Goins or Bollings.
Bill

[lynellarainhawk]

Well, thank you for being so persistant for us. You are a God send. Love & light. Lynella.

[vance hawkins]

Red Hawk --

I'd love to know where a person can get a hold of the documentation where all this is mentioned. I am especially interested in the Moravians as I have ancestors (Waylands/Weilands) from the Germanna Settlement (they lived on Gov. Spotswoods lands, and there are records of Saponi Indians also living on those lands at the same time frame). The Moravians also are recorded as going there to Preach from time to time, as both were German.

There is also a Richey in that "Blackfoot" cemetary in Pike County, In, and my Richey's were living in S Indiana at the time, but in Gibson County. Also we descend from the Woods and Dickson (Dixon) of S Indiana at that time frame. All these surnames have been traced to living in the same vicinity of Virginia Indians, some to Saponi, some to Tutero/Tutelo.

How can a person find the documents that you speak of, showin' people of nearly extinct tribes there with the Delaware, Maima and others in South Indiana?

My direct ancestors left S Indiana for Arkansas in 1844 and they came to Indian Territory in 1872. When Jeffrey Hoten Richey married Josephine Brown 1872 they moved just inside Indian territory on the Arkansas River. Grandma's birth certificate (1883-1963) says her dad Jeffrey Hoten Richey was born in Powhatan, Arkansas.

Altho my family never used the term "Blackfoot" the scenario fits us. Richey/Woods/Wayland/Dickson surnames can be traced to areas those Virginia Indian peoples lived, and in Arkansas they married the Browns and Blacks and Gist's, who we trace to Cherokee lands Tn/Ga/Al to Ark to IT (Ok). So when Jeff and Josie married, we became what people here online are callin' Blackfoot-Cherokee I suppose. Again I never heard the term "Eastern Blackfoot" or "Melungeon" before I got online, tho. Waylands are associated with the Melungeons, as they lived in the same community.

Anyhow, I'd really be interested in finding the documents, treaties, et cetera, that speak of the Indian peoples you are mentioning in Southern Indiana. Did they go there as a result of the Greenville treaty or were they there before that treaty? I have so many questions . . . :) I have always wondered about great grandpa's middle name "Hoten", also, but no one has told me where it came from to my satisfaction. I was thinkin' it might be Algonquin, but that is just a wild guess. One of grandma's brothers was given the name Hoten as well, and she had another brother names "Swaney" -- I remember dad callin' him both "Uncle Swan" and "Swaney". I've seen Shawnee spelled "Sawano"and that reminded me of my great Uncle's name.

Thanks for postin, as you seem to have a lot that can help us here unravel this. :)

vance

[sammarroq]

Red Hawk --

I'd love to know where a person can get a hold of the documentation where all this is mentioned. I am especially interested in the Moravians as I have ancestors (Waylands/Weilands) from the Germanna Settlement (they lived on Gov. Spotswoods lands, and there are records of Saponi Indians also living on those lands at the same time frame). The Moravians also are recorded as going there to Preach from time to time, as both were German.

There is also a Richey in that "Blackfoot" cemetary in Pike County, In, and my Richey's were living in S Indiana at the time, but in Gibson County. Also we descend from the Woods and Dickson (Dixon) of S Indiana at that time frame. All these surnames have been traced to living in the same vicinity of Virginia Indians, some to Saponi, some to Tutero/Tutelo.

How can a person find the documents that you speak of, showin' people of nearly extinct tribes there with the Delaware, Maima and others in South Indiana?

My direct ancestors left S Indiana for Arkansas in 1844 and they came to Indian Territory in 1872. When Jeffrey Hoten Richey married Josephine Brown 1872 they moved just inside Indian territory on the Arkansas River. Grandma's birth certificate (1883-1963) says her dad Jeffrey Hoten Richey was born in Powhatan, Arkansas.

Altho my family never used the term "Blackfoot" the scenario fits us. Richey/Woods/Wayland/Dickson surnames can be traced to areas those Virginia Indian peoples lived, and in Arkansas they married the Browns and Blacks and Gist's, who we trace to Cherokee lands Tn/Ga/Al to Ark to IT (Ok). So when Jeff and Josie married, we became what people here online are callin' Blackfoot-Cherokee I suppose. Again I never heard the term "Eastern Blackfoot" or "Melungeon" before I got online, tho. Waylands are associated with the Melungeons, as they lived in the same community.

Anyhow, I'd really be interested in finding the documents, treaties, et cetera, that speak of the Indian peoples you are mentioning in Southern Indiana. Did they go there as a result of the Greenville treaty or were they there before that treaty? I have so many questions . . . :) I have always wondered about great grandpa's middle name "Hoten", also, but no one has told me where it came from to my satisfaction. I was thinkin' it might be Algonquin, but that is just a wild guess. One of grandma's brothers was given the name Hoten as well, and she had another brother names "Swaney" -- I remember dad callin' him both "Uncle Swan" and "Swaney". I've seen Shawnee spelled "Sawano"and that reminded me of my great Uncle's name.

Thanks for postin, as you seem to have a lot that can help us here unravel this. :)

vance

This thread has some very interesting info...