Blake Slayton
02-07-2005, 04:10 PM
Hello everyone,
I originally listed this post under "Family Lore" because all of my life I have been told that I have Blackfoot Indian blood in me by way of my maternal g-g-grandmother. I was advised that I should also repost it in the genealogy section (which I have). I also wanted to repost it here as well so that I get as much coverage as possible!
I was born in Pocahontas, Arkansas (Randolph County) August 15, 1962. My maternal grandmother, Dona Mae Barnes (nee: Gregory) has always told me that her grandmother was a full-blooded Blackfoot Indian, although she had never met her grandmother nor own her mother because her grandmother had died long before my grandmother was born and her mother died when my grandmother was but one or two years of age.
My grandmother's mother is an enigma in and of herself. All that I know about her is that her name was Tennessee "Tennie" York, that she was born somewhere in Tennessee in December 1888, and was orphaned early in life but raised in Greene County, Arkansas by the Richard H. Buchanan family (from the 1900 Census).
Tennie married my g-grandfather, John Henry Gregory in 1904 at the age of 16 (he was 26). They settled in the Lorine township in Randolph County Arkansas (which is now part of Pocahontas) and had five children: Samuel S. (b. 1905, d. 1965), Nola (b. abt 1907), Busch (b. 1909, d. 1969), Paul William (b. 1912, d. 1983) and Dona Mae (b. 1921).
So family lore has been passed down to this day that Tennie York's mother was a full-blooded Blackfoot Indian. With that, I began researching but always ran into dead ends. I mean, for crying out loud, didn't the Blackfoot tribe live in Montana?! How would she end up in the Tennessee area to marry a fella by the name of York and have a child named Tennie?
A quick sidebar on the "York" connection that may be helpful: Another Family Lore has it that our Tennie York was related to Sergeant Alvin York of WWI fame, although, of course, I cannot make that connection. She was alledgedly Sergeant York's cousin, although I do not know if this is true or not.
On the Gregory side, John Henry Gregory - Tennie's husband - was the son of Sterling Scalbert Gregory who was born July 16, 1847 in South Carolina and died February 21, 1911 in Lorine (Pocahontas), Arkansas. His wife was Sarah Smelser. John Henry was the eldest of 9 children, born January 21, 1877 in Arkansas and died August 12, 1965 in Pocahontas. His brothers and sisters were as follows: Nancy, Martha, Mary, William, Pinkney, Sallie, Iola, and Thomas.
That's all the information that I have on the York and Gregory families. And up until today, I had nowhere to go on the "Blackfoot Indian" connection that I have always been told about all my life. But your website may be able to help me. It makes perfect sense that she would be called "Blackfoot" but actually be Saponi instead, since she was probably born in Tennessee and married a York from there.
Any help that you may be able to provide will be extremely appreciated.
Thank you all,
Blake Slayton
Hoping to be a Saponi (at least 1/16th!)
I originally listed this post under "Family Lore" because all of my life I have been told that I have Blackfoot Indian blood in me by way of my maternal g-g-grandmother. I was advised that I should also repost it in the genealogy section (which I have). I also wanted to repost it here as well so that I get as much coverage as possible!
I was born in Pocahontas, Arkansas (Randolph County) August 15, 1962. My maternal grandmother, Dona Mae Barnes (nee: Gregory) has always told me that her grandmother was a full-blooded Blackfoot Indian, although she had never met her grandmother nor own her mother because her grandmother had died long before my grandmother was born and her mother died when my grandmother was but one or two years of age.
My grandmother's mother is an enigma in and of herself. All that I know about her is that her name was Tennessee "Tennie" York, that she was born somewhere in Tennessee in December 1888, and was orphaned early in life but raised in Greene County, Arkansas by the Richard H. Buchanan family (from the 1900 Census).
Tennie married my g-grandfather, John Henry Gregory in 1904 at the age of 16 (he was 26). They settled in the Lorine township in Randolph County Arkansas (which is now part of Pocahontas) and had five children: Samuel S. (b. 1905, d. 1965), Nola (b. abt 1907), Busch (b. 1909, d. 1969), Paul William (b. 1912, d. 1983) and Dona Mae (b. 1921).
So family lore has been passed down to this day that Tennie York's mother was a full-blooded Blackfoot Indian. With that, I began researching but always ran into dead ends. I mean, for crying out loud, didn't the Blackfoot tribe live in Montana?! How would she end up in the Tennessee area to marry a fella by the name of York and have a child named Tennie?
A quick sidebar on the "York" connection that may be helpful: Another Family Lore has it that our Tennie York was related to Sergeant Alvin York of WWI fame, although, of course, I cannot make that connection. She was alledgedly Sergeant York's cousin, although I do not know if this is true or not.
On the Gregory side, John Henry Gregory - Tennie's husband - was the son of Sterling Scalbert Gregory who was born July 16, 1847 in South Carolina and died February 21, 1911 in Lorine (Pocahontas), Arkansas. His wife was Sarah Smelser. John Henry was the eldest of 9 children, born January 21, 1877 in Arkansas and died August 12, 1965 in Pocahontas. His brothers and sisters were as follows: Nancy, Martha, Mary, William, Pinkney, Sallie, Iola, and Thomas.
That's all the information that I have on the York and Gregory families. And up until today, I had nowhere to go on the "Blackfoot Indian" connection that I have always been told about all my life. But your website may be able to help me. It makes perfect sense that she would be called "Blackfoot" but actually be Saponi instead, since she was probably born in Tennessee and married a York from there.
Any help that you may be able to provide will be extremely appreciated.
Thank you all,
Blake Slayton
Hoping to be a Saponi (at least 1/16th!)