Blackfoot Creek (Appomattox Co., VA)

[stacey.23]

In looking across some maps online, I came across a Blackfoot Creek in Appomattox County. It is midway between Lynchburg and the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park. It is located at Latitude 372625N and Longitude 0785432W. You can see a map of the creek at this link:
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?latlongtype=decimal&latitude=37.44&longitude=-78.90917&zoom=7

One of the Historical Articles (Saponi/Tutelo History and Timeline; http://www.saponitown.com/timeline.htm) linked on the front page states:


...On September 1, 1661 Thomas Batts and Abraham Wood led an expedition from Fort Henry to Totero town. They headed due west from Fort Henry which I believe was near Petersburg. Four days into the trip they came to a Saponi Village. This would put Saponi Town near Appomattox County VA. On Sept 9 they came to Totero Town located where present day Salem Va. is located...

I was wondering if there was any connection between the Blackfoot Creek and the Saponi Village? I have not been able to find any history (when or how it got its name) on Blackfoot Creek.

Stacey

[Tom]

Is there any info. on how this creek arrived at its name?
Perhaps a local history book of the area may tell something.
The more people search the more Blackfoot material arises.
Is this near the old those old Monasopanough villages.
Thanx for this thought provoking post Stacey.

[stacey.23]

Still no luck on finding anything about how/when/why Blackfoot Creek got its name. I did find that Appomattox County wasn't formed until 1845. Its parent counties are:
* Buckingham (formed 1761 from Albermarle)
* Campbell (formed 1782 from Bedford)
* Prince Edward (formed 1754 from Amelia)
* Charlotte (formed 1765 from Lunenburg)

I believe that the Monasukapanough villages were around Charlottesville, VA (Albermarle County). Albermarle County, coincidentally, is one of the counties that ended up forming Appomattox County. Per Google Maps, its about 60 miles from Blackfoot Creek to Charlottesville.

Stacey

[techteach]

Stacey,

Look at these web sites:

http://www.virtualjamestown.org/smith_voyages/jsmith_voyages.html
(Interactive map of John Smith)
and http://www.vcdh.virginia.edu/lewisandclark/students/projects/monacans/Documentary_Evidence/five_monacan.html

Does not give the origin of the Blackfoot Creek name but locates it near Monacan/Tutelo/Saponi villages.

Techteach

[Tom]

Hello have any of you seen this ?
www.ls.net~newriver/va/eta.htm

[techteach]

Tom,

I could not get the link to work, even when I copied it into a new window.

Techteach

[Tom]

It came up on dog pile , you may want to just try NEW River 1644 or something to that effect, I'll try and repost it again.

[techteach]

Wonder why I could not get it to work. I found it now: http://www.ls.net/~newriver/va/eta.htm .
I even copied and pasted.

Techteach

[Deirdre]

This is very revealing for me. All of my people are from this area (Campbell, Albermarle, Amherst Counties). They settled in Lynchburg. Thank you very much! Still trying to figure out if I'm Tutelo, Saponi, or Monacan.

Deirdre

[Deirdre]

Say,

I was just wondering. Would it make sense for me to research the languages of each tribe near Lynchburg for clues to my personal heritage? I mean if certain words or phrases were passed down that had a link to one specific tribe. What do you guys think?

Deirdre:confused:

[techteach]

It worked for me. My side of the family moved away from the rest of the family to get away from those who continued to maintain their native culture. One of my distant cousins whose family stayed there and helps me research remembered several words. I traced them to the Shawnee language and religion and found Shawnee villages near them in WV. Another of my counsins thought all along that they were Shawnee (She published a book on finding hidden native American traits.). I don't believe that they all were, but I do now believe that some were. So does the cousin who remembered the words.

Techteach

[stacey.23]

Thanks Tom and Techteach for those links. I emailed the library in Appomattox County last week or so and I just received this reply from them...


Dear Ms. Maddox,

I am from the J. Robert Jamerson Memorial Library in Appomattox. I am doing the research for you on Blackfoot Creek in Appomattox, VA. So far I can tell you that the creek is there, and that is about it. It is located in the Stonewall section of the county, and there is an aerial view of it in a goole search on the net.

I will try and contact our local historians as well as do what research I can for you. I will try and contact you with more information in the next few days.

Hopefully, I will receive some more information to pass along.

Stacey

[techteach]

Hey Dierdre,
You may not be able to determine which of those folks your people were, because they were all allied at some point, so if your people were one, they were any/all. And the Manahoac were part of the Siouan group too. They originate nearest the area my folks were from, although those are the folks that we have found that they spoke the Shawnee language.

And Stacey, that was the Butt family. One of my Butt cousins has remembered several Shawnee words. His group are my group too, although we converge in the Green line closer than the Butt line. Both families were from near Martinsburg, WV.

Techteach

[stacey.23]

Still not much more to add, but I did receive an email update on the research this afternoon.


Stacey,

I am not coming up with a whole lot on Blackfoot Creek. I have placed a few phone calls to several local historians, and have looked through a few historical books pertaining to Appomattox, Co. with no luck.

I do know that there is a creek in Appomattox named Blackfoot creek, but that is about it. Here is what little I have found.

I know that there is two-lined salamander found at the creek, according to this website. http://fwie.fw.vt.edu/vhs/ghitea10-1.htm

You can find the stream listed on this web page
http://www.hometownlocator.com/DisplayCountyFeatures.cfm?FeatureType=stream&SCFIPS=51011

There is land for sale near Blackfoot creek, which could help you locate it a bit more
http://www.landsofamerica.com/america/index.cfm?Detail=&INV_ID=21692

I will keep searching for you.

If you go to the link of the land for sale near Blackfoot Creek, on the right hand side of the page there is a photo tour. Photos #6 and #7 are pictures of Blackfoot Creek.

Stacey

[stacey.23]

Originally posted by techteach
And Stacey, that was the Butt family. One of my Butt cousins has remembered several Shawnee words. His group are my group too, although we converge in the Green line closer than the Butt line. Both families were from near Martinsburg, WV.

Hi Techteach,

I just received an email from the library in Greene County, Ohio. They found a copy of Joseph BUTT and Minnie REED's marriage record as well as Joseph's obituary. They said they would send it out in a day or two. I have other marriage records from the same time period and they list the parents' names. So, hopefully, I will be able to trace this Butt line back a little further.

Stacey

[techteach]

Stacey,
Did you follow the information that I have been communicating with a direct Butt descendent who remembers language. I matched the language to Shawnee.


Techteach