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View Full Version : I think we can say my Hudsons had Native ancestry



Linda
08-29-2002, 09:27 AM
I was very excited last night to piece together a piece of the family puzzle. I believe I've confirmed relationship between some Maryland Hudsons, and put together some pretty good weight that they were mixed blooded.

A month ago I heard from a possible cousin who had information about a Maranda Hudson he believed was related to my John Hudson, who is listed as derived from Maryland. He sent me a picture of Maranda. Here's the letter I just wrote him.

http://www.saponitown.com/images/Maranda%20and%20Herman.jpg

I think Herman is the spitting image of what I believe must be his great aunt Maranda, or some other fairly close relative. Same jawline, same cheekbones, same forehead, same widow's peak, same ears, same nose, same sloping shoulders, and the same eyes.

He was born November 12, 1887 in Viroqua, WI to Francis Marion Harris and Elizabeth Malinda Hudson. He married Pluma Nelson August, 1914, d. May 31, 1937, all in Vernon County, WI.

Here's the circumstantials I now have on the Hudson's possible Native ancestry:


Both Maranda and Herman have an epicanthic fold above their eyes, meaning there is no crease in their upper eyelids. I wasn't sure about her because of her age, but that's a ten year old boy and he clearly has this trait. It's an Asian/Indian trait, not really found in Europeans.

I have Herman's grandfather, Ezra Hudson's, death certificate, which lists his race as "American." All the other entries on the page are in the same hand, but they are noted as "Caucasian."

I have heard from two distant cousins who suspect Native ancestry, and Ezra Hudson is the ancestor we share.

My grandmother, daughter of Malinda Hudson, told her daughters that we were Blackfoot. I have heard from you that Maranda (apparently Malinda's aunt) was born in Fredericks, MD. That's 90 or so miles west of Dagsbury, DE, which from 1723 till 1786 was called Blackfoot Town, MD. http://www.sussexcountyonline.com/towns/dagsboro/dagworthy.html


I believe our Hudsons were part of a community of Metís (the Canadian word for mixed bloods) who originated with the Siouan people of the VA/NC Piedmont and migrated into the midwest. One of the known paths used by these people in the early 18th century passed through Maryland. The Siouan word for Blackfoot sounds like "issi asepa," there was a large settlement the English called "Sissipaha" in the NC Piedmont.

It appears this Metís community held together, marrying within their own for perhaps 150 years, even though they appeared white and made excellent "pioneers" (interestingly retracing the steps of what some believe was the Siouan migration FROM the midwest, pre-contact).

Patty
08-29-2002, 10:43 AM
Linda, what a wonderful breawkthrough!! You're right, they look exactly alike! http://winwinworld.net/SaponiForum/UBB/smile.gif

CoheeLady
08-29-2002, 03:32 PM
Linda,
Thanks for sharing your family puzzle with us! Happy to hear that your puzzle is complete. I agree with Patty, they do look alike!
Sincerely,
CoheeLady

Linda
08-30-2002, 10:44 AM
Actually, that's just one of the lines I suspect had native ancestry. One down, about five to go. The Harrises, Keaseys, Pardees, Boorshaers, Smith and Severance lines are still possiibilities. I know the Harrises were native from the photo of my grandfather. I know of another Severance family with the Blackfoot ID. The Smiths could be Tuscarora, from the name and the location they were (near a Tuscarora settlement in Martinsville, WV). The Keasey's may be a variant of the Kerzey name known among Saponi/Lumbee families.

Only three of the names in my maternal grandmother's family we know got off boats, all German or Palatinate.

tasheaka
08-30-2002, 10:52 AM
Hello Ladies,
I hope that we can share more information and pictures such as those Linda shared!!
I have some old pictures, however, I haven't been able to get them on my computer. If I mail them to you Linda maybe you can help me.
You all brighten my day, times are a little rough for me and I look forward to this site!

Thank you all,
tasheaka

Patty
08-30-2002, 05:13 PM
Yes, I'd love to know how to post pictures here too.....although I don't have any "ah-hah's!!" like Linda does. http://winwinworld.net/SaponiForum/UBB/smile.gif

I'm sorry you're having a hard time right now tasheaka, I hope things improve for you soon.

Patty
08-30-2002, 05:47 PM
By the way.....Herman Clinton Hudson certainly was a beautiful little boy! http://winwinworld.net/SaponiForum/UBB/biggrin.gif

-cr21-
09-17-2002, 04:45 PM
Hey I'm getting a little off topic here but I was wondering if you know the surnames of the Tuscarora in West Virginia. One part of my family would move from that part of VA to PA and back. Or if you know the timeframe they were there. Thanks.

Linda
09-17-2002, 05:11 PM
Whereabouts were they? In the early 1800's I had family in Chambersburg, PA, Martinsville, WV, and Federick, MD, which are all in that little tri-state corner where the three states meet up.

Tasheaka and Patty, sorry I missed your earlier questions. Right now, the way to get pictures posted is to send them as image attachments to me. JPG is a good format. Normally scan at 72 dpi, but if it's a very small photo, scan at say 200 so we can blow it up nicely.

Mail attachments to sissipaha@saponitown.com

Write me for a snail mail address, if that's better.

-cr21-
09-18-2002, 01:17 AM
I believe they were around Brook County then would go to central PA. With another couple families as well that had married into mine.

Linda
09-18-2002, 06:36 PM
My atlas it out in the car. Where's Brook county?

-cr21-
09-18-2002, 06:52 PM
Its the northern tip that is between Ohio and Pennsylvania.

-cr21-
09-19-2002, 02:10 PM
Brooke Co. WV is east of Mingo junction and south west of Pittsburgh.

-cr21-
09-19-2002, 03:19 PM
Brooke Co. WV is east of Mingo junction and south west of Pittsburgh.

Linda
09-19-2002, 05:42 PM
The Tuscarora settlement I've heard of was near Martinsville, on the eastern edge of WV.

-cr21-
09-19-2002, 06:09 PM
Do you mean Martinsburg?Thats on the eastern border. New Martinsville is near the Ohio border. Just making sure.

Linda
09-19-2002, 10:18 PM
Sorry, goofed that up.