Blackfoot Ancestor Research

[Laura]

I was told by my grandmother that my great grandmother was "Blackfoot". Her name was Helen "Nell" Gould. She married Charles Zettle and they lived in Jersey Shore, PA. I would appreciate any information regarding the "Blackfoot" from Pennsylvania. Thanks!

[Linda]

You'll probably want to dig back further into earlier family names. If you saw the article I have on the main page, there is documentation of the Eastern Siouan (aka Saponi/Tutelo) being in PA in the 18th century. I believe the Blackfoot ID in this part of the country is a market for the Eastern Siouan of the VA/NC Piedmont. From there, some are known to go to Six Nations and the rest just sort of disappear into history. Some perhaps into your family tree.

If you can find earlier names they MAY fit into the pattern of surnames of eastern Siouan in VA/NC, if they had acquired European names before leaving there. If not, there's still a chance they will connect with some other surnames/counties of other Blackfoot ID'd people in that locale.

My own PA family, which may be the, or one of the, lines connected with the Blackfoot ID my grandmother told us about, showed up around 1810. They also intermarried with Germans. If you can dig back into the earlier 19th century, it may tell a tale.

Welcome. I always love hearing from another Blackfoot cousin.

[Brenda Collins Dillon]

David, French Creek,West Virginia keeps popping up in my lines. Maybe we ought to find out if that was a NA settlement at that location.

My stepfather had a very unusual surname....
SHOULDERS.Several of the children listed below were born in French Creek, West Virginia. There is that al time story of there being an Indian princess in this line. Since this petitular line is a completely disfunctional one with most children born out of wedlock, murder and mayham it is a difficult line to follow. I hired one researcher to see if he could trace back before John W. Shoulders and also to verify birthdates of my father's sibblings but he came back and told me it was if this family fell out of the sky.

. JOHN W.1 SHOULDERS was born 1816 in Harrison Co. Virginia, and died November 27, 1865 in Lewis Co. ,WV (Scrofula). He married "NISA/NISAH"NANCY REDER October 09, 1834 in Harrison Co. WV. She was born 1817 in Virginia.

Children of JOHN SHOULDERS and "NISA/NISAH"NANCY REDER are:
i. JOSHUA2 SHOULDERS, b. 1836.
ii. JESSE SHOULDERS, b. 1838.
iii. ANNA SHOULDERS, b. 1840.
2. iv. AMOS RITTER SHOULDERS, b. February 1842, Ireland,WV. Lewis Co.; d. 1923, Sutton, WV.
v. NANCY J. SHOULDERS, b. 1844.
vi. DAVID JACKSON SHOULDERS, b. 1846.
vii. MARY C. SHOULDERS, b. 1848.
viii. CHARITY E. SHOULDERS, b. 1851.
ix. PHILLIP L. SHOULDERS, b. 1854.
x. SARAH F. SHOULDERS, b. 1857.


Generation No. 2

2. AMOS RITTER2 SHOULDERS (JOHN W.1) was born February 1842 in Ireland,WV. Lewis Co., and died 1923 in Sutton, WV. He married SCYNTHIA BICE ENGLISH October 29, 1862 in Harrison Co. WV( Scynthia 23,Amos 20), daughter of THOMAS BICE and CATHERINE HARRIS. She was born 1839 in Ireland,WV. Lewis Co., and died 1916 in Sutton, WV.

Notes for AMOS RITTER SHOULDERS:
1880 Census shows Amos age 38, a farmer living in Skin Creek District
Another list him as a doctor; Actually he was a herb doctor and from
what I am told a darn good one.

Children of AMOS SHOULDERS and SCYNTHIA ENGLISH are:
i. MARY ELLEN3 SHOULDERS, b. 1862.French Creek
ii. SCOTT LEE SHOULDERS, b. 1864.
French Creek
iii. REBECCA ANN SHOULDERS, b. 1866.
iv. SARAH KATHRYN SHOULDERS, b. 1868.French Creek
3. v. LOUISA MINERVA SHOULDERS, b. 1870, Lewis Co. WV; d. 1931, Lewis Co. WV.
vi. MARL GEORGE SHOULDERS, b. 1874.
4. vii. MARION SANFORD SHOULDERS, b. 1875, Horner, WV. Lewis Co.; d. 1925, Quinwood, Greenbrier Co. WV.
viii. MANDA M.B. SHOULDERS, b. 1876.
ix. LILLIE BYRD SHOULDERS, b. 1878.
x. SCYNTHIA ARMINTA SHOULDERS, b. 1880.
xi. IZA EMMALINE SHOULDERS, b. 1884.
xii. JAMES AMOS SHOULDERS, b. 1884.French Creek

James Amos remained in French Creek most of his life leaving for short periods but always returning. He raised his family there and is buried at French Creek. My stepfather's line followes that of Marion Sanford Shoulders.



------------------
Life is a Rainbow made up of Many Different Colors.....

[Red Buffalo]

This was told to me by my grandmother, She said that her mother and father were both blackfoot. Her mothers maiden name was Riley & her father was a Cheney. I am a Collins and was always told that we were blackfoot Saponi, My grandmother i referred to above was married to a Johnson which was also a Saponi , I never heard if he was blackfoot or not. I do know that the collins and Johnson started marrying into each others familys in the 1800s Red Buffalo

[Linda]

That's valuable oral history. I know one lady out here on the east coast where the family tradition put those two words together, in her case, Saponi Blackfoot.

Thanks for telling us about this and welcome to the board, Red Buffalo.