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Post by Annette on Jul 10, 2008 20:24:01 GMT -5
Does anyone have any stories in their family about the Black Foot Indians? I have a memory of a reference made about a Black Foot, Sioux Indian being a female descendant of our family. I know that doesn't make a lot of sense with what we are taught today about the history of Indians, (yes, I still call them Indians) but I have heard this term many times when I was a child. Is anyone else familiar with this term? Just want to throw this out there to see if anyone else has heard of it.
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Post by Anne M Younger on Jul 14, 2008 13:41:02 GMT -5
Hortense Lee Friley Reynolds was half Indian, but I was told that she was Cherokee. This may not be completely accurate. Hortense was my mother's grandmother and raised her for most of her childhood, but Hortense was illiterate and was not raised by her father's people, but by her mother's family. My mother has written about Hortense's family and I can send you more information. Hortense's biological father was called Jim Turner, supposedly an Indian field hand who had an affair with Rachael Friley. Hortense was a servant as a teenager in the Baker home and married Bud Baker. He left her and their four sons. She then married Joseph Reynolds and had James, Amanda, Marjorie, Coleman and Coleson, twin boys. Coleson died as a toddler.
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Post by Annette on Jul 14, 2008 16:53:57 GMT -5
Hi Anne,
Thank you for sharing that information. I would love to add what you have to Hortense's page. You can send it to me at admin@yeahpot.com and I look forward to hearing from you very soon. I'll go ahead and add what is in here to her page and add what you send as soon as I get it.
Annette
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Post by Gingerlyn on Aug 31, 2008 13:10:14 GMT -5
I heard the same story from my Uncle Charles. He said my gggrandmother was 9/10 Blackfoot Indian. Since then, I've met at least two other Kentuckians/West Virginians who have heard the same thing from their families. I tend to discount it. The Blackfoot people are from somewhere up around Montana, Idaho, into Canada. They were not an Eastern Indian nation. I suspect that these stories were told in lieu of our ancestors telling us we were Melungeon. I sure don't know for certain, but it makes sense to me. We might be part of an Eastern Indian nation, but it's hard to believe a Blackfoot wandered from Wyoming to Kentucky.
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Post by Gingerlyn on Aug 31, 2008 13:14:01 GMT -5
Forgot to say: you have one of the best genealogy sites I have seen in terms of one person tracing his/her family roots. It's easy to navigate, well-organized, chock-full of good information -- so THANK YOU!
PS Your photos are great, but I was hoping to find photos of Whitehouse, Kentucky (in Johnson County). They put a train through there back in the '80s, and what I remember is pretty much gone. I would love to see a photo of Whitehouse the way it was. Do you have one or know where I can find one?
Thanks!
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Post by Annette on Sept 1, 2008 18:34:48 GMT -5
Forgot to say: you have one of the best genealogy sites I have seen in terms of one person tracing his/her family roots. It's easy to navigate, well-organized, chock-full of good information -- so THANK YOU! PS Your photos are great, but I was hoping to find photos of Whitehouse, Kentucky (in Johnson County). They put a train through there back in the '80s, and what I remember is pretty much gone. I would love to see a photo of Whitehouse the way it was. Do you have one or know where I can find one? Thanks! Hi Gingerlyn, I have been looking today for some photos of Whitehouse back in the 80's and I haven't had any luck, but I will keep looking and if I turn up anything, I'll be sure to let you know here in this forum. Thank you for the words of encouragement. I really appreciate them. Thanks to you, too, Annette Potter
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Post by Annette on Sept 1, 2008 19:08:28 GMT -5
I heard the same story from my Uncle Charles. He said my gggrandmother was 9/10 Blackfoot Indian. Since then, I've met at least two other Kentuckians/West Virginians who have heard the same thing from their families. I tend to discount it. The Blackfoot people are from somewhere up around Montana, Idaho, into Canada. They were not an Eastern Indian nation. I suspect that these stories were told in lieu of our ancestors telling us we were Melungeon. I sure don't know for certain, but it makes sense to me. We might be part of an Eastern Indian nation, but it's hard to believe a Blackfoot wandered from Wyoming to Kentucky. Hi Gingerlyn, I don't know what to make of it myself, but it is something that I heard growing up and that my elders also heard passed down through oral history. I've seen quite a bit about Melungeons, but I'm not sure what to think about that subject either. I would think that DNA would be the way to prove or disprove the theory of Melungeon ancestry. As far as ideas that those Indians from Montana, Idaho and Canada never ventured into Kentucky; I would like to keep an open mind about the possibility that they may have. I don't think that even the most diligent historian has the means to gather accurate history. I've seen even some of our most recent history obliterated by historians. I tend to keep a very open mind about oral history. I also believe there is good, established evidence that man is capable of great, long, treacherous journeys and it does not seem too much to imagine an Indian tribe coming from a far away place to the mountains of Kentucky without leaving any paperwork behind for proof. I mean, after all, isn't written proof what most historians' "facts" are based upon? I'm very interested in this particular oral history passed down through the years and find it fascinating. Of course, since our ancestor who is supposed to have Indian blood is many generations from me, I wouldn't have a drop of Indian blood myself. I just find it all very interesting. I often hear that there were no Indians in the mountains of Kentucky, but when I was a small child, we played in the hills behind our home and we found many Indian artifacts and also in the caves, there were wall drawings (I guess that's what you call them). We found arrowheads by the handfuls, so it's amazing to me that historians today say there were none in Kentucky. What do you think about all this rambling? I'm no historian, but I am very interested in history. Thank you so very much for your message. It's very good of you to be interested. I hope to hear from you again soon, Annette
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Post by steyrkba on Aug 16, 2009 0:27:31 GMT -5
First let me say your site is amazing. The census sheets have helped fil in holes were all I had was oral geneology and family bibles.
As for the black foot, both of my mother's parents are potter kin and my grandfather swore his mother told him he was part blackfoot Indian
My grandmother told me once that blackfoot wasn't always used to mean the tribe. It was a word her parents used for mixed bloods. Have have verified Cherokee and Black Dutch (not african ) DNA and ancestors in the Potter, Cable and Stewart Families. The use of Blackfoot makes sense when discribing multi ethnic mountain folks.
Of course this is just information from a woman that enjoyed making cough syrup in a still so who knows...
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Post by pathfinder on Nov 6, 2009 23:41:18 GMT -5
I just happened upon your web page and saw the post about Indian. I am a genealogist and I doing research for a man who has the Fuller name in his family lines. I do know that he is a registered Chickamauga from the WCNAM in Arkansas which is not a federally recognized tribe. I know that many of the Fuller family married into various tribes such as the Shawnee, Chickamuaga Cherokee (Old Settlers), the Black foot and the Delaware. I did see a post about the Blackfoot not living any further than far north but that was untrue. Much of my family were Blackfoot and lived among the Chickamauga Cherokee in the Missouri boot hills and Northern Arkansas. My grandfather was 3/4 Blackfoot and told many traveled south especially his family and never went back north. Most Indians did live in certain parts of the country but there were also those who traveled. Like the the grass is greener on the other side; that just says there were better means for survival or some move to get away from certain things like being an Indian. Being an Indian is something I have always been proud of but it does not make you the most popular either so some traveled to start a new life as white people so life would be easier. Follow the river routes and follow the other Indian tribes; you might be surprised what you will find. Good luck with all your ventures and travels through time to locate your family! Oh yes, being a blond and blue eyed person does not mean you are not Indian. My child is so pale and so blond and blue eyed but still has 5/8 Indian blood. Life is amazing!
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Post by pathfinder on Nov 6, 2009 23:45:25 GMT -5
One more thing I did forget to mention is I have many Potters who married into my family of Proctors, Welch, Jones and Downings and they were all Cherokee. Don't under estimate your ancestors.
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Post by Gen Coleman on Sept 13, 2010 9:47:11 GMT -5
How exciting.. I haven't heard the term "blackfoot indian" since my dad used it to tell us about "his people" many years ago. There is no doubt that Dad was of native American descent but I don't know of a "blackfoot" tribe?? So any info would be great.
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Post by Ben Blevins on Oct 5, 2010 2:55:51 GMT -5
Wow. My grandfather, a Rueben Blevins, listed on one branch of the tree told me that we were related to Blackfeet Indians. That line came from NC and ended up in SW Virginia. I always thought it impossible, maybe Cherokee.
Got no answers. Has always created a life long interest in Native culture. So, be it true or not always felt richer by the myth.
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Post by hillbilleter on Jan 29, 2011 2:41:09 GMT -5
I remember my grandparents talking about various people as being "members of the Blackfoot tribe." However, when pressed, they would say that they weren't talking about "real" Indians, and would drop the subject. As I became familiar with Melungeon heritage, I read that people would disclaim official connection to Indian tribes because their property could have been confiscated at one time in our history. So I'm still a bit confused, especially since DNA tests show that we're of Mediterranean descent. But to claim descent from any but Northern Europeans would tend to allow the government some bit of leeway to confiscate property at different times in U.S. history. So our multicultural heritage was pushed aside and sometimes completely dropped when young people asked too many questions. A lot of times, I heard our family called Black Irish, Black German, Black Scot, etc. But if you look around, you see a lot of wiry, dark, Mediterranean looking people in the mix.
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Post by mckenzie2012 on Feb 23, 2011 2:38:48 GMT -5
my papaw matthew jones his mom was a indain chiefs daughter he lived in acup in vicco married to sally jones we cant find his moms name she died when he was very small a lady named nannie raised him and slaughter jones we were told that wasnt his real father if anyone knows anything let me know please he was Cherokee
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Post by mckenzie2012 on Feb 23, 2011 2:41:00 GMT -5
she my papaw was a jones
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