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My mom has always told me that we have Blackfoot Indian in us.
She grew up in Narrows, Virginia. Her grandmother was actually the one who claimed this. Her name was Demi Kellison by marriage. Her maiden name was Wilburn/Johnston My mom said she moved there from Richmond but her family was originally out of she thinks Nevada or somewhere out west. She said the Valley was named after them Wilburn Valley. She doesn’t know if that was in Virginia she said they didn’t like to talk about it much and I might find out something I don’t want to know, But I do want to know. Does anyone know anything about this small amount of info?
Hi, MissDebbi,
I’ll take a look.
Was Demi’s maiden name Wilburn or Johnston?
Do you know about when she was born and her husband’s first name?
Bill
Okay her maiden name was Demi Louise Wilburn. She married Franklin Kellison.She was born in 1920 and died January 11, 1987.
Demi must be a nickname or family endearment.
She was not recorded on the 1930 census as “Demi” so she was probably recorded under her ‘given’ name (The 1920 census was checked as well, but it was taken in January of 1920, so if she were born during 1920, I wouldn’t have expected to find her there). Do you know who her parents were?
Narrows, Va, as well as Wilburn Valley are in Giles Co., Va, on the New River next to the West Virginia border. There are a lot of families from that area who identify themselves as Blackfoot.
The Wilburns of Giles Co are descendants of Richard Wilburn, b.abt. 1716, d. 1820 Highland Co., Oh., who resided in Giles Co for quite awhile.
Bill
That is them because my mom is from Giles Co. Narrows, Va. We lived therewhen I was little.She said she never knew her grandparents and didn’t know there names.
My Mom’s moms name was Evelyn Martha Kellison. (from my grandma Demi and Grandfather Franklin Delwood Kellison). Their other children were, Ann, Carrie, Franklin(Bugs), Bobby, Jacky, Catherine. Maybe that would give a clue.
My mom told me before that almost all of the county had once belonged to my Grandma and her family. I know before she died she had sold most of it. Including like the railroad area.
Thanks so much for your help. I haven’t a clue where to look for this information.
Because Demi Wilburn was born about 1920, she and Franklin Kellison were married later than the last census that is publicly available (1930), and her children would not have been born by 1930, so their names are no help in this case since I don’t have any Vital Records for Virginia in that time frame.
Ask your Mom if Demi’s first name might have been Dortha or Dorothy.
Bill
She doesn’t know. The only reason I know is because I remember visiting her grave and seeing the name Demi L. Kellison on the headstone and I asked my mom her middle name. It has been some time since I have been there because I live in Georgia now,she is buried near Pearisburg in Wolf creek area near her old house. My mom doesn’t know her grandmother’s parents or if she had any sisters or brothers that she knew of.
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