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I’m wondering if anyone here is familiar with the Renfro surname, or has any Renfros connected to their known or suspected Indian family lines. Some variant spellings of the name are Renfrew, Rentfro, Renfroe, etc.
The Renfros date back to the 17th century (as early as 1675-ish, or before) in and around Jamestown, VA. From there, some or most were to be found in Botetourt Co., VA and then Bedford Co., VA.; they were in these areas from the early 1700’s through the time frame of the Revolutionary War.
Later generations tended to be found on the frontier regions. Some branches were among the early pioneers of Kentucky and Tennessee; having migrated there as early as 1780. My ancestors were part of the Donelson Party that formed in the Watauga Settlement and went by flatboat to settle the present day Nashville area.
There are traditions of an Indian chief named Renfro (possibly Askot Renfro) that, best I can tell, would have lived in the 1700’s (mid to late?) somewhere along the Virginia/North Carolina border area. Some references I’ve seen would place him in the Carroll Co., VA area or nearby in North Carolina (Surry, Allegheny, Stokes?) Most of the time these oral traditions seem to identify him as a Cherokee chief, but I’m not sure if that is the most likely possibility in that region. Other surnames associated with the Renfros include: Cheney, Randolph, Biggs, Van Bibber and Taylor.
Is anyone is familiar with these families or possible Indian connections?
Betty’s Standridge-Renfroe Genealogy. Standridge – Renfroe Family Database at World Connect · Photo Index || Documents, Books & Stories || Cherokee Jones …
freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~standridge/ – 14k – Cached – Similar pages
A Cheney family of known NA or mixed heritage lives near my Sinkeys in PA, likely intermarrying, although I have not found any in my direct line. They do intermarry with the Rickett family who intermarries with mine. The original location was MD. I followed this line as they go west to Indiana, looking for a connection with Blackfoot Town.
This Ricketts family comes to PA from Pittsylvania County via Hagerstown, MD.
Not sure of connections to your Cheney.
Techteach
Cowboy, thanks for that link. I’ve not come across that one before. That person does appear to be descended from one of my ancestors. After looking, it appears that her Renfroe lines are whites who married Cherokees. On the Dawes Rolls, there are several Renfros from different tribes. From what I’ve been able to discern, most, or all, of them derive the surname from whites that married Indians in the mid to latter half of the 19th century.
I come across quite a few references among Renfros that suggests a much earlier Native American connection, but I’m unable to pinpoint any likely source. Of course, if there is, it may not be my direct line. I’ll keep hunting, though.
Thanks again for the input.
Techteach:
Really, I’m not sure where my Cheney family came from. My ancestor was Elizabeth Cheney, married to William Renfro. She would have been born about 1704, but I have no idea where, nor do I know the names of her parents. The earliest date I have knowledge of her is when they married; 1726 in Botetourt County, VA.
I need to do some more serious research on my Cheney line (I’m not sure one person qualifies as a line 🙂 )to see what I might uncover. Thanks for the response!
Time to take a break from my family research, thought I’d see what I could find for Renfro.
ARBAZENA RENFRO
Baker Rolls
Cherokee Roots Vol I: East
Cherokee Roots Vol II: West YES
Dawes Roll 10438
MAGGIE K. RENFRO
Baker Rolls
Cherokee Roots Vol I: East
Cherokee Roots Vol II: West
Dawes Roll
Miller Roll 41532
RENO B. RENFRO
Baker Rolls
Cherokee Roots Vol I: East
Cherokee Roots Vol II: West YES
Dawes Roll 10438
1790 Census
Joel Renfrow Not Stated, Fayette, NC 1790
Noel Rentfrow Not Stated, Johnston, NC 1790
Jacob Rentfrow Not Stated, Wayne, NC 1790
James Rentfrow Not Stated, Wayne, NC 1790
Jno Renfrew Not Stated, Franklin, PA 1790
William Renfrow Not Stated, Pendleton, SC 1790
Might want to check these out:
RENFROE. A mailing list for the discussion and sharing of information regarding the Renfroe surname and variations in any place and at any time. To subscribe send “subscribe” to renfroe-l-request@rootsweb.com (mail mode) or renfroe-d-request@rootsweb.com (digest mode).
http://www.joepayne.org/genealogy.htm
Shirley
If you would e-mail Betty Renfroe of the Standridge and Renfroe
site she might be able to help you more on them.
This is my Cherokee line on her site the Standridge’s and Renfroe
married into it it is Wilkerson-Jones-Frazier-Herod-Damron these
surnames and pictures are on the right side of her picture page.
They were Old Settlers and some of them were Chickamauga
Cherokee
Cowboy, I was planning to send her an email. I checked out her online database to see where she traces her Renfroe line to. I’m not sure she has them connected to mine, but I’m pretty certain I know the connection, so wanted to touch base with her. Maybe she has heard or has some clues as to a possible earlier NA connection with the Renfros. Thanks again!
Techteach,
If you read this, I’d be interested in whatever details you might have on the Cheneys you mentioned. If you can tell me what locations in Pennsylvania and Maryland they were in and what time frames, I’d appreciate it.
Thanks,
Randall
Randall:
Start with these two: The Chaney family in MD is listed here : http://pages.prodigy.net/blankenstein/chaney.htm
(They were in the same church that my Greens and Butts were, my grandmother’s line, and also, I believe, the Swearingens who become my grandfather’s line.)
They travel north because Edward Ricketts, who marries a Chaney daughter from the above family, is in the Rev with my Sinkey, http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/pa/bedford/military/militia-1.txt
They are found living next to my
Chaney Ricketts, the son, then travel west to Indiana, while my Sinkeys travel west to Ohio and Indiana and eventually Iowa.
Many of my people are found in All Hallow’s Parish at the time of these Chaneys. And, thanks to your request, I found out that the minister was named Duncan, another of my names.
A couple of years ago, I posted some information on this Chaney/Ricketts family. Check out this thread : http://www.saponitown.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=1276
Hope this helps
Techteach
Oops, I am mixing up All Hallow’s Church with St. Barnabas. Some of my folks were at either of these.
Techteach
Techteach –
Thanks for getting back to me on this. I had actually come across some Cheney genealogy yesterday that was of interest to me and this new information from you appears to be the same family. Some of these Cheneys migrated from Maryland to the Montgomery and Wythe Counties area of VA. That puts them in rather close proximity to my Elizabeth Cheney that married into my Renfro line, though I’m not sure this particular line of Cheneys was in the area early enough to fit. Still, it’s the best lead I’ve come up with at this point.
You had mentioned that these Cheneys were of NA or mixed blood. Can you elaborate on that for me?
In looking at your older thread on Ricketts, I do see some naming patterns in common with these Cheneys in VA. I’ll pop the links in here for anyone that might become interested in this thread.
http://www.angelfire.com/la2/gen/hezekiah.html
http://home.houston.rr.com/heartofdixie/Cheneybio.html
Randall
I cannot be specific, as I do not entirely know when the NA enters my Sinkey line. I have tried to prove that my Sinkey who lived near these Cheney/Ricketts and was in the Rev was at least mixed but no luck.
Anyway, I don’t know the specifics about this family either. I simply know that somewhere (I don’t remember where.), I read that one of these Ricketts in PA marries a NA woman.
Somewhere also, I read that the Cheneys were unhappy that their daughter marries Edward Ricketts but does not explain why. It is a name that crops up often when I search.
Sorry I cannot be specific.
Techteach
Techteach,
No problem. NA blood, or not, this Cheney group looks like a good lead to search for my own ancestor. I’ve now found where other lines of this bunch came into the Pittsylvania County area, as well. While there were other Cheneys in VA, it seems the ones closest in vicinity to my family were mostly different branches of this same group. So, at the least, I’ve got fertile ground for my research.
Thanks again!
Randall,
If anything interesting pops up, let me know. They have a connection with my group. The Ricketts were in Pittsylvania County too. Stacey gave me a Rev War pension record on a Rickett that verifies that the family came north.
The name that marries my Sinkey is McCartney. She was born in MD too. There is another Sinkey, Richard, his father(?), who marries a Birgitte whose last name we do not have. She could very well be the key to proving that my William (Rev War Ranger) was mixed. Maybe she was a Cheny or Ricketts.
Look for alternative spellings. I have seen the same family as Chaney, Cheney, and Chain.
Techteach
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