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there have been a variety of surnames tossed around in connection with these groups. i dont know if there has been a comprehensive study on the many linneages – i know my research in this area is still on going. there have been several papers published over the years and there are some extant documents concerning the Nottoway, non – christian nansemond, chowanoke, weanoke, and other small neighbor splinters.
the relative locality to these groups is important when considering all of the movements all indians made after contact. their relation to the “saponi” or any indian group in southside Virginia / Carolina should be understood because of the numbers offset by influx of europeans and africans.
ill try and input references if nessesary – but all and all hoping to see some input concerning the surname data. i think it is interesting to consider how usual token names are dropped when considering “indian” descent (ie: cherokee, blackfoot, sioux, etc.) and how unusal it is to have individuals with very little knowledge of indian history / culture discuss their descent from XYZ tribe. what i mean to say, is sometimes it bears looking into when a typical comment of “my ggreat grandmother was a Cherokee princess” is put differently: “my family has always said we were Kaw indians” or “grandpa always said we were Kickapoo”. hence whenever i meet someone who tosses out “my family was rumored to have been [Nottoway] or [Weapamoc]” i listen a little closer. of course this means very little, but i think it is often and indication of some merit.
Among the names i have seen in relation to this area from over 3 centuries:
Bartlett, Skiper, Edwards, Harrison, Peter,
Scoller, Wanoke, Hines, Will, Turner, Bailey , Rogers, Scholar, Woodson, Beasely, Hoyter, Pushin, Reading, Robins, Bennett, Wiggins, Lamb, Step, Winoek
These names are by no means complete and represent only a portion of what is (may) be available for quick reference.
There are others that need more insight, better documentation, and research. While i feel a strong oral tradition and migration patterns are good resources – sometimes there is no more.
Robins (Robbins)and Bennett are identified as Indian in Gates county up to around 1800 in some of the apprentice records. Usually identified in land records as “Chowan Indians” The Robbins family among the modern Meherrin comes from the Gates county group. I have long felt that a relationship between the Nansemond, Nottoway, Meherrin, and Chowan could be demonstrated using both historical records and genealogical information. The Bizzle name, which occurs as Indian in both the Nansemond area and the Meherrin community is one example. Given the fact that a couple dozen or so folks were counted as Indian in 1870 in the area of the Nottoway Reservation, there are almost certainly descendants still in the area today.
Indeed. it would seem that several groups have blended over the course of time – this to include groups that do not have representation at this time. for instance “turner” from nottoway is a meherin surname, one counted by the current chief. additionally, “wineok robin” is probably a form of Weanoke that settled amongst same. Cecilia Rogers was a Nansemond married to a John turner (nottoway) at the turn of 1800.
i remember some people from Charles City, Prince George, and Surry who met to discuss possible Weanoke links – that was 10 years ago. i dont believe anymore came of that though.
there have been some rumblings within the meherrin as of late, discussing nottoway interests and reorganizing interest within their structure. that would be interesting to see develop. maybe more will be revealed about these close groups.
To itconani,
My Turner’s are from the moutains of Virginia, do you have any information on the Rockbridge, Amherst, Buckingham, Nelson county areas, that are Turner related & Indian?
CoheeLady
i do not have any further reports on turners from those areas.
mostly, i’ve been investigating turners from the eastern piedmont and coastal counties
my memory is scanty here, but, is turner one of the many monacan names?
or – do you have some info one indian turners from these mountain counties? what are their maiden names – this may provide a further insight (ie: turners married to a goins or branham)
To Itconani,
My Family: Cash, Turner, Garrett, Patterson, Ayers, Ford, Chastain, Agee, Bondurant, Walker, Skinner, North, Arthur. The Monacan’s (Diane Shields) says we are not Monacan. Her list of Monacan names is rather short.
thanks,
CoheeLady
Cash & Skinner are originally from Westmoreland & Stafford
My husband is part of a group who have researched their backgrounds. They are bonified descendents of the Indians who were called the Nottoways. They are continually researching to find other relatives. Please pass the message on.
I havent put anything in this slot for a while, a real lack of iniative on my part.
Maybe I’ll try to put more in to this thread, as it covers alot of Southside Virginia / Northeastern NC. Recently I recieved this lineage from a man who was kind enough to volunteer his findings concerning one branch of Chowanokes – the “hoyter” surname. The conversation is concerning Tabitha Hoyter, daughter of Chowanoke chief. This is a portion of the corrospondence:
“I am still working on solidifying my connection to the Chowans through the Freeman line. As you probably know, one has to be careful about taking as an absolute fact all the genealogical postings found on the Internet. Here is the line as I know it:
Tabitha Hoyter:
John R. Freeman b. 1718
Aaron ” b. 1745
James ” b. 1785
Green C. ” born 1827
Alfred Henderson ” b. 1859
James ” b. 1886 (my grandfather)
Donna ” b. 1922 (my mother)
Information before and including James has not been solidly documented. However,
I know that Green C. Freeman was born in North Carolina and came to Kentucky where he married Sarah Parker in 1849. Green served as a Lt. in the civil war (for the North with the 12th Kentucky volunteers) Sometime after the civil war he and his family moved to AR. where he was living in War Eagle Mills in 1880. Son Alfred met and married Mary Todd and they had James in AR. I believe that James met my grandmother (Ada Davidson) in AR. and then followed Ada and her family to Grays Harbour WA in the early 1900s.”
I thought the material might be of some interest to those with the other surnames mentioned as well as an alternate source for migrations.
I’m glad to see some of the Nottaway descendants getting together. From looking at the post Civil War census for Southampton, I figured there must be a fair number of descendants there.
Are any of your folks named Brown? One of my college professors told me an interesting story about some Browns in Southampton and their relation (or non-relation) to the Blacks in the county. Are there any Stewarts there? I understand some of the Scholars changed their name to Stewart after the Civil War.
Hmmmm,
I should have realized that using “Blacks” in close proximaty to “Browns” might cause confusion. I was referring to Blacks in the sense of African-Americans, not the surname. My bad.
Forest
I have not come across any Browns or Stewarts at this time, although i know of some connections there (ive heard the Brown Story before). I have often wondered about the Bizzle and Blizzard connection. it is possible, but needs to be nailed down (like two brothers living apart on census records, one with one name, the other with the other). I believe the Bizzle name is primarily a meherrin one, but has early nansmond roots as well. Below is a brief history concerning Chowanokes in the same area. Food for thought as well as a few more names to play with – this type of data is the material I think needs to be explored in reference to “old grandady X was Blackfoot”. Here are more relations that are not represented today, but have descendants.
1675 The Chowanoke War in which the Chowans attacked the English. The The Chowans were defeated and placed on a reservation in present day Gates County, the Bennett’s Creek reservation.
1707–1713 The Chowans aided the English in the Tuscarora War.
1712 Thomas Hoyle, King of Chowans per Rev. Giles Rainsford ofAnglican Church
1714 Chief John Hoyter petitions NC Council for a survey of Bennet’s Creek reservation
1715 Rev Rainsford spends 5 months among the Chowan and offers to be missionary
1718 Chief John Hoyter petitions NC Council for grievances
1718 William and Mary Freeman buy land on Catherine Creek from Thomas Garrett
1720 Chief John Hoyter files petition for survey of Bennet’s Creek reservation
1723 Indian Woods Reservation created for Tuscarora and Chowans west of Chowan River and South of Meherrin River on the Roanoke River
1731 Less than 20 Chowan Families
1733 Chowans incorporated with Tuscarora by order of NC Council
1733 August 3, John Freeman buys 200 acres of land on Catherine Creek that was part of Chowan Town. Thomas Hoyter was one of the Grantors.
1753 Bishop Spargenberg reports that the Chowan are reduced to a few families
1754 “James Bennett, John Robbins,Chowan Indians and John Freeman,Planter,” sell 200 acres belonging to the Chowan tribe.
1755 Gov. Dobbs reports tht the Chowan consist of 2 men, 5 women and children. Probably James Bennett and John Robbins.
1775 Tuscarora moved to Chowan reservation on Bennett’s Creek on east side of Chowan River, formerly the reservation of Chowanokes.
Check out Govind Sanyal Research posted to “Share History Research forum” Here is what it says about the BENNETT Indians:
[1675 The Meherrin Indians are at the north side of the Meherrin River pre-1713 the saponi Indians are at the south side of the Meherrin River.
1713 Tready of Fort Christanna includes 36 SQ MI set aside for the Saponi Indians in Brunswick county,Virginia
1746-7 The Saponi moved from the Pumunkey River area of Virginia to the Flatt River
[ Old Thomas COLLINS sold land on Pumunkey River in 1747 and moved to the FLATT River]
1767 Saponis are selling land on the Flatt River of Orange County,N.C. Saponis are moving to sections of the back woods of the New River in Virginia and N.C.
[believed to be Peachtree Bottom in what is now Grayson Co. Va.]
James Bennett, born say 1700, was one of the Chowan County Indians who sold their land on Bennett ‘s Creek in 1734 in the part of Chowan County which later became Gates county NC
James Bennett, Thomas Hoyter, Charles Beasley, Jeremiah Pushin, John Robins, John Reading, & Nuce Will Chief men of the Chowan Indians…[Chowan DB W:250]
He and John Robins were also called Chief men of the Chowan Indians on 19 November 1758 when they sold 300 acres of Indian land by deed proved in gates County [DB2:101] He ,James Bennett Jr. and Amos Bennett were called “Bennett’s Creek Indians” in October 1763 when they sold land by deed acknowledged in Chowan County court. And a deed from him and John robins was proved in Chowan county in October 1765 [Minutes 1761-6, 164,273] His descendants were probably
i. George Bennett born abt 1768, a thirteen year old “Indian boy” ordered by the Gates County court to be bound as an apprentice shoemaker to Edward Brisco in feb 1781 [Fouts, Minutes of Gates Co Court1779-86,29] He and {his brother]Joseph Bennett and James and Benjamin Robinswere called “Chief men and representatives of the Chowan Indian Nation” on 12 April 1790 when they sold for $100.00 , 400 acres of land which was part of the origional Indian patent of 24 April 1724[DB A-2:153]
ii. Joseph Bennett, born abt 1769, a 12 year old “Indian Boy” called Josiah Bennett in February 1781 when the gates County court ordered him bound as an apprentice cooper to Henry Booth [Fouts, Minutes of gates county court 1779-86, 29] He was head of a Gates County household of one “other free”in 1790 [NC:23]and an insolvent gates County taxpayer in 1794 [Fouts, Minutes of Gates County Court, 1:17] Perhaps his wife was Nancy Bennett, head of an Edenton, Chowan Co. household of 2 “free Colored”women in 1820 [NC:130]
Brenda –
You always add so much to this forum. I’m very pleased with the material listed in the thread mentioned above, I wonder why you did not repost / post it here initially. I’m equally delighted of the descendancy you have to both Chowanoke and Saponi. Charlestowne (ton) is a very interesting city (your relations). One of my descendants (Davenport), on a seperate line, arrived there and began working in the deerskin trade soon thereafter. He took at least one Wife from the Ochese Creek before settling at a later date with his sons in N. Carolina.
Its interesting (ive seen it before) to see indians moving South from VA / NC border. I hope to copy your post at the other thread here soon for clarity.
Just wanted to correct your assumption. The work I posted is not my work. I posted it with permission from Govind Sanyal , who is researching and working with Airy Dixon in New York. I found it most interesting as I have (3) Bennett lines.
My mother’s parents were Fred Bennett & Mollie Perry. Fred was the son of Edward Bennett and from there back is my brickwall.
On my father’s side his grandmother ( my gr grandma) was Hatta Bennett d/o Charles Bennett who served in the Civil War. His father was Henry Bennett but I have never got back any further than Henry.
The third Bennett line is through the brother of Charles, John Bennett. My father’s line comes from the area we are all searching. Virginia/North Carolina.
I want to share with everybody a picture I recieved today of my mother in her 20’s. Note the necklace she is wearing.
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