- This topic has 5 voices and 18 replies.
-
Posts
-
This is an updated version of an earlier post I had. I suspect a DNA match of mine having a Native American connection. She said she and her family where told that her grandmothers grandfather Rafe Hopkins was a full blooded “Blackfoot”- but they haven’t been able to confirm this genealogically. There is however, genetic evidence.
I match the maternal uncle of this family, which is the line where the alleged Blackfoot ancestry comes from. What’s more, I match the uncle on a distinctly Native American DNA segment. We match at about 4-5 generations back.
The ancestor is known variously as Rafe/Rofe/Ralph Hopkin/s. He was married to Minnie English Kemp. They lived in Mount Pleasant Monroe county, Alabama.
Rafe Hopkins was born around 1871, and according to one source, to Vent and Mason Hopkins.His mother Mason’s parents came from South Carolina and his father Vents’ came from Virginia and in the 1870s, he was a farmer. They are listed as “black” in the census. Still, some sources say his father came from the Carolinas and others Virginia.
Does anyone think a Native connection for this family is possible? Any feedback at all would be most appreciated. Does anyone know if this family could be mixed race?
If there’s oral history of NA origins, and there’s DNA evidence along that line, that’s about as good as it’s going to get for most of us. Plus you’re tracing these people to the states where the “Blackfoot” id we’re talking about here arose. You’ve got as good a reason to make that claim as anyone. We are talking about ‘extinct’ people with little to no documentation of even having existed, certainly no treaty rights, and all of their descendants likely are mixed race, either Black/Indian, White/Indian or tri-racial.
Linda;38562 wrote: If there’s oral history of NA origins, and there’s DNA evidence along that line, that’s about as good as it’s going to get for most of us. Plus you’re tracing these people to the states where the “Blackfoot” id we’re talking about here arose. You’ve got as good a reason to make that claim as anyone. We are talking about ‘extinct’ people with little to no documentation of even having existed, certainly no treaty rights, and all of their descendants likely are mixed race, either Black/Indian, White/Indian or tri-racial.
I have a ton of DNA matches who come from the same region who have claimed “blackfoot” ancestry. So you’re saying this is as good as it gets? We still have a claim to be mixed-blood eastern blackfoot descendants?
We have a claim, but to whom are we claiming? Certainly, there’s no federal or state recognition to be claimed. The rules for that are carefully crafted to exclude people like us from the git go. The intent has always been for us to simply blend in with the currently ‘relevant’ races and shut up. All this is useful just to us. So that we can know who we are and can honor those we come from.
Linda;38564 wrote: We have a claim, but to whom are we claiming? Certainly, there’s no federal or state recognition to be claimed. The rules for that are carefully crafted to exclude people like us from the git go. The intent has always been for us to simply blend in with the currently ‘relevant’ races and shut up. All this is useful just to us. So that we can know who we are and can honor those we come from.
Well said. I have lots of DNA matches claiming “Blackfoot” ancestry. They all have a similar migration pattern and come from the same general places in the east, where my own ancestors lived in Virginia. Theres’ went west, mine went north. I truly think there could be an ancestral connection to the eastern blackfoot to me based on this evidence.
It would be very useful to encourage those people to share their stories here. It would take all this to another level. It might even prove something academically.
We are dismissed scholastically. It’s believed that the id of ‘Blackfoot’ was just glommed onto by people trying to pass for NDN instead of Black. If we can demonstrate the story centers around people who are demonstrably related by way of Native-identified DNA segments and they’re all coming out of the same time/place, well before the word ‘Blackfoot’ became known on the East Coast I think we’d have something.
What Linda says is exactly right. If your intent is to satisfy your own mind as to your roots and ancestry, then rest assured that you have eastern “blackfoot” roots. If your intent is to prove your heritage to someone else or get accepted into an existing tribe or get govt benefits then fugitaboutit….. ain’t gonna happen.
Personally, I can add 2 other points to what Linda said.
First, because of the miscogeny laws that started about 1703 in VA, mixed bloods were virtually forced to marry other mixed bloods so it is HIGHLY unlikely to have only 1 mixed line coming out of this area … much more likely that you have multiple generations of multiple lines migrating together and interweaving like a vine. Most of us don’t have family “trees”…. we have vines 😉
Second, the Hopkins of old Granville Co, NC were undoubtedly a part of the “vine” that migrated out of this area. I do not have a direct Hopkins line but many of my ancestors’ siblings married Hopkins. The govt finally managed to break the cohesion of this group that stayed in Granville co in the 1940s when they confiscated all our land and moved everybody out to build Camp Butner. After WW2 some of the land was returned (my grandfather demanded his land back) but many who had started new lives elsewhere were more than willing to take a monetary buyout and stay in their new locations…. enough so that the power of the “tribe” was lost.
Dreaminghawk;38567 wrote: What Linda says is exactly right. If your intent is to satisfy your own mind as to your roots and ancestry, then rest assured that you have eastern “blackfoot” roots. If your intent is to prove your heritage to someone else or get accepted into an existing tribe or get govt benefits then fugitaboutit….. ain’t gonna happen.
Personally, I can add 2 other points to what Linda said.
First, because of the miscogeny laws that started about 1703 in VA, mixed bloods were virtually forced to marry other mixed bloods so it is HIGHLY unlikely to have only 1 mixed line coming out of this area … much more likely that you have multiple generations of multiple lines migrating together and interweaving like a vine. Most of us don’t have family “trees”…. we have vines 😉
Second, the Hopkins of old Granville Co, NC were undoubtedly a part of the “vine” that migrated out of this area. I do not have a direct Hopkins line but many of my ancestors’ siblings married Hopkins. The govt finally managed to break the cohesion of this group that stayed in Granville co in the 1940s when they confiscated all our land and moved everybody out to build Camp Butner. After WW2 some of the land was returned (my grandfather demanded his land back) but many who had started new lives elsewhere were more than willing to take a monetary buyout and stay in their new locations…. enough so that the power of the “tribe” was lost.
Yes, my intent is for my own heritage, not financial benefits or anything like that. I do have one admixed line- “mulatto” from Virginia, the Morris family, who lived in Powhatan county for a time in the the 1790s to the 1880s before moving to Philadelphia. I have not found any record so far where they lived in VA prior to 1795 or what exactly they were mixed with but they were Free People of Color.
Im grateful there are people like Linda and DreamingHawk who have the words to tell our story so well. People can say what they want about the eastern Blackfoot ID. Fact is despite all the hardships and hundreds of years, we are still able to find each other based on that word. In my family we found others with this ID by tracing our genealogy. Some people discount ‘surnameology’ and oral history, that’s fine, but now we are finding these people through DNA. There is no discounting that academically.
Growing up I just knew Blackfoot they came from NC and that they grew tobacco. Once we did DNA I saw the vast majority of our mothers cousins are from this community. It is more like a winding vine, or a DNA strand. Seeing how many ancestors mentioned in these forums are my cousins genealogy is all the convincing I need. It means a great deal to me regardless of what it means to others. That we are all here seven generations later, all know our story,and have the commitment and time to keep a resource like SaponiTown going is a lot. The things I’ve learned here have helped me walk a good path. Now from where I’m at on the road I look back and am grateful for how much I knew.
MarcSnelling;38570 wrote: Im grateful there are people like Linda and DreamingHawk who have the words to tell our story so well. People can say what they want about the eastern Blackfoot ID. Fact is despite all the hardships and hundreds of years, we are still able to find each other based on that word. In my family we found others with this ID by tracing our genealogy. Some people discount ‘surnameology’ and oral history, that’s fine, but now we are finding these people through DNA. There is no discounting that academically.
Growing up I just knew Blackfoot they came from NC and that they grew tobacco. Once we did DNA I saw the vast majority of our mothers cousins are from this community. It is more like a winding vine, or a DNA strand. Seeing how many ancestors mentioned in these forums are my cousins genealogy is all the convincing I need. It means a great deal to me regardless of what it means to others. That we are all here seven generations later, all know our story,and have the commitment and time to keep a resource like SaponiTown going is a lot. The things I’ve learned here have helped me walk a good path. Now from where I’m at on the road I look back and am grateful for how much I knew.
Thank you all. I plan to collaborate with my Eastern Blackfoot matches to find out more details. I will share whatever we find here on saponitown.
Maybe we ought to create an Eastern Blackfoot DNA project on FTDNA. You can transfer DNA results to FTDNA.
Techteach
What kind of DNA? I’ve tried to transfer my 23andme results and genebase results but they don’t “translate” according to one of the administrators. Still, a DNA project is a good idea.
Oh, I guess I did not know 23andMe did not work on FTDNA. I have tested with all 3 major companies, but I don’t use 23andMe a lot. I don’t have the time to email matches. I joined it to through my DNA into a database that might help to find a cure for my genetic condition.
You might upload your DNA to another site that just got started DNA.Land. Interesting ethnic results for Mom and me.
Techteach
I did register with DNA.land a few days ago. I got my ethnic/Ancestry report but it still hasn’t got my DNA relatives report yet. Do you know how long that takes?
techteach;38577 wrote: Oh, I guess I did not know 23andMe did not work on FTDNA. I have tested with all 3 major companies, but I don’t use 23andMe a lot. I don’t have the time to email matches. I joined it to through my DNA into a database that might help to find a cure for my genetic condition.
You might upload your DNA to another site that just got started DNA.Land. Interesting ethnic results for Mom and me.
Techteach
It depends what version of 23andMe, older tests will upload, newer ones won’t. I just got my results on FTDNA, and am findining plenty of Eastern Blackfoot cousins. As far as heritage – I got yet another differing result. My mother and I have joined the Saponi DNA project on FTDNA, started by Scott Collins. An Eastern Blackfoot group is also a good idea. Going to have to try DNA.land now.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
