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Hi Everyone,
I’m a real rookie so go easy on me, please. First, I’d like to thank you all for allowing me to join you here. I’ve glanced at some of the queries and posts and this looks like a very user-friendly site with some very helpful people on it.
To get to the point, I’m researching my roots and in doing so, have discovered that I may have some Native American roots – specifically, Saponi Indian. Both of my parents hail from eastern TN with a lot of their ancestors coming from the Randolph, NC area as well as other areas of NC and also VA. My g-g-grandmother, Elizabeth Boling, b. 1811 – I’m sure had Native American blood – the family thinks from Pocahontas but, I believe she may have Saponi ancestors instead. Her father was Larken Boling, b. c. 1785 and her mother Suzannah Garner. Larken’s father was supposedly William Boling, b. c. 1755. – we can go no further back with William. We have proof that Larken was the father of Elizabeth but no proof of William being the father of Larken yet. I have found this reference to a “John Bowling” and was wondering if anyone here could help me with him:
“1742 – John Bowling, Maninassa Captian, Tom Blind, Tom Foolish, Zack Little, Zack, John Collins, Charles Griffin, Alexander Machartoon, Isaac Harry, and Tom Orange, VA. Eleven Saponi Indian men were brought into court in Orange Cty, VA. They were arrested for traditional burning, and slashing of woods, killing pigs for food, accused of shooting a weapon at a Colonial named Strothers, and threatening the life of William Harrison. The Orange County court ordered that the Indians be taken into custody by the sheriff until they gave peace bonds with security, and their gusn be taken from them until they were ready to depart out of this Colony, they having declared their intentions to depart within a week.”
I would really appreciate any help regarding this news item, especially anything on John Bowling. Thanks, Ron Smith
Hello RSmith,
I wanted to send you a website address regarding the Bolin family. I researched the web, to find the best one. It has information on the Baker family as well, so don’t get discouraged as there is plenty of info. there on the Bolin family. The information is well written & appears to be accurate.
I live in Virginia, & am only related to the Bolins, through the Bell family. However, my relation is purely by marriage. As my great-great-grandmother Emma Walker (Arthur) Bell’s father William Arthur died prior to her birth. So her Mother got remarried, to Mr. Samuel Anderson Bell. His father was Powhatan Bolin Bell. The only proof I have of Emma’s dad not being Samuel Bell, is a will that was left behind. As it states she isn’t a Bell. Also she was not given anything, she had to relinquish all of her rights to any land. I suspect that my great-great-grandmother was indeed a Bell by blood, due to the way she was treated.
If you connect to the “right” line of Bolins, you are indeed related to MATOAKA POCAHONTAS POWHATAN, the daughter of WAHUNSONGCOCK POWHATAN.
Website: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/8056/bakerb.html
Sincerely,
Coheelady 🙂
Well hello Ron and welcome to Saponitown. You have no idea how long I have waited for a Bolling descendant to surface. We have alot of work to do so my suggestion to you is to roll up your sleeves and jump right in. LOL
What we need to do is to compare notes first and foremost. My e-mail is Rosebudsaponi@aol.com. Please contact me and we can get this part of the line moving.
Coheelady & Crystal,
Thank you for responding! I knew there were some really great people on here. Coheelady, I went to the link you referred me to and yes, it’s a goldmine for Boling info. I’m the co-administrator for a Boling (all spellings) Research site and got really excited at all the info posted. I wanted to use some of the info and tried to email the owner, Leslie Gunter for permission and found out her email address is no longer any good. The site hasn’t been updated since 1998 or 1999. Do you happen to have a valid email address for her? Much of the Bolin info she has posted she says she has sources for – I’d love to get some source info on some of her data but can’t get in touch with her.
Crystal, I’m so glad you were waiting for a Bolling/Boling/etc. descendant to show up! I’m at work right now and don’t have access to my database so I can’t send you much detail on my Boling ancestors. I will give you an email at the addy you have listed when I get home later tonight. Thanks for responding to both of you! Ron
Linda,
I don’t think so. The Bolling line originates in Prince Geo area of VA. CPT Robert Bolling married the grand-daughter of John Rolfe and Pocahontas. Her mother was a Poythress. 🙂
Linda & Crystal,
I’ve seen it spelled so many different ways – you wouldn’t believe it! People back then just spelled a name any old way it sounded so if you look at the spelling and can imagine someone trying to write down a name they had just heard . . . it’s possible to spell Bolling – Bullen or Bullien or Boulden or . . . you get the idea. I never discount the spelling of a name unless it’s so far off there’s no way it could be spelled that way. This is one of the reason’s we have such a hard time with the name Bolling/Boling/Bolin/Bolen/etc. Why couldn’t it have been SMITH! 😀 Ron
Ron,
I’m glad you found the Bolin site helpful. I don’t have an email address for Leslie Gunter, sorry. I found her site only due to your post regarding the Bolin family, as I wanted to help you. If I am able to locate her address, I will let you know. Ron, would you be so kind as to supply me with the Bolin Research Site address, that you are co-administrator of?
It’s nice to have you as a new member to the Saponi site, Welcome! 🙂
Sincerely,
Coheelady
Talk about feeling WELCOME! Thank you all for making me feel like I’m part of your family – and, like Dennis said, we are all from the same family . . . just a short walk here and a little longer walk there to find each other.
One other thing . . . I can feel my Native American blood calling me. This is the strangest thing to admit here, but ever since I was little I used to feel it. I dreamed it but couldn’t somehow identify it when I was much younger. Now that I’m much wiser, more mature, and a lot older, I feel it much stronger. I’m not sure where I belong, but I know it’s somewhere. There probably isn’t more than 1/250th Native American in me, BUT it’s that tiny amount that’s calling me home. I’d like to know where I belong.
One thing that I haven’t mentioned is in my research, I’ve found several websites devoted to researching Melungeon ancestors. In doing so, I came across the physical characteristics of Melungeons. I checked myself and have 3 of the prominent characteristics:
1. The “speed bump” ridge that runs across the base of my skull where it meets the neck. Mine is very prominent.
2. I also have the “shovel teeth” in the upper & lower teeth.
3. I also have always tanned very dark and have white splotches all over both arms where I don’t tan – Vitaligo.
So, somewhere in my ancestry I’ve got Native American or Melungeon grandparents or both. :confused:
Keep an open mind about other lines in your family. Mixed blooded people stuck together, where you find one, you tend to find another, and another. Some generations may have come along that wanted to minimize that down to that solitary “Indian in the woodpile” but what you may find is that they were there, and in the kitchen, and out in the pasture, and down to the schoolhouse.
Thanks, Linda
You know, I’ve always been open minded about finding whatever I find in my ancestral search. My heritage and where I came from can’t be changed – I don’t walk along picking up rocks, looking under them, to suddenly pick one up and throw in back down, pretending I didn’t see what I had just seen under it! You pick them ALL up and welcome whatever you find under them – good or bad. Besides, it’s not the color of the skin that counts, it’s ones character and integrity.
I’ve already encountered persons who were extremely rude and behaved in a very immature manner regarding this issue. I won’t ever and will not accept that type of attitude towards ANY group of people. That’s just the way it is with me. So whatever I find under my rocks – I accept – that’s genealogy. 😉
I didn’t mean to be saying that I didn’t expect you to be open minded, I mean it in the sense that, even though the family has been calling itself pure white, doesn’t make it so. Maybe “take it with a grain of salt” is a better expression than “keep an open mind.”
I have a son Ron…..that’s an easy name for me to remember.
Have you seen the name spelled Bowling. That is the way the Bowlings that lived near my Collins spelled their name. Also have you seen the 1742 court case
“Orange County, Virginia. Order Book No. 3 1741-1743 (Microfilm, Genealogical Society of Utah, 1948).
At a Court held for Orange County on 27 January 1742 [1743 NS]. Thursday, the xxviith day of January MDCCXLIII.
p. 309: “Alexander Machartoon, John Bowling, Manincassa, Capt. Tom, Isaac, Harry, Blind Tom, Foolish Jack, Charles Griffin, John Collins, Little Jack, Indians being brought before the Court by precept under the hands & seals of Wm Russell & Edward Spencer, Gent, for terrifying one Lawrence Strother & on suspicion of stealing hoggs . . . .”
pp. 309-312. The above put up security individually. It was ordered that their guns be taken from them till they are ready to depart out of this county, “they having declared their intentions to the Court to depart this colony within a week” (Orange Co., VA, Order Book 3, 1741-1743, 309). Orange Co., VA, Microfilm Reel 31, VA State Archives. ”
This is another connection of Bowling/Collins. Makes one wonder
:confused: :confused:
Linda & Brenda,
Hi to both of you! Linda, my apologies for sounding so abrupt and aggressive with my reply. I knew you weren’t singling me out per say – I just got started and jumped up on my soapbox – SLAP! Now I feel better! 😀
Brenda, yes I was aware of the hog stealing incident with John Bowling and the others. The thing I’d like to know is who John Bowling was and is there any other info on him? Anyone know who his parents were or anything about him?
And, yes, some of our Boling ancestors were listed on some of the census’ taken as FPC. I’m aware that many of the people listed as FPC could also have been Native American. And, sometimes it was up to the census taker as to how he viewed you as to how he listed you on the census.
Linda and Emma,
Again, this goes back to the fact that I think we need to start from the beginning instead of the end and trace 2 of these gents. In particular, the Collins and the Bowlings. We have discussed this idea before and I’m wondering if there’s anyone that is close enough to Orange County/Louisa County/Amherst County to go digging. Anyone up for that?
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