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I am descended through the Aaron Freeman and Mary Bentley family lines through 2 of their sons, Aaron Posey Freeman & Rev. Moses Freeman. My lines go like this:
Aaron Freeman + Mary Bentley
-Rev. Moses Freeman + Fanny Ball
-Tabitha Freeman + John Jackson Rees
-Eliza Rees
-Aaron Posey Freeman + Elsie Ball (1st wife)
-Green Freeman + Nancy (currently last name unknown)
-Humphrey Posey Freeman
Humphrey Posey Freeman married his 2nd cousin Eliza Rees
-Mary Freeman (b. 1850 NC) + Charles Jackson Johnston
-Laura Belle Johnston + Fred Cox
Laura & Fred Cox were my great grandparents.
Recently, a fellow “cousin” (male Freeman) of mine through Humphrey Posey Freeman & Eliza Rees (their first son Moses K. Freeman) had DNA testing done through the Family Tree DNA website and the freeman DNA project (http://www.carnicle.com/DNA_Project/) and the results came back Q1a3a for the y-line, meaning that our Freeman line began with a Native American male, not a European male like so many researchers have tried to make fit. This also goes along with what my ancestors passed down regarding Green Freeman, who they claimed was 19/32nds Native American, a little more than half, meaning both parents would have likely had some Native American ancestry.
We have little data beyond Aaron Freeman and Mary Bentley, but most reasearchers have tied him back through the following ancestry:
John Freeman of Norfolk Virginia line
— William Freeman and Mary Cording, Chowan Co.
–John Freeman + Tabitha Hoyter (daughter of Thomas Hoyter,
(chief member of the Chowan tribe)
–John Freeman + possibly Sarah Winbourne
— Aaron Freeman + Mary Bentley.
However, the links in this family line beyond Aaron and Mary Freeman are not clear, and there is conflicting information amongst researchers. I do know through reading historical texts on the colonial history of Virginia and North Carolina that a series of families show up in Chowan Co. NC records that seem to either intermarry throughout generations and/or follow each other across country, names like: FREEMAN, BALL, BENTLEY, ROUNDTREE, JARVIS, CRAWFORD, PHELPS, BLOUNT, PATTERSON, HINTON, OUTLAW, VINSON, HOWARD, WARD, & WOODWARD (plus more). Some of these families actually bought land from the remaining Chowan Indians in 1722. It leaves one to wonder how many of these families had Native American ties.
So, ultimately I am looking for a definitive line back past Aaron and Mary. I am also looking for that first Freeman male in our line, a Native American male who likely adopted the name Freeman at some point, probably prior to 1722. Other’s have tested positive for Q1a3a dna in this line as well, so we know it goes back past at least to Aaron Freeman Sr.
I have lots of infromation on the Aaron Posey Freeman family through both his wives (Elsie Ball & Allabeth Ball) and am also working on unraveling the Ball family mystery as well. At some point it was suggested to me that Allabeth (Ball) Freeman might have been Saponi, but now I also have to question if Aaron Posey Freeman might have been Saponi — Lumbee has also been suggested, although John H. Bennight, grandson of Aaron and Allabeth through their daughter Mary Freeman, claimed Cherokee ancestry through his grandfather Aaron Posey Freeman when he filed his Dawes application. John H. Bennight never knew his mother’s family as she died when he was a small boy, and was unaware of Allabeth’s claim to being half Choctaw. John H. Bennight’s application was later consolidated with over 250 family names listed, all of which were denied. However, I’ve also heard that later that decision was reversed, at least in some cases where evidence was resubmitted — I have not yet found proof of this.
Any information is welcome, and I’m more than happy to share what I have as well.
Thanks much,
Kim Archer
I found Aaron Freeman and Mary Bentley in my people’s data base.
Google Standridge & Renfroe that will take you to Betty Renfroe’s cherokee home page data base she as quite a bit of info on them that you do not have.
Hi Cowboy,
Thanks for the info. I actually have seen most of the information listed in Betty Renfroe’s world connect page, but did find a couple of things to check out hat I wasn’t aware of. The information on Aaron and Mary has mostly been proven, the problem I have is going back the next generation. There are actually 2 wills for John Freeman in Chowan Co., and there is some controversy as to whether or not the 2 John’s are father son, and whether or not my Aaron is one of either of their sons. I need just a little more solid evidence to make me feel comfortable with that connection. So far I haven’t found it, and then there is the question of which ancestor was the Indian — my cousin feels we may never know the answer, but I keep assuring him there is hope.
There is also controversy regarding the 2 Ball women who were wives of Aaron Posey Freeman. Many researchers have tried to link Elsie Ball to Daniel Ball and Elizabeth Osburne, but there is no definitive proof, and as I’ve been digiging into the Ball families in the old Buncombe region, it becomes even more evident that there is conflicting information that leads to Elsie likely being the daughter of William Ball instead. Allabeth’s descendents claimed in Dawes applications that her parents were Silas Ball and and unknown Pendergraff/Tendergrass woman — so far the only Silas I’ve found was likely her brother based a marriage date and census records, and it is more likely that her mother’s last name was Pendergrass, a family that was located in the Old Buncombe area prior to the surveying of the land in 1800. If you ever stumble across any Silas Ball’s in the North Carolina or surrounding areas, let me know. He and Green Freeman (Aaron Posey Freeman’s son) are my 2 mystery men — Silas I have yet to find, and Green just disappears from the region and doesn’t show up with the family anywhere they settle.
Let me know if you happen to stumble onto anything else — somewhere amongst all the data out there, there has to be a clearer answer.
Thanks much,
Kim
I’m not descended from Aaron Freeman, but to my understanding he was born in Chowan tribal territory, later he settled at the Forks of the Yadkin where he had a tavern or trading house, and he evidently traded with the Catawbas, cherokees, creeks, and I’m sure he probably had dealings with the Saponi.
Later he settled in Buncombe Co. N.C., and acted as a trader and Indian agent, as there is a land transaction between Aaron Freeman and my Creek ancestor Samuel Lowe around 1812/1814 for land on Turkey Creek in Buncombe Co. N.C.
I have been told there was a number of Mixed-blooded families on Turkey creek from different tribal backgrounds..
Thanks for the information. I found the transaction between Aaron and Samuel Lowe some time back, but didn’t realize the significance of Lowe being an mixed blood family. I believe the Chavis family living on Turkey Creek was also mixed blood.
I’ve been doing a lot of research over the past couple of weeks, and I’m going to stir up a whole lot of trouble with my fellow researchers on this line, but it turns out researchers made the wrong connection to the John Freeman of Norfolk, later William Freeman of Chowan, connection with Aaron Freeman. Based on other DNA samples, it is very likely that all the Freeman’s testing Q1a3a at the Freeman DNA Project (http://www.carnicle.com/DNA_Project/test.htm) share a common ancestor.
Thanks much,
Kim Archer
Kim,
I had been told that a number of Indian families lived on Turkey Creek in Buncombe Co. N.C. in the early 1800’s, and that it was sort of a inter-tribal community of Indians.
I’m descended from Samuel Lowe, and some of his great grand children did travel to the Creek Nation Indian Territory and applied for Creek Citizenship, they were rejected, but there was a court case, and the application did provide some information about Samuel Lowe, and the fact that his neighbors viewed him as being a Indian..
I know there was at least four Indian families living on Turkey Creek
Freeman—Chowan Indian
Harrison—-Cherokee Indian
Lowe—-Creek Indian
Chavis—-Lumbee Indian ( According to Lumbee oral tradition the Chavis
family was one of five core families that came from the Roanoke
River region to the Lumber River.) so this family may have been
Tuscarora indian.
I am trying to work out the lineage of Green Freeman who was born in NC in late 1780-90s and then went to Greene Co., Arkansas by 1850. George B. Freeman, born 1810 in NC went to Missouri between 1834 and 1835. He then went to Greene Co, Ark. George married Nancy ___, 1812, NC. Children were Presley, H. Green, Tilman Howard, Henry C., Abigail, Demarias (Demmer), and Isaac Allen. George died by 1860 and Nancy lived with her children. Another Green Freeman lived in Carroll Co.,TN in early 1820 -30s. I have worked on this family for years!
omg, I have almost given up on ever figuring my family out, but after looking over all the notes, I am not going crazy, the family is truly messed up. My other side of the family runs smooth, but on this side I was loosing my mind, any information that you know I would love to have. I’m trying to leave as much legecy to my grandchildren, but at this point, all I can tell them is that we are truly “the desfunctional family” maybe there should be a separate forum for those members of the family that have cracked up over this! If I had learnt all this information 20 years ago, I might have died in shock, but now, nothing in this family is shocking. Melody Donahoe, grandparents Moses Freeman, fanny ball, so anything you have would help me, or maybe put me over the edge. melody@melodykoert.com
I’ll be happy to share what I have on this family, but I can’t tie them in to Moses with “proof” as yet. There is some connection of my Freeman and Kennedy families with Jones and Edmonston (Edmiston,etc), McNeal (Neal), Killebrew, Cantrell, and Bethel families. These families appear together in Wilson/Dekalb/Warren counties in middle TN, west TN, and then in NE Arkansas. Can’t break the code yet, but still working.
Marriage 1 Mary Bentley b: 1748 in Rowan County, NC
Married: 17 DEC 1769 in Rowan County, NC
Children
Joshua Freeman b: 1770 in Rowan County, NC
Jesse Freeman b: 1772 in Rowan County, NC
Moses Freeman b: 14 SEP 1774 in Rowan County, NC
Thomas Freeman b: 1777 in Iredell County, NC
Aaron Posey Freeman b: 1782 in Iredell County, NC
Isaac Freeman b: ABT 1785 in North Carolina
James Freeman b: ABT 1785 in Rowan County, NC
John Freeman b: 1793 in Iredell County, NC
The Isaac Freeman line moved into N.W. Ark. and married into my people the Standridge and Branch family’s pretty heavily i wonder about that. Were there some kind of connection back east? My direct line emigrated in 1829 to N.W. Ark. and they probably already had family there earlier this was cherokee old settler territory.
I’m still looking for George and Green Freeman in Greene Co., Ark. Also I am still trying to figure out who is the Greene Freeman in Carroll Co., TN or that general area of West TN.
It sounds like you and I could probably have gone crazy together over this line. There is still a lot to be unraveled, but it is much less of a mess than the Ball line. I have some information on Rev. Moses that I can share with you, but I have yet to find anything that clearly states Fanny Ball as his wife — although there are church records that state both Moses and Fanny Freeman in the same church. We have rumors of Fanny Ball and Else Ball being sisters and wives to Moses and Aaron, but we need more evidence. my email is kimberly_archer@hotmail.com if you would like to contact me — I would be happy to share what I can.
Melody Donahoe;36091 wrote: omg, I have almost given up on ever figuring my family out, but after looking over all the notes, I am not going crazy, the family is truly messed up. My other side of the family runs smooth, but on this side I was loosing my mind, any information that you know I would love to have. I’m trying to leave as much legecy to my grandchildren, but at this point, all I can tell them is that we are truly “the desfunctional family” maybe there should be a separate forum for those members of the family that have cracked up over this! If I had learnt all this information 20 years ago, I might have died in shock, but now, nothing in this family is shocking. Melody Donahoe, grandparents Moses Freeman, fanny ball, so anything you have would help me, or maybe put me over the edge. melody@melodykoert.com
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