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Hi, I just ran across this site and have been enlighten already. My grandmother and grandfather homesteaded just south of Big Flat,Arkansas.
My grandmother was Rebecca Louisa Rorie-Smith. Her mother was Amanda Woolard and according to what my father was told my his mother, Amanda was a half Blackfoot Indain. We have no history of the Woolard family. I was wondering if anyone knew of any Blackfoot families in Arkansas or of any with the surmane of Wooldard?
I am always curious about 3 variables — years at a location, surnames found there, and location. What part of Arkansas? When did your ancestor arrive in Arkansas? Are those the only surnames you know about?
Mine went from Va. to In. about 1800-1810, then to Ar. about 1830-40. My Richey’s settled in & around Powhatan, Arkansas, in Lawrence County, and I was wondering how that place got its name. Our surnames that took part in this migration were surnamed Dickson (Dixon), Richey (aka Ritchie, Ritchey, Richie), Wayland, and Wood (Woods). These people were associated with Griffin (Griffith) and Sawyer’s, several famliles of Brown’s, and others.
thanks,
vance hawkins
Reply to Languss
There is a book on the genealogy and history of the Woolard (Wollard, Willard) family published by Janes K. Woolard and Son (900 pg). The address for the publisher is 1930-79 West San Marcos Blvd, San Marcos, Ca. 92069.
He traces the movement of elements of the Woolard family originating in the Northern Neck of Va. (also from Southside Va. and Chowan Co, NC) as they migrated across the county. There is a section on the Woolards who went to Arkansas.
I am interested in the Smith and Wollard families you mention, as their ancestors may relate to some of my Native American ancestors.
This is the background: About 1700 “Indian Bess” Veney was brought to Richmond County Va. and was described as a “free Indian woman “. Over time she and her descendants were enslaved by the family of Thomas Smith and his wife Sarah Woolard. Eventually many of “Indian Bess’s” descendants recovered their freedom in suits in the District Court of Northumberland in 1791 and in the Superior Court of Montgomery County in 1815. The Veneys appear in documents in Va, Oh., Ky., etc. under may variations including Vena, Veney, Viney, Vina, Venet. They are of African and Native American ancestry. In Ohio and Kentucky, they are intermarried with lines associated with the Saponi–Dempsey, Guy, Long, Bird, Goings, Pettyford etc. In Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio, some Veneys claim a Blackfoot heritage. Do you know if your Smith and Woolard lines come from Va.? Good luck. Bess.
I have Smiths in Martinsburg, WV around 1820’s. Have you seen anybody in your line in that vicinity? There was a Tuscarora settlement there, it’s on the Tuscarora Path. I believe there’s still a church called Tuscarora there.
Yes, there were Veneys in Martinsburg, but at a later date. I will get back with details later. Bess
Linda,
I have not done much research in this part of VA/WV so I can’t answer your question as thoroughly as need be. I have no oral history on the Veneys in this area. All I have is taken from documents.
It is my understanding that Martinsburg is in Berkeley county and Berkeley was formed from Frederick county, Va. about 1772. The earliest Veney (male line) close to Martinsburg that I have seen appears about 1840 in Frederick county. But between 1860-70 more Veneys show up in the records in the town of Martinsburg and in the Opequon district. Tuscarora creek flows Eastward through the town of Martinsburg into Opequon creek which empties into the Potomac river. Below are some references to Veneys pinpointing these two locations
1870 census Martinsburg
335/336 Stewart, Barnett 45MW Hotel clerk WV
, Kate 48FW WV
Marshal, Thos 21MB Hostler “
Davis, Lewis 18MM DRCook “
Queen, James 19MB Hostler “
Veney, Martha 25FM C Maid VA
, Ann 8/12 FM WVA
Tucker, Minnnie 18FM Cook “
, Charles 4 MM “
1870 census Opequon Township
102/105 Veney, Henry 28MM Farm Labor VA
102/106 Veney, John 25MM ” “
1880 census Martinsburg
RO12 Woodward, Joseph WM 65 Hotel Mg. VAVAVA
………………………..
Vena, Martha MF 33 Servant VAVAVA
Vena, Mary MF 7 WVVAVA
Vena, Homie MF 35 Servant VAVAVA
Marshal, Thomas BM 30 ” ” “
Roberts, Abram BM 35 ” ” “
Lucas, William MM 18 ” ” “
Coates, Edward BM 35 ” VAVAVA
Willis, James BM 40 ” ” “
Queen, James BM 35 ” ” “
Jennings, Wesley MM 45 ” ” “
Smith, Charles* BM 28 ” ” “
Jackson, John BM 22 ” ” “
Morgan, Hugh BM 18 ” ” “
Dixon, Samuel BM 18 ” “”
Temple, Lucy BF 40 ” ” “
Twyman, Betsey BF 45 ” ” “
Twyman, Sarah BF 22 ” ” “
Melton, Stephen MM23 ” ” “
Jones, Hester BM 28 ” ” “
Williams, Edward MM 22 ” ” “
* This Charles Smith may be the same person who appeared in the 1870 census for Martinsburg as Charles Smith described as a “M”, 15 and born in VA.
This line of Veneys descended from Ned Veney who was born ca 1770 in Richmond County, Va.. He was moved by the Smith family to Culpeper County before he regained his freedom. His descendants spread out from Culpeper, Rappahanock and Madison to Page and Shenandoah Counties and from there some went to Berkeley..
Do you know where your Smiths came from before settling in Martinsburg? Bess.
No, that’s the first we hear of them. They married into our Ulm line, which is remarkably well documented, except for this family, of which there is very little mention, adding to my suspicions that the lady was not so white.
Languss,
Recently, I dug up the Woolard book mentioned above. On page 95, there is material on an AMANDA JANE WOOLARD (b.1842 Wayne Co. Mo.) who married a William Henry Rorie. In 1850, Amanda, her sister and father were living in Stone county, Ar. Her father was Isaac Woolard (b 1818 in Indiana-d 186?) He may have been descended for the Woolards in old Va. or those Woolards from the old Chowan District of N.Carolina. Most likely, this is the Amanda Woolard you are looking for. The author goes on to mention that family tradition says that Amanda Woolard and her sister “were part Blackfoot Indian” (pg.95) The book was published in 1999. Bess.
A “Rurie” married a “Richey” here in SW Oklahoma — a great-uncle of mine, Oscar Taylor Richey’s first wife. She is buried in the same little country cemetary as my g-grandparents (Jeffry Hoten Richey (b. 1851, Powhatan, Ar, d. 1926 near Manitou, Ok) and Josephine Brown Richey (b. 1854 Lawrence County, Ar, d. 1932 near Manitou,Ok). Some of my great uncles (including my grandparents) were married in the Chickasaw nation, but I don’t think Oscar was — I think he married after statehood in 1907, not sure tho. I know Oscar Richey was born in the Chickasaw Nation in the early 1890s.
Do you know anything else about that “Rorie” surname? Was it ever spelled “Rurie”?
thanks.
Jeffs dad, Joseph Richey, was born in Indiana in 1820s, and his father, John Richey, was born in Va.
vance hawkins
[This message has been edited by vance hawkins (edited 10-11-2002).]
[This message has been edited by vance hawkins (edited 10-11-2002).]
Does anybody in this forum know anything about the word “Manitou”? My first husband was military and we traveled across the states several times. I have seen this name in several states and I use to live in the community of Manitou, in Tacoma ,Washington.
Just curious as to where it came from and if it had any meaning.
——————
Life is a Rainbow made up of Many Different Colors…..
Hey all, manitou is an Ojibway /Chippewa word mostly encountered around the Great LAkes but it’s also found amongst the northern cree people, so it is probablyfrom several dialects of Algonquian language family.
Manitou is “spirit” Kissee Manitou is Great Spirit or “God”
BTA, Tom.
I never saw the Rorie surname till a few days ago when I ran across it in the Woolard book mentioned above. Therefore I don’t know if “Rorie” and “Rurie” refer to one and the same family. However, I believe that that is most likely the case given the sound correspondence. It turns out that the Rorie name comes up in another family mentioned by you–the Looneys. For more info on the Looney/Rorie connection turn your browser to the Genform site and call up the Rorie Surname. A “Bev Looney” has developed information on her Rorie ancestors and their migration from VA, to NC (Halifax co), TN and Ark.
Here is another tidbit I forgot to mention when I passed on the material in the Woolard book. John Rorie married Martha Malinda Woolard, the sister of Amanda Jane Woolard who married William Rorie. The Blackfoot claim passes through both of these Woolard/Rorie lines.
The Richeys. Several years ago I entered in my files a reference to a “Solomon Richey” described as a “free person of color” who took some legal action in Augusta, County, Va in 1810. Augusta county is located in the Piedmont of Central/Southwest Va. Formerly, Solomon had been enslaved by Andrew Edwards of Berkeley county, WVA who had emancipated him sometime before 1810. Could Solomon Richey be one of your ancestors? Bess.
in reference to sever4al listings above, the manitou is as was stated “spirit” or “other worldly” there are a variety of stories related to encounters with the manitou in relation to spiritual matters. interestingly, a dialect in virginia refers to the the chiefs of chiefs (who is half god half man) as the manitowick.
the “woolard” surname in old southeastern virginia, but primarily in NE north carolina in counties such as Chowan comes from a variation of woodward or woodard. also seen are woodyard and woodal within the same span of generations. once again the blackfoot id appears as one of several cultural markers originating from the carolina/ virginia piedmont for mixed indian, black, and with ie: the tri racials.
My father’s birth certificate says born: Manitou, Oklahoma, Aug 15, 1915. But in reality he was born on their farm and his grandmother delivered him. That farm was 7 or 8 miles SE of Manitou. It’s a little place with a population only of 200 souls, and that’s on a busy day.
. My mother was one of 5 1937 graduates of Manitou High School (that school building still existed as an abandoned building when I was a kid, but it is no longer there. Josephine Brown Richey (my great-grandma) also delivered my mother, as she was sort of a doctor of a sorts, and country people who couldn’t go to town (it was a days buggy ride to town and back) I’ve been told, went to her for “poltices” and medicines of all sorts. I heard she delivered a lot of babies, too.History says Black Fox (Enoli) was a “conjurer” and a Methodist Minister both. The “Looney” surname that is also Cherokee is said to have descended from him & his relatives. I am not sure what a “conjurer” is, but I think it might deal with traditional medicine. It is possible that tradition passed down to my great-grandma, but I don’t know really. Whether it did or not, it died with her.
I do remember asking my mother about this after dad had passed away, and she told me a story about my Grandma Loney (Richey) Hawkins (Josephine’s daughter). Mom said the first time Loney went to a doctor, she was in her 50s or 60s (that would have been probably in the 1940s during WW2). and mom said she took Loney to the doctors office. She told me grandma told her as she walked out of the doctors office “That man doesn’t know what he’s talkin’ about!” I don’t think she went to a doctor again until she was frail and in her 70s.
I’d heard “Manitou” meant “Great Spirit” or something like that, but knew nothing of the history or language of its origin. I do not know how the town got its name. It is really not much of a town — most of its inhabitants are poor and some homes are not much more than shacks.
vance hawkins
I’d love to know what you have about “Solomon Richey”! I know my earliest known Richey was born John Richey in 1797 and census records say in “Virginia”. Back then, Virginia probably included West Virginia, and for all I know, might have included Kentucky — I really don’t know. My Richeys went from Va to In where they are in 1820, nad John had married Mary (Polly) Wood.
If you still have that information about Solomon Richey, I’d love to get a copy of it!
Feel free to e-mail me personally. There was an “Adam Richey” in Lawrence County, Arkansas in 1810s and we thought we might be related (but we can not prove it) to this fella, as my Richey ancestors went to Lawrence County, Ar, a generation after that.My “Looney” ancestors I “have evidence but not proof” were probably in Va, went to Little Tennessee River area of East Tennessee, may have been Wautagans, and moved with Chickamaugans from this area to Brown’s Valley in NE Alabama. About 1815-1820 they went to Sipsey Wilderness area of N-Central Al, and from there to Arkansas in 1820s or 30s or so.
thanks everyone,
vance hawkins
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