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Itconani,
This is the first time I have heard of the name “Woodward” referred to as a form of “Woolard”. I will keep this in mind. Should this be the case, the presence of James Woodward/Woolard in Berkeley county, might well explain the migration of the Veneys to this location. Do you have other info on the Woolard family in Richmond County or the Southside border region of VA? According to the book, referred to previously, the Woolards of the Southside Va. were involved in fur trade with the native people in the 17th century. William Woolard (from 1670 on) had connections with noted fur traders as Thomas Bland, Thomas Gilliam and Nathaniel Batts. William Woodlard and his descendants lived at one time or other among the native people in the areas of Nasmond County and Isle of Wight of Va. At another time he lived in the vicinity of the Roanoke River, the Chowan River and Albemarle Sound of N.C. So it is most likely that the Woolards had contact with some Siouan speaking peoples (among others) who have become identified, subsequently, in oral histories as “blackfoot”.
Vance,
I have very little on Solomon Richey. What I have is presented below from the Court abstracts of Augusta county Va by L. Chalkley. You can get copies of the original case files, which have more details , by contacting the County court in Staunton, Va.
“Richie vs. Painter–O. S. 271; N. S. 95–Bill, 23d May, 1810. Orator is Solomon Richey, a free man of color, who was surety for Frederick Painter of Amherst as purchaser of a tract of land in Amherst from Walter Frazer on Pedlor River, 45 acres of which Painter agreed to secure to orator. Orator formerly belonged to Andrew Edwards of Berkley County, by whom he was freed”.
CHRONICLES OF THE SCOTCH-IRISH SETTLEMENT OF VIRGINIA; Vol 2, pp 204 by Lyman Chalkley
Bess.
Thank you very much! My ancestors left Virginia between 1797 and 1820, maybe about the time of this 1810 incident. We have never known in what part of Virginia our ancestors lived. It is far harder to trace the residents of a state than the residents of a county. Now I need to find Brekeley County, and the city of Amhurst on a map!
Now I’ll have to find out what it means when it says — (paraphrasing) Orater was Solomon Richie/ey and Orator was surety for some land . . . — I don’t know what those sentences mean!
Can anyone translation this into 21st century English? Thanks.We have had “hints” that some ancestors might have been slaves at one time, so that is not a surprize, if indeed we are related to “Solomon” Richey.
We can’t find John Richey’s (b. Va 1797 — lived in Indiana two decades — d. Ar 1861) father. Maybe it was Solomon? It is something to look into, anyhow, at the very least. We have been told our Richey’s were “Irish” mixed with Indian people. “Tuckahoe” were supposed to be mixed-blood or poor Irish indentured servants, I think. So this “seems” to fit with what we know. Only further research can tell.
Again, thank you very much. If this checks out or can be checked out even, we are eternally in your debt.
vance hawkins
Smith Ulm
Material from my files in this area (Berkeley/ Frederick Co. Va.) suggest that the Smith and Ulm lines mentioned above may be related to the known “Indian traders” of this region in so called “pioneer days”.Two names stand out: Pearis and Vanmeter. The family of Richard Pearis came into this area in the 1750s. They took up land along Back Creek, Opequon river, and Tuscarora creek. Richard Pearis traded with native peoples locally and with native peoples further south — the Cherokee and the Catawba. He took a native women as a wife,locally, and a second native women as a wife in Cherokee territory. He owned “Indian” slaves.. Two of his principle collaborators in land speculation and trade were John Smith and Jos Hite. The name of John Ulm, also has come up(1779)in land transactions affecting Pearis. Pearis’s land on Tuscarora creek was only a few miles from that John Ulm. So it is possible that leads to your Ulms and Smiths could be found in the records of Pearis.. The same holds of John Vanmeter. He was a trader who came to the area in the 1730s. He made contact with the Delaware of that vicinity and traveled with them to Catawba land. He maintained trade with both groups over time. Some of his descendants intermarried with Shawnee who dwelled for a time in that region. It might be worth while to delve further into the county records of Berkeley and Frederick counties to glean any relevant material relating to the families of Pearis and Vanmeter.
Bess.
Very interesting. Are any of the Pearis records available online that you’ve seen?
I’ve heard there’s a church called Tuscarora Church. I don’t know if it’s conjecture that it started as a mission church, or if it’s known. I’ve wondered if there’s anything in the earliest records that might reveal something along those lines. Have you come across anything about it?
I have a few things on the church.The Tuscarora Presbyterian Church was located on Tuscarora Creek two miles west of Martinsburg. The creek flows slightly South and East through the town into Opequon River. The church was built in 1750. The tribe’s movement to and through this area took place some time between 1713-1800. So, most likely, many of the organizers of the Tuscarora Church were present when the Tuscarora Tribe was residing on the Creek. There are records available on this early period of the Church. Some are housed at the Library of Virginia in Richmond, Va.. Others are probably held by the Genealogical and Historical Society of Berkeley County in Martinsburg. There were other churches organized at this early date near Martinsburg: the Episcopal Church-1740 and the Quakers-1780. Their records may also have relevant info on Native Peoples of the area and their relation to the settlers (invaders).
Only a few county records of the Pearis and the Van Meter families in Frederick county, Va or Berkeley County Va Wva are online. You will have to go to the state archives in Va and WVA and the county archives in Berkeley and Frederick, VA to get what you really need. Below I have plucked up a few things off the Internet at the Augusta County, Va. USGENWEBB Archive site. These are taken from abstracts made by Layman Chalkley of the District Court Records of Augusta. http://www.rootsweb.com/~chalkley/
[Bess-the spelling and punctuation are as presented in the document]
1.Chalkley Vol 3 p391
“Page 87.–16th November, 1762. Richard Pearis and Rhoda, of Frederick County, to Alexander Boyd, of the Virginia Regiment, £50, ½ of a tract containing acres in upper part of Dunger Bottom, conveyed by John Miller to said Richard Pearis and a certain John Smith, August, 1762. Delivered: Alex. Love, November, 1763”.[Bess-this land is located in Montgomery County Va.]
2.Chalkley Vol 3 p346
“Page 450.–16th April, 1757. Cap. Richard Pearis to Sarah Paris and Margaret Pearis, £, love and goodwill; his daughters, slaves and other personalty; to Sarah in case she marries with father’s consent; to Margaret, same condition (conveys one Indian wench named Pratchey. Delivered: Cap. Peter Hog, December, 1770.”
3.Chalkley Vol 2 p81.
“Marshall vs. Hunter–O. S. 43; N. S. 15–Bill filed 22d June, 1799. Fairfax had set aside 800 acres for himself which he contemplated giving to a certain _____ Beal (?), but Beal removed out of Berkeley (Frederick). Fairfax devised it to Denny Martin, who conveyed to James M. and John Marshall and others by deed recorded in General Court. The Commonwealth confirmed to purchasers the lands set apart by Lord Fairfax to his own use. Philip Pendleton and David Hunter are in possession of the tract by a treasury warrant, and the parties leave the controversy to the Court. Copy of survey, 1775, for John Ullam of Berkeley County, of a tract lying something more than one mile and three-fourths from the Potomac and adjoining lands of Thomas Adams. Col. John Carlyle, Michael Shively. Copy of survey 1775, for tract adjoining old patent of John Van Meter on drains of Opecon in Berkeley County formerly surveyed for Robert Beal. Copy of survey 1775, for Morrice Gibbons of Berkeley County. Copy of grant by Fairfax to John Owlent, in 1753. Copy of grant by Fairfax to Cap. Richard Pearis, in 1763. Thomas Rutherford deposes at house of Thomas Flagg, in Charles Town, that from 1752-1763 he was surveyor for Fairfax. Beall returned to England whence he came, and there died. Robert Stephen deposes that after 1768 he was a rent collector for Fairfax. William Rush deposes (1802) that for 30 years he has lived on a tract joining the land in controversy. He is thirty-five years old. Richard Morgan deposes (25th September, 1802) aged 41 years, that he was born within one and one-fourth miles of the land in controversy, and has lived there ever since. His father was Jacob Morgan. John McCool of the society of Friends deposes. Peter Light, Senr., deposes. Robert Cockburn deposes. Copy of deed dated 20th February, 1784, Saml. Oldham and Anne of Berkeley County, to Moses Hunter, a tract on drains of Opeckon, conveyed to Samuel by John Linden (Snider) by deed 11th and 12th September, 1772. Cor. Moses Keywood, Cor. Cap. Richard Pearis, cor. John Newland, 150 acres. Recorded in Berkeley 23d April, 1784. Letter from Richard Rigg to Jacob Morgan, dated 26th July, 1777”
[Bess-This is a large case file involving a dispute over the ownership of land in Berkeley County, in the vicinity of Tuscarora Creek and Opequon River. The depositions, surverys, grants and deeds testify to the conflict in claims for Marshal and Hunter for the same land. It is noteworthy that the names of John Ullam, Richard Pearis and John Van Meter are mentioned indicating, that at a much earlier time they were so located to have had contact with the native people who were known to lived in this area–the Tuscarora.]
My Johaan Ulm/Woolam was b. in Lancaster, PA 1745. His firstborn was John Woolam, b. 1772 in Berkley, WV (He had a daughter, Hannah Wollam who married a John Shively, BTW). He would have been my director’s ancestor, John’s Ulm’s cousin.
Vance,
You are not indebted to me. I gladly share my resources with you and others who are searching for evidence of their native ancestry. Knowledge of our native ancestry has been deliberately kept from us by those who oppress us, so as to better keep us down. The slave owners and the capitalists who robbed our for bearers of their dignity, of their land and plundered their labor have placed many obstacle in the way of our quest to unearth the truth of our ancestry. Only our joint efforts, not driven by material gain, can break through this maize. This is why I make my contribution to the common effort. My main concern is that what I give may be useful to those who receive it. I am happy to here that some of this info may be beneficial to you. I too benefit from the genealogical and historical material that people send to this list.
It is my understanding, though it may be slightly in error, that the meaning of the court action by Solomon Richey is to recover a debt owed him by Frederick Painter. In this case, Richey is the plaintiff, the “orator” (the person bringing the action) and Painter is the defendant. The issue resolves around a land purchase by Frederick Painter from Walter Frazier. Apparently, Painter bought it on credit. To ensure full payment and on time, Frazer required the purchaser (Frederick Painter) to get someone to “co-sign”, that is to post a bond (surety) equal to the value of the land. Should Painter default on the payment, the bond would be automatically forfeited to Frazer. Apparently, Solomon Richie posted this surety bond as a friend or as a relative of Painter. Or he simply could have been a speculator. To protect his interest, Richey must have required Painter to put up the title to the land as security for the bond. Subsequently, Painter must have taken possession of the land, but failed to pay up on time and the bond was forfeited to the original seller, Frazer. Now, Richie was in trouble (losing the value of the bond) unless he could get Painter to turnover the land to him. Therefore Richie went to court, in Augusta county (this being his residence at the time of the action), to force Painter to turn over the title of land. Since Solomon Richey was a person of color and nominally without rights under chattel slavery, he had to prove to the Court that he was a “free person of color” and entitled to bring a suit before the court. That is the reason for the declaration to that effect at the end of the abstract.
again thank you. That explanation makes sense.
Where would one go to discover the results of this action, to determine if he won or lost his court case?
I think I’ll look for a “Solomon Richey” in Indiana, also.
vance
Richey,
Most likely the case file, itself, will have a copy of the Court’s decision for or against Solomon Richey. This case offers some opportunities to locate documented genealogical info on Solomon Richey and the other parties, Painter and Frazer. Since you requested some help on what to do, may I offer a few suggestions based on my own experience that might bring results and cut down the time and cost of the search.
1. As I stated before, I would do everything I could to get a copy of the case file from the court house by writing them and requesting a copy of all the material in it. Contact:
Augusta county Courthouse,
Clerk of the Circuit Court
P.O. Box 689 Staunton, VA 24402-0689
Phone: (540) 245-5321.
A copy of the complete file will cost more than few dollars but it will be well worth it. It will save you major costs/time down the road.
A. The file may contain a copy of the manumission papers for Solomon (or other legal docs proving that he was free. Most often this type of document will give a brief description of Solomon from which you may infer his nationality. It may also indicate the time and place where Solomon was liberated; and other conditions, such as did Edwards have possession of other Richeys? who? Such papers occasionally, (not as a rule) will mention other relatives outright.
B. the file almost sureley will contain a copy of the property deed between Frazer and Painter. Solomon and or his relatives my have witnessed the transaction. The deed may give a more precise description of where the land is located on “Pedlar” river, mentioning neighbors, some of whom might(?)include other Richeys. It should be noted that some of the Painters of the Pedlar region of Amherst are alleged to be connected to people of Native American Ancestry. So it is important to find out more about the Painter/Richie connection through the deed.
C. There may be depositions from friends or relatives of Solomon discussing agreements between the parties before, during and after the land transaction. In these statements genealogical info may come up.
2. If I could not get a copy of the case file which should have the documents mentioned above, I would try to get individual copies of the key doc: the land deed from the Courthouse in Amherst County and a copy of the registration or manumission paper from the Courthouse in Berkeley, assuming this transaction took place there. It will be almost impossible to locate these docs online, since in all probability no one has uploaded them. The best alternative is to locate someone on this list who lives in Richmond Va. who can visit the Library of Virginia and go through their microfilm of the respective County records. Even then, the manumission doc will be hard to find in Berkeley county records because it maybe deposited in several places, and you have to check them all. It could be in the Will books (estate books) , the Order books or in the Deed Books under the name Andrew Edwards or in the name of his administrator/executor. But with persistance it can be recovered.
3. If I could not locate someone on this list or other native american lists to visit the Library of Va. I would try to get the respective County Court records through Interlibrary loan by way of your local public library or a near by university library.
Richey
I looked over some of your other surnames besides Richey, ie., Guest (Gist), Hoten, and Dixon. I agree with you that your ancestors who carried these names came from East Tenn. They were connected to noted “indian traders” who came into this area via the old Warrior trail.
This path moved across the backside of Va, moving from the North East to the South West. The Northern end of the trail in Va. passed through Berkeley, County VA/WVA at the Potomac River. The Southern terminus was in old Washington County wich was at the Eastern gate of the Cherokee Nation in what is today, East Tenn (the counties of Sullivan and Hawkins). If you pickup a Va. road map, the Warrior Path is most easily recognized if you follow interstate #81 from Bristol Tenn. all the way up to Martinsburg WVA. This super highway was laid out, essentially, over the main branch of old Warrior Trail. Amherst, Bedford, Roanoke, and Augusta counties are located in the middle portion of this trail in VA.
Some of the main traders, coming out of PA and MD, who moved their pack horse caravans over this trial to the “Indians of the South west”, were the Paris Family, the Smiths (John, Abraham), the Hites, the Van Meters and John Hatton and Christopher Gist. Though, initially, the focus of the investigation for Solomon Richey, should be Berkeley, Augusta and Amherst Counties Va, however, eventually it may lead to other counties along this trail including Frederick (in the North) and Washington County Va, and Sullivan and Hawkins Counties in Tenn. (In the south).
You speculate that the name “Hoten” may have come from “Powhattan”. I think, more likely, it came from John Hatton, the “indian trader” who had a daughter, named Pratchy, by a Cherokee woman named Ah-ne-wa-kee Moytoy. The latter was the daughter of the Moytoy, a Chickamauga chief. Some researchers say that Pratchy Hatton was the second wife of Richard Pearis.
Your “Hoten”may be a derivative of “Hatton”. Just as your “Guest” is a derivative of Gist. Also, you should know that the surname of the wife of John Hatton was Dixon. So this is where your Dixon may (?) have come from. Below I refer you to a few things on the Internet that support these conclusions. As well you should keep in mind that all these traders had connections with Eastern Siouan tribes of the Piedmont of Va/NC. Pearis, Hite, Vanmeter, Gist and John Smith had direct dealings with the Catawba. Additionally, Pearis moved to Amherst/Bedford County from 1752 to 1760 apparently for trade with the local natives, who were Monacans. Another trader who hung with this crowd, was Richard Smith. He was out of the Ft.Christanna area with direct ties to the Saponies, Occaneeches etc. So, the “Blackfoot” ancestors in your Richie and Woods lines could be derived from Siouan Native Americans with contact with this same group of traders as well. Bess Veney.
http://donmchugh.tripod.com/paris/richardpearis.htm http://donmchugh.tripod.com/paris/1700_1755.htm.
Try this for Pearis, Hatton, Smith, etc.
thanks again Bess — I owe you!
I was just speculating about the nanme “Hoten”, it is in 2 generations of my Richey Ancestors, so I was wonderin’.
John Richey married Mary Polly Wood and they go to Indiana then Arkansas. Mary’s parents were John Wood/s and Nancy Dickson/ Dixon. Now I need to look up more about this Hoten (sp?) connection. Lotta work to do!
Maybe this is comin’ together. We’ve had a roadblock at 1797 birth of John Richey for years! Who were his parents? Maybe some of this will yeild some light for us, as well as the otehr surnames.thanks again,
vance hawkins
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