- This topic has 12 voices and 34 replies.
-
Posts
-
Here’s a pretty good overview of the history of Indians in North Carolina. Although it’s primarily an overview, it’s nevertheless filled with specific details. (For example, it says that the surname, HARRIS is a familiar family name among the Catawba.)
It also has a good bibliography.
http://www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/sections/hp/colonial/Nchr/Subjects/wetmore.htm
An “AN ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS OF NORTH CAROLINA” by John Brickell, Dublin, 1737.
http://www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/sections/hp/colonial/Bookshelf/Natural/Indians1.htm
Long, but interesting. Especially, his account of “The Trading Girls.” I wonder how many of our ancestors were the offspring of those “Trading Girls?”
I’ve heard some say that the “princess” title was actually a euphemism for a Native prostitute.
I think there was a huge cultural disconnect about “morals.” Perhaps you’ve seen what I was writing some months back about William Byrd’s “History of Drawing the Line.” He travelled through the Piedmont and took full advantage of the mores about the sexual freedom of single women. They were free to dally with newcomers to the village, and a “bride price” (even if the “marriage” was just for an evening) was customary. The Euros saw this as prostitution. Since a headman or father would broker this “bride price” I’ve seen them referred to as “pimps.”
I would imagine as those tribes were disrupted and fell apart that particular moré was really exploited. I’ve wondered, too, how many of the “white” Indians who crossed over into the mainstream economy so early on, had these kinds of origins. It would help to explain some of the secrecy. The stigma of the word bastard was pretty intense.
Thanks for the links. I’ll put them in the pile of links I need to add to the main page.
Folks I was surfing the internet and discovered this very interesting site: http://www.webroots.org/library/usahist/anvtc000.html
A New Voyage to Carolina – Part 5 & 6
An ACCOUNT of the INDIANS of NORTH-CAROLINA
It goes into many different subjects. Here is just some of the titles:
*Indian Peaches
*Indian Tobacco
*Indians Dance of War.
*Dance of Peace
*Indian Cabins
*Indian FoodIndians
*Charity to Widows
*Indian Burial of their Dead
*Trading Girls
*Children go with the Women
*Indian Marriage
*Mats how made
*Baskets
*Nurse Children how
*Cradle
*Indians how named
*Indian Speech
——————
Life is a Rainbow made up of Many Different Colors…..
I tried to figure out if there’s more of Lawson’s book in that link, than there is in the version that’s on our main page. This got me to re-reading a chapter or two.
In this section Lawson stops at Sapona Town. I couldn’t make out where it was. Does anybody know where Lawson was at this point in his journey?
http://saponitown.com/LawsonPartTen.htm
Linda,
Don’t know if this will help but found it interesting myself. I took the information from the Rodgers Family site. http://rogers-ben.com/ftchiswell.htm
There is more details at the site.
Ft. Chiswell, the Lead Mines, and Gunpowder
According to “The VA Frontier, 1754-1763”, p.114, Fort Chiswell was constructed in 1758 as a protection against the Cherokee Indians and was probably named after Col Chiswell who owned the lead mine in what is now AUSTINVILLE, Wythe Co, VA.
In 1763, Col Chiswell traveled to England to find experienced miners. He hired William Herbert to serve as superintendent of the mines. The miners were known as the Welsh miners. Source: Article titled “The Lead Mines of New River” by Mary B. Kegely.
It appears that this lead mines and the Fort played an important role early in the history of Fincastle Co and Montgomery Co during the colonial period and the Revolution. The lead production continued to be very important for Wythe Co, and the Confederacy during the Civil War.
Col John Chiswell, husband of Elizabeth, daughter of William Randolph, of Turkey Island, discovered in the 1757 the New River lead mines that later would become the Wythe Lead and Zinc Works. The site is now at Austinville, Wythe Co, VA. Fort Chiswell, some six miles to the north, was named for him. He killed a Scotch gentleman in 1766 for which he was to be tried but his suicide ended the matter.
Fort Chiswell was there by 1761 as it was mentioned in the affairs of a company of militia stationed at it. Hames City County has a record of payment to John Chiswell and company for lead and provisions in 1763. Andrew Lewis sent a detail there from Williamsburg in July 1776 to take delivery of a quantity of lead
The following was taken from “The Sinews of War, Revolutionary War Procurement”, p. 23-24. “Probably the most critical single item for supply for American forces in the Revolution was gunpowder…….In addition, Congress brought two French experts over to instruct Americans in the manufacture of saltpeter and gunpowder. Individual states circulated instructions, offered subsidies for private manufacture, and established a number of public powder mills.” See the fourth bullet below.
The following quotes are taken from the book, “William Preston and the Allegheny Patriots” by Patricai Givens Johnson, published 1976. This book is the first source I have found that gives documentation to gunpowder making in the area of the Lead Mines near Fort Chiswell. As you will see, gunpowder was produced in this area and based on the traditional stories about John (the Powder Maker) Rogers’ powder making, I suspect we now know how he got his start at powder making. In the following quotes, I added
——————
Life is a Rainbow made up of Many Different Colors…..
Linda, about the “princess” title……the idea has occurred to me that when native americans tried to explain to european settlers that women were to be treated with respect, the only concept that made any sense to the europeans was that of a “princess”.
Could be why so many people have an “Indian Princess” in their history.
Hello Descendants of Saponi Town – Greentown – Lawrenceville, Virginia:
My name is KIM MCARTHUR, I am also a descendant of the “GREEN’s” of Greentown-Lawrenceville, Vitginia in Brunswick County . . .
“MACK, VAN, & Nancy ( GAINES ) CALLIS” were from FREEMAN, VIRGINIA in Brunswick County . . .The “MOORE’s” were their first cousins . . .
Gertrude (Powell) Green (She was Brown Skin) came from North Carolina on a Ferry and
then met Willie Green….Her mother was very Light skinned and her father dark skinned….
She mention to the Children that her parents were Watusi/Indians (Watusi ‘s are from Eastern Africa ) She said her father was very tall…Watusi’s are very tall…
Her mother was probably Indian… & Her father was probably African & Indian
mixed….Because She was a Mixed Indian….
Please send me information about the “POWELL”, “GAINES”, & “CALLIS”
My Family Tree is below:
Fred & Polly (Jackson) Green
Great Great Great Grand Parents
Marcy & Lucy (Wyche) Green
Great Great Grand Parents
Willie & Gertrude (Powell) Green
Great Grand Parents
Van & Louise ( Green) Callis
Grand Parents
Fred & Sarah ( Callis) McArthur
Parents
Kim A. McArthur
(Myself)
______________________
Mack & Nancy (Gaines) Callis
Great Grand Parents
Van & Louise (Green) Callis
Grand Parents
Fred & Sarah (Callis) McArthur
Parent
Kim Mcarthur
(myself)
_______________
Thank you,
KIM MCARTHUR
Interesting, and rare, that an African tribe would be remembered. That story seems much older than any recent common knowledge about the Watusi. By that I mean, it looks like it’s been in your family a lot longer than average southern country people would have been familiar with the term.
Also interesting you mention Powells. My second cousin has a Powell line he knows to be NDN, they were in Culpepper and Orange Counties. VA in the early 18th century. He sent me a photo of a cousin of his, who reminds me a lot of Greentown ladies I’ve seen. Their people ended up in Wisconsin.
The other names you mentioned aren’t familiar to me. Maybe somebody else knows more.
Only to say that id agree with the Watusi comment. How did your family obtain this info, along with the color variations detailed? I was just thinking of some of the musters, rolls, census,etc materials weve all seen with the same.
Gaines is probably Goins related.
and of course if youre from Brunswick originally, green is related to greentown with the material present?
I hadn’t thought of Gaines possibly being Goins. Sapon1, I know you’re a Goins expert, have you seen this documented?
Hello:
My Great Aunt Olivia (my grandmother’s sister) claims her mother descendants were of Watusi-Indian..and all her mother’s people died along time ago…
When I looked it up, I found out that Watusi’s were from
East Africa . . .
Most Slaves came from West Africa . . .
My Great Aunt & My Grandmother, said her mother’s father was very very tall …
So when I read up on Watusi’s, I learned that they were very very tall people…
Many people in my family who have that “gene” are very very tall..
My brother Wendell & my cousin Keith are very very tall….
_______________________
Now the “CALLIS” ….
on the website
http://genforum.genealogy.com/callis/messages/238.html
and
http://genforum.genealogy.com/callis/messages/241.html
I located African-American “CALLIS” who were looking for there descendants of Lawrenceville, VA
SANDY & DAVID CALLIS…
Sandy was very aware of the “Callis” being mixed … They are “Tri-Racial” . . . .
Also, David Callis , who Claims to live in Philadelphia mention that he had relatives also in Lawrenceville, VA….
_______________________
My Grandfather, Van Callis was of Caucasian, Indian (Cherokee)& African-American mixture . . .
Brown Skinned with Coarse Hair…
The Classification of his race was African-American
_______________________
My Grandfather Van Callis relatives moved up north (NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY, PENNSYLVANIA & WASHINGTON, DC)before I was born & before my Grandmother married him …
I attended my Grandfather’s sister’s funeral in Philadelphia in the late 60’s or early 70’s…
After My Grandfather got out of the Military he worked in New Jersey before he moved back to the south and met my Grandmother, Louise(Green) Callis and got married…
Today, I emailed
Sandy & David Callis…
Hopefully I will hear from them…
Linda,
Since I lost my job due to the WTC (World Trade Center) tragedy…
(I worked a few blocks from the WTC)
I can truly say, with so much idle time while looking for a new job,
I really enjoy this website….
Daily, I spend hours at Rutgers University Library in New Jersey
reading data on the subject “Genealogy”
as well as other subjects. . . .
(I’m an over 17 years – Alumni of Rutgers University)
___________________________
Now regards to the name “Gaines”…I am sure the spelling is “Gaines”.
I was told by my Great Aunt Olivia –
(my Grandmother, Louise (Green) Callis sister)
that one of the Gaines married her cousin….
I was told by my Aunt Lois –
(my mother, Sarah (Callis)McArthur, sister )
that my Great Grandmother, Nancy (Gaines) Callis was known by the “Green’s” for making very good wine…
Everyone (Kin & Non-Kin)) called her “Aunt Nancy”…
During her early years, she was the “Belle” of Brunswick County –
Great respect was given to her throughout Brunswick County….
I was told by my Grandmother, Louise (Green)Callis
that the “Moore’s” & Kelly’s (Charsie & Ruth Kelly)
were Nancy (Gaines) Callis’
son, Van Callis first cousins . . .
My Great Grand Parents – Mack & Nancy(Gaines) Callis were from “Freeman, Virginia in Brunswick County…
I was told by reliable resource that the “Gaines” were given a large amount of land . . .And they lost most of it . . . .
I heard these stories over & over again…
I never met my Great Grand Parents people. . .
Maybe these names might ring a bell to someone ….
These are all of Van & Louise (Green) Callis Children . . .
They all grew up in Lawrenceville, VA –
(Greentown)in Brunswick County …
The old house is probably still standing in ‘Greentown ( It was in 1992 )….
They all attended Brunswick High School in Lawrenceville, VA. . .
And also, they are the cousins of the Kelly’s & Moore’s. . .
___________________________________
Ella(Rose) (callis) Baxter – lives in NJ
Lois (callis) Morgan – lives in NY
Jasper Callis – lives in NJ
Frank Callis – (decease)
Sarah (Otis) (Callis) McArthur –
{MY MOTHER} (decease)
Stanley Callis – lives in VA.
______________________________
I know somone knows them . . .
——————
KIM MCARTHUR
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
