- This topic has 2 voices and 6 replies.
-
Posts
-
I found out I’m descended from the Nickens/Pinn family. Two ancestors of mine are James Nickens Sr. {b. abt 1743, of Lancaster co} and Sarah “Sally” Pinn {of Northumberland co}. Did they have any Native ancestry?
Does anyone know anything about the ethnicity or parentage of Richard Yoconohanocon Nickens (1660-1713)? He was an indentured servant or slave in Lancaster co, Virginia. I’ve read some contradictory things about him. One person claimed he was part Black, part White, others claim he was half Native American through his mother {some say she was Pamunkey}. I have found no credible proof for any of these claims.
What stumps me the most is his original last name- “Yoconohanocon” which is seemingly Native American. DNA tests on his male descendants say he was at least part west African on his direct paternal line. Does anyone have any information on him?
I also read “black” and “negro” denoted any non-white inhabitant of early colonial Virginia, regardless if they were African or Native American. How true is that? I’m skeptical they would label different peoples this way.
I also read “black” and “negro” denoted any non-white inhabitant of early colonial Virginia, regardless if they were African or Native American. How true is that? I’m skeptical they would label different peoples this way.
After 1830 and the Removal Act there were, legally, only two races to exist in the South, Black and White. So if you were a person of color who wanted to remain in that locale you had to submit to being called Black and accept the consequences of that in terms of your civil rights (or lack thereof). When did this person die/live? Earlier than that it’s a bit less defined, though the culture was obviously moving in that direction for awhile. Going back to really early colonial time, it’s doubtful, though at that point in time there wouldn’t be ANY records of native people. They belonged to another nation, off the colonial grid. So it’s a slippery slope knowing what’s behind some individual’s records.
That word could be native, but then, perhaps it’s an African word. In either case, it’s quite a find. Pursue it. See if there are Iroquoian or West African words that might fit.
battyboy12;38680 wrote: He lived from around 1660-1713.
Okay, what I can tell you is that 1713 is the year of the Tuscarora War that ended in Snow Hill, NC at Fort Neoheroka. It’s very interesting that he died that year. I can also tell you that the reason the war was fought was because the British wanted to gain possession of the pine forests of North Carolina because of the incredibly tall pine masts that grew there. The forests were maintained as game preserves. Trees grew to incredible heights because of this management and gaining those masts meant a huge strategic advantage to the British navy. The Tuscarara did not want to sell because that was their sustainable resource for meat production. So, when the T’s refused to sell the British simply withdrew the way they had been protecting the Tuscarora from the scalawags they’d dumped into the colonies. Natives were duped into addictions to alcohol and a slave trade in Tuscaroran children skyrocketed. Kidnappings were in epidemic proportions. And once the Tuscarora had declared war on the colonies the British had the excuse they needed to go in and annihilate the Tuscarora. I can also tell you that the Fort was designed by an escaped African descended slave. He died a martyr’s death, tortured by the Brits.
What we can say from this historical narrative is that both African and Indians were enslaved in that time period by the colonists and that they were tight. It would be entirely reasonable to assume your ancestor had both going on. If the DNA shows some West African blood, and the middle name is Algonquin then I would say it’s entirely reasonable to believe that’s what he was. Daddy was African, momma was Algonquin. The fact that you have a name and dates for the guy is quite remarkable. To expect anything more from colonial documentation is probably a lost cause. What I can see is that the guy probably led a remarkable life and my hunch is he ran off and fought in the war. That’s where my imagination will go with it.
I saw a blue and white vase that had been glued back together with super glue that was taken from New Bern when it was attacked by the Tuscarora and brought back to Fort Neoheroka, where it was found. The bill of lading from Germany for it is also in existence. I saw dried peaches that had been harvested by the Tuscarora ladies the summer before the battle, found at the fort. They also found a tunnel that could have been used the night before the final battle to escape, but they all chose to remain there and make their stand. Better the grave than a slave.
That’s what Black and Indian people in NC were doing together in 1713.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
