[TorqueWind]

I am a mixed Native, mostly Tuscarora and Saponi. I was adopted in the 1960s, and when I got older, relatives on my biological mother’s side found me and gave me some details about my ancestry and biological father. Both biological parents are deceased, and I never met them. They were not married.

My biological father was from the historical Tuscarora town of Chocowinity in Beaufort County, NC. Almost all ancestors on his side were from Tuscarora territory (Beaufort, Craven, Pitt, Halifax, Onslow, Chowan, Bertie and Lenoir Counties), where they remained after the Tuscarora War.

Tuscarora and Indigenous related surnames from his side include: Smith, Hill, Little, King, McLawhorn, Paramore, Harris, Reeves, Butler, Wood, Woodson, Matthews, Williams, Baker, Sparrow, Outlaw, Turnage and Byrd. There was also Wallace, from Brunswick County, VA, who was probably Saponi.

My biological mother, from Person County, NC, was more mixed Indigenous: Saponi, some Powhatan (from King William and New Kent County, VA), and possibly also some Tuscarora.

Indigenous related surnames on my biological mother’s side, that I am aware of, include: Buchanan, Gentry, Slaughter, Howard, Walker, Allen, Grant, Woody, Brooks, Miller, Davis, Scott, Turner, Reed and Richardson.

While some of her ancestors were born in or near Person County, others, specifically ancestors with the Gentry surname, moved between various counties in the Virginia Piedmont area during the early colonial period before settling down there. My research also indicates that some distant Gentry ancestors appear on rolls from the Catawba, Creek, and Cherokee.

The Howard and Scott surnames were from Granville County, NC, and could have been either Tuscarora or Saponi. It appears that the Native ethnicity of my Howard great-great-grandmother (who an old photo shows to be clearly Native American) came mostly from the Walker, Howard, Allen, Grant surnames, with one Richardson (from around Hanover County, VA), who was married to a Grant. Allen is also a documented Tuscarora surname. However, the first Allen from the Howard line was from Virgina and died in Granville County, NC. Another Allen, who married a Gentry, was from the New Kent County, VA area, where she died.

I have reasons to believe that the Miller surname came from Tuscarora who integrated into the Monacan Tribe after the Tuscarora War, considering Miller is a documented Tuscarora name and the location at the time (Louisa County, VA). Also, there is a historical connection between Woody, Brooks, and Allen to Saponi who married Scots-Irish immigrants (Buchanan) in the Person County area.

• This topic was modified 3 weeks, 1 day ago by TorqueWind. Reason: Updates Tuscarora info
• This topic was modified 3 weeks, 1 day ago by TorqueWind.
• This topic was modified 3 weeks, 1 day ago by TorqueWind. Reason: added surname
• This topic was modified 3 weeks, 1 day ago by TorqueWind. Reason: Updated surname information
• This topic was modified 2 weeks, 5 days ago by TorqueWind. Reason: Added surname
• This topic was modified 1 week, 3 days ago by TorqueWind.
• This topic was modified 1 week, 3 days ago by TorqueWind.

I’m a BAD NDN: my hair is too short; my moccasins are from Walmart and I am still here, despite their best efforts.

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