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Hello. Since your Collins ancestors may originate in Chowan or Bertie Counties, I also recommend reading the work of this researcher named Justin Petrone who descends from Collins lines in the same and nearby areas of eastern North Carolina and Virginia.
https://scratchhallfolk.wordpress.com/
Hello and thank you for your response. “Boyet” is definitely another spelling of “Boyette.” The spelling often seems to vary some by where they are located. The Boyettes in Johnston County, NC and in nearby counties (such as Wayne and Duplin Counties) originate with the Boyettes in Gates County, NC and Nansemond County, VA. A researcher named Wendy Bebout Elliott has documented this in a work called “From Boyt to Boyette.”
I have not studied the Langley name deeply yet and am interested in hearing more about your Langley ancestors and other ancestors in Johnston County.
Also, where is Juniper Swamp located in Johnston County? Is it located along the Neuse River?
In the area of Nansemond/Gates, “Harrell” was a name where I thought that there could be Native associations but I did not know for sure what to make of the name in that area. However, I have seen more information recently that suggests that there are very likely Native Harrell lines in Nansemond/Gates and the areas nearby. It’s interesting to see that your ancestor Mary Harrell was not only very possibly born in Bertie County but also married a Cotton, because Cotton is a name that this blog writes as being associated with the Meherrin tribe:
This is the writing that I saw recently about the Harrell name in the area of Bertie County:
https://scratchhallfolk.wordpress.com/2025/05/11/a-harrell-lead/
In the area of Nansemond/Gates, “Harrell” was a name that I was seeing a lot and thought that there could be Native associations but I did not know for sure what to make of the name in that area. However, I have seen more information recently that suggests that there are very likely Native Harrell lines in Nansemond/Gates and the areas nearby. It’s interesting to see that your ancestor Mary Harrell was not only very possibly born in Bertie County but also married a Cotton, because Cotton is a name that this blog writes as being associated with the Meherrin tribe:
https://bertiecountyindianwoods.wordpress.com/2024/01/04/some-families-of-the-meherrin/
Here is also the writing that I saw recently about the Harrell name in the area of Bertie County:
https://scratchhallfolk.wordpress.com/2025/05/11/a-harrell-lead/
Hello. I can see your original post by going to the “replies created” section of your profile page but the website wouldn’t let me respond to it.
Your reasoning that your family’s oral history of Cherokee ancestry could come from either Cherokee or other tribal lineages makes sense. It has seemed to me at times while researching that the Cherokee term occasionally became a “catch-all” way of describing Native ancestry even if a person’s tribal lineage may be from other tribes.
I also remember seeing references to groups of Cherokee that dispersed in many different directions from western North Carolina in the early to mid-1800s, such as a comment made on this forum by the Four Cats user in this thread mentioning Cherokee descendants being “in every part of North Carolina at times.”
https://saponitown.com/forums/topic/hickman-rickman-goins/
I see in your original post that you said that the parents of your specific ancestor who communicated Cherokee ancestry were enslaved in Sampson County on the plantation of Francis Pugh. However, it’s possible that there is Cherokee ancestry in your family from one of these groups that moved to various parts of North Carolina, one of these places possibly being where your ancestors were in Sampson County.
Thank you for your response.
In researching other areas of my family in Nansemond/Gates Counties, Harrell is definitely a name that I see often there too. Since you mentioned that your Harrells were possibly in nearby Bertie County, do you feel that the name Harrell was associated with the Saponi at the time that your ancestors were there or do you feel that it was more associated with other Native people in the area of Bertie at that time? Also, was there ever a Saponi presence at the Indian Woods reservation in Bertie County?
Here is some additional information about Stephen Thomas Saunders and Elizabeth “Bettie” Lewis Mallory mentioned above. Any information or comments in response are welcomed.
Elizabeth “Bettie” Lewis Mallory was born in Hanover County and is likely descended from Thomas J Mallory and Elizabeth M (last name uncertain but possibly Duke). Both Thomas J Mallory and Elizabeth M (Duke?) are listed constantly in census records near to names associated with the Saponi and other tribes on census records in Hanover and are centered around the Saponi-associated areas of western and northwestern Hanover.
It appears that Stephen Thomas Saunders likely originated from the area of Buckingham County, VA. Stephen Thomas Saunders is said by some to be a descendant of Stephen Douglas Saunders and Emma Josephine Magdalena Moe, but this is not certain. There seem to be many different Saunders in Buckingham, and it is difficult to figure out exactly how Stephen Thomas Saunders connects to them (although there seems to be a local use of the name “Stephen” Saunders in Buckingham).
Many of the descendants of these two names moved to Warwick County, VA (today the city of Newport News) or the city of Richmond beginning around the early 1900s. The descendants married names such as Harrell, Tarry/Terry, Jones, Lane, Melton, and Sears. There appears to be long associations of the Saunders/Mallory families with many of these names. On one of the mid-1800s censuses in Hanover County, several people named “Harrold” (which Marc Snelling has mentioned in a past post as a spelling of “Harrell”) lives in the same household as Saunders and Mallory in Hanover County.
One descendant of Saunders and Mallory did not move to these areas but rather moved to specific counties in West Virginia and Kentucky, showing very similar movement patterns as others mentioned on this site.
Does anyone have any information about these locations, names, or movement patterns? Any response does not have to be about these specific ancestors; any information or comments are welcomed.
This site is one of the indispensable resources that I have used to find information about my ancestors, and I’ve seen the Dreaminghawk profile in many searches. Everyone on this site brings such important information about their ancestors and it’s a great loss to hear that anyone on this site is no longer around. I wish you well during this time.
I suggested in an earlier comment on this thread that the “Boyett/Boyette” name in eastern VA/NC did not seem to be a name associated with Native people in the area. This is false, because the “Boyett/Boyette” name is very clearly a name with strong Native associations. It is very difficult to find information stating this name as being associated with Native people.
The “Boyett/Boyette” name is found in many Native communities especially in Nansemond County, VA, Southampton County, VA, Gates County, NC, and Hertford County, NC during the 1700s and 1800s. The “Boyett/Boyette” name spread to many other locations such as Wayne/Johnston Counties, NC, travelling with many other Native-associated (especially Meherrin) names to these places. It likely has associations with tribes such as the Meherrin, Tuscarora, Chowanoke, or Nansemond, and certain Boyett names may be descended from the Saponi tribe.
I am glad to know about the Penn and Trowbridge names, because I wasn’t sure what to make of them. Someone posted at this link about this family, and it looks like they also didn’t know who Erasmus West Jones was descended from:
genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/jones/28166/
In this link, it looks like one of the grandchildren of Erasmus West Jones is named “Allen Jones.” Maybe this shows a possibility that Erasmus West Jones is descended from Allen Jones and Euphema [West?].
As for Elijah Jones in Nansemond County, VA, it may be possible that Euphema [West?] is a parent because Elijah Jones is listed as being born in 1761, while Euphema [West?] is listed in some places as dying in about 1762. However, I also have not found much information yet other than this for why Elijah Jones is connected to Allen Jones or Euphema [West?].
It looks like there are ties of the name West to the Meherrin tribe, but I don’t know if this name is associated or not with the area of Northampton/Halifax. Do you know about this name in this area?
Thank you for the links. I will look more into each of these.
It seems that the ancestor who I am researching could be from the Langston family who lived more in Nansemond County than the Langstons who lived very nearby in Gates County. It may be more difficult to research the Langstons located in Nansemond County because courthouse fires destroyed many paper records. However, the area in which these Langstons were located is so nearby that I wonder if anyone who has researched the Langstons located in Gates County may also have information about the Nansemond County Langston families.
It’s also possible that the ancestor who I am researching could be from another Native family in this area such as Ellis, Boone, Duck, or others because many of these names appear to have been interacting with the Boyette family (some of whom may also be of Native descent and who this ancestor married).
It does not seem to be a name that is often associated with Native people in the area. However, finding Martha/Patsey Boyette’s last name prior to marriage may give a much greater sense of this ancestor’s possible Native ancestry, and I haven’t found this name yet.
I haven’t contacted Native groups or tribes in the area yet, but I will soon. Perhaps they will have access to records and information that I have not been able to find.
Yes. Some of the information I first heard about this was when my grandmother simply said to me, “My great-grandmother/great-great-grandmother was a full-blooded Indian.” This statement was vague and one piece of this statement is likely false, as it is likely that this possible Native ancestor would have had ancestors who had been marrying white people. However, I found out much more recently that my grandmother had a very old photograph who is said to be the person who was being spoken about.
The photograph was described as a Native woman with hair tied in a knot with a feather, photographed with a patterned fabric or blanket. The person in the photo was described as older, with slightly graying hair, and as “middle” skin-toned. The portrait was described as “sepia-toned” with a blank backdrop, appearing as though it was taken in a studio. The photograph is said to have been printed on or placed on a cardboard-like material, which often seems to be an indication that an old photo was from a studio.
I’m not sure what to make about the information given about the photo. If the person in the photo is one of the ancestors that I am researching, then the person in the photo would likely have to have been considered by some as more white-passing. Also, if this photo is of one of these ancestors, then would this ancestor have decided to commemorate Native ancestry through this photo while also, as you mentioned, attempting to erase or hide this ancestry?
When considering the statement that my grandmother made and while searching the records available for a potential ancestor, the area of the records involving Martha/Patsey Boyette seemed different to me than other records that I found. In addition, Martha/Patsey Boyette or a child named Mary Ann Boykins Chapman (Mary Ann Boyette) would be one of the specific relations that my grandmother alluded to (Martha Boyette as “great-great-grandmother” and Mary Ann Boykins Chapman as “great-grandmother”). Considering the description of the age of the photo, it sounds as though this photo could have been taken at the time either of these relatives were alive.
A parent of mine said that they first saw the photo in recent years, when my grandmother simply said something to them like “this is a relative of mine” and then showed them the photograph. My grandfather has also reported seeing the photo, and each relative gave a somewhat similar description. My grandmother died in recent years, so I can only contact other relatives to find out what they have heard. In addition, the photo is currently lost and has not been found in recent years.
