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Greetings and hello again to all of you Saponis!
I have been researching all of my families’ histories and lo and behold here I am again. What I have found is quite a scatter load, but I would like to concentrate first on my Bakers and Roberts of Madison County Ky. I am a descendant of David Baker who married Polly Weathers in Madison cty. in 1807. It appears all of the Madison cty. Ky. Bakers came from Wilkes cty. N.C. (later Ashe cty.) and are descended from Andrew Baker who married Mary “Mollie” Boling dau. of Robert Boling and his third wife Ann Stith, Jane Rolphe being the first wife of Robert Boling. These are the white Bolings, I hear, but they often married back into their red Boling cousins.
In 1788 in Wilkes cty. N.C. they proposed a road to be built along the New River and created a list of those living along the new road. On that list was Leven Cole, Ambrous Collins, Justice Boling, James Baker, George Baker, Andrew Baker, John Harmon, and Ephraim Osborn.
When my Bakers moved to Howard cyt. Mo. in the 1830’s the Roberts family of Madison Cty. Ky. came with them. David Baker’s son Jesse married Sarah Roberts #1 and #2 Mary Ann Roberts. Jesse and Sarah had a son Thomas Michael Baker that married Nancy Jane Roberts dau. of Michael Roberts and Nancy Brundige.
I mention the Roberts family because the surname Roberts is often mentioned with the Saponi/Melungeons as is the case with Mecajer Bunch when he lived in Cumberland cty. Ky.
There is a Roberts listed as a mulatto on the Old Lunenburg cty. Va. tithables list for 1763 and this is a likely migration path for the Roberts family.
I am looking for info. on these families.
Dan Akin.
Hi again, Dan,
Not the early info you’re looking for but I have “Ky Marr Records” book with 76 Roberts and 56 Baker marriages listed in it from 1792 to 1843 in Madison Co., Ky, David Baker’s to Polly Weathers among them. You probably are aware that Weathers was earlier spelled Withers in some locations.
The origin of “Mecager”, as in Mecager Bunch, is “correctly” spelled “Micajah”, who some attribute to Quaker families of early Virginia and that it’s a biblical name. Don’t recall seeing that in the bible, myself. The Micajah and Manoah first names are found in a lot of Virginia origin families of Indian descent.
We have a couple more possible links in common……
One of my 2nd Grt-Grandmothers is Louisa M. Roberts, b.1853 in Owen Co, Ky, next door to Henry Co., dau of Cornelius Roberts, b.1820 Ky, and Senia/Cenia, who some say was a Green, b.1829 Ky, altho I haven’t seen any proof that she was. These Roberts were from Fayette/Jessamine Co’s, next door to Madison County. I haven’t tried to run these Roberts back further. Louisa Roberts (“that Indian”) m’d Thomas Vardaman Webster in 1879 Owen Co.
Bill
Cousin Bill; I am sure you will appreciate this oddity. Our cousin Richard Johnson has been able to trace Richard Green of Henry co. Ky. to the Clinch River in present day Hancock co. Tn.
Tn. land grant; The original grant was actually to William Simpson Sep. 16th, 1779 and he signed over the rights and title to Richard Green on Mar. 22nd. 1781 for “Value Received.”
This land is 649 acres located on the north side of the Clinch River 1+1/2 miles below the mouth of Blackwater Creek. It also names a Fish or Fishing Creek and an island in the Clinch that was unnamed.
Well, as it turns out, just up Clinch River about 2 miles around Kyle’s Ford lived Micagah Bunch.
When you look up the area on Topozone you find down by Richard Green’s land on the other side of the river the Collins cemetary. By Kyle’s Ford the Osborne cemetary. Above Kyle’s Ford you find the Wallens and Baker Cemetaries. Two ridges to the north beyond Indian Ridge you find Newman’s Ridge.
A grant to John Rice on Mar. 3rd., 1792 has “…on the waters of Joseph Wallings Mill Creek a branch of the Clinch River and beginning at a poplar and dogwood being a corner of Micajer Bunch claim then running along the Bubch line.”
On the 1790 Hawkins County List of Voters you will find Micajah Bunch, Isaac Green, William Roberts,Elisha and James Wallin, and George and Edward Sizemore. We believe this Isaac Green is the brother of My Benjamin Green and both went to Henry co. Ky. in 1800.
Benjamin, Richard, Isaac, and Adam Green are on the petition to form Hawkins county Tn. Adam Green was killed along with William Massey at Powell’s gap by Robert Benge and a party of Cherokee, Shawnee, and Mingos.
My 4th greatgrandfather James son of Benjamin Green was born in old Sullivan county Tn. in 1789. That was before Hawkins and Hancock counties were formed.
My question is; If your family lived in the Newman’s Ridge area of Tn. with the Collins, Goins, and Bunches, and you are related to the Penningtons and Sizemores, and you are of mixed ethnic ancestry are you a Melungeon? (Just Kidding!)
Dan Akin.
I certainly do appreciate the “oddity”. I am related via the Wilburn/Wilbourn line indirectly to these Bunch & Benge people in eastern Tenn and a paternal 2nd Grt Aunt (how’s that for obscurity!) Elizabeth Chiles m’d Columbus Crask whose mother was a Hobbs descended from the Vincent Hobbs who “killed the Indian, Benge, his half brother” and she was also descended from these Collinses.
Seems like all the people in that area were there too early 🙂 to have been called Melungeons.
In her excellently researched book “Melungeons: Examining An Appalachian Legend”, Pat Spurlock Elder proves to my satisfaction
that these people were remnant descendants of the coastal and piedmont natives. Check out the book at continuitypress.com
Bill
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