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I have always been told I was Blackfoot, and since starting my genealogy I have wondered how, if my family is Blackfoot, are they all from Kentucky/West Virginia/Virginia. So after stumbling upon this site, I am re-thinking the claim that I am a descendant from the Plains tribe. I have several family pictures, without a doubt, my fathers side is Native American, my great grandfather is fullblooded, and he claimed Blackfoot. My family history is as follows:
Guy Mounts (my grandfather) b: 14 Dec 1922, Vulcan Mingo, WV d: 7 Feb 1991, Snake Spring Twp, Bedford, PA
Jesse Mounts (my great grandfather) b: 1895, Kentucky
Ballard Mounts(Jesse’s father) b: abt 1868, Magnolia, Logan, West Virginia
-Susie Ratliff or Ratcliff(Wife of Ballard, mother of Jesse) b: 1898
I have Susie’s parent’s tentatively listed as:
James Ratliff or Ratcliff, b: 1861 and
Annie Esther Lambert
Jesse Mounts is full blooded, so I added both of his parents because obviously they are both full blooded. I realize I have a lot of information that still needs to be filled in! I have several more generations but it’s mainly the surname Mounts that I am interested in, and they are mostly from WVA and VA.
Another question…if my family actually was Saponi, how would I confirm this? Are there “rolls” or reservations or censuses? Would I ever be able to absolutely confirm Saponi heritage?
Also, I have a subscription to Ancestry.com, and all of the files that I view, my family is listed as “White.” Even my grandfathers WWI draft card, he is listed as White, but has “medium skin, dark hair, and black eyes.” He is clearly not white [I’ll add pictures when I figure out how!] so how would I “prove” my heritage when all records lump my family together as being white? I am very much discouraged. 🙁
Any information on the Mounts family, or other names listed, is greatly appreciated. Thank you all for your time!
Guy Mounts-obviously dark in complexion, but with LIGHT blue, almost clear eyes. Lumbee trait? Better seen in this picture:
Jesse Mounts
Hello and welcome…your surnames are familiar as I have seen them in the genealogical search of my family. Where specifically in KY, VA are your ancestors from?
I was to Grundy this last summer and Ratliff is a common name there, here is a photo of one I took while there…
Shirley
Thanks 🙂
For Kentucky I have Pike County.
For Virginia I have Montgomery, Greenbriar, and Washington Counties.
West Virginia I have Mingo, Kanawha, and Logan Counties. Some of these counties are probably the same, the name just changed, but I’m not sure.
tymeto49 wrote: Thanks 🙂
For Kentucky I have Pike County.
For Virginia I have Montgomery, Greenbriar, and Washington Counties.
West Virginia I have Mingo, Kanawha, and Logan Counties. Some of these counties are probably the same, the name just changed, but I’m not sure.
Well, I guess that is not surprising…I mean Pike, KY. My Gibson’s and family came out of NC in KY. Pike/Floyd counties. Try some searches here on the forum for your surnames, I am sure if they traveled the same route as other families with ties to VA, NC, KY, WV, they will show up too. I will dig around as well and see what shows.
Shirley
tymeto49 wrote: Thanks for the help, I am totally unsure as to what direction I should go.
After reading the post you brought forward, looks like you should try emailing Brenda Ferrell Sampsel, she appears to have many common ties. Find her on the members list, this will give you some options, such as email this person. I would send her what you know of your family and see if she can help.
I will continue to look through past posts and see…are there any particular people or surnames, which you are most interested?
Shirley
sammarroq wrote: Hello and welcome…your surnames are familiar as I have seen them in the genealogical search of my family. Where specifically in KY, VA are your ancestors from?
I was to Grundy this last summer and Ratliff is a common name there, here is a photo of one I took while there…
Shirley
Just one addition…this photo’s clarity is not the best, but I noticed when I took the shot that this man had the most translucent blue eyes…
Well, I am not so much interested in trying to “go back” as far as I can until I have solid information about the people I know that have indian heritage (my great grandfather and gg grandfather and mother-Jesse Mounts, Ballard Mounts and Susie Ratliff/Ratcliff). So Mounts and Ratliff are of particular interest to me. I have exhaustingly worked trying to pinpoint where our Blackfoot roots came from and can find nothing (other than obvious physical features of Native heritage). So I have moved on to some other possibly tribal affiliations around the areas they resided in.
sammarroq wrote: Just one addition…this photo’s clarity is not the best, but I noticed when I took the shot that this man had the most translucent blue eyes…
Yes! Absolutely. That is my grandpa Guy and his eyes were extremely LIGHT blue, almost crystal clear. My grandmother always said it were his eyes that did it for her. 😉 He passed them down to my dad, as well.
I just realized a BIG error in my listing:
Disregard all information for Susie Ratliff and her parents! The dates for her children are correct but obviously her birth date is way off. Ancestry.com didn’t catch it and neither did I 🙁 The search continues…
Guy Mounts (my grandfather) b: 14 Dec 1922, Vulcan Mingo, WV d: 7 Feb 1991, Snake Spring Twp, Bedford, PA
Jesse Mounts (my great grandfather) b: 1895, Kentucky
Ballard Mounts(Jesse’s father) b: abt 1868, Magnolia, Logan, West Virginia
-Susie Ratliff or Ratcliff(Wife of Ballard, mother of Jesse) b: 1898
So basically I have no info on my gg grandmother. Searching for Susie….
Hello, and welcome.
The database linked below has Ballard Mounts, born about 1868 in Logan County, WV, but married to June Smith
http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=hagerj&id=I28413
if you follow the links up his Mounts line you get to David Cecil Mounts, who is Brenda Ferrell Sampsel’s Mounts line. My Addair line is connected – James Addair was surety for David Cecil Mounts marriage bond in 1809 – and both the Addair and Mounts families have traditions that they are Indian. I have not been able to get beyond James (born about 1748). Barbara
Thanks so much for the link. I recently added June Smith as a possible second or alternate wife for Ballard but never pursued it. After realizing Susie Ratliff was completely wrong I’m wondering where I even got the name to begin with. I’m going to have to give my grandmother a call because I think she’s the one that gave me the name. If that’s the case, then I’ll have to keep looking for Susie because it came from a family baby book, I believe.
Another problem I recently encoutered was that on a census record for Jesse Mounts (Ballard’s son) it has both of his parents listed as being born in Kentucky. However, the records I have for Ballard say he’s from W. VA. I’m confused! My dad’s always saying “our family is from KY” but the records I have for Ballard match up except he’s listed as being born in W. Va.
Here’s ANOTHER Ballard Mounts from the same database, this one born around 1870 in “Mouth Pond Creek, Pike County, Ky.”
http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=hagerj&id=I178532
The trouble is this database doesn’t list where the info comes from. I hope Brenda can straighten this out for you. She knows Mounts. I know she says always to check both sides of the river – Logan Co. WV at that time included what is now Mingo County and went all the way to the Tug River – Pike County, KY is right across the river. People tend to show up on both sides of the river. That’s certainly true of my Addairs.
I’ve known/corresponded with Joel for a while now. He and I are related somehow. Anyway, I do see the Steele family tied in with this “ANOTHER” Mounts family…though most likely they all are the same family/different branches…and quite a bunch of Ratliffs/Ratcliffs are listed in my marriage books for Wayne & Cabell Counties in W.V.
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