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Thank you so much for this site. I too had no clue of any other ancestry than English in relation to the Austin line. I am not a professional genealogist just the family member they point to during family get gatherings when questions regarding heritage/roots come up.
Several years ago I came upon a web site
http://www.vanleerplus.org/austin.htm that showed the Austin line where John Austin 111 married Lucy Shelton November 3, 1783 in Louisa County Va. This information answered some questions and raised others. What is interesting is the families stories of English heritage are repeated on the VAN LEER site even the tales of an Austin marrying a relative of Patrick Henry. These stories were passed to my generation and then to my children.
Now this is where it gets somewhat interesting and exciting at least for me. I came across this forum (Saponi-Town) approx one year ago after a Google search. How I came upon the site is bizarre. I did not find this site by logic or meticulous research but by an internal belief that in my background there were Jewish ancestors. I typed Jewish + john Austin in Google and sites referencing the Saponi-Town forum popped up. I had no idea what Saponi meant. I had heard of Melungeons but not knowledgeable on the subject. The Jewish reference on the Saponi-Town forum was in a post by William Austin. William listed the family history of my line of Austin’s all the way up to John Austin and Hannah Honor Love. I believe Linda a moderator in this forum responded to his post. He (William) also wrote of a DNA test that he had done and the haplotype was different that most Austin’s. He (William) theorized a Moorish or Sephardic Jewish ancestry. This got my attention!
I grew up in Arizona. My line of Austin’s moved west…. (See VAN Leer for details) first to Texas and then to Tempe and Mesa Arizona. I have always had a great respect and love for the Native peoples (Navajo, Hopi, Pima, etc and was raised by my family contrary to the prejudiced beliefs of most Anglos. This connection and affection for American Indians I believe is spiritual in nature and neither time nor faded memories can obliterate. This new information of Saponi heritage on one hand is surprising and on the other hand not surprising at all. As I review and look back at some of the stories I have read about the Austin’s and the oral stories passed down from generations I see the way prejudice clouded the truth. I don’t know how many generations it took for the Indian heritage to be denied and the English to dominate but I am glad it is at least the story is coming back full circle so I can teach my children their history in fullness and truth.
Many Blessings
Paul
Here is the Austin Line
1 John Austin Sr. (I) B.Bef 1690 (Or 27 Mar 1701). died 1750, Lunenburg Co. Or Halifax Co., VA. and a woman everyone one has listed as first name- Saponi (Saponi, Saponie), with her last name listed as-Indian.B.Abt 1684, D. Abt 1722/1724
2. JOHN1 AUSTIN, JR (JOHNA, UNKNOWNB) was born 14 Sep 1726 in James City County, Cornwall Parish, Virginia
(now Halifax & Pittsylvania), and died abt 1795 in Washington County, Tennessee. He married MARY MCBEE in
Halifax County, Virginia, daughter of WILLIAM MCBEE and SUSANNAH VARDRY. She was born abt 1734 in Prince
Georges County, Maryland, and died Deceased in Unknown.
3 JOHN2 AUSTIN III (JOHN1, JOHNA, UNKNOWNB) was born abt 1759 in Halifax County, Virginia -OR- Rowan
County, North Carolina/Halifax County,NC, and died Deceased. He married LUCY SHELTON 06 Nov 1783 in
Louisa County, Virginia, daughter of PETER SHELTON and FRANCES NUCKOLLS. She was born 03 Dec 1764 in
Louisa -or- Goochland County, Virginia, and died Deceased.
4. David Shelton Austin was born about 1790 in Louisa. He served as a private in the War of 1812 in the 7th Virginia Regiment under Lt. Col. William Gray in 1814-15; his brother, Fleming, was a corporal. This was a defensive unit and saw no action.
David Shelton married Polly Lowrey, daughter of Overton Lowrey and Nancy Thacher on Nov. 15, 1816 in Goochland County, VA. . Her mother, Nancy Thacher’s descend is known to be:
Grandparents: Samuel Thacher and Deborah Bennett
Parents: Peter Thacher, born about 1750 and Berthia Carpenter.
Son of David Shelton Austin and Polly Lowrey
5. Albert Warren 1827, VA Married Martha Wilson in Collins County, TX in 1852. Carriage-maker in Bonham in 1860.
Born: 16 Jan 1826 in VA
Died: 3 Apr 1895 in Tempe,Maricopa,AZ
Buried: in Tempe,Maricopa,AZ
Daughter of Albert Warren Austin and Martha Wilson
6. Alverta May Austin m William Goodwin
Daughter of Alverta May Austin m William Goodwin
7. Zorena Goodwin m. Judge D. Kelly Turner(deceased)
Daughter of Zorena Goodwin M D Kelly Turner
Bette Zoe Turner(Mother) living in Phoenix
8. Bette Zoe Turner M William Sprehe Fuenning(deceased)
Son of Bette Zoe Turner M William Sprehe Fuenning
9. Paul Fuenning (me)
You know, we now have 1600 members on this site, and a huge amount of data amassed that has led many of us to be convinced of our Saponi heritage, and I believe this is the first time anyone has joined who has a simple, verifiable paper trail leading back to a member of the still-intact historic Saponi tribe. This data simply doesn’t exist for virtually everyone else. The Saponi were disrupted about 10 years after they were first explored. Not much of a window of opportunity for amassing documentation.
Not only that, given that your Ancestress was noted as such when she married in 1684, she actually was a true Saponi. The word did not become a generic connotation for all Piedmont Siouan until 1720. Congratulations. You are in a class by yourself. One of the only people on earth who can say with a legal certainty that he is descendant of the specific Saponi tribe.
Do you have a sense if this early VA family was ‘genteel?’ Or were they common folk? They were certainly adverturesome, going that far west so early on. I suppose if they were well-heeled and part of the ‘establishment’ they would have been more likely to stay put.
Or perhaps they were more on the fringes of society, part of the mixed-blooded folk who were legendary as ‘pioneers,’ pushing their way westward until they could help make a world in which they had their full civil rights.
Of course you know your line is very important to this study. By researching out any lines that may intersect we may see traces of community that would tell quite a tale.
Welcome, Paul. As Linda said, you are one of a small minority in being able to trace back to a known Saponi. Most of us are left with logic and educated guesses to fill in the blanks and answer any and all questions that come from reading between the lines.
I’ve seen the early part of your Austin line several times while searching for my McBee ancestors. John Austin Jr’s wife Mary McBee would be my probable ancestor’s niece or something. It was in the search for McBees and related lines that I found this site.
Doug
Linda thank your comments. Quite overwhelming and humbling. As I mentioned until I came upon William Austin’s post on this site I was not aware of Hannah Saponi Austin and her marriage to John. This was the first knowledge of Saponi ancestry.
Prior to seeing the Van Leer site I knew only of my great grandmother Alverta Mae Austin. She came to Tempe Arizona from Texas by covered wagon. There she met her husband William Goodwin.
My grandmother Zorena Goodwin Turner (Alverta’s youngest daughter) lived to 98 years of age and passed away in July of 2005. She would tell me stories of the Austins but none of these stories suggested American Indian ancestry. She would talk about Texas, covered wagons, Arizona Territory, and the stories relating to living in the desert. Anglos were the minority and I believe the Austin relationships and affiliation with the Southwest desert Tribes were similar to those of their ancestor John Austin and the Saponi.
Whether there was inter-marriage I do not know. I do know the Austins socialized, engaged in business, became friends with, and respected those who lived in the land before them.
Growing up our house was full of artistic and spiritual American Indian treasures. Navajo blankets, squash blossom necklaces, Kachinas from the Hopi, and turquoise jewelry. The spiritul aspects of these designs were not taught to us, however these items were valued and passed down to family members.
My sense is the Austin family identification with the Saponi and any Native ancestry was lost early on whether by design i.e. prejudice, fear, religion, or by gradual assimilation to the dominant culture. Thank again. As some questions are answered more arise.
Blessings
Paul
Paul, I am Rosa Austins daughter and John Austin Sr was also my ggg..grandfather. My mother toldme many years ago I had an Indian grandmother. She also informed me one of our ancestors had changed his name when coming to America from England. In research this week I found his names does go back to muleogeon descent. The name “Fitzpatrick” from Ireland. Austin changes to Chamberlain. May be something for you to work on as I am doing more research on this also. My mother was “usually right”
she was a highly intelligent lady.”
Your kin, Austinconection
I didn’t connect this before. Hannah Love and John Austin …son Joseph and Wife__ Terry..son Champness Terry Austin and Anne Morton have John Austin who married Onorah “Oney” Allen, daughter of Meredith Allen and Nancy Cooper. Grandaughter of Robert Jr. brother to my Joseph Allen. Meredith was on the Sandy River in Pittsylvania co, died there..Onorah born there. Would be a cousin connection between lines but also just more interweaving here. Saj
DAJ42,
Mary McBee was my great great great…+grandmother so you too are my long lost family.
Austinconection
My name is Shelley Rogers. I’m from Ontario Canada originally, but I live in NY State now. I am descended from Samuel Austin, born in 1630 in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Does anyone here have any connection to this Austin line??
Shelley
Where did those MD Austins move around in the meantime? The Austins we know about would have been in southside Virginia in the 18th century.
Paul: Here is some stuff I found on Ancestry.com about your ancestors. Great info!! Tom
John Austin
Name: John Austin Gender: male Birth Place: VA Birth Year: 1690 Spouse Name: Saponey Indian Squaw Marriage State: of VA Number Pages: 1 John Austin
Name: John Austin Gender: male Birth Place: VA Birth Year: 1690 Spouse Name: Hannah Marriage State: of VA Number Pages: 1 - 1684 Birth Born in Saponia Plantation, Bertie, NC, USA
1684
<a href="http://javascript:toggleSources(‘0′,’1’)”>
<a href="http://javascript:toggleSources(‘0′,’1’)”>Show source citations (1)‘”- \n”.self::process_list_items(“‘.str_replace(‘
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- 1720 Age: 36 Marriage to John Austin
1720
Location: Cornwall, VA, USA <a href="http://javascript:toggleSources(‘1′,’1’)”>
<a href="http://javascript:toggleSources(‘1′,’1’)”>Show source citations (1)[*]1722 Age: 38 Died in VA, USA
John Austin Born: abt 1690 Kingston, Washington, Rhode Island, USA
Died: 5 Feb 1760 Cornwall, Lunenburg, Virginia, USA
[*]
Spouse 4 Saponey Indian/Hanna Love Born: 1692 in Saponia Plantation, Bertie, North Carolina, USA
Died: 1722 in [city], [county], Virginia, USA
Marriage: [*]
Children Sex Birth Richardson Austin M abt 1724 in Brunswick, [county], Virginia, USA Stephen Austin M abt 1728 in Brunswick, [county], Virginia, USA Valentine Austin M abt 1730 in Pittsylvania, [county], Virginia, USA Joseph Austin M abt 1733 in Pittsylvania, [county], Virginia, USA ‘).'”).”\n“‘
austinconection wrote: Paul, I am Rosa Austins daughter and John Austin Sr was also my ggg..grandfather. My mother toldme many years ago I had an Indian grandmother. She also informed me one of our ancestors had changed his name when coming to America from England. In research this week I found his names does go back to muleogeon descent. The name “Fitzpatrick” from Ireland. Austin changes to Chamberlain. May be something for you to work on as I am doing more research on this also. My mother was “usually right”
she was a highly intelligent lady.”
Your kin, Austinconection
Can you tell me more about the Austin/Chamberlain connection? Chamberlain is my mother’s maiden name.
- 1684 Birth Born in Saponia Plantation, Bertie, NC, USA
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