Choctaw Genealogy and Internet Rumors

 Over the 23 years I have been researching genealogy, there have been several rumors that just won't go away. Thankfully, the message board posts don't just pop up anymore on google searches, but several really have stuck around. So, I want to take the time to address two of the most persistant and worse ones.

 

Pushmataha's sister Nahotima was the grandmother of Greenwood (and his siblings) Leflore. NOT TRUE.

How did that get started, well, I believe I have found the trail. From The History of Mississippi, the Heart of the South, Dunbar Rowland, 1925 we have this 

 

But in 1938, another author changes this information with no source.  From Mississippi; a Guide to the Magnolia State by the Beat Books on Federal Writers Project.

 

 So we have an author with no source claiming Rebecca Cravat is a niece of Pushmataha, despite the fact that Robert Cole is named Leflore's uncle in 1838. (Choctaw Nation vs. United States, Volume 1 p 175). Robert Cole gives a great list of his family in this testimony. So Pushmataha is not given as a relative, why? Because if there is any relationship between Pushmataha and Robert Cole it is that Pushmataha's wife, names given in a Holmes County deed, Book A, p 37 was the sister of Robert Cole. Her names in this document are Imayahoka (the sister wrongly attributed as the wife of John Belvin by a Shumaka researcher), other names are Jamesachikoka  and Lunnagaka are also given in this document. I have spoken with an representative for the Mississippi Choctaw language department, and Jamesachikoka would roughly mean daughter of James (for James Cole, father of Robert Cole). 

It is possible someone had notes on this connection and wrongly attributed the "uncle" instead of uncle by marriage, and then using H.S. Halbert's article on the Creek War (which names Nahotima as sister of Pushmataha) and made a massive leap to give the name that is in a lot of genealogy files erroneously. The only published connection that I can find, which is legitimate, is this excerpt from the Alabama Historical society in 1899, (Halbert). One thing Halbert got consistently wrong is the name of Pierre Juzan for Charles Juzan. Given his french ancestry, a baptismal first name as a saint (for this family Pierre) was always given but not used. Virtually in all but one record, Charles is the name given.

 

 

The other rumor is for Micajah "Cajie" Moore and Nitakechi. I have read all of the notes in the cornish collection on this case and the dawes files. A brother and a sister applied for Choctaw Citizenship in Oklahoma. The brother did not get accepted, but his sister, just before the dawes, did. The files and testimony suggest her husband paid off the council members. It is of note, none of the earliest testimonies at all link the Moore's to Nitakechi, only Cajie.. I think someone decided that sounded like Kechi and ran with it. Back in 2008, a descendant of the half sibling of these Moores reached out. I tracked down a male line descendant from Henry Graves, who is documented as Nitakechi's son in the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek and the Choctaw Academy. His descendant Henry Byington, is even named in the Cornish files. So, a ydna test was done from a male line descendant of Micajah Moore and this descendant. It was done by the gentleman who runs the Barrett project. The test results are shown below. and can be found on the familytreedna site. 

 

Note: the line 200 Byington has a native DNA type. the Moore at the bottom has a European one. They are not lineal descendants of Nitakechi. Period. I am not even going to try and say they are or are not Choctaw, but given the claimants all claimed that they were choctaw from a male relative, they should have native ydna.

The Dudley's of Tipton

 There is a work about the minor Dudley branches that can be found in the Collections of History of Staffordshire, Volume 10. In it there is found an article on the Dudley's of Tipton. It is important I think to realize a few things. The Sutton de Dudley family was the nobility that held Dudley Castle from the 14th century. Branches ofW this family will be seen with the Sutton De Dudley, but some family members appear as Dudley. Then there are other Dudley's that are nobility, and then there are the Dudley's of Staffordshire that are a mix of early gentleman and yeoman and common laborers.

As I mentioned in my blog on the Timmins, Martha Dudley was baptized in Tipton in 1761, the daughter of Joseph Dudley and Mary Darbey. She was one of 4 daughters and had 3 brothers. Joseph Dudley was baptized in Tipton in March of 1772. He was the fourth child and fourth son of Edward Dudley, Gentleman and his wife Hannah Fellows. Joseph had a younger sister and brother who died as infants. Joseph Dudley was buried in Tipton in 1779 and his wife Mary in 1775.

 Edward Dudley was baptized in Tipton in May of 1694. He was the son of Thomas Dudley Gentleman and Martha Eccleshell. Edward Dudley married Hannah Fellows in Lichfield Cathedral in 1715. Edward Timmins gentleman was buried Feb 3, 1745, and no will is found for him. His wife Hannah died in 1750 in Tipton. At the time of his death his children were in their late 20's to 30's. Thomas Dudley his father was baptized in Rowley Regis in May of 1661. He was the son of Edward Dudley Gentleman and Mary Steward. He married his wife, Martha Eccleshall in 1689 at Sedglely, and in 1708 it states he is "of Greenhall" and a gentleman. Thomas has a will that leaves his estate to his children Edward and wife Ann (note Anna/Anne is often used for Hannah), Martha and her husband Charles Ellwill, son Joseph Eccleshall Dudley and daughter Miriam Dudley. Thomas Dudley died in 1722 and his wife in 1704.

Edward Dudley Gentleman was baptized in Dudley in March of 1622. He was the son of Thomas Dudley Gentleman and his wife Catherine Sutton alias Tomlinson. He had two wives, his second wife Mary Steward he married in Tipton in 1658. Edward died before his father. His wife's will mentions children Thomas Dudley and Mary wife of Richard Sterry along with grandchildren. This Edward lent money to the parliament during the English Civil Wars and was a captain of the local militia. Edward sometimes used the of Summery with his name. 

Thomas Dudley Gentleman was baptized in Tipton September of 1592. He was the son of Edward Dudley Gentleman and Elizabeth Sheldon. Thomas married the natural daughter of Edward Sutton, the 5th Baron of Dudley and his mistress Elizabeth Tomlinson. Thomas Dudley is named in the will of Elizabeth Tomlinson as a son in law, and is involved in a law suit brought by Dud Dudley alias Tomlinson. The visitation with Dud Dudley gives his lineage. Baptisms refer to him as Thomas Dudley of Conigree. He left no will, but his widow Katherine leaves a will mentioning sons Cornelius and Humble, grandson Thomas (son of Edward), son in law Richard Keeling and grandchildren. Thomas Dudley and his wife Katherine both died in 1675. 

Edward Dudley Gentleman was married in Wednesbury in 1591. He is presumed to be born around 1572 and left a will in 1653. This Edward had a large amount of items he bestowed. He mentions his son Thomas items of furniture, money to his grandchildren by Thomas, his brother Henry and William Dudley and some of their children, an unknown kinsoman Thomas Dudley of Brierly received a sum, his godchildren Jukes, children of cousin Richard Bradley in Birmingham, and brother in law Edward Perry (this is not clear). He also left money to the poor. He mentions several leases, indicating he had some holdings. Edward Dudley's wife was Elizabeth Sheldon who died in 1592. I find no record of additional children for Edward.

Edward Dudley's father was Thomas Dudley who married Elizabeth Swynnerton in 1569 in Tipton. The visitation books that give the Dudley history gives his children as Edward, William, Thomas, Henry and Hugh Dudley with a daughter Mary. Edward was born about 1550 and died in 1579. Thomas Dudley the father of Thomas Dudley was born about 1510 and died between 1557 and 1586. This Thomas was married to Agnes Swancote. The eldest son Robert may have died, and he also had a son William Dudley with daughters Joan and Jane. 

Thomas Dudley was the son of Cornelius Dudley, Gentleman, who was born around 1450-1470 and married Ann Hoo. He died bef 1538. The couple is known to have had a son Richard besides their son Thomas. Cornelius Dudley, Gentleman was the son of Thomas Dudley and Joan Welles Clarke. This Thomas was born about 1435-1450 and his death is not known. His wife died in 1515. The couple is known to have had a daughter Margaret besides their son Cornelius. Margaret was married to a John Phillips, presumingly of Birmingham. 

The lineage that is known ends with John Dudley who was born about 1413 and married a Margaret Turnpenny. John died 1492 and only his son Thomas is known. It is presumed their is a relationship between the Dudley's of Tipton and those of Sedgely as the Tipton's had the original seal for the coat of arms. 

The same book gives information on the Dudley's of Sedgley. The line goes back to Lord John Sutton who married Isabelle Chereton. (Additions to Grazebook, The Barons of Dudley).  Isabelle had two children by John Sutton, Thomas who was the youngest, and John. By her husband, Richard de Fisshere of Dudley (who would later be known as Richard de Dudley, Knight) she had a son Richard, who had to have been born after 1358 (conveyance of deed to John Sutton that went to Isabelle then her son Thomas Sutton). Thomas Sutton was still a minor in 1362 when a suit was brought over the conveyance.

Richard Dudley and Isabelle Cherelton 

1. Richard (1) Dudley born about 1358      

 2. John  Dudley b abt 1360 married Elizabeth Buffrey and had Richard (2),  William, John (2),  and Elizabeth.

This John was the head of the Sedgley Dudley's. It is felt that the Clopton Dudley's are related but no one can connect them at this time. 

There is a Richard Dudley son Thomas minor in 1412 (Priory of Dudley).

Richard (1) may be the ancestor of the Clopton Dudley's, marrying Joan Hotot and having a son Richard who died in 1456 and had a wife also named Joan.

John (2) Dudley married a Joan and died by 1456 leaving only a son John. 

Without seeing the full visitations, it is hard to guess where my  John fits in, he would have to be a grandson of Richard (1) Dudley, or a son of Richard (2) or William Dudley. Since the Tipton Dudley's have the seal which matches the Clopton and the Sedgley family, I am inclined to believe they are related. This puts both the Dudley family and the Sutton's sharing a partial lineage. It is reasonable also because we know the lands, though small, were given to the family since they held several leases.

The most logical theory is that the Richard with a minor in 1412 is the son of John and my John is a younger son. Richard who married Joan Hotot was the son of Richard Dudley and Isabelle Cherelton.

The Timmins Family of Tipton

 My great grandmother, Elizabeth Ruth Timmins was born October 5, 1889 in Salvoy, a village that is part of Syracuse, New York. She was the first member of her immediate family to be born in the United States. Her father claimed to have been born here, but in all actuality, he was born in West Bromwich, England, and as a young child came with his family to the United States. They stayed maybe 12-15 years and returned to England. My great grandmother's father was George Henry Timmins. He was born in the third quarter of 1860 to Joseph Timmins and his wife Sarah Phillips.

George Timmins was a glass cutter in West Bromwich, but likely worked at the chemical factory in Syracuse that both his son and brother, both named Joseph, worked later. George may have met his wife through her father, who also worked as a glass cutter. Given the location of the family, I suspect the family worked at the Chance Brothers Glass Factory, as they all lived within a mile of the factory. His wife, Sarah Brampton and his two sons, William and Joseph, are shown on the Celtic arriving in New York in September of 1884. I do not find him on any boat, so I suspect, he worked his way over. George killed himself November 21, 1891. I found a newspaper article on the inquest. According to the article, he had malaria and when the doctor left the room, he cut his throat with a straight blade razor. 

I can only imagine how Sarah and the children survived, her children were 2, 7, and 10. I know that Joseph, George's brother came to New York about this same time, and perhaps he helped. She took in some boarders, the boys left school and went to work as teens, and my great grandmother went to work also when she was a teenager. By the time my great grandmother was 15, a sister of George and Joseph also arrived in New York, Harriet Timmins Hinton. All of the family is found in the Episcopalian church records for Syracuse. Ironic, because the family from both sides has strong non-conformist religious backgrounds in England.

Joseph Timmins, George's father was born February 20, 1835 in West Bromwich, and he was baptized in the Christs Church there in April. His parents were Thomas Timmins and Roseannah Hale. Thomas was listed as a common laborer in 1841, and his wife a nailer. Joseph and his wife, Sarah, arrived in Philadelphia in 1863, and are found living near his Great Uncle, James Timmins, in the 1870 census in Philadelphia. The youngest daughter, Harriet is found in the baptism records in Philadelphia. Sometime between 1871 and 1881, the family returned to England. Joseph's occupation was as a glass worker in 1870, and unless there was some kind of labor issue, the most logical reason for the return was the death of Thomas Timmins in 1871 and Rosannah in 1876. Joseph Timmins died in West Bromwich in the poor house in the 2nd quarter of 1906. His wife, Sarah Phillips Timmins died in 1895. Joseph and Sarah had 3 daughters and 2 sons. Both sons and 1 daughter emigrated to the United States, and the remaining daughters remained in England with their families.

Thomas Timmins was born October 25, 1813 and was baptized in Mares Green Independent Church in West Bromwich. His parents were William Timmins and Easter Sadler.  Thomas was always listed as a common laborer. His wife, Rosannah Hale was from an area that employed a lot of women as nailers and men as  iron workers in nearby Rowley Regis. Her father's occupation is given as a Tailor on her baptism record. Given that this is the height of the industrial revolution, it is hard to hazard a guess where Thomas worked, since the mining industry as well as the factories were all heavily employed in this region during this time, and for at least a time, he was listed as a watchman. Thomas and Rosannah had 5 sons and 1 daughter. Thomas died in Dec of 1871 and his wife Rosannah died in the third quarter of 1876. The various addresses throughout the censuses put this family within a 2 mile radius for their entire lives.

William Timmins was born in 1789 and was baptized in Tipton in September of that year. He was the son of Isaac Timmins and his wife, Martha Dudley. According to a researcher (I have not seen the document), the marriage of William to Easter Sadler in 1810 is witnessed by his mother Martha and her father in West Bromwich. William was married to an Ann Sadler in 1808, and at this time, it was illegal to marry the sister of your deceased wife, and that may be why he married Easter in West Bromwich and not in Tipton or Dudley. William died in 1839 in West Bromwich, and nothing is known of his occupation. We know that his widow died not long after in 1846, and that two of her sons and one daughter moved to America sometime around 1850. William and Easter had 5 daughters, one who died as an infant, and 5 sons. James Timmins, one son, lived in Philadelphia and left a will that is found in English records, as he gave property to several of his nieces, nephews, and other family members. 

Isaac Timmins was born in Tipton in 1758, and was baptized in the Utilitarian Church in Birmingham in December of that year. His parents were John Timmins and Rachel Standley. All of the children of this couple are found in this church's baptismal records with marriages found in Tipton. Several trees have Isaac as the son of Joseph Timmins and Phebe Nock but their son Isaac died in 1772. Isaac's wife is somewhat controversial for some genealogists as she relates back to the family of Lord Sutton the Baron of Dudley. It is important to consider several things. There is only one baptism in Tipton for a Martha Dudley, and none for a Martha in Sedgely or Dudley, just as there is only one baptism for a Joseph Dudley, her father. Joseph Dudley was not the eldest son, and the Dudley's of Tipton are always shown as gentleman or yeoman in the records. We know his great grandfather Edward Dudley was eligible to be a knight but was elderly and did not show up. We also know that the Dudley's held some land, and had rents, but were not necessarily "wealthy" as the nobility may be. We also know that Edward Dudley's great grandmother, Catherine Sutton alias Tomlinson was the illegitimate daughter of Edward Sutton, the 5th Baron of Dudley. 

Before I go on more about the Timmins, let me give some background. References to the poor handling of his estate spent on the "divers children" he had with his concubine is documented. When Edward Sutton the 5th Baron took over from Edward Sutton the 4th Baron, the estate was already in financial difficulties. And while there is ample evidence his sons with some property, other than marriages that were advantageous, there is not evidence the girls themselves received much in the way of property. Also of note, in her will, Elizabeth Tomlinson, the "concubine" of Edward Sutton did not leave a great deal of money to the girls either, but her "wearing clothes". Thus, the doubt over the claim to nobility based on the family circumstances after Isaac Timmins and Martha Dudley isn't appropriately attributed to their heritage. Especially when you consider that the line of nobility goes back to Martha's 5th great grandfather.  Joseph Dudley did not receive the Dudley property as a second son,  and since there is not will, we don't know if he received anything. Given he had 7 living children, it is not uncommon to see the family members of the Dudley's as laborers, and Martha was on the younger end of the children. Unfortunately, I can't find the hearth taxes or anything about this time frame that gives us an idea what Joseph Dudley did or what kind of property he may have had.  What we know is that even during his lifetime, iron works were common around Tipton, but this pre-dates the industrial revolution for both Joseph Dudley and Isaac Timmins. 

So we have no idea what Isaac Timmins did for a living, or any of the Timmins preceeding him through the late 16th century. It can be assumed they were laborers, and there does seem to be ties to early non-conformist records for this family in Tipton. Tipton has several non-conformist churches, and there is evidence that suggests the Dudley family also were non-conformists. Isaac and Martha had three daughters and three sons. Isaac died July 25, 1827 and his wife Martha July 9, 1839, both deaths recorded in the parish records of Tipton, as were the baptisms of their children. 

John Timmins was baptized in Tipton in April 1727. There was another John Timmins baptized in 1718. Because of the baptismal records, it is my opinion that the elder John is not our family, as he and his wife have children and are married before the baptisms of John and Rachel's children, and they do not have a son Isaac. John Timmins was the son of Aaron Timmins and Elizabeth Downing. He married Rachel Standley November 10, 1747 in Sedgley. Sedgley, Tipton and Dudley are in close proximity, and there are many Timmins in all three. One of my future projects will be to detail the early baptisms for all three in a chronological list. We find baptisms for the following children of John and Rachel, a stillborn daughter in 1758 in Tipton, Abraham, Rhoda, Silvia, Isaac, Moses, and Lettice all in the Unitarian Church in Birmingham. Records for all of these children appear in Tipton or nearby Dudley. 

Aaron Timmins was baptized in Tipton in October 1681. His parents listed were William and Elizabeth. There are two William Timmins (alternative spellings include Timings and Tymings from here forward) in Tipton. One married a Sarah Baker and one a Joan Timmins. There are no marriages to an Elizabeth. William and Joan go on to have a few more children, and it is my opinion that William and Joan Timmins are Aaron's parents. Joan Timmins I cannot find a baptism for, but I think she is the daughter of John Timmins and Jane Peyton who were in Sedgely. I believe William may be the son of one of two Timmins, their is a William Timmins born in Tipton and one in Sedgely. It is my intention to layout these early Timmins because the Tipton and Sedgely bunch seem to have a close tie. The earliest record I have found dates to an Oliver Timmins who married in 1603 in Sedgley. Unfortunately, there are parts of pages at this time that are difficult to read on the parish records, so that may be why it is hard to find the Timmins reliably. Aaron Timmins and his wife Elizabeth had three sons and three daughters. One of the daughters died a a child, but I have been unable to trace any of the other children at this time.

Tipton is the largest place for the Timmins family in Staffordshire, and I don't believe, as we get back to this time, that we will reliably find a lot of movement from one place to another as we do in later years. Though we are no longer in the serfdom period, there were laws that required individuals to be returned to the parish of their birth if they were poor. Tipton does not have a lot of online records that are helpful for this period, unlike Wootton Wawen where we can at least look for other information, like the vestry minutes to find information.

Long time no see

 It has been almost a year since I posted. In that time I have completed my bachelor's degree and am half way through my masters with WGU. Sorry to all those that have replied and made comments, I forgot about checking.

I have done spurts of genealogy. Work on my English family, trying to fix my Copeland's, searching page by page for deeds, and practically nothing on the Choctaw. I got an email about a book that is being sold, by someone I corresponded with when I started, but not for years. They asked if I had contributed. Seems that this "compilation" of their work (and don't get me wrong, he did do a lot of research) had several pages literally with information straight from my blog. He chose not to cite anything. Now, the hundreds of hours I have put in, none of this his contribution to my early start, really deserves credit. So if you want to spend $55 for The History of Oklafayala by Chris Morgan, just know he is lacking some ethics.

The Western District, Okla Falaya 1770-1830, part 1

 My latest Choctaw comments always go back to a few families. Relatives of the Mingo's Pushmataha, Mushulatubbee or the Juzans. I want to take a step back though and look at a little bit earlier than the last "three inherited" Chiefs. Notice the parenthesis. Because later on, yeah, there is voting, but there is some evidence it required consensus before 1830, and, the same elite families, have ties to the Choctaw leadership for the next 70 years after the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek. (TDRC). 

Choctaw histories will give three districts, and they will give sometimes a fourth that became "extinct." The Western District, associated with Apuckshunnubbee who gives the 2nd district his name when the Choctaws emigrated to what is now Oklahoma. The district was known as the Okla Falaya. This was once the largest district in Mississippi, and the village locations given in Swanson, Bernard Roman's map by H.S. Halbert never got to this district. 

Two of the early traders among the Choctaw were Thomas James, and his (I assume not close) kinsman Benjamin James. Thomas James was ran out of the Choctaw Nation to Cumberland during the American Revolution by the Spanish, with John Turnbull, James Cole, Phillip Mulkey, Thomas Hines and others in 1783. Their lands were declared forfeit by the Spanish. Well, we know John Turnbull returned, and was a successful early trader in the nation, fathering a family of Choctaw and Chickasaw children. It is presumed he also is the father of Susanna Vaughn, the wife of Zadoc Brashears. James Cole, who likely is associated with the Cole's that lived in the Cole's creek Spanish settlement, is presumed to be the father of Robert Cole, and likely two sisters, the wife of Cornelius McCurtain and the wife of John Nelson. It is probable he is not the father of Greenwood Leflore's grandmother. 

Thomas James is a curious man. He remained in Tennessee, and his heirs filed a claim on his Spanish land grant. This was on the Bayou Pierre for 500 acres in 1777. Thomas also has an additional 400 acres on the Mississippi. Benjamin James, in his will gives his youngest ((Choctaw) son, Benjamin James Jr land in the Eastern and Western Districts.   

Item I give and bequeath to my son Benjamin two young negroes one by the name of Tom and the other by the name of Polly children of Mary which he is not to possess till the first day of October 1805. I give the said negroes to him and his heirs forever. Also I give my son Benjamin one negroe man by the name of Tom which is now in the Indian Country. Also one horse bridle and saddle which said horse he has now in possession but not to be at his disposal till he comes of age which will be the first day of October 1805. Also I give my son Benjamin all that tract of land I purchased of John and William Scott which sais tract is situate and lying on the Tombigba River a little below the falls of said river, I give the said tract of land to him and his heirs forever. Also i give my son Benjamin all that tract of land situate and lying on the Big Black Creed a branch of the Massesipa River containing 600 acres. I give it to him and his heirs forever.

What is curious about this is the area, Big Black Creek, may be the Big Black River. Another item giving credence to this is found on  Thomas James present in the account given in Israel Putnam, Pioneer, Ranger and -Major General 1718-1790,  p 219-220, William Farrand Livingston, 1905, New York, London : G. P. Putnam's son 

"Having left Natchez Wednesday afternoon, April 28th, they advanced by boat nearly fifty miles to the mouth of the Bayou Pierre. They went up this tributary seventeen miles to the Forks, and there they marked a tree '' for commencing our Loca- tion." Then they returned down the Bayou Pierre and proceeded up the Mississippi, the same day, nine miles, to the Great Gulf,where Thomas James, an Indian trader, had settled. Three miles above was the Big Black River; and on Thursday, after the explorers had rowed past that stream,two of their number, Israel Putnam and Thaddeus Lyman, set off by land, with a Choctaw Indian as guide, for the Walnut Hills, between fifty and sixty miles distant,which formed a portion of the great bluff bounding the valley of the Mississippi on the East. The rest of the party made their way to the same hills by water,and on their arrival there, Saturday evening, the 8th, met " the gentlemen who came by Land " from whom they learned that the route was through a flat country and cypress swamps, that the cane brakes were so thick it was not possible to examine the land from the path. After reaching the high grounds ofthe Yazoo, Israel Putnam and his companion, who had made their way thither across the country while the other men went around by boat, wished to make a further reconnoisance overland, but the threatening attitude of their Choctaw guide prevented them from carrying out all their plans. The Indian was unable to state his reasons in words, for he was as ignorant of the Eng- lish languageas the men whom he had been guiding were of the Choctaw speech. His gesticulations and other efforts to make his meaning known proved unintelligible.Later, through Trader James as interpreter, he explained that he had met twochiefs on the Yazoo River who forbade his conducting any of the party over the proposed route to the Big Black River."

Thomas James was not a stranger to Franchimastubbee, the prominent chief in the Western District from at least 1785 to around 1802. This letter to him, written from Cumberland on behalf of the United States is found in Spain in the Mississippi, Vol 4, Annual Report of the American Historical Association for the year 1946, Laurence Kinnaird.  

OLD FRIEND : This is to inform you that I am still living , and that I desire greatly to see you , so that we might take each other by the hand , smoke , eat , and drink together . The Great Commander Washington has sent to tell you to come to see your brothers in these parts , and he has sent Foster , Robertson , and Smith with letters . They will inform you at what time I expect you ; love them and do not permit them to be ill - treated in your country by any person . I know that the Spaniards will try to make you believe that all these are falsehoods , but you can tell them that I have told it to you and that you have known me since the time when you and I were young ; and that now we are old , and you have never heard me tell a lie . I therefore hope that you will not listen to their words but that you will invite several of my old friends , as far as you can , telling them there will be plenty of beef and corn to eat , and goods to carry to their houses . THOMAS JAMES . June 9 , 1792 .

Franchimastubbe with Taboca were two of the most influential, at least by records, associated with the Western District. Turner Brashears, a distant cousin of Zadock Brashears was very close to Franchimastubbe, leading most historians, and researchers, believing his first wife was a daughter or niece of the Chief. Although letters appear to be grooming Taboca's son as the successor, the role actually fell to Apuckshunnubbee. We know from a letter also found in Kinnaird, brought by Turner Brashears (and thereby likely written by him) that Payahoma (a deriviation of Hopaii Homa) wanted his son to get the medal. Given Turner's relationship with the Choctaws, it is likely that in this case the interpretation is correct, Apuckshunnubbee is likely the  son of Payahoma. But why did he succeed Franchiamastubbee. The most likely answer is he is one of the nephews. 

This all ties into a few key families that are within the elite class during the time between 1800 and removal. If one looks at the Mississippi Territory papers, the Vaughn's are mentioned a few times, but after that they seem to become a bit more obscure. I suspect because though they likely had a maternal familial relationship to Franchimastubbee, they weren't so close to Apuckshunnubbee, who showed his preferential treatment in 1820 to two Choctaws. Molly McDonald and Wesley Trahern. Unlike the Vaughn's who had had trouble with the government, Molly and Wesley Trahern were unobjectionable. 

Molly was by 1820 the mother of a young adult who went by Alexander Hamilton, and James L. McDonald, a teenager sent away for schooling, who lived with Thompson McKinney and became the first Choctaw lawyer. Molly's sister, name unknown was married to the son of John Jones Sr., a white man who lived in the Eastern district. This sister would be the mother of Robert M. Jones. Another sister married Middleton Mackey, and was the mother of his eldest children. Either this sister, or Sophia Folsom had a relationship with John McKee and had a son, Alexander McKee.  We don't know the name of her McDonald husband, but we do know the name of her last spouse, a Rhodes whose estate includes the land Molly was granted in the 1820, 1 square mile located Southeast of Jackson. A few miles away is present day Trahan Creek, the square mile allotment given to Wesley Trahern. 

Wesley Trahern's mother-in-law was a sister to the Vaughn's.  His father-in-law was Zadoc Brashears. Wesley was a Virginian who came to the territory before 1808. His elder brother, James Trahern, my ancestor, was involved in trade and lent him $5000 dollars. I suspect that Wesley traded with James' firm in Virginia. The Vaughn's are the namesakes for some of the landmark creeks and trails in the area, and I suspect this was the Eastern most boundary of the district.

So I suspect both of these individuals (note, the family continued to benefit in 1830) had a familial relationship to at least Apuckshunnubbee if not both Apuckshunnubbee and Franchiamastubbee. I also suspect, based on the limited amount of traders around when Molly and her sisters were born, she is the daughter of Thomas James, mainly because most of the others have families that can be accounted for, and neither family claims a relationship with anyone other than those mentioned, and the descendants of Peggy, my ancestor, who was their half sister, and those of Delilah her full sister. 

Eventually the family relations of Apuckshunnubbee would not have as much influence in the politics, but they would remain involved in prominent roles. 

So if the Vaughan's location, west of the Pearl River was the southeast boundary, I suspect the southwest boundary was somewhere between Bayou Pierre and the Big Black, at least by the mid 1780's. Northwest boundary likely followed the Yazoo river north to the Yalobusha river, where we find the largest group of known Chakihuma who were recognized among the Choctaw and Chickasaw in the treaties. I am not entirely clear where the boundary ended in the Northeast. Where the division between the Western and Eastern District occcurred. I know the Chickasaw occupied the northern part of the state but if I had to take a guess, I would guess the Pearl River was likely the separation between the Eastern and Western districts.  

 The prominent elite of this district included many more families. The Perrys, Fraziers, Coles, McCurtains, Turnbulls, Leflores to name a few. I will go into them a bit further later on. Next, however, I will probably take a look at the 1784 treaty with the Spanish which named prominent Mingos and headman in the villages throughout the nation. 

DNA, Research, and another Brickwall down: The Beck Family

 I avoided looking at the thrulines for Jesse Beck for years based on the assumptions I have seen. I looked at it again about 3 months ago (I thought I blogged about it, sorry), and I decided to hone in on something else. For 16 -17 years I have been looking for a marriage of Sarah to Jesse Beck. Now everyone who did the trees before the internet, has Sarah's last name as Woodstock, but I was like what is the source. No one could tell me.

I found a record for an Alabama law changing Sarah's four oldest children from Lewis to Beck, about 16 years ago. So I decided to google Woodstock and Lewis. Yep, turns out there is in Bulloch a Lewis and Woodstock clan. Research shows, that Sarah should be the daughter of James Lewis who married Nancy Woodstock. They have unaccounted female children that you can link to Sarah, but the male Woodstock siblings of Nancy don't, they are accounted for. This would mean, that Sarah's children were maybe illegitimate. And who knows, DNA is high enough with them, it could be they were Jesse's, but when I did this change, I did get thrulines confirmation to the siblings of Nancy Woodstock and James Lewis, and the siblings of their parents. So I am pretty sure, this is a winner. And don't forget the names of Sarah's children, she has a Nancy.

So I looked seriously, in this time at the thrulines hints for Jesse, and in this first case ever, I was like, I think this may be a clue. I believe Jesse is the son of Elijah Beck, and the grandson of Charles Beck. I am seeing fairly consistent matches on this line as well.

Amanda Palestine Beck, my ancestor had 14 children. So this is a HUGE deal, she has a lot of descendants. And the Beck's around Escambia and Baldwin still have descendants too. So if you have any questions, let me know.

DNA and Kissin' Cousins (Double)

 I attended the virtual Rootstech this year. In one of the chat sessions the instructor referred someone with double cousins to DNA painter. I don't think that was good advice. Here's why, double cousins prior to 4th cousin will show more DNA the majority of the time than the relationship. They will seem a 0.5 to 1 generation closer, and DNA painter, doesn't address this. 

My father's father had a set of double cousins. His Uncle from his mom, married his Aunt from his Dad. Now, that isn't the only double cousins (and I mean sibling marriages, there are another type of double, where two lines intermarry, but DNA is less reliably inherited at a higher rate, it depends on the distance.) in his tree, but it's the only CLOSE one.

Let's look at a few of Dad's and my double cousin relationships. 

This cousin, is my father's double second cousin once removed. He shares 379 cM. Here is what DNA painter shows. Notice 0.61% chance.

And here is another double second cousin once removed, Dad shares 341 cM. Here is what DNA painter shows. Notice, 4% chance.

Dad has two 2nd cousins once removed from this same line that aren't of the double cousin marriage. He matches 151 cM and 146 cM with them. Here is the DNA painter for 151 cM. Notice, 2nd level of probability.

In fact, he matches 266 cM with the father of one of those matches, here is the DNA painter on that. notice, 1st level of probability.

 

 

You will notice in the last two examples, the probability matches the match at a higher degree. Now, I will admit, due to my father's family location, I often fall into the 2nd probable percentage. Simply because he often has a case where he is related to someone twice. Without triangulation though, I can't identify which DNA comes from which family.

 

Here is a final example. This matches grandparents were first cousins. The match she is matching to is the great granddaughter of  the first matches great grandfather, and the  gggrandniece of the first matches grandfather. (yes, my great great grandfather married his great niece and had children). They match 308 cM. Now there is clearly pedigree collapse. They are half 2nd cousins, and 2nd cousins once removed. Notice though, they do not come near the smallest tier of the probabilities, as the 2 double cousins do. 

Now, I have more examples, that can reliably show my 3rd cousin matches look closer but when I get to 4th cousin, it falls off. Some match higher, some match lower. Kissing cousins can be a challenge in southern trees. If you know they are a double cousin, expect a match to be higher than DNA painter, if you don't know, do the research, and look out for it as a possibility.