In a message dated 7/28/2002 6:44:59 PM Central Daylight Time, mmullen8014@mchsi.com writes: > My ggg-grandparents were Moses McLEMORE (1787-1857) and Nancy (Vinnie) > BATISTE (1794-1868). Evidence indicates that Nancy was a full-blood > Choctaw of Mississippi. > > Moses was b. in SC, but moved to Giles Co., TN, and then to Wayne Co., > MS, in 1815. He owned land in Perry, Jones, and Copiah Co MS. He > served in the War of 1812 with the West Tennessee Militia. He died in > Copiah Co MS. > > Nancy was probably b. in MS. At least one census record says SC, but > there is no evidence to support the existence of a Batiste family in > SC. Nancy and Moses married in about 1814-1815, and I suspect they met > while Moses was serving in the War of 1812. > > Various family traditions say that Nancy's grandchildren were 1/4 > Indian, and the early Choctaw Indian rolls for Mississippi show Indian > families using the surname of "Batiste" (various spellings). > > One tradition is as follows: “In 1918 my parents, my brother and I > lived near my Uncle Lillard Coleman and his wife, Alwilda, who was part > Indian. At that time I was 8 years old. I recall their talking about > my g-g-grandparents, the McLemores. Alwilda said Nancy Vinnie Batiste > was the daughter of an Indian Chief in MS. Nothing was written down, so > I only have what I remember hearing.” Also, it has always been said > that my grandmother, Sallie (Fairchild) Smith, was part Indian. Her > parents were first cousins and both were grandchildren of Moses and > Nancy. > > The 1931 Armstrong Roll of Choctaws (in Mississippi), Records of the > Bureau of Indian Affairs, RG 75 (film 1033993) has the following > "Batiste" entries: > > BATTIESE, no acreage, 2 in family, near Capt I. Folsom, in Capt Folsom's > Company, under Chief ---?---. > BATTIECE, William, 3 acres, 7 in family, 2 males over 16, 2 persons > under 10, on Shobatti Creek (E. Side), in Capt. Tamapiyubbia's Company > (Shobatti Creed, W-side), under Chief Netachachi (Chief of the Southern > District, with land on e-side Patkachi Creek). > BAPTEN, Isaac, no acreage, 3 in family, 1 male over 16, 1 person under > 10, on Old Natchez Trace, in Tom Leflore's Company, under Capt. Durant > (Indian), under Chief Greenwood Lefore (Indian). > BATIEST, Benjamin, on Chickasaway River. > BATIEST, Winney, on Chickasaway River. > > That is all I know about my Indian ancestry. If anyone can tell me more > about the Batiste family, it would be greatly appreciated. > > Thank you, > > Merritt D. Mullen > Ridgecrest, CA > mmullen8014@mchsi.com > Hello Merritt, I have some more names for you, last names. I was at the library again today and looked in Jos. Gos' book "A Complete List of Choctaw Claimants and Their Heirs" which was first published in 1889 and has since been reprinted by OldBuck Press of Conway, Arkansas. There is nothing under Batiste or Baptiste but there is stuff under the following names: Batteese Battees-favver (favver is spelt with 2 v's) [on page 379 of US records] Battus-farver [listed under page 785 of US records] Batteste Battiece Batis Battiese Battiest Battise I didn't get page numbers or anything for the rest but all of those seem to be corrupted names of the original Batiste. John Craven New Orleans