Ginny Hodge

My name is André Cramblit and I am a member of the Karuk Tribe. My family comes from the Village of Katimeen on the Klamath River. I am participating in Census 2000 for 2 main reasons. 1) As the current President of the California Indian Education Association I know that an accurate count is needed to ensure proper funding for education programs such as Title IX, Johnson O’Malley, Higher Education Scholarships, Basic Adult Education and Head Start. The effects of Census 2000 will be felt in for the next 10 years. A complete count of all Citizens will mean additional seats in Congress and billions in federal funding for health and social services, in addition to added financial assistance for our schools and roads. 2) Naming your Tribe on the Census is also an opportunity to reclaim our heritage. On my fathers side my Great Grandmother was full-blooded Creek from Alabama. Members of the Ku Klux Klan conducted the Census of 1880 in Alabama. If you responded with anything other than white then they would visit you later on. My Grandmother replied white on that Census and it was not until she was dying that she told her family of their heritage. If you have Native blood you can ensure that your descendants are not further separated from their cultural heritage. You can find more information for American Indians and Alaska Natives call the local census Questionnaire Assistance Center, call NCIDC @ (707) 445-8451, or check resources on the web at www.ncidc.org or http://www.census.gov/ -- André Cramblit, Operations Director The Northern California Indian Development Council ( http://www.ncidc.org ) NCIDC is a non-profit organization that helps meet the social, educational, and economic development needs of American Indian communities. NCIDC operates a fine art gallery and gift boutique featuring the best of American Indian Artist's and their work, with emphasis placed on the work of the Tribes of N.W. California. (http://www.ncidc.org/gift/gifthome.htm#anchorgift)

Greetings: Am restoring a large collection of family photographs. In this process have found a tin-type which is attached. Am still in the process of restoring the image. This picture was probably taken between 1860-80 in the Eastern Maryland area, on in the general area of Baltimore and Washington DC My question is: Are there any distinguishing features, articles of clothing, etc. that might provide some general information about this man? His tribe or Nation? Any information will be sincerely appreciated, am planning to include the image in our family history book. Thank you. Joseph Clawges Wilton Manors, FL

Hi, I'm new to the list. I have been staying in the back ground and reading all the listings. I had to right and say THANK YOU to Sis Firehair! She makes several really good points. I have posted on every list I can think of trying to find My GGgrandmother. Her name was Wardwell or Wardell first name Edith. She was supposed to be at least half Lakota. I have no car and my husband uses the truck to work, so I have no way to get to the library. Can some one Please tell me somewhere to start on the Internet? If any one has any information I would love to hear from you. Thank You...Rhondasr@aol.com

>HI, I just joined this group last week and have been reading the posts >with much interest. I received a response from Mr. Brown regarding my >Thomas surname and it not being native american. Since I have not idea >as to what the credentials of a the list members are, I was wondering >how he could speak with such authority? Please be careful. I only said that I had never heard of Indian connections with the Thomas families I'm familiar with. I would never say that anyone was not an Indian. The fpc THOMAS family in Southern Maryland claimed descent from a white woman. >After receiving the information from Mr. Brown I received an email >mentioning the Thomas name in connection with the Dodd family and >indicating that was a native american connection. > >My questions is simple, "Who is correct?" THOMAS is an exceedingly common surname. The fact that one THOMAS line may have an Indian connection does not mean that all of them do.

<< Speck seems to have made some errors in his interpretation of Indian culture among 20th century Nanticokes: From "Quest for Identity: The Formation of the Nanticoke Indian Community at Indian River Inlet, Sussex County, Delaware," by Frank W. Porter III, 1978 U. of Maryland Doctor of Philosophy, pp. 110-111: >Well, Mr. Brown I applaud your interesting points of so called view. I am >only sorry that you decided to put individuals names in your post. Please be >very careful about this you never know among us INDIANS if you are offending >someone by talking of their dead ancestors in a very disgraceful, >dishonorable way. If you knew. it is taboo to speak a dead person's name >among us. Of course you would not know about that since you are limited to >your exposure of actually interacting with my family. Plus being an outsider >it is probable no one talk to you anyway.. lest the old elders. I was just sharing a passage from Frank Porter's work. Your argument is with him, not me. I haven't done much research on Nanticokes and would not claim to speak with any authority on their history.

From: http://www.dickshovel.com/coreepro.html >Indian history and genealogy has been suppressed and obscured for a number of reasons, >lovingly belabored by Sheila Spencer Stover and others. After digesting the tribal >synonomies of Mooney, Swanton, Rights, et al, ad > nauseum, we find, in essence, that all the tribes of the Siouan Chicora nation, that >John Lawson told of being distributed from Charleston to Southside, Virginia at the >beginning of the 18th century mysteriously disappeared. > > At that time the Indians were in great cultural, social, economic, military and >geographic turmoil. By the time of the Revolutionary War, the Chicora Nation had been >either more or less surreptitiously absorbed into the White population, forced into >slave populations, been brutally annihilated, or had become Creeks, Cherokees, Catawbas, > Senecas or other such entities to meet the "Our Indians, Their Indians" criteria of the >European international "factory" system of dealing with them in the lucrative fur trade. >Or they sequestered themselves in hidden out-of-the-way corners of the land, from which >they now continue to emerge, seeking to reclaim their Native American identities. **************************************************************************** ******8 > > >Return-Path: <ShngSprt@aol.com> >From: ShngSprt@aol.com >Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2000 08:46:33 EST >Subject: Re: Lumbee, Pamunkey, and Wesorts/// Thursday reply >To: dbbowden@mindspring.com > >Graoannnn, Moannnnnn, siiiiiiigh, and Joan Rivers gesture of finger down >throat. > >they never learn, do they??? > >Lumbee are recognised as Indian by the Congressional 1956 Lumbee Indian Act. >it is this very Act which pre forecludes them going thru the BIA/FAP process, >and what they are trying to over turn. > >Ms. Wanda Whittamore, Lumbee was recently in this area doing PR work, was >introduced by Gov. Hunt to the Legislative body over an issue (she works with >teens, kids, Elders) she was chosen Miss Indian World a couple years ago, >winning over Navajo, Lakota, you name it--- She is Lumbee. > >They were, thru the mid to late 1800s, identified as "Croatans". > >An in depth study of their genealogy, added to the physical characteristics, >(absolutely strartling eyes--I'd kill for the shade of green that shows up) > will show their descent quite clearly from many established Roanoke >Voyagers. Where the heck else would the names come from that early in >time--common sense alone . > >Dr. Francis Jennnigs stated, at dinner a couple years ago: "I didn't used >to agree, but, in researching over the years, reading and comparing, I am >now convinced, the Roanokes went south, etc., blah d blah." Now, if someone >wants to argue with the 80 plus year old Father of American Indian Studies, >then let them have at him. > >Tri-racial community/isolates, whatever, is a label deigned to further the >genocide of culture. (re-read first sentence) > >Both groups of :Piscataway can be shown to be related to one another, as >close as 2nd cousins, with burials in identical cemeteries. the in fighting >is just that, and part of the "get them to fight each other then we don't >have to worry about either---tactic working so well in Idnian /country these >days" > >And, considering few of us spoke to outsiders about our hierarchy, who can >say what our system of running things were/are?? I work with tribes today >who would just as soon not tell anyone anything. > >Considering the powers that be wanted no labels reading Indians, hence so >many laws stating what to use--mulatto being the more common >one---indicating a mix of Indian and something--and then of course, we have >Plecker of VA > >and, in 1975, Supreme Court of Massachusetts, in a land claim issue of great >import for the Mashpee--(See David Brodeur's "Restitution" for a quick >overview) stated, very clearly: > >"Native Americans/Indians have been commonly listed as negro and black since >well before the Revolutionary War. Color, or an assumption of race, may not >be made due to what was, and is, personal judgement in most cases." > >parprahrased, but close enuf. > >Want to pick my genealogy apart? I'm Delaware, matrilineally. My Delaware >gt.grandmother 's father was Narragansett. (Matrilineally, he didn't >count--slight smile here) On her Grandfather's line, she also had CT and old >New England families, fonders, but, with a couple Wampanaoags, Mohegans >thrown in. > >On the Delaware grandmother's husband's side: Old New England, Wampanoag, >Machapunga, Tuscarora, Shawnee, one lonely Cherokee 1775--others >indeterminate. > >the child of this union md Old Scotland, England, and: Montauk, Mohegan >again, >more indeterminate. > >And, their daughter md. my Dad, whose own father came straight form England, >md. Mohawk, Mohegan, Wampanoag, Palatine German, Welsh/Dutch. massachusetts >Bay. > >On BOTH sides, is the VanSallee, proveable black--sold/ etc lines. > >I'm my own tri racial isolate./Remnant Nation. > >What these folks who want to sort things out all neatly then wipe us out as >tho we don't exist, and never did----------forget is: > >All tribes got pushed, mingled, assimilated, acculturated, in varying ways, >for varying reasons, in varying degrees. Most of them un-asked for, and >certainly not self determining. > >Color does not denote race, it being a case of melanin--or not >melanin---and a recessive that can become rapidly dominant-- > >The areas now designated Virginia, North and South Carloina, there were, at >the beginning of massive contact, some 200 plus triblal groups--most of >which disappeared so rapidly they didn't even get their names marked down >for the sake of historical fact. Just--GONE. > >And, the nay-sayers also would love to have us all believe the names given > were accurrate, when few were---just newcomer designations/translations and > hearing. > >As a "Remnant Nation" all wrapped up in one body. I'm very representative >of most communities, groups, tribal People. > >You've seen some of my blood kin, David, know I'm kind of the odd man out--a >mass of recessive genes on the surface, altho my doctor (Thai) yesterday, in >concern over my health status, said "The only thing European about you is the >cover!! > > >Wesorts, Brass Ankles, Red Bones, Gingaskins---tri-racial isloates--allnames >to turn us faceless and into non-entities. > >Which no one onthe face of this earth is. Creator doesn't cause trouble, >act prejudiced or make garbage, People do. > >Few are going to pay attention to reality and truth, it doesn't fit their >agenda. > >Which is why, I just keep working, writing, researching and >gathering--teaching and talking. Everyday, we, at this house, get up and put > our feet, one in front of the other, as responsibly as we can, as best we >can, as honestly as we can, as kindly as we can. It's all anyone can do, is >expected to do. One changed mind can change history. Buckets are filled by a >drop of water at a time, beaches are built, one grain of sand at a >time----one does what one can. > >You know my old line: > >What one accepts, one teaches. > >You may quote, post, any of this if you see fit. It will fall on mostly >deaf ears. > >Hugs, > >Sis Firehair , running hard to your east!! > > > > >

A surname does not guarantee that a person may or may not be of Indian decent. Only a genealogical connection does. Many times folks ask if a surname is Indian. Surnames span the racial spectrum and can not be answered in the way that the question is asked. Thomas, or any other name for that matter could be a White, Black or Indian surname. It depends on the family. Doug -----Original Message----- From: linda threadgill <linda-s-t@webtv.net> To: NATIVEAMERICAN-DELMARVA-L@rootsweb.com <NATIVEAMERICAN-DELMARVA-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Tuesday, March 14, 2000 6:06 PM Subject: Re: Wesorts; Nanticokes;WICOMOCO (This is my final ANSWER)!!!!! HI, I just joined this group last week and have been reading the posts with much interest. I received a response from Mr. Brown regarding my Thomas surname and it not being native american. Since I have not idea as to what the credentials of a the list members are, I was wondering how he could speak with such authority? After receiving the information from Mr. Brown I received an email mentioning the Thomas name in connection with the Dodd family and indicating that was a native american connection. My questions is simple, "Who is correct?" Today, I received another post from someone not on this list telling me that she has death certificates that list the Thomas family from my area as being either african american or native american. Mr. Brown, could you direct me to some refernece material to substantiate what you told me other than Paul Heinegg? I have been to his site and have also corresponded with him. You see, some of my other surnames are Charity, Bradby, Goins, Hamilton, Adkins, Christian, Pretlow, Jones, Johnson, Green, Horne, Holt, Lightfoot, Dickinson, Ellis, Johns, to name a few. And my husband's are: Boon, Copeland, Parker, Harrison, Austin, Horne, Green, Weaver, Howell, and Threadgill. Yes, most of these folks are from southeastern Virginia and northeastern NC. I did not list all of my surnames. For that information, you can visit our website at http://members.tripod.com/~Linda_T . BTW, I am also distantly related to Floyd Handsor who I believe was once a member of this list. I don't know if he still is. Just here looking for information, Linda Stith Threadgill ============================== Personalized Mailing Lists: never miss a connection again. http://pml.rootsweb.com/ Brought to you by RootsWeb.com.

Can anyone tell me how to prove if some one is of Cherokee blood?.. My husband's great great grandfather was a Garrett McCauley the tale is that he was hidden by his Cherokee mother during some kind of battle in or around Randolph county WV...and was found by the McCauley family and adopted by them...there is obvious native american heritage in my husbands family as can bee seen in their features and coloring...the dates I have are Jan 4 1802 but his place of birth is listed as Augusta county Va...how does one find out where the cherokee blood actually came in?..looks indicate it is there...but records are not easy to find...anyone able to help me? april pab@cfw.com

There is a Peter McCauley in the 1810 Albemarle Virginia Census. The surname McColley in the same county 2 David's, Daniel, Mary, and a Juonias. Helen

i have been a subscriber to this list for a few months now,content to sit back and be an observer. my reason for posting is to encourage everyone who is still trying to make their connections and tear down their brick walls to please keep on trying. my cousin and i have been researching for quite a while now,and found out today that we have been accepted into the monacan nation. we are so happy and honored. i feel so much closeness to my ancestors and the lives they led that have helped make me who i am. so keep looking and don't give up. the destination is well worth the journey. also,i filled out my census tonight and proudly marked american indian/monacan nation. thank you for letting me share. paula

HI, I just joined this group last week and have been reading the posts with much interest. I received a response from Mr. Brown regarding my Thomas surname and it not being native american. Since I have not idea as to what the credentials of a the list members are, I was wondering how he could speak with such authority? After receiving the information from Mr. Brown I received an email mentioning the Thomas name in connection with the Dodd family and indicating that was a native american connection. My questions is simple, "Who is correct?" Today, I received another post from someone not on this list telling me that she has death certificates that list the Thomas family from my area as being either african american or native american. Mr. Brown, could you direct me to some refernece material to substantiate what you told me other than Paul Heinegg? I have been to his site and have also corresponded with him. You see, some of my other surnames are Charity, Bradby, Goins, Hamilton, Adkins, Christian, Pretlow, Jones, Johnson, Green, Horne, Holt, Lightfoot, Dickinson, Ellis, Johns, to name a few. And my husband's are: Boon, Copeland, Parker, Harrison, Austin, Horne, Green, Weaver, Howell, and Threadgill. Yes, most of these folks are from southeastern Virginia and northeastern NC. I did not list all of my surnames. For that information, you can visit our website at http://members.tripod.com/~Linda_T . BTW, I am also distantly related to Floyd Handsor who I believe was once a member of this list. I don't know if he still is. Just here looking for information, Linda Stith Threadgill

--part1_9b.29b167a.26007afb_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit --part1_9b.29b167a.26007afb_boundary Content-Type: message/rfc822 Content-Disposition: inline Return-path: Wrenest25@aol.com From: Wrenest25@aol.com Full-name: Wrenest25 Message-ID: <7a.2b00886.26007a57@aol.com> Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2000 00:32:07 EST Subject: Re: Wesorts; Nanticokes;WICOMOCO (This is my final ANSWER)!!!!! To: seriesx@netpath.net MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: AOL 5.0 for Windows sub 66 Hi I am the person that has a Thomas and a Dodd. The Thomas actually is not Indian(or at least doesn't look Indian but his wife was at least half if not full blooded. Ellen's parents were a Faulkner and a Dodd that was a Retherford before marriage.I am going by an application of Ellen's sister that the Retherford that became a Dodd is Indian,she was rejected on the Gunion Miller Roll,but you will usually be accepted by a state recognized tribe if your ancestor was rejected. I think it sometimes depends on when your part of a surname came to this country. The reason I say that is I was told by an Indian historian that Faulkner was adopted by the Delawares and then the name was taken as a Delaware name. We can document our Faulkners to 1775 but if they had come in the 1800's I would not feel they were included in that statement. If this historian is incorrect I would appreciate someone letting me know. Jenny --part1_9b.29b167a.26007afb_boundary--

In a message dated 03/14/2000 9:12:32 PM Eastern Standard Time, linda-s-t@webtv.net (on the NATIVEAMERICAN-DELMARVA-L@rootsweb.com List) writes: << BTW, I am also distantly related to Floyd Handsor who I believe was once a member of this list. I don't know if he still is. >> Hi, Floyd is a member of the Mitsawokett list. Don't know whether he is on this one now. His e-mail is bugs@gnat.net Paul Heinegg and Ned Heite disagree 'somewhat' about the disappearance of Indians from Delmarva (go to the Heite links at http://www.mitsawokett.com/FamilyHistories/Index.html/#Family%20History%20Repo rts or directly at http://home.dmv.com/~eheite/index.html). Thomas Brown seems to side with the Heinegg camp. Tom's recent communication on this list, "They (the Piscataway) do not have a continuous history of Indian bloodlines. The contemporary group traces back to people who identified as white, black, or mulatto. There is not a single data point identifying any of their colonial ancestors as Indian," says it all. When data points are in, the Piscataway are out. The same can be said for the Nanticoke and Lenni Lenape of Delaware. But what is "continuous history?" We presume Mssrs. Heinegg and Brown mean it is one which can be found in the official documents of government and in books, logs, journals and papers left by contemporaries which either detail the lives of the important personages of the age of study or which permit construction of interpretive accounts of an individual's life. C.A. Weslager, 1980, in an address at the Bridgeton Indian Center, Bridgeton, New Jersey (see http://www.mitsawokett.com/MainMenu.html --scroll down a little more than half-way and click on "Notes from Interviews": "I should say that many of these so called Moors were aware of Indian ancestry, even though they were vague about Tribal affiliations. My own conclusion after very careful study, was that practically all of them had Indian antecedents. Of course, none of them were full blood Indians: some of them were descended from the Lenape or Delawares while others had Nanticoke Indian background, their parents or other relatives having moved to Cheswold from the Nanticoke Indian community in Indian River Hundred in Sussex County." Of course most professional historians will pooh-pooh this just as Brown put down Frank Speck, who worked with Weslager for awhile. From a historian's point of view, yes, there is no paper trail to back-up claims of Indian descent. It is sadly amusing to consider that the white man, hundreds of years ago, caused the aborigines to have little to no recorded history. They scared the bejesus out of them by expelling individuals who insisted on being called 'Indian' and then kept the quiescent ones from becoming members of the ruling body politic. Today it seems scholars want to continue this 'grand' tradition by ignoring family lore and concentrating on a rigid code developed to track the histories of the 'haves' of society. We understand the historians' problem--there must be standards by which events of the past can be understood. But, give us a break--please!! We are seeking out the lives of people who have very little recorded history, just as the have-nots in most all societies. The Delaware Genealogical Society is working on the Delaware Families Project to document all families in Delaware 1787-1800. Ned Heite says, "The Society's latest project is the Delaware Families 1787-1800 directory, which will eventually be a compendium of the state's population at the time of the Constitution. The team compiling the directory is anxious to publish only the most thoroughly documented entries. The only way the project will be fully comprehensive is if everyone contributes." Their standards for inclusion are similar to those Heinegg and Brown ask for. We have not been able to meet those standards. The records don't exist or have not yet been found. There is no provision to allow oral history. A member of the Mitsawokett List, who identity is known only by his screen name, had the following observation: From: Rarihokwats Rarihokwats <four_arrows@canada.com> Greetings. While everyone wants genealogy to be as accurate as possible, there needs to be equity when we have a historical situation where one people controlled the historical record and basically excluded another people from it. For the State Society at this point to insist upon everyone meeting standards which tend to favour the established order and discriminate against others who have been historically excluded, serves only to perpetuate the exclusion. I would suggest that you all who are close to the scene negotiate with the State Society some kind of "Scrutiny Committee", and if four or five of the most expert of you agree upon the facts that have been preserved through oral and community history, the State Society should accept it as much as they do the scrawling of a clerk two hundred years ago. Linda, you asked, "My questions is simple, "Who is correct?" The answer is--no one. The work is ongoing. Rick Gildemeister authored a piece on tri-racial isolates which we have included on our web site (http://www.mitsawokett.com/MoorsOfDelaware/trirace2.html). He says of this disagreement, "As far as Ned and Paul are concerned, at this early stage in research, there are few absolute givens, so it's good that there be these polar opposites, so that synthesizers can tease out what seems reasonable and attempt to further understanding." Hope we can be successful at our mutual undertaking! - ----------------------------------------- Aquabetty@aol.com Family History page www.mitsawokett.com Betty & Ray Terry 11505 Montgomery Rd. Beltsville, MD 20705 301-937-1766 Every time I get the urge to exercise, I lie down till the feeling passes.

In a message dated 3/14/00 2:24:33 PM !First Boot!!!, tombrown@jhu.edu writes: << Speck seems to have made some errors in his interpretation of Indian culture among 20th century Nanticokes: From "Quest for Identity: The Formation of the Nanticoke Indian Community at Indian River Inlet, Sussex County, Delaware," by Frank W. Porter III, 1978 U. of Maryland Doctor of Philosophy, pp. 110-111: Well, Mr. Brown I applaud your interesting points of so called view. I am only sorry that you decided to put individuals names in your post. Please be very careful about this you never know among us INDIANS if you are offending someone by talking of their dead ancestors in a very disgraceful, dishonorable way. If you knew. it is taboo to speak a dead person's name among us. Of course you would not know about that since you are limited to your exposure of actually interacting with my family. Plus being an outsider it is probable no one talk to you anyway.. lest the old elders. I cannot speak or defend the Wesorts but I can speak for the Nanticoke, especially for the individuals you decided to list in this post. My great great Grandmother was Ida Nora Wright, sister to Warren and Elwood as of you speak. And Winona.. called Aunt None among our people was wife to Oscar Whittington Wright, bro to Warren, Elwood, and Ida. I am very offended and angry that you would question my families authenticity or "Indianess in a forum such as this" First of all Aunt None was not a Nanti coke Indian. She was born Winona Jamison. She was from Pennsylvannia. My Uncle Os met her when he left Sussex after his first wife died who was a Harmon. His oldest son Warren Wright was sent to live with my Great Great grandmom Ida..my grandma was also in the home. Based on the fact that she is an outsider, was not raised in the culture and was not a blood line descendant of the Nanticokes she should not be quoted as a so called expert of ANY NANTICOKE TRADITIONS OR WAYS.. LORD KNOWS HUNTING AND TRAPPING.. >> The moral here is that the presence of Indian customs among contemporary populations is not necessarily evidence that these people are direct descendants of the aboriginal group. This is so true. As Sam Houston and Cynthia Parker were not direct descendants of the Cherokee and/or Cheyenne peoples but both were raised in the culture. But no one of that time would question either one of them about their believing in the Indian way. I guess that gets one back to the question what makes you an Indian?The Blood line or being raised in the culture of the Tribe. If we start to look at tri-racial isolates and bi-racial groupings it is very annoying that tribes such as the Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw in the south that have extremely high incidences of african influx but no one ever questions the claims of their descendants in reference to their ancestry. In fact it is this countries muffled up rules that have you so confused. as the rest of those who so call study Eastern Indian Groups. This countries racial rules cannot apply to us, so you come up with everything to discount the truth. 1. If you have one drop of Black blood that makes you Black American 2. If you have 1/4 Indian blood that makes you Native American 3. If you have one white ancestor and are Native American that makes you Colored. Just because you don't know what to do with someone with all three racial make ups in this country is not our fault.. You guys made the rules so make your minds up.. We Natives were very clear from the start that a man and/or woman are what they feel they are in their spirit, soul and heart. We also believed in adoption.. something I cannot say other groups have embraced as we did..Over 1000's of years many if not all tribes have been influxes by the Spanish here in the west and Florida, the French in Canada and in the NE as well as the British, Dutch, Irish and German, as well as, African American peoples. Even many who claim to be full bloods are unaware of distant ancestry ties to other racial groups. We have our own definitions of what makes a person part of our tribal group thanks... Also, the Wrights have direct dependency proof of relationship to Lydia Norwood Clark the last speaker of the Nanticoke Language. Lydia was related to Ida,Warren, and Oscar's grandmother Anna Rust Norwood. There are other connections as well. That is why we study genealogy Mr. Brown prior to making claims of Native American ties to Indian tribes. The other interesting thing about Speck is that he was also very involved in teaching Indian customs and traditions to people he thought might be Indian descendants--including the Delaware Nanticoke people. In other words, once he identified a group as a possible Indian survival, he did what he could to foster and grow their Indian identity. That is true too.. but long before his visit we were cooking traditional Lenape and Nanticoke foods, using Motars, herbs, had traditions and beliefs. We were never confused about who we were or are....It seems all those who were non -native had a problem. Never judge another until you walk one mile in their moccasins..... Respectfully yours, Stacey Bliss Cooper... Nanticoke/Lenape and proud of it!!!!!!!!!

>I think that Puckum is a Nanticoke Indian name. Can anyone confirm >this? Any little bit of information or comments on this is would be >GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!!!!!! The Puckham family descends from a union between John Puckham, a Christianized Nanticoke Indian, and Anthony Johnson's granddaughter, Joan Johnson, a free African-American, in Stepney Parish, Somerset County, Maryland, on 25 February 1682/3. However, the couple's children were bound out as apprentices, and were not raised in an Indian culture.

>Is the name Street not also found among the Nanticokes of Sussex county and >those who resided at six nations. Did not Chief Clark - in early 1900's go to >the Six Nations reserve and they dance around him at the site of their long >lost brother.. Did not Frank G. Speck come to study us and our ways and found >numerous items and customs of our people which lived on.... ??? Speck seems to have made some errors in his interpretation of Indian culture among 20th century Nanticokes: From "Quest for Identity: The Formation of the Nanticoke Indian Community at Indian River Inlet, Sussex County, Delaware," by Frank W. Porter III, 1978 U. of Maryland Doctor of Philosophy, pp. 110-111: An interesting sidelight to Speck's investigations at that time qualifies one facet of an earlier Nanticoke hunting technique. While interviewing Elwood Wright, a rather gifted craftsman, the conversation shifted to the method of cudgelling rabbits. Elwood recalled that about forty years earlier Bill Coursey had visited his home enroute to cudgel rabbits on the north shore of Indian River. Wright went on to describe the actual throwing stick, how it was thrown, and that it was an individual, not communal, hunt. In response to a written inquiry from Speck about rabbit cudgelling, Winona Wright, a teacher at the Indian Mission School, informed the anthropologist that no one in the community recollected such a method of killing rabbits. Warren Wright, the brother of Elwood, said that he never heard nor saw any method other than the snare or trap. "Evidently the Courseys read of the Indian method," Speck admitted afterwards, but "This does not alter the MS material." Speck had already published his findings, but he fully recognized the significance of Winona Wright's reply. f.n. 27, Frank G. Speck, "Cudgelling Rabbits, an old Nanticoke Hunting Tradition and its Significance," Bulletin of the Archaeological Society of Delaware 4 (February 1946):2-4. Speck to Weslager, no date, Weslager MSS. The moral here is that the presence of Indian customs among contemporary populations is not necessarily evidence that these people are direct descendants of the aboriginal group. In fact, surviving Indian customs and practices are rather widespread throughout long-standing rural populations, whatever their racial-ethnic provenance. Jack Weatherford's "Indian Givers" is a good, non-academic introduction to this topic. The other interesting thing about Speck is that he was also very involved in teaching Indian customs and traditions to people he thought might be Indian descendants--including the Delaware Nanticoke people. In other words, once he identified a group as a possible Indian survival, he did what he could to foster and grow their Indian identity.

Here is more for you, http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/refserv/library/html/search.html go to this database and put in your surname. I found this: Matthews, Harry Bradshaw Puckhams of Maryland 1682-1910: Seed From An African American-Indian Union Matthews Heritage Services, Baldwin, NY, 1992 Call no.: 0450 P Accession no.: L26771 Location: REF B-1-5 Subject: Family history - Maryland; Maryland - Genealogy Family Name: Puckham, Johnson Notes: 2 copies (Case Study in Historiographic Genealogy) Library no.: 9538 Matthews, Harry Bradshaw Family Legacy of Anthony Johnson: From Jamestown, Virginia to Somerset, Maryland 1619-1995, rev. ed. Harry B. Matthews, Oneonta, NY, 1995 Call no.: 0450 J Accession no.: L29465 Location: REF C-1-4 Subject: Family history - Maryland; Afro-Americans - Maryland - Genealogy; Indians of North America - Genealogy Family Name: Johnson, Puckham Donor: Gift of Harry Matthews Library no.: 12312 Good Luck Helen

Is the name Street not also found among the Nanticokes of Sussex county and those who resided at six nations. Did not Chief Clark - in early 1900's go to the Six Nations reserve and they dance around him at the site of their long lost brother.. Did not Frank G. Speck come to study us and our ways and found numerous items and customs of our people which lived on.... ??? I am still curious... Stacey

" The ground on which we stand is sacred ground. It is the dust and blood of our ancestors." Chief Plenty Coups-Crow Nation United States Census 2000 The Time for All Indigenous Peoples to Stand and Be Counted by Barbara "Shining Woman" Warren The United States Constitution mandates a census every 10 years to determine how many seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives. The information regarding population is used to formulate future information to be utilized by governmental agencies, including tribal governments, communities and businesses. About a week before Census Day - April 1, 2000 - most households will receive a questionnaire by mail. Census takers will deliver forms to the remaining households. The Census 2000 questionnaire that most people will get will ask about seven subjects: name, sex, age, relationship, Hispanic origin, race and housing tenure. Multi-Race Origins: Prior to the Census 2000, individuals were able to identify with only one racial group. This will be the first time individuals can check more than one of their racial origins. Those individuals who have American Indian ancestry can self-identify with their principal tribal heritage as well as identifying with another racial group(s). Multi-Tribal Origins: It will be up to the person to determine which tribe he or she claims to be affiliated with on this form. It is all self-reporting. The Census will not verify this information with the federally recognized tribes. There will be the option of identifying with up to three tribes. The principal tribe is listed first; a second tribe can be listed under the "some other race" category. A third tribe can be listed under the "other Asian" category. Stand Up and Be Counted! Self-identify!! There are millions of people with indigenous ancestry in the United States today who are barred by the policies of the federal government and federally recognized tribes as being American Indian. We are also aware in past family histories with indigenous roots, our ancestors usually had no choice but to deny their Indian blood on the Census records. Take this opportunity to tell everyone in the whole United States…we have always been here! Let the government know we choose to represent our honored ancestors and our future descendants by being counted…now! A Word of Caution from the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma: "Self-Identification: If you are Native American and identify as Indian whether you are enrolled or not, check NA only on the race question and name your tribe. The Census Bureau does not require documentation of Indian blood. The Race Question: If you identify as a Native American, even if you are of mixed race, we urge that you answer the race question only as Native American. The census form will allow you to check more than one race. However, if you check any other races, there is no guarantee that you will be counted as Native American. Please do not leave this space blank, or the Census Bureau may have to guess your race. If you live in a mixed household, the Native American/Alaska Native spouse should be listed as Person Number 1 - head of household - to qualify as a Native American household. Having a tribal enrollment number does not mean you are automatically counted by the census. Name your tribe: Do not leave the tribe section blank, even if you are not enrolled in the tribe. Naming your tribe will help ensure that you are counted as Native American, and it will also help your tribe and local agencies that serve Native Americans for data and funding purposes. It is important to put your primary tribe first. Write in your tribe even if your tribe is not federally funded. Hispanic origin: If you identify as Indian answer no to the Hispanic origin question, even if you have a Hispanic surname or Hispanic origin. In the past, Native Americans who answered yes to the Hispanic origin question were not counted as Indian, but as Hispanic. If you have a Hispanic surname, or live in a Hispanic neighborhood the Census Bureau shall assume the answer is yes. Fill out the form and return it right away - due date April 1, 2000 If you do not return your form by the due date, a census worker may come door to door to ask you questions, or obtain the information. If you do not wish to be bothered at your home, you should turn in the form on time. If you are not home or do not answer the door, the census worker may ask your neighbors to answer questions about you, including your race. This may result in incorrect data, and you may not be counted as Native American. Do not leave any blanks: Do not leave any blank space, especially race and Hispanic origin. If you leave a blank space, information will be answered for you and you may not be counted as a Native American." ©Cherokees Of California, Inc. P.O. Box 2372 Marysville, California 95901 (530) 633-4038 -- André Cramblit, Operations Director The Northern California Indian Development Council ( http://www.ncidc.org ) NCIDC is a non-profit organization that helps meet the social, educational, and economic development needs of American Indian communities. NCIDC operates a fine art gallery and gift boutique featuring the best of American Indian Artist's and their work, with emphasis placed on the work of the Tribes of N.W. California. (http://www.ncidc.org/gift/gifthome.htm#anchorgift)