Great Job, Crystal! I am really impressed. Regarding Caleb Starr. I, too, believe that many Starrs were NOT from Caleb. And no, you didn't have to be from him to be a Cherokee. That's poppycock! I have no knowledge of Vivian Wilson Santini's research but would be very interested in knowing what you find out;.... I agree, the only way we can solve our mystery regarding Adam Starr is by sharing info. And I am hoping to get more and more. Right now, I don't really have more than what I've already shared but each time I get something, I will be more than happy to share with you and the other (Adam) Starr researchers.... By the way, we have added two more new cousins, a brother and sister.... Do we know for sure that Adam was born in VA? I haven't found this to be a fact as yet..... I have him as being born in Pulaski County, MO. I just don't know. I also had him being born in 1804 but know this is wrong.... He was born in 1799... Interesting -- Starr was sometimes translated as "Isbell." I did not know this. Where did you find this? I would greatly appreciate any info you come up with, Cous! And thank you very much. Hugs, di Crystal Burleson wrote: > Hi everyone, > > In my research on Adam Starr and his roots I have come up with some > interesting information (new to me at least) that I want to share with > you and see if you have any further information of this type. > > We know that on the 1850 census he is down as having been born in > Virginia about 1799. I found the following in a couple of pages of a > book I copied some time back and stuck away--glad I did now. Anyway, the > book is "The Buffalo Ridge Cherokee. A Remnant of a Great Nation > Divided". In it for one thing it says (quoting Martin "Walkingbear" > Wilson, Chief of the Amonsoquath Tribe of Cherokee in Missouri): > "The 'Treaty of Hopewell ceded or gave the Cherokee land to the British. > The British passed a few trinkets to the Indians and took land. The very > act, the Treaty of Hopewell," (1785) "caused the Chickamauga Cherokee to > split from the main body of the Cherokee." (From other sources we learn > that a few years later most of these Chickamauga Cherokee rejoined the > mainline Cherokee.) "They went to Missouri and Arkansas with Chief > Bowles. After the Treaty of Hopewell, they split off into many sections. > Some are in Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, > Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, West Virginia, Indiana, Illinois, > Ohio, New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Virginia, and other > states." > > He goes on to say, "A goodly part of the Amonsoquath Tribe left > (Virginia and North Carolina) and went to Missouri in 1793. Some stayed > in the southwestern Virginia area. They are in Cedar Bluff, Tazewell, > and other cities in southwest Virginia. A large part of Cherokee who > could pass themselves off as white did so. It was called survival. Our > people are still in southwest Virginia today, on ancient grounds and > will stay. They decided to learn the white man's ways and raise their > children in traditional ways. They would live and multiply, and go as > white, if necessary. If you can go for white and profit from it, then > you will." > > Now, if Adam was born in Virginia in 1799 it stands to reason that his > family was one that was in this group and stayed in Virginia. Another > book (I forgot to write down the title, but will go back to the library > and get it, Sorry.) says about the Cherokee War in 1759-1761, "Although > the Cherokee War involved mainly South Carolina, it started in Virginia. > Virginia had recruited four hundred Cherokee warriors to accompany the > British-American expedition against the French in western Pennsylvania > in 1758. Unpaid for their services (they had been promised pay), the > major part of the Cherokee contingent defected from the army and drifted > home through western Virginia...." It goes on to say that in Nov. of > 1761 they "concluded peace with Osteneco, Oconostota, and other tribal > leaders representing the Overhill Cherokees (the northernmost branch of > the tribe)." Apparently there were three basic groups of Cherokee towns > in the early days (1500's, 1600's, early 1700's). The northernmost group > was the upper or Overhill. Most of this area is in the eastern Tennessee > mountains and in the headwaters of the Tennessee River northward in the > Appalachian mountain range. The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma has retained > the Overhill dialect. (The Qualla Cherokee in North Carolina has > preserved the dialect of the middle-valley towns, and the lower town > dialect has disappeared.) > > I also found references to a Vivian Wilson Santini, Chief of the > Northern Tsalagi Tribe of Southwest Virginia, who has "conducted > extensive research on the Cherokee of Southwest Virginia, Tennessee, and > North Carolina." I am in the process of trying to find out more about > her research and findings. Do any of you have anything about this? I > would love to see what you know about them. I really think that this is > the only way we will ever solve the mystery about our Starrs and their > Cherokee background. > > On Ancestry.com I found many Starrs on the 1790-1870 Census records. I > made a map and marked where they were living. Many of them were > clustered in the southwestern part of Virginia and across the line into > West Virginia (which at the time, of course, was a part of Virginia). > Interesting stuff when considering the information above. > > A seperate reference states that Starr is a traditional Cherokee name > and was also sometimes translated "Isbell". I know that many folks think > that the only Cherokee Starrs had to descend from Caleb Starr, the > Irishman who married a Cherokee; but I think that's just not true. I > think that there must have been other Starrs even before Caleb came to > Indian territory. I'm sure going to try to find out. > > I know this is long. I hope you make sense of it and let me have your > input. I have ordered "The Buffalo Ridge Cherokee, A Remnant of a Great > Nation Divided" by interlibrary loan and should be getting it soon as > well as a couple of other books. I'll let you know what else I find in > them. > > Crystal