Why The Possum's Tail Is Bare

A Cherokee Story

The Possum used to have a long, bushy tail, and was so proud of it that he combed it out every morning and sang about it at the dance, until the Rabbit, who had had no tail since the Bear pulled it out, became very jealous and made up his mind to play the Possum a trick.

There was to be a great council and a dance at which all the animals were to be present. It was the Rabbit's business to send out the news, so as he was passing the Possum's place he stopped to ask him if he intended to be there. The Possum said he would come if he could have a special seat, "because I have such a handsome tail that I ought to sit where everybody can see me." The Rabbit promised to attend to it and to send some one besides to comb and dress the Possum's tail for the dance, so the Possum was very much pleased and agreed to come.

To continue reading: Click Here.

The Work of the Mountain Mother

The work of the mountain mother is burdensome and she bears more than her share of responsibilities of the household. Her housework includes washing, ironing, cooking, cleaning, sewing, and often spinning and knitting for the family. Handicapped by lack of modern conveniences, her task involves undue hardship.

In most of the homes cooking is done on a small wood stove, with none of the modern conveniences; often the only implements are iron kettles, pots, and ovens which may be used interchangeably on the stove or in the fireplace; the latter is still preferred by many for baking corn bread and sweet potatoes. A scant allowance of fuel is provided from meal to meal. During a rainy spell, or when the father is away or sick, or the children off at school, the mother may be left without fuel, though wood grows at her very door.

To continue reading: Click Here.

Relative Finder vs. Family Finder

By MHS Board Member Roberta Estes

Hello everyone,

If you are interested in or have taken the new Relative Finder or Family Finder tests from either 23andMe or Family Tree DNA, please read this entirely to the end. I'm sorry for the length of this article, but it is important information.

I'm very pleased to see that the 23andMe test will have some competition. The prices have already come down. But which test is best and what is to be gained from either or both?

I'd like to chat about both of them, especially since one, 23andMe, is on sale and the other is not quite ready for release, Family Finder from Family Tree DNA, which is of course why 23andMe put theirs on sale when they did.

I'd like to do a comparison about what is tested, what you get and why you might want to test with either or both companies.

To continue reading: Click Here.

The Melungeon DNA Project

Principal Administrator: MHS President Jack Goins

Project Information and Goals

Amateur and professional genealogists and historians have been researching records, newspapers articles, Bibles, church records and more, plus listening to family stories for years to try and document the Melungeon people. The Melungeon Project is a study of males and females who have proven known Melungeon ancestors, according to old records, and agreed on by some of the top serious Melungeon researchers. The participants must descend in a genealogical useful line; i.e., father to son to son, etc. for the Y chromosome testing and Mother to daughter to daughter, etc. for the mtDNA testing. The DNA results, combined with extensive genealogy research, hopefully will open some new windows for research on the Melungeon people. DNA information is to be used in conjunction with historical and traditional research.

For more information, and current results: Click Here.

Goins v. The Indian Normal School in Robeson County, North Carolina

Material Compiled by MHS President Jack Goins

In 1885, Hamilton McMillan sponsored legislation to establish a normal school in Robinson County, North Carolina to train Lumbee Indians to teach other because they were not allowed to attend the white schools.

McMillan seemed obsessed with the theory they were descendants of John Whites Lost Colony of Roanoke Island. He admitted under oath, that he gave them the name Croatan,and also claimed they called themselves Melungeons. According to the following court case, these same people whom he said called themselves Melungeons, testified under oath they were Indians.

W.B. Goins, et.al. vs. Board of Trustees Indian Normal School. Filed October 12, 1915 in the Supreme Court of North Carolina.

“Old man William Goins and his sons W.W. Goins and W.D. Goins all in Depositions testified they called themselves Indians. William Goins testified his grandfather name was Fred Goins. I don’t know where he came from especially my great grandfather.”

Gaston Locklear testified for the defense. "I am a member of the board of trustees of the Cherokee Indian Normal School of Pembroke. I was not a member when some of these people were first permitted to attend the school. After this question arose I made an investigation about the time we were getting ready to exclude them or to pass on the question. I went to Sumpter County, South Carolina in the eastern part of Sumpter County. I went for the purpose of asserting what the general reputation was as to these people and to find out whether they were entitled to go to our school and saw a right smart of people. I have seen William Goins, the father of these plaintiffs. From my knowledge of the Indian people here and from my observation of him (William) he is not an Indian."

Q-Being appointed by member of the board state what you did for the purpose of ascertaining what the general reputation was down there?

A- I went to find out if they were entitled to go to our schools.

Q-From this investigation you made what do you say is the general reputation as to whether or not they are people of Negro Blood.

A-Their general reputation is they are colored people.

Q-Have you seen William Goins father of the Plaintiffs?

A-I have, and who they said was their father.

Q-From your general knowledge of the Indian people here and from your observation of him, state whether or not in your opinion he is a man of Negro blood.

A-He is of Negro blood.

Source: Supreme Court of North Carolina, Archives Raliegh, North Carolina.

The 2010 National Genealogical Society's Annual Conference

And Related Activities
April 26 to May 1

One of the largest genealogy events of the year will begin on April 26 in a city well known to genealogists: Salt Lake City, Utah. The last few days of April and the first day of May will see a unique week featuring four conferences focused on genealogical research and technology.

The primary event will be the 2010 National Genealogical Society's Annual Conference in the States being held at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. This four-day event is held in a different city each year. The annual National Genealogical Society (NGS) conference typically attracts 1,500 to 2,000 genealogy enthusiasts, and I suspect this year's conference will be even bigger than the events of recent years.

Other events scheduled the same week include Brigham Young University's annual Conference on Computerized Family History and Genealogy (being held in the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City), BYU's Family History Technology Workshop (being held in the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City) and the FamilySearch Developers' Conference for software developers (being held at the BYU Conference Center in Provo).

The NGS conference will feature dozens of daily workshops to provide beginners and experts alike with tips on everything from basic research and organizational skills to locating resources, deciphering records, understanding DNA testing, and writing and editing family narratives. Special technology workshops also are planned to aid in understanding and using various genealogy-specific databases and programs. In fact, I will be making a presentation at this conference as well.

For much more information: Click Here.

What the Census Said About Us...in 1870

Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Radical Cartography has published dozens of stunning charts and maps that illustrate much of the data in the 1870 U.S. census. You can view small versions of the maps and charts on your screen or download much larger images as ZIP files and then view them offline at your leisure.

The 1870 census was the first statistical census of the United States. Earlier efforts focused mostly on the names and the total number of inhabitants. The 1870 census asked many more questions and those answers were tabulated to provide an interesting statistical picture of a fast-growing country that was full of immigrants.

54 maps and charts are available, reproduced from the Statistical Atlas of the United States as published in 1874. You can view the images on your computer screen; click on an image to see a larger version. Instructions are also provided to download even larger images.

To see the Statistical Atlas of the United States: Click Here.