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Friday, May 10, 2013

HIDDEN CHEROKEES OF TENNESSEE: The Story of the Nunley, Hobbs, Stoner, Miller, Smartt, Northcutt, and possibly Wilson, Orr, Earnheart, Powe, and Wren Families.


HIDDEN CHEROKEES OF TENNESSEE – The Story of the Nunley, Hobbs, Stoner, Miller, Smartt, Northcutt, and possibly Wilson, Orr, Earnheart, Powe and/or Wren Families.

Male Adventurers in Early Virginia The earliest settlers of the Virginia Colony were predominantly male adventurers seeking wealth and land (the two being interchangeable).  The two most direct avenues to profits were trading with the Indians and development of land grants.  For those with wealth and influence, large land grants made the second course feasible.  For those without these assets, the Indian trade offered the greatest opportunity. 
Europeans aspiring to profits from trading quickly learned that marriage to Native American women was advantageous in negotiations. Given the paucity of white women in 17th century southern colonies, immigrants frequently married Native American women and formed allegiances with their wives’ families, clans, and tribes.  Intermarriage between European men and Native American women remained common through the 17th and 18th centuries.  While these early marriages were apparently considered valid and binding in both Indian and European cultures, in later years, European men were often polygamous.  They married and lived with Native American wives in tribal areas, while maintaining white wives in European settlements.  Other European men practiced serial marriage, marrying a Native American woman in their youth, and raising a family with her; and then “settling down” in their later years with a white wife, and raising a white family.  To further complicate this picture, some European men had more than one Native American wife.

Cultural Clash --  Patriarchal Europeans and Matriarchal Native Americans  -- From the beginning, the rigidly patriarchal Europeans had difficulty understanding the matriarchal culture of many Native American tribes, including the Cherokee.  Among the Cherokee, children belonged to their Mother and to their Mother’s Clan.  Property belonged to the Clan, and was controlled by the women.  Marriages between children of the same maternal clan were forbidden, and the leading women of each clan approved marriages.  Otherwise, Cherokee women were free to choose their lovers, to marry, and even to dissolve their marriages. 
Maternal Uncles (brothers of the Mother and members of her Clan) were charged with the education of their sisters’ sons.  Since fathers were not members of the same clan, a Father’s care and influence was supplemented or even replaced by that of the Mother’s brothers (members of the children’s Clan).   Orphaned Cherokee children were raised by their Clan, typically by their mothers’ sisters or aunts.
This pattern was in direct contrast to the European pattern in which children belonged to fathers, who selected husbands for their daughters.  Women were subject to their fathers before marriage and to their husbands after marriage.  Even as widows, they could not own or administer property in their own right, but were assigned male “guardians” to direct their affairs.  Similarly, orphans and the children of widows were assigned male guardians. 
Compared to European women, Native American women enjoyed great autonomy, freedom of choice, and financial security.  Most European men who married Cherokee women lived with the Cherokees or on farms established on Cherokee lands.  European men found that divorce was far easier among the Cherokee, and that polygamy was more widely accepted.  However, European husbands of Cherokee women were often subjected to rough jokes because of their wives’ independence and autonomy. 
 In the vast majority of cases, children of mixed European/Native American heritage were raised by their Mothers in Cherokee traditions.  There are documented stories of mixed Cherokee/European children, whose upbringing included exposure to European culture, including education and religion.  However, even in these cases, most individuals eventually returned to their Native American families and villages.
Patronymics:  One European cultural practice was preserved -- the custom of giving the Father’s last name to the children.  For a variety of reasons, Fathers’ names were given to children and passed down through the subsequent generations.
Prejudice: In the early 17th century, prejudices against mixed marriages and children of mixed heritage were relatively minimal; however, as conflict increased between Indians and whites, so did hatred and resentment.  By the 18th Century European prejudice against intermarriage and mixed race children was pronounced.  In contrast, the Cherokees were extremely tolerant of mixed heritage, and included many individuals of mixed European and mixed African heritage among their number.   It is only in recent times that Cherokees have begun to identify members of the tribe according to the purity of their Native American descent.

Challenges to Genealogical research -- Tracing the descendants of European men and their Native American wives is complicated (https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Indians_of_Tennessee) .  Most written records are of European origin, and frequently do not contain information on marriages between Europeans and Native Americans.  While the names of children born to these alliances are often listed, the names of Native American wives and mothers are frequently not recorded.  In fact, a European wife, whose marriage was recorded, is often erroneously listed as the Mother of all the children of her husband (including the children born to his Native American wife or wives).  Careful consideration of birth and marriage dates often reveals evidence of these confusions.
            Conflict between European settlers and the Cherokee increased as settlers encroached on Cherokee lands, especially after the French and Indian (Seven Years) War.  As the 19th Century progressed, penalties associated with being identified as Native American increased dramatically.  Many Cherokee (especially those of mixed heritage) went to great lengths to disguise and hide their Native American roots.  Native American heritage became a deep, dark “family secret” hidden from outsiders and even from younger family members.  Rediscovering Native American roots after several generations of hiding is especially challenging.  Groups of Cherokee who hid their heritage are sometimes referred to as “Hidden Cherokee.”
           
Nunley, Hobbs, Stoner, Miller, Smartt, Northcutt, and possibly Wilson, Orr, Earnheart, Powe and/or Wren Families. – For the reasons discussed above, the tracing of our Cherokee Families is challenging, and many questions remain unresolved.  However, I am sharing this information in the interest of encouraging others to read, critique, research, and help us correct errors and expand our understanding.  This research began with the Nunley and Hobbs families (maternal grandparents of my husband Charles Freeman) and progressed backwards in time to the Stoner, Miller, Smartt, and Northcutt families of Tennessee.   Moving further back in time and to costal settlements in Virginia and North Carolina, we encountered the Wilson, Orr, Earneart, Powe, and Wren Families.  Evidence of the Native American roots for these five families is less clear than for those researched in Tennessee.  However, by the time these families intermarried, it is almost certain they were mixed race families, raised in the Cherokee culture.  
The stories of these families begin in early 17th century Virginia and lead through modern-day North Carolina to the Tennessee counties of Grundy, Warren, and Coffee (formed in part from White County).   The early stories are remarkably similar – European men married Cherokee wives and fathered mixed race children who were raised in the Cherokee heritage of their Mothers.  These European/Native American children intermarried and participated in the unfolding history of the Cherokee people. 
           
THE WARS --  Native American tribes were drawn into European conflicts.  The Cherokees did not present a united front in their response to European conflicts.  Some Cherokee leaders espoused peace and resisted any participation in White men’s wars.  Others established ties with neighboring colonial settlers and sided with them against the French and then the British.  Still others opposed the loss of traditional Cherokee lands.  They allied themselves with the French and then with the British in opposition to the colonists.
            This last group of Cherokee sided with the French in the French and Indian Wars because they saw the English settlers as land hungry.  The Anglo-Cherokee War (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Cherokee_War#War), considered part of the Seven Years War, represents the beginning of the conflict between the Cherokee and the colonists.  The Chickamauga Wars (1777-1794 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chickamauga_Wars ) represent almost 20 years of raids, campaigns, ambushes and full-scale battles between the British settlers and the resistant Cherokees.  This period represents the longest continuous Native American resistance to European intrusion.  In the Chickamauga Wars, the resisting Cherokees were led by the famous war chief, Dragging Canoe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragging_Canoe).  As nearly as we can establish, our direct ancestors were all followers of Dragging Canoe and are included among the Chickamauga Cherokee (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chickamauga_Cherokee).    Our Cherokee families[1] moved with Dragging Canoe and his followers across the mountains, and were subsequently called Chikamauga or the Over-Hill Indian Nation (http://www.overhillcherokee.com/index2.htm; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overhill_Cherokee).  With the death of Dragging Canoe and the destruction of Nickajack ( 1794, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickajack_Expedition  ) Cherokee resistance was crushed. 
            HIDDEN CHEROKEES – Many of the surviving Chickamauga (Over-hill Cherokees) literally hid in the valleys (coves), mountains, and caves of Tennessee.  Our families hid in what are now the counties of Grundy, Warren, and Coffee (portions of which were carved from the original White County).  As the earliest settlers, these families gave their names to numerous geographical sites (i.e. Nunley Mountain, Nunley Cove, Nunley Cave, Hobbs Hill, Northcutt Cove, Smartt Mountain, etc.). 
After the Indian Removal Act of 1830 (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2959.html,  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Removal_Act_of_1830), the survival of these Cherokees required denial of their heritage.  As passed down by the Nunleys, the members of their family who “looked white” took land in their names, while their relatives who “looked Indian” hid in the caverns in the mountains.  When Cherokees were rounded up by U.S. soldiers and forced into concentration camps to await deportation, their “Hidden” Cherokee relatives and friends took in their children to protect the little ones from deportation.   In our research we were at first puzzled by intermarriages that appeared incestuous, until we understood that many of the couples in these marriages were not related by “blood” but by “adoption.”  Children saved from the Trail of Tears (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trail_of_Tears ) were “adopted” by Hidden Cherokee relatives and friends.  As adults they married members of their “adopted” families, creating the superficial appearance of incest.

NICKAJACK AND THE CIVIL WAR – The story of Nickajack (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickajack ) illustrates the history of our family during the Civil War.  Many of the Hidden Cherokees resisted involvement in a conflict they considered a White Man’s War.  Others, like the inhabitants of the Nickajack area resisted the secession of Alabama and Tennessee and voted to remain part of the Union.  Some members of our Cherokee families fought for the Union, others for the Confederacy, and still others refused to take up arms in either cause. 
Enmity toward representatives of the U.S. Government appears to have been common among the Hidden Cherokee.  Unpopular laws, especially those related to taxes were regularly ignored.  Among some Tennessee families, their war with the Revenuers was just an extension of earlier resistance to the encroachments of European settlers.

            HIDDEN CHEROKEES AND THE CHEROKEE NATIONS – The “Hidden Cherokees” of Tennessee were never part of either the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee_Nation ) or of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Band_of_Cherokee_Indians), but they had close relatives in both groups.  There is evidence that our Hidden Cherokees families maintained lines of communication with their relatives in the Nations.  Most persuasively, when our Nunley and Hobbs families migrated out of Tennessee in the early 20th Century, they moved to Northeast Texas where Cherokee relatives from Oklahoma settled after the Civil War.  
Family names offer additional evidence of kinship.  The family names derived from our Tennessee research appear on lists for both the Eastern Cherokee Band and the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.  The Hidden Cherokees of Tennessee (Chickamauga or Over-Hill Cherokee) resisted to the bitter end, and can rightfully claim that they never surrendered.  However, these same Hidden Cherokee survived by denying their heritage and in so doing lost much of their culture.  It is a paradox that those who resisted and refused to surrender eventually lost much of their traditional culture, while those who compromised and surrendered were able to preserve their heritage.  




[1] Not all members of these families were part of the resistance.  Some of their relatives remained in North Carolina.  Thus, some of these family names are still present in the Eastern Cherokee Nation.

62 comments:

  1. Frances, I would like to talk to you about the Hobbs family. Our Hobbs family never showed on the Census until 1850 which is when they lived in Kentucky. The birth place of John Hobbs and Wilmouth Owens accordingly to the Census 1850, was in TN born between 1794 - 1798. Our families have completed DNA tests and have not matched to any of the known Hobbs family lines or at least the ones that have completed DNA test which include the most known. We have never been able to find the parent names for John, though we found information on how the Owens family migrated from North Carolina, and assuming if Wilmouth was born in TN, some point in TN, then to Rockcastle County, Ky. I speculate that the Owens & Hobbs families and maybe others migrated together. I wondered what all information you have available. Feel free to email me, bradl.hobbs@gmail.com

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    1. Dear Brad, I am doubly interested in Hobbs ancestry. Not only was my husband's grandmother a Hobbs, but my great-grandmother was a Hobbs (Nancy). Her father Spencer Hobbs came to Texas when it still belonged to Mexico, and was an early Texas Ranger. I have not been able to find appropriate documentation, but believe he is the son or grandson of William Zion Hobbs who married Nancy Spencer. (Note he named his only child "Nancy") I believe, but cannot prove that there were both Native American and White children of this Hobbs line. This was at a time when Native American Heritage meant pure discrimination. I believe that many of our difficulties tracing their background is made difficult by racial and cultural differences. Have you read, Donald Yates' book, "Old World Cherokee Roots of the Cherokee: How DNA, Ancient Alphabets and Religion Explain the Origins of America's Largest Indian Nation?" I am reading, but don't feel adequate to evaluate the theories.

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    2. Is this Sarah Berry's husband name John? If so then that's my father's parents! How exciting! My father is Melvin James Berryman but berry is an prefix I am trying to go back further in my ancestry and got stuck couldn't go any further do this makes sense please let me know. My name Laurel Jane Berryman - Bailey 4404627595 email laurelbaileyy@yahoo.com

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    3. I'm one of many great-grandsons of Agnes Hobbs, she was born there and migrated to Canada. I kept on being asked if I'm native. I do look like it and rumors was my great grandmother was 1/2 native. I do resemble her. She was born in 1877

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  2. Frances, thank you for posting this My husband's grandfather is Luther Nunley. All the stories he read are the ones he grew up hearing. He was extremely excited to learn more of the history of his family. We now live in central texas and try to attend the reunions held in Logansport every year. If possible could you contact us at Daiuy5@aol.com to He'd love to talk to another cousin. Thanks (Peggi)

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  3. Frances if you could plase contact me it would be great. My name is Stacy Hobbs, Son of Jonah Hobbs, Son of Dock Albert Hobbs, Son of Harris Hobbs, The son of Richard Hobbs Jr. The Son of Christopher Hobbs, the Son of Richard Hobbs Sr. The son of Ezekiel Hobbs. I grew up and live where you are writing about. My Great Grand Father Harris Hobbs was the last to live on Stoner Mountain. I heard tales of us being realted to the Indians, but I have never found any concrete Evidence. I would love to see what you have on your Husband. My email is jsdshobbs@charter.net

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  4. I'm currently researching my Chamness (Quaker) family and have seen that one of the males had two wives. His first wife was Sarah "Sally" Berry. Someone just emailed me and said she was of Indian (Cherokee) blood, but I've found NO documentation of this...sigh...I'll keep looking. Very interesting article!
    Cheryl Ann

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  5. Frances - this is very interesting. I am a direct decedent of Nicholas Wren, one of the first Wrens who arrived in James City (Citty) VA in 1652. All my life I've been told I have Cherokee ancestry and I was disappointed when I had my DNA done with no trace of being Native American, although I understand that there's a good chance it won't show up because of the low percentage.. Any information you have on the early Wren's would be a tremendous help. Please contact me at jwren1@sc.rr.com. Thank you so much. Jim Wren.

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    1. Upload your raw DNA results from Ancestry.com to gedmatch.com. Use the Dodecard World9 Admixture test which is specifically designed to detect NA ancestry. It shouldn't be taken as gospel. Most Native nations in the US will not submit their DNA to legal and political reasons. And most Native Americans east of the Mississippi River are mixed blood. So it would be pointless for them to submit DNA.

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    2. The people that took our ancestors from their land are not going to tell you everything and Try to block any knowledge. I have been threatened and my son also. And it led me to something with my mother or father as they were very hush-hush about my grandmother and grandfather on either side. I have read that the Cherokee nation will not accept DNA as showing that your native American anyway, they are going by your name and usually by the mother's name. Funny belief that test your research and if you can contact a tribe leader and ask? My great great great grandmother was a child on the trail of tears And was found wandering until a family by the end of the Smiths found her and took her in. She was later to have married this man! And kept from her Cherokee ways. I know that is one picture of this woman my grandmother and I'm still looking at my mother is Linda Owens and her father Wilmouth Owens I believe Waiting on confirmation. Laurelbaileyy@gmail.com

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    3. I'm looking for parents of Dolly Louise Kent born app 1903? Died in San Frisco 1970 or 1980s

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  6. My great great grandparents were Wilson's. My grandmother always called us Virginia Indians. None of the Virginia tribes have the surname "Wilson", but I always find this surname amongst the Cherokee. So I am trying to find out if my ancestors were part of the Cherokee Nation. By 1860 the Wilson's were living on Staten Island,NY. Any info on this name would be great. My husband is Sioux and I now live in Montana. Thank You for any help on my family name. Jeanne Domek Yellow Robe. I can be reached at jeannedomekyellowrobe@yahoo.com

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  7. Francis,
    Now I know why I have become so confused.
    I have been trying to use patriarchal Ydna to track my Taylor roots.
    Two Taylor brothers (Andrew and David) came from Orange, Va. into what was indian territory (East Tenn.) and married Bigbe sisters (part cherokee).
    The location became known as "Taylor's Place" where of course a spring was located ("Taylor's Spring") and later the location of Cleveland, Bradley county Tenn.
    I have a match at 67markers Ydna with possible descendents of these Taylors.

    My Great G. father born 1834 died in California 1873 and nothing is known about him other than 1870 census info and what his stone and a couple of short obits say.
    I'm 72 and my father would never tell me anything of his heritage.
    I suspect it was as you say, " a family secret."
    There is a 1846 document;(Memorial of Andrew Taylor") available in the library of congress related to the cherokee treaty of 1835 which may interest you.
    Send me your email and I'll attach a copy of it to send you.

    Part of the document states: "I certify, that on the 16th day of February, 1837, Andrew Taylor, a white man, having Cherokee rights, was recommended by the committee to the United States Commissioners as capable of becoming a citizen of the Unites States, and that his name stands on the records of the committee."

    I knew Andrew and David Taylor were born in Orange, Va. and were citizens by birth.
    Russ Taylor
    rwtjmt@sbcglobal.net

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  8. I am also a Nunley,my fathers name is Paul as is his father, we are right outside of Chicago,and had never heard of anyone having my last name till recently.would love to learn more!!!

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    1. My great grandmother & great great grandmother were nunley. Laura A. nnley & hester nunley (married johnson) maybe were related?

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    2. Family history states that the Lynn's Hobbs and nunley Martins left mecklenburg county north Carolina they bought wagons and were traveling together arrived in warren county tenn .1804 my mother's family is the Lynn's I have been told these families had ties to one another and the family history says when the Lynn's arrived in warren they were traveling and dressing like Indians. I find that interesting being that to dress as a indian at that time was not a excepted thing.. I believe to be dressed as being Cherokee one would have to be of mixed blood or native . Especially after such hostility after the tuscarora war.

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  9. I am also a Nunley,my fathers name is Paul as is his father, we are right outside of Chicago,and had never heard of anyone having my last name till recently.would love to learn more!!!

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  10. Are we able to get an Indian Card? My great grandfather was William Nunley, brother of Jesse Nunley.

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    1. My name is Frances Barnes Parker. My Grandfather was the son of Lucy Nunley and her father was Jesse Nunley. She was from Warren co. tn dob 11/1/1860 and died in grundy co,tn in 1950. It's very hard to find anything on the Cherokee part of our family. Have you found anything I can use?

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    2. Im Rebekkah Nunley, descendant of william nunley. I have been tracing my ancestry, got all the way to william nunley and jean miller. Ive read that they lived in Nunley mnt, and buried in the Nunley cemetery. I would like to know how I can email you or you email me at phelpsmom2@hotmail.com. Im trying to get more info on this if you have it please.

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    3. Im Rebekkah Nunley, descendant of william nunley. I have been tracing my ancestry, got all the way to william nunley and jean miller. Ive read that they lived in Nunley mnt, and buried in the Nunley cemetery. I would like to know how I can email you or you email me at phelpsmom2@hotmail.com. Im trying to get more info on this if you have it please.

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  11. There are now two Nunley Family Pages on Face Book, and a big Nunley family reunion is planned for this summer. Check these out.

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    1. where on facebook? My great grandfather was married to Lucy nunley. His last name was Barnes.

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  12. My last name is Hobbs so I wonder if I am of any relation at all.

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  13. Family oral history has the Orr family (James Orr, patriarch) with native American blood. I am most intested in learning more about the Orr's, particularly those who married into the Means family (Tennessee, Arkansas).

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  14. It was not the final treaty per the reason.Tennessee lands in these counties were treatied away in 1805,1806.At this point the Cherokees living there were subjects of the State and U.S.I'm Vickers from e.Tennessee,Warren ,co.William Vickers and family were on the 1820 U.S. census.The wife was listed as non taxed Indian.

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  15. It was not the final treaty per the reason.Tennessee lands in these counties were treatied away in 1805,1806.At this point the Cherokees living there were subjects of the State and U.S.I'm Vickers from e.Tennessee,Warren ,co.William Vickers and family were on the 1820 U.S. census.The wife was listed as non taxed Indian.

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  16. I'm researching William Adams who supposedly arrived near present-day Pulaski and Rockcastle Counties, KY around 1780 from North Carolina. He had a daughter named Charity who was born in 1783 in that area. His wife is unknown. I believe she was a full-blooded Cherokee. There are several people who have the wrong woman on Ancestry as Charity's mother who they claim is Mary M. Gooden/Gooding. She had a son named David born in 1783. Their family never set foot in KY. I also have an ancestor named Mary Poulter born in 1780 in KY. She had a son named William Loyd born in 1798 in Jefferson County, KY. Probably I won't find any more info on them, but I'm keeping the faith that I will.

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  17. I would like to get more info if available on william nunley. I am a great gran of him. Where can I get more info about Nunley mountaim and the bothers who lived there with their wives? Trying to trace my ancestry, Please email me. Thank you
    phelpsmom2@hotmail.com

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  18. I would like to get more info if available on william nunley. I am a great gran of him. Where can I get more info about Nunley mountaim and the bothers who lived there with their wives? Trying to trace my ancestry, Please email me. Thank you
    phelpsmom2@hotmail.com

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  19. I have been on the Cherokee Indian Geneology Just because we say we are of Cherokee heritage doesn't mean there is proof. I was told that everybody in Tennessee thinks they are Cherokee and Cherokees weren't from Tennessee. I have found a lot of snobbery from these people. Without families from generations past keeping paperwork we will never know.

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    1. My 3x great grandfather was Willis A Nunley a left behind Indian adopted by William B Nunley and Sarah Jane (Smart) Nunley. I'm also currently trying to get all the info I can find. Have you found any new info?

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    2. Whoever told you that there was no Cherokee in Tennessee was lying.
      https://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/cherokee_country_1900.jpg

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    3. Helen Bouldin OwensMay 13, 2023 at 12:58 PM

      Hi, my great grandfather was Willis Nunley. He was married to Nancy Brown. They were both full blooded Cherokee. He fought in the Civil War, Union side, and was in the Calvary, served as a medic. He also fought in the Mexican American war. His daughter Rachel was my grandmother. She too rendered medical help to people using herbs and delivering babies. Sadly she died before I was born. For genealogy purposes most of my information was obtained from Mormon geneology. Also the military records were helpful.

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  20. My wife's grandfather said that his mother was full-blooded Cherokee 'princess' and that he was adopted and raised by the Looney family, probably in Sullivan Co. Tenn. She would be a 'hidden Cherokee' living in the hills and probably related to the Looneys who were a mixed Cherokkee/Settler family who raised as one of their own to protect him. Any knowledge about this family please email sojmed@gmail.com

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    1. There are no princess. Where do you fakes get this crap

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  21. I am definitely someone kin to the H
    obbs/Nunley you are talking about. I've attached a portion of what I have on Hobbs Nunley's. My grandmother was Adora Hobbs (Dora). Please contact me at bettye840@gmail.com. I'm VERY anxious to talk with u.
    12. Abraham Hobbs, born 1800. He was the son of 24. Ezekiel Hobbs and 25. Nancy Northcutt. He married 13. Elizabeth Nunley.
    13. Elizabeth Nunley

    Children of Abraham Hobbs and Elizabeth Nunley are:]
    i. Archibald Hobbs
    ii. Adeline Hobbs
    iii. Christopher Hobbs
    iv. Martha Hobbs, born 1823.
    6 v. Nelson B. Hobbs, born Jan 1829 in Grundy Co., TN; married Sarah Jane Nunley 13 Jan 1857.
    vi. Wesley Hobbs, born 1835 in Grundy Co., TN; married (1) Lucinda Lowe; born 1849; died 1915 in Orme, Marion Co., TN; married (2) Luzanna Fults 17 May 1858 in Warren Co., TN; born 1835 in Tennessee.

    More About Wesley Hobbs and Luzanna Fults:
    Marriage: 17 May 1858, Warren Co., TN

    vii. Abraham Hobbs, born 1837 in Grundy Co., TN; married Sarah Jane Smartt; born Abt. 1848 in Grundy Co., TN.
    viii. Alexander Hobbs, born 1837 in Grundy Co., TN.
    ix. Frankie Hobbs, born 1839 in Grundy Co., TN.
    x. James Hobbs, born 1840 in Grundy Co., TN.
    xi. William Riley Hobbs, born 1844 in Grundy Co., TN; married Eveline Hobbs 05 Jul 1868 in Grundy Co., TN; born 1848 in Grundy Co., TN.

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    1. Betty Ann this appears to be the same line I'm following tracing my roots. My DNA results should be in soon so hopefully I will be able to complete my search correctly through DNA
      Please feel free to contact me at
      mxodom@aol.com

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  22. Im Josh Nunley. Great great grand father was charles droke "dock" nunley. Great grandfather jessie mccoy nunley. Great great grandmother from my mother side, whom i actually met was a hattfield from the fueding clans hatfield an mccoys.

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  23. This blog is mistaken from start to finish. Full of misinformation. FAIL.

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  24. For a full explanation with regard to why this blog is an epic fail, see her thread here:

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/286374694757222/permalink/1623049441089734/

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  25. This is such bad info ...Not one tribe will take DNA as proof except for finding parents so why do a DNA test when it will get you nothing. It would take a book to tell all the wrong info on here. That's why you no not believe a blog but do your genealogy get the documentation then you have the truth

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    1. Not so hard there killer lol the Lady didn't know obviously because that is exactly what the White Man wanted and if you think that documentation doesn't favor the Cherokee that conformed to the White Man rules your just .. Anyway best believe if you want to know then find the oldest tribal member left and get it from them about your last name they will be the only way to know. And you're right they do not go By DNA is by your mothers side of which ever parent is Cherokee be easy it's nice to see everyone seeking these facts out! Help don't hurt! There has been a lifetime of that and I am to this day more than ever being exploited and made fun of and just nasty words can't ever seen to get ahead and they deny me anything I apply for and read the prison writings by Leonard peltier in prison for life

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  26. I am searching for Nunley’s from Pearson and Quitman Arkansas. My great grandfather was James Nunley 1872-1955. He was born in Tenn. and buried in Pearson, Ar or Quitman, Ar. His daughter Bessie 1910-1992 was my grandmother. (Married Abe Holliman) I can’t seem to find any info on who is James’s parents. I was told by my Aunt that there was Cherokee in the family. Thanks for any info.

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  27. This blog is so bad. Do not believe one word of it .the Cherokee people no there history this wannabe is telling fake storys. Are you doing drugs are you a drunk?

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    1. I'm Cherokee, and my relatives where I gained that heritage were Nunleys, so I apologize if you feel that ALL Cherokee know their heritage, but for some of us, there is missing information due to the fact that the issues during that era cause so many to hide or deny their true heritage. And if you are not formally educated on this than may be it is you that doesn't truly know their heritage... I do not mean any disrespect in that comment, I am being sincere. These events happened, they can't be denied. And if it helps someone like me complete a puzzle that has been incomplete for years then what does it matter to you?

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  28. Dear Mrs. Freeman:
    Your research and opinion have provided information for opportunity to validate vital missing details and explanation for the reasons the information was forced missing. The internet will continue to make accessible available information and connect persons in the journey of genealogy, especially in secretive families such as the Nunleys. Survival has forced our family to live in secret. I hope you continue to reveal information from your research and will choose to take part or respond to others, there is much knowledge still out there hidden. I certainly hope that persons whom are fortunate enough to come upon your writings will consider the rantings of the last blogger, Charles canue, and recall points you have made that informed of reasons that great amounts of family information has been lost and why. What goes without explanation is the incredible disrespect and unsupported defiance of the Cherokee Nation to recognize all Cherokee people. The Cherokee bloodlines are not only "real" in Oklahoma and Eastern North Carolina. It is shameful for Cherokee people to claim fraud of persons seeking recognition, especially when their denial is for ancestors whom bravely fought and resisted on the behalf of all Native American people. The denial is insulting and ignorant, violating your own history and knowledge. Do you recognize Dragging Canoe? Do you deny his peoples, his fight, his villages, his resistance? Dragging Canoe was a fierce, great warrior whose heart and integrity was to defend all Native American people. Dragging Canoe assembled men from many nationalities and bloodlines and fought against the genocide of people by the greedy new forming government. The failure to recognize and acknowledge the authnticity of persons of Cherokee heritage can be proven in the applications to be directly related to the individuals or family relatives participation in the resistence against the Federal Government, a war which has never officially ended. Ignorance is a condition created by man's fear and intolerance and is just as divisive to either side. There has been no greater an atrocity and slaughter than that that occurred for the greed of land and the lie this great Nation is built on. There is no degree too small to recognize Indian heritage and no longer a pure bloodline to support divisions. Never underestimate the man you face or who he is...many deceive and are deceived by what they see...a warrior's heart is pure and is not earned or determined by what he sees, but rather what he fights for. Being Cherokee is not a decision, nor is it a right bestowed by the CN. The pain and suffering continues to prevent clarity and healing. Your disrespect proves you ugly and absent of knowledge. Maybe it is you whom is under the influence? The warriors will return and I hope you will not be so blind by the warriors with blond hair and green eyes...

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    1. Everything you said was true the fact that the original inhabitants were dark-skinned people in the majority of the people that gets denied entry into tribes are so-called African Americans do we think that it's a big coincidence or does this have a lot more to do with slavery than one would think did they bring Africans to a new land and enslave them or did they enslave the inhabitants on their own land and teach them they weren't from America???

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  29. Thank you for posting this. I have been trying to trace my family line. Nunley is the line I was hoping to find. This is very interesting & helpful information.

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    1. I am researching the Nunley line as well. And thank you for this post. I agree, it is total ignorance and disrespect to post anything negative & claim that ALL Cherokee know their heritage. Yes, I know my heritage I just don't have all the pieces to the puzzle.

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  30. I am interested in the Orr/Nunally research, my family is tied to thomas nunally and Elizabeth Margaret Orr..Orr said to be Cherokee Indian..from the wolf clan...any information or sites that you might have would be interested in.

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    1. I am also interested in the Orr/Nunley family ties. Thomas and Elizabeth are my 5th great grandparents.

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    2. I also am tracing this branch of our tree, This is my husbands people he is 82 I am trying to get all the info I can for his B-Day thanks for any info given Loni

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    3. I stumbled on the orr " wolf clan" last night and got so excited that I now can't find it.
      Thanks for the Thomas nunley name so I can refind it again

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  31. They left out the Meeks family, descended from Chikamaka David Meeks, mention in Tn Bureau of Indian Affairs, in 1800s. Before 1800 he declared he was half Cherokee, Went to Ky had Solomon and Issac and returned to Burrows Cove in 1805. Meeks family intermarried with many other families with Cherokee ,Shawnee(Kilgore family) and others. They took in many off the trail of tears that passed right by where they lived in Burrows and Layne and other coves. Also some intermarrig with other side of my family from Coker, Raatliff, Pathkiller etc. Water on a Flat Rock written by a distant Cousin in the CNO is a good read along with her three other books.
    Did David Meeks coem from Black Fox's camp or Shellmound, Running Water Town. family doesn't seem to want to share the bits of information.
    Lawrence Meeks married a Nunley also.

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  32. My name is TR Nunley. My father was the last child of a family of 16 brothers and sisters. His name was Harrell M. NUNLEY. His childhood name was Marblehead and Doug. His parents were Will Nunley and Lou Nunley. There is a birth certificate for Will with his parents named John Nunley and Tennie "Floyd" Nunley but I can't seem to go beyond that for him. His wife prior to Lou was named Tennessee Nunley and it looks like they were related but after reading this, maybe not. I was always told that my grandfather was a full-blooded Native American however I was sure that he was somehow related to Squire John Nunley (not his father) because I was told about a story about a Native American man Square John who look the name of a great white General in the "war" who died and Square John took his name to honor him. But after reading this, he might have taken his name to spare his own life and his family members. Contact me if anyone knows anything. My father's three sisters were Dora, Nora, and Floria which is unique. Also, Will was a coal minor and farmer in Whitwell, TN. Died in his last 90's. TR Nunley, 910-538-0234 (text) or email me at trleonunley@gmail.com.

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  33. My name is Shannon Hopson(Brooks) I have found Nunley and Hobbs in my tree. Some stories from Ancestry in my tree refer to children left behind during the Trail of Tears. If anyone has any information about other resources or places I could look to find more definitive answers I would appreciate any help I can get. Also has anyone heard of or researched the Mantooth family? I found some historical records that one of my ancestors may have married a Cherokee woman and changed his name from Montieth to Mantooth over a falling out with his brother because of the marriage.

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  34. My mother was Jill Hobbs. Born to Jack Hobbs. Son of George Hobbs born in 1899. We were always told that we were part Cherokee but no one ever researched it. This was so interesting and I would love for anyone to email me if they have any knowledge of anything farther back than what I know about the connection of George.

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  35. Patti Susanne Brewster FoxAugust 9, 2023 at 7:05 PM

    My maternal Grandmother was a Nunley (Cherokee) who Eli Brewster in Lindale Texas (Smith County, East Texas. His father, a Scottish gentleman, settled in Lindale. My Scottish DNA is strong but my native is not showing up. Many of us have been taught by our fathers that there was an enormous land mass between the Americas and Europe at one time and us natives crossed that land mass from Europe. That may explain some of those other European countries showing up in our testing. I researched this matter and it pans out. In geography they assume we all came across the northern straits from China, but it was Chinese research that actually proved how some of us came to be here. That land mass that connected the two continents did exist, when the polar ice caps melted, it was eventually covered. In 5th grade I told my 5th grade teacher those geologists who wrote that book didn't know what they were talking about. Daddy had drawn it on the map for me.

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