Help deciphering handwritten text (native, grandmother, surnames, Cherokee)
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Again I'm seeking this forum's wonderful help in deciphering some handwritten text. This is off of a chart written by someone now deceased. In it it lists an Elias Bryant and his wife Manassa Nancy Thomas. It lists Nancy as 1/4 Cherokee and it lists Elias as some part Cherokee... I'm guessing its 1/8 but it's very hard to untangle it and the surrounding lines It looks like it could almost be 1/18 but the "1" in the 18 might just be an overlapping line (and 1/18 is a very odd proportion).
I attached the whole image as well for reference if anyone so desires to see. It's hard to differentiate the lines in the numbers and the surrounding ones, any opinions would be appreciated.
I have yet to verify any Native American in this ancestry of mine, though they do harken to very early Northern Georgia (early 1800s possibly late 1700s) and they do end up around some known Cherokee mix descended families in the region (there are also two rejected Eastern Cherokee claims regarding likely related Bryants of descendants from the region and a third one from a Bryant that may be related). Obviously this chart is just what the person who wrote it thought, would've loved to ask them why they gave those specific portions since they seemed to have an idea where it came from.
It's 1/8 for Elias Bryant, that's my guess. 1/18 doesn't make sense ... if you're counting great-great-grandparents, it would have to be 1/16, and it doesn't look like 1/16 is written there. I also don't think anyone would recollect the ethnicity that far back, for g-g-grandparents. My guess is 1/8 for Elias, 1/4 for his wife.
If anyone's up for another... this is the top left corner... I've transcribe most of it but at least two words are hard to make out, curious on thoughts:
transcription:
Manassas Thomas
was left an orphan at 7 days old
The father killed in Civl War in the battle of Manassas - she/the ?
? battle. After her mother died
the children were found hiding in the leaves.
If anyone's up for another... this is the top left corner... I've transcribe most of it but at least two words are hard to make out, curious on thoughts:
transcription:
Manassas Thomas
was left an orphan at 7 days old
The father killed in Civl War in the battle of Manassas - she/the ?
? battle. After her mother died
the children were found hiding in the leaves.
Manassas Thomas
was left an orphan at 7 days old
Her father killed in Civil War in the battle of Manassas.
She was named for the battle.
After her mother died
the children were found hiding in the leaves.
Sounds like her mother may have died from complications of childbirth.
Last edited by suzy_q2010; 01-29-2016 at 01:05 AM..
Manassas Thomas
was left an orphan at 7 days old
Her father killed in Civil War in the battle of Manassas.
She was named for the battle.
After her mother died
the children were found hiding in the leaves.
Sounds like her mother may have died from complications of childbirth.
Thanks, that definitely fits. A bit of a morbid name to be honest, though I know the Battle of Manassas (both of them) elicited a lot of Southern Pride.
Her father was William C Thomas who m. Amanda Langston. Both of them were definitely dead by 1870 and their children living in the housholds of family. Nancy and her older sister Angenette were in their maternal grandmother's household Clarissa Langston. James their oldest son was living with their paternal grandmother Rebecca Thomas... and their youngest son Jesse, named for William's father, was living with an older Thomas sister.
Was a bit of a genealogical puzzle to solve since Nancy M Thomas was never listed in a census with her parents. The data certainly fits the general idea of the notes written.
I have found the most likely Civil War record for William C Thomas... though he didn't die in the Battle of Manassas his regmt the 11th Georgia Infantry missed the first Battle of Manassas by 1 day, though they fought in the second Battle. He enlisted in 1861, was promoted to Sergeant and while he was a Private served on and off as an ambulance driver, his last roll was 1864 when afterwords he seems to have disappeared and likely died around that time.
Of course by then Amanda was dead if the family story is correct and the story could have morphed into him dying in a very symbolic Battle of Manassas.
What a great piece of history you have in your possession !
Thanks, agreed. I had no info passed down via this line so contacting a wife of a cousin that was excited to share this as well as well as another recollection (not as far back generation wise as this however) is invaluable. Like all info passed down not all of it is quite right, the tree is wrong the furthest generation up, all the surnames are right but they mix up the first and middle names and who married who... Still to have family stories is great since this is all I have.
Further my ancestor was always listed as Nancy M Thomas... and this gives me her full middle name, Manassas. As it turns out a sister of Nancy had a daughter I've confirmed had the middle name Manassas so I think that part is correct.
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