Native American Research and Historical Preservation Society
You can not see what's in my heart for it is mine to know. My mind is what I'll share with you, but that's as far as I'll go. My dreams are mine and I paid the price to carry them with me.
The rest is here and I will share everything you can see.
The following page contains an 8 year journey to discovering my Native American roots, a coming home if you will.
From a very young age my father told me we had Indian blood, being a child I never really asked all the right questions I just accepted it. As the year went by and as I came into my own, had children of my own and now having grandchildren, I had always had this tugging in my memory the words, we have Indian blood.
So in 2001 I began my long search, however where do I start, my father passed away in 1990 followed by his brothers, Uncle Junior (Thomas), Roy and Billy back in 1980. My paternal grandmother Maggie Jane Owens born April 23, 1900 died Jan 1968 my paternal grandfather Thomas Mode Miller, born March 8th, 1901 Platte Co Missouri died according to death certificate Oct 5, 1930 3 months after my father David Albert Miller was born on July 6, 1930.
So with no living relatives to ask those who, what, where, when and why’s I started this frustrating journey…….and so …..
Here is what I have discovered about my native American roots, my paretenal grand mother and my parternal great grand father Samuel Albert Owens were born in a small town called Piney Woods, Kentucky, it wasn’t until a few months ago I discovered why I could not find any information on Piney Woods Kentucky, the name of this town was changed to Pine Grove Kentucky. I found an old book that contained information about how and why this occurred.
The name of the book is “Kentucky Place Names by Robert M. Rennick published by University Press of Kentucky in 1988 this is a reprint. Taken from Page 234 and 235
Piney Woods (also Called Watauga) (Clinton): pahn ghrohv (Cumberland City). This rural settlement, extending for some 3 mi along KY 588, and 10 mi NNE of Albany, was served by the extinct Watauga (wah/tah/ghe) po. Before the po was est. on Feb 23, 1901, with George F. Brow, pm, the community was called Piney Woods for the tall pine trees in the vicinity.
The name Watauga was requested for the po because the area’s first residents had come form the old Watauga settlement in Tennessee. With the closing of the po in 1954 the community has been locally called Pine Grove for the neighborhood school (also closed) and Methodist church. It is doubtful whether the Watauga name is used anymore. 1263 (Watauga
A Cherokee name used in the name of a town and a county in TN.)
This information from the book, “Kentucky Place Names”
More detailsKentucky place names By Robert M. RennickEdition: reprintFrom the wealth of names in Kentucky Rennick has selected those of some 2,000 communities and post offices.
This letter was amoung my fathers paperwork I found from 1779.
The rest is here and I will share everything you can see.
The following page contains an 8 year journey to discovering my Native American roots, a coming home if you will.
From a very young age my father told me we had Indian blood, being a child I never really asked all the right questions I just accepted it. As the year went by and as I came into my own, had children of my own and now having grandchildren, I had always had this tugging in my memory the words, we have Indian blood.
So in 2001 I began my long search, however where do I start, my father passed away in 1990 followed by his brothers, Uncle Junior (Thomas), Roy and Billy back in 1980. My paternal grandmother Maggie Jane Owens born April 23, 1900 died Jan 1968 my paternal grandfather Thomas Mode Miller, born March 8th, 1901 Platte Co Missouri died according to death certificate Oct 5, 1930 3 months after my father David Albert Miller was born on July 6, 1930.
So with no living relatives to ask those who, what, where, when and why’s I started this frustrating journey…….and so …..
Here is what I have discovered about my native American roots, my paretenal grand mother and my parternal great grand father Samuel Albert Owens were born in a small town called Piney Woods, Kentucky, it wasn’t until a few months ago I discovered why I could not find any information on Piney Woods Kentucky, the name of this town was changed to Pine Grove Kentucky. I found an old book that contained information about how and why this occurred.
The name of the book is “Kentucky Place Names by Robert M. Rennick published by University Press of Kentucky in 1988 this is a reprint. Taken from Page 234 and 235
Piney Woods (also Called Watauga) (Clinton): pahn ghrohv (Cumberland City). This rural settlement, extending for some 3 mi along KY 588, and 10 mi NNE of Albany, was served by the extinct Watauga (wah/tah/ghe) po. Before the po was est. on Feb 23, 1901, with George F. Brow, pm, the community was called Piney Woods for the tall pine trees in the vicinity.
The name Watauga was requested for the po because the area’s first residents had come form the old Watauga settlement in Tennessee. With the closing of the po in 1954 the community has been locally called Pine Grove for the neighborhood school (also closed) and Methodist church. It is doubtful whether the Watauga name is used anymore. 1263 (Watauga
A Cherokee name used in the name of a town and a county in TN.)
This information from the book, “Kentucky Place Names”
More detailsKentucky place names By Robert M. RennickEdition: reprintFrom the wealth of names in Kentucky Rennick has selected those of some 2,000 communities and post offices.
This letter was amoung my fathers paperwork I found from 1779.
The first photo is the cover of the book that contains information about Piney Woods Ky. The other is a marriage liscense of my paternal grandparents Thomas and Maggie. The next photo is my grandfather Thomas's application for enrollment as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation dated 1906. (Cherokee Minor by blood) the last photo is my father's birth certificate.
Title.
U.S. Native American Enrollment Cards for the Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914 Thomas M Miller
Name: Thomas M Miller Gender: Male Birth Year: abt 1901 Age at Census Enrollment: 1Enrollment Date: 1 Sep 1902 Tribal Affiliation: Cherokee Minor By Blood Census Card #: 6195
Name: Thomas M Miller Gender: Male Birth Year: abt 1901 Age at Census Enrollment: 1Enrollment Date: 1 Sep 1902 Tribal Affiliation: Cherokee Minor By Blood Census Card #: 6195
I have always wondered where my grand father Thomas Mode got his middle name and in the 8 year searching my genealogy, I never found a connection why? Because I was following the others before me who took the first lead available to them with what records were our there...however I had this nagging feeling I was missing something...where did he get that middle name MODE.....from his Uncle Thomas R or H Mode, who had sister named Susan who married Oliver Steel Todd who had a daughter Sudie Todd who married Harmon D Miller and they had many children....and one of them is my grand father Thomas Mode Miller. I have have found a census record of a Thomas H Mode who resided in OK in or around the 1900. That would make sense how was a 1 year old child such as my grandfather get to enroll in the census, a family member had to have been in indian territory at that time. I will continue to post and updating the information.
This is a difficult journey searching through millions of indian census records and docuemts with all the misspelling of names and those who did not enroll in the indian census...it would be so easy to change your name or move around to keep one step ahead of the government and they questions....I cannot tell you how many documents I have read where this pereson turned in this person who in a conversation mentioned his mother was a full blooded indian or I had a great graand father who was an indian.....it is rumored that if you turned someone in that had not enrolled in the indian census...you could recieve money or even land....just imagine the fear....and always having to watch what you say as not to indict or even hint you were indian, why...I have a theory...Wounded Knee.... broken treaties and they land and homes taken from them...they were spit on, refused service at local general store for the basic supplies nessacary for life....this is why my journey is so difficult to find answers. Did my family hide from their indian heritage? How should I feel about this if this were true.....I look at the faces of the pictures above me...my grand father and grandmother.....I see the high cheek bones in grandpas Thomas's face, the dark hair and eyes....I look at my grand mother could she be choctow? I look at her nose and dark eyes....her mouth and chin thin lips...it the answers I seek right there in those faces??????
I am not sure....but I am so determined to find the answers and when I make up my mind to do something I grab on and don't let go until I pick up the next trail and the next until I find the answers.
This is a difficult journey searching through millions of indian census records and docuemts with all the misspelling of names and those who did not enroll in the indian census...it would be so easy to change your name or move around to keep one step ahead of the government and they questions....I cannot tell you how many documents I have read where this pereson turned in this person who in a conversation mentioned his mother was a full blooded indian or I had a great graand father who was an indian.....it is rumored that if you turned someone in that had not enrolled in the indian census...you could recieve money or even land....just imagine the fear....and always having to watch what you say as not to indict or even hint you were indian, why...I have a theory...Wounded Knee.... broken treaties and they land and homes taken from them...they were spit on, refused service at local general store for the basic supplies nessacary for life....this is why my journey is so difficult to find answers. Did my family hide from their indian heritage? How should I feel about this if this were true.....I look at the faces of the pictures above me...my grand father and grandmother.....I see the high cheek bones in grandpas Thomas's face, the dark hair and eyes....I look at my grand mother could she be choctow? I look at her nose and dark eyes....her mouth and chin thin lips...it the answers I seek right there in those faces??????
I am not sure....but I am so determined to find the answers and when I make up my mind to do something I grab on and don't let go until I pick up the next trail and the next until I find the answers.
