Edmon Middleton, 1905-1935, was murdered by a dynamite blast in his car September 4, 1935. Evidence showed that the dynamite was wired to the ignition the night before, and exploded when he started his car. The explosion could be
heard all over the city of Harlan, Kentucky. Mr. Middleton was in his second year of his second four-year term as County Attorney in Harlan county.(Harlan Dailey Enterprise, September 4, 1935; Edmon Middleton 1905-1935 by Kathryn H. Trail, Harlan Mountain Roots)
Mr. Middleton contributed many ways in his short life---one was by writing a history of Harlan County Kentucky, which to my knowledge was never published. His daughter, Mary Elmon Middleton graciously allowed this history to be placed in the “Harlan Mountain Roots.” According to my research so far
Middleston was the first to write a history on Harlan County, all others seem to refer to his work or use his work almost word for word in part.
I was surprised and pleased to see that Mr. Middleton not only mentioned Quadrule Indians but elaborated on them in his history and told much the same story my grandmother had told. In other words---he confirmed an oral story in my
family. Middleton said, “The early settlers at first found the Indians who were living in Harlan County, but no roving bands, friendly and hospitable towards them.”
He goes on to tell that later as the Indians became alarmed of the growing danger of losing their lands, they became hostile. These hostile Natives were soon either killed or driven from Harlan County. The friendly Indians “remained until comparatively recent years.” Some married in with the surrounding families. He writes, “The chief tribes of Indians in Harlan County were the Cherokees and Quadrules. The Quadrules inhabited Wallins Creek, and the Cherokees were scattered in smaller bands throughout the county, some of them on Wallins Creek. The Quadrules were friendly and mingled freely with the whites. The Cherokees usually were unfriendly and lived more secluded from the whites.
The Quadrules were very adapt (sic) at spinning and weaving woolens and flax and making beautiful pottery. Often they did the spinning for the White people. The women wore beautifully colored clothing, and were just as fond of pottery of many colors. They made this pottery from the clay around Wallins
Creek. S.J.C. Howard, who died in Harlan just a few years ago, and who was formerly County Attorney for Harlan, gave many interesting accounts of this colony of Quadrule Indians at Wallins. When a boy he used to hunt and fish with those
Quadrule Indian boys. They lived as a tribe at Wallins Creek until after the Civil War, and then many went West when the Indians were colonized by the Government.
Creek. S.J.C. Howard, who died in Harlan just a few years ago, and who was formerly County Attorney for Harlan, gave many interesting accounts of this colony of Quadrule Indians at Wallins. When a boy he used to hunt and fish with those
Quadrule Indian boys. They lived as a tribe at Wallins Creek until after the Civil War, and then many went West when the Indians were colonized by the Government.
It is said that the Quadrule Indian girls were very beautiful. Some of the older Indians returned to Wallins Creek after the colonization, and later scattered about through the County. After the mass of the Indians from Harlan moved West, it is reported that occasionally some of them would return, and take back packages of very heavy materials, which they would allow no one to see, and which the old settlers thought were some kind of very valuable Minerals.”
Mr. Middleton tells of an Indian mound that was unearthed just off main street in Harlan, giving up all kinds of flints, arrowheads, tomahawks, a little pottery, beads, and Indian skeletons. He mentions that in a large portion of Harlan County Indian relics have been found, giving evidence of early Native
American existence there.
Lisa Kirk, of the Enterprise Staff wrote an article titled “Wallins Named For An Early Surveyor.” It tells that Wallins Creek was named after the longhunter who early on came into the area. Wallins Creek in Tennessee is named for this same man.
Mr. Middleton tells of an Indian mound that was unearthed just off main street in Harlan, giving up all kinds of flints, arrowheads, tomahawks, a little pottery, beads, and Indian skeletons. He mentions that in a large portion of Harlan County Indian relics have been found, giving evidence of early Native
American existence there.
Lisa Kirk, of the Enterprise Staff wrote an article titled “Wallins Named For An Early Surveyor.” It tells that Wallins Creek was named after the longhunter who early on came into the area. Wallins Creek in Tennessee is named for this same man.
Kirk says, “The Quadrule Indians were a settled, peaceful
people living at Wallins Creek, and when the early settlers came in the Quadrules accepted them as friends. -------------Eventually the Quadrules were moved to a western reservation. The exact year is not known, but it is believed to
have been sometime after 1865, following the close of the Civil War.
people living at Wallins Creek, and when the early settlers came in the Quadrules accepted them as friends. -------------Eventually the Quadrules were moved to a western reservation. The exact year is not known, but it is believed to
have been sometime after 1865, following the close of the Civil War.
Forest, parks and other sites were named for the belligerent Cherokees and Shawnees, but few remembered the Quadrules ever existed. As a belated honor to the friendly people, one of the scenic spots in the county, on Upper Martins Fork, now bears the name of Quadrule Falls.”
I spoke with the Virginia Parks Department historian, and he felt that the Indian mounds would have contained the earlier Native Americans who lived in the area, and that these Quadrules were more than likely a group of Natives who
had broken off from a local tribe, probably the Cherokee or Shawnee.
I spoke with the Virginia Parks Department historian, and he felt that the Indian mounds would have contained the earlier Native Americans who lived in the area, and that these Quadrules were more than likely a group of Natives who
had broken off from a local tribe, probably the Cherokee or Shawnee.
Everything I find separates these Quadrules from the Cherokees, as did my grandmothers
story. All accounts seem to point out that they were not the same
story. All accounts seem to point out that they were not the same
INDIAN BLOOD RUNS IN
MANY HARLAN COUNTY FAMILIES © by Holly Fee-Timm [originally published 3 June 1987 Harlan Daily Enterprise Penny Pincher] "Many families in the mountains have traditions of being part Indian. Ed Ward refers to just such a tradition about Susannah Skidmore Farmer in his letter to the editor Saturday, May 30. Other families with a tradition of Indian blood are descendants of Isaac Callahan, some of the King and Jones families and the Sizemores. ...... .........The three major tribes in the Kentucky area with the greatest possibilities for intermarriage were the Cherokee, the Chickasaw and the Shawnee with the Cherokee being the most numerous in the immediate area. The Quadrule Indians mentioned as living locally were probably not a separate tribe. They were most likely a small group of one of the major tribes who simply settled here, more peaceful than many of their brethren. There are two local families with documentary evidence supporting their claims to Indian blood. These are the Cole and Bowman families. The Coles are listed in census records for 1860 Lee County, Va., and for 1870 Harlan as being Indian. The state and counties of birth given for the Cole family of 1860 implies they moved around frequently. The head of the household, John Cole, was born about 1799 in Lincoln Co., North Carolina. His daughter Eliza was born in Scott Co., Va., and daughter Elisabeth, in Knox Co., Ky. Eliza's two children, Jacob and Elmira were born in Lee Co., Va. Next door to John's household is another Eliza Cole, born about 1834 in Lee Co., Va., with two daughters - Jane born in Claiborne Co., Tenn., and Elisabeth born in Lee Co., Va. All of these Coles and a Jefferson Cole living in the same neighborhood were listed as Indians. Elsewhere in Lee County was a John M. Cole, 20, also of Indian blood. In 1870, the younger Eliza Cole, her two children mentioned above and three more children, Robert, Mary Jane and Mollie were listed in Harlan County. All were indicated as being Indian. It must be noted that the degree of Indian blood is not listed in census and even a small fraction could be cause for such a listing. Jacob Cole married Kizzie Eldridge, another family with a strong tradition of Indian blood. Mary Jane Cole married William Brittain, son of James and Jane Ely Brittain. The Coles were closely connected with another area family with proven Indian blood, the Bowmans. Hawkins Bowman was born about 1790 in North Carolina. In 1838, in Lee Co., Va., he married Nancy Barbour. In 1879, his widow applied for a pension on his military service. She stated that he had served in the Tennessee Infantry in the War of 1812 under Captain Jesse Cole. She described him as being of dark complexion, commonly called part Indian and that he was about five-feet nine inches tall. They had at least seven children: George, Mary who married Hiram Fugate, Lucinda, John, Nancy, Thomas who married Mary Moore, and Elijah. In the 1860 census of Harlan County. Hawk Bowman is listed as a blacksmith. In the 1870 Harlan, the family is listed as Indian." | |||
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 03-12-2006, 08:52 AM | |||
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Quadrule Indians
Here are a few things that I'm asking you all to concider on this subject of Quadrule Indians. When you take a look at Goodspeed's 1886 map of Tenn. at http:/www.tngenweb.org/maps/goodspd.htm you will find in the northeast section along the Powell River "Old Indian Towns." This is in the lower Powell Valley. The Powell Valley extends to the northeast into southwest Va. When you reach the area just NE of the Cumberland Gap and cross over Cumberland Mountain to the NW then you are in the Wallin's Creek area of Harlan Co. Ky. Wallin's Creek is between the Cumberland River and Cumberland Mountain.
When you go to the Tngenweb site for Campbell Co. Tn. you can find info. on the Well Spring Methodist Church. "The Well Spring Church and School's history is directly associated with Powell Valley since Thomas Henderson crossed the Cumberland Mountain to secure 200,000 acres of Virginia territory from North Carolina in 1795. Within this beautiful valley he discovered THREE NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES, one at Caryville, one at La Follette, and one at Well Spring. A general belief is that the Indians in this area were Cherokee at the time white settlers came across the mountains." Also, from the section titled "The History of Campbell County, Tennessee; The first settlers to the Campbell County area were the Cherokee Indians who made their reservations at the present-day sites of Caryville, La Follette, and Well Springs, and at OTHER SMALL COMMUNITIES... The last of the Indians were chased across the Cumberland Mountains, and the chief of the tribe was killed near the Campbell County line in Kentucky." La Follete is on Big Creek just below the mouth of the Powell River where it empties into the Clinch River. Another thing to remember is the 1784 report of John Sevier of a band of "White Indians" living within the "State of Franklin." I also remember from somewhere that some of the Indians living in Powell's Valley were thought to have been attacking travelers on Daniel Boone's Wilderness Road between 1777 and 1800. When I concider all of this information it would appear possible that small villages of unknown tribes, probably remnants of at least three seperate tribes, were living along the Powell and Clinch Rivers and, after the destruction of one of these confederate villages, two villages relocated to the Wallin's Creek area. It would seem that for these villages to be isolated during this time-frame they must have been remnants of farther eastern tribes or outcast villages from closer tribes. I am just guessing. Dan. |
The Saponi Austin family of Halifax Co, VA
My GGGG Grandfather John Austin b 1726 acknowledged that he was a Saponi before a P&Q Court hearing to seek permission to visit with, and secure peace with the Catawba in 1755.
I have now re-read John's abstract from the Pleas & Quarter(ly) court, the appearance was in Rowan Co, NC, records were transfered to Surry Co, NC when Surry Co was formed from Rowan - at least I read this in a Surry Co history at the Chattanooga Public Library several years ago.
John was the father of William Austin b 1750+/- his son;Hezekiah b 1787 his son; Jonathan 1823 his son; William Blevins Austin 1855; his son Ned Elric 1902; his son Charles, me.
I hope to make contact with other descendants of John Austin, Sr b 1692-1701 possibly in VA or NC. He married Hannah Love. Hannah was probably the source of Saponi blood in my family. Were the Saponi a matriarchal society?
------------------
Charles E Austin
INDIAN BLOOD RUNS IN
MANY HARLAN COUNTY FAMILIES ©
by Holly Timm
[originally published 3 June 1987
Harlan Daily Enterprise Penny Pincher]
Many families in the mountains have traditions of being part Indian. Ed Ward refers to just such a tradition about Susannah Skidmore Farmer in his letter to the editor Saturday, May 30. Other families with a tradition of Indian blood are descendants of Isaac Callahan, some of the King and Jones families and the Sizemores.
In most cases it is very hard to find any documentary evidence supporting these traditions of Indian blood. For most of 1800's, such a connection was not something a family bragged about. Many of those with even a small fraction of Indian blood were regarded as non-citizens and were generally looked down upon.
There is a large amount of research material on those of Indian blood available on the individuals who were moved west by the federal government in the form of various census rolls, annuity payment rolls and so forth. There are also a few records on the Eastern Band of Cherokee who lived mostly in the mountains of North Carolina.
In the earliest years of settlement and exploration in Kentucky, many men took Indian wives whether or not they had wives and children in the east. Some of these half breeds took to the Indian ways and moved west with the tribes, others chose to live as white and there may be many families with Indian blood who have no such tradition.
The three major tribes in the Kentucky area with the greatest possibilities for intermarriage were the Cherokee, the Chickasaw and the Shawnee with the Cherokee being the most numerous in the immediate area. The Quadrule Indians mentioned as living locally were probably not a separate tribe. They were most likely a small group of one of the major tribes who simply settled here, more peaceful than many of their brethren.
There are two local families with documentary evidence supporting their claims to Indian blood. These are the Cole and Bowman families. The Coles are listed in census records for 1860 Lee County, Va., and for 1870 Harlan as being Indian. The state and counties of birth given for the Cole family of 1860 implies they moved around frequently. The head of the household, John Cole, was born about 1799 in Lincoln Co., North Carolina. His daughter Eliza was born in Scott Co., Va., and daughter Elisabeth, in Knox Co., Ky. Eliza's two children, Jacob and Elmira were born in Lee Co., Va.
Next door to John's household is another Eliza Cole, born about 1834 in Lee Co., Va., with two daughters - Jane born in Claiborne Co., Tenn., and Elisabeth born in Lee Co., Va. All of these Coles and a Jefferson Cole living in the same neighborhood were listed as Indians. Elsewhere in Lee County was a John M. Cole, 20, also of Indian blood.
In 1870, the younger Eliza Cole, her two children mentioned above and three more children, Robert, Mary Jane and Mollie were listed in Harlan County. All were indicated as being Indian. It must be noted that the degree of Indian blood is not listed in census and even a small fraction could be cause for such a listing.
Jacob Cole married Kizzie Eldridge, another family with a strong tradition of Indian blood. Mary Jane Cole married William Brittain, son of James and Jane Ely Brittain. The Coles were closely connected with another area family with proven Indian blood, the Bowmans. Hawkins Bowman was born about 1790 in North Carolina. In 1838, in Lee Co., Va., he married Nancy Barbour.
In 1879, his widow applied for a pension on his military service. She stated that he had served in the Tennessee Infantry in the War of 1812 under Captain Jesse Cole. She described him as being of dark complexion, commonly called part Indian and that he was about five-feet nine inches tall. They had at least seven children: George, Mary who married Hiram Fugate, Lucinda, John, Nancy, Thomas who married Mary Moore, and Elijah. In the 1860 census of Harlan County. Hawk Bowman is listed as a blacksmith. In the 1870 Harlan, the family is listed as Indian.
I have now re-read John's abstract from the Pleas & Quarter(ly) court, the appearance was in Rowan Co, NC, records were transfered to Surry Co, NC when Surry Co was formed from Rowan - at least I read this in a Surry Co history at the Chattanooga Public Library several years ago.
John was the father of William Austin b 1750+/- his son;Hezekiah b 1787 his son; Jonathan 1823 his son; William Blevins Austin 1855; his son Ned Elric 1902; his son Charles, me.
I hope to make contact with other descendants of John Austin, Sr b 1692-1701 possibly in VA or NC. He married Hannah Love. Hannah was probably the source of Saponi blood in my family. Were the Saponi a matriarchal society?
------------------
Charles E Austin
INDIAN BLOOD RUNS IN
MANY HARLAN COUNTY FAMILIES ©
by Holly Timm
[originally published 3 June 1987
Harlan Daily Enterprise Penny Pincher]
Many families in the mountains have traditions of being part Indian. Ed Ward refers to just such a tradition about Susannah Skidmore Farmer in his letter to the editor Saturday, May 30. Other families with a tradition of Indian blood are descendants of Isaac Callahan, some of the King and Jones families and the Sizemores.
In most cases it is very hard to find any documentary evidence supporting these traditions of Indian blood. For most of 1800's, such a connection was not something a family bragged about. Many of those with even a small fraction of Indian blood were regarded as non-citizens and were generally looked down upon.
There is a large amount of research material on those of Indian blood available on the individuals who were moved west by the federal government in the form of various census rolls, annuity payment rolls and so forth. There are also a few records on the Eastern Band of Cherokee who lived mostly in the mountains of North Carolina.
In the earliest years of settlement and exploration in Kentucky, many men took Indian wives whether or not they had wives and children in the east. Some of these half breeds took to the Indian ways and moved west with the tribes, others chose to live as white and there may be many families with Indian blood who have no such tradition.
The three major tribes in the Kentucky area with the greatest possibilities for intermarriage were the Cherokee, the Chickasaw and the Shawnee with the Cherokee being the most numerous in the immediate area. The Quadrule Indians mentioned as living locally were probably not a separate tribe. They were most likely a small group of one of the major tribes who simply settled here, more peaceful than many of their brethren.
There are two local families with documentary evidence supporting their claims to Indian blood. These are the Cole and Bowman families. The Coles are listed in census records for 1860 Lee County, Va., and for 1870 Harlan as being Indian. The state and counties of birth given for the Cole family of 1860 implies they moved around frequently. The head of the household, John Cole, was born about 1799 in Lincoln Co., North Carolina. His daughter Eliza was born in Scott Co., Va., and daughter Elisabeth, in Knox Co., Ky. Eliza's two children, Jacob and Elmira were born in Lee Co., Va.
Next door to John's household is another Eliza Cole, born about 1834 in Lee Co., Va., with two daughters - Jane born in Claiborne Co., Tenn., and Elisabeth born in Lee Co., Va. All of these Coles and a Jefferson Cole living in the same neighborhood were listed as Indians. Elsewhere in Lee County was a John M. Cole, 20, also of Indian blood.
In 1870, the younger Eliza Cole, her two children mentioned above and three more children, Robert, Mary Jane and Mollie were listed in Harlan County. All were indicated as being Indian. It must be noted that the degree of Indian blood is not listed in census and even a small fraction could be cause for such a listing.
Jacob Cole married Kizzie Eldridge, another family with a strong tradition of Indian blood. Mary Jane Cole married William Brittain, son of James and Jane Ely Brittain. The Coles were closely connected with another area family with proven Indian blood, the Bowmans. Hawkins Bowman was born about 1790 in North Carolina. In 1838, in Lee Co., Va., he married Nancy Barbour.
In 1879, his widow applied for a pension on his military service. She stated that he had served in the Tennessee Infantry in the War of 1812 under Captain Jesse Cole. She described him as being of dark complexion, commonly called part Indian and that he was about five-feet nine inches tall. They had at least seven children: George, Mary who married Hiram Fugate, Lucinda, John, Nancy, Thomas who married Mary Moore, and Elijah. In the 1860 census of Harlan County. Hawk Bowman is listed as a blacksmith. In the 1870 Harlan, the family is listed as Indian.
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