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The ancestry and life of Samuel
Looney has been the subject of many studies, genealogical
write-ups and publications. I have found evidence that
much of the information is based in truth, but have not come to
the same conclusions as many other researchers.
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HIS BIRTH
According to
the census' of 1850 and 1860, our Samuel Looney was born in
Tennessee, probably in Sullivan County. This is contrary to claims
that his birth was in
Washington County, Virginia. I tend to believe his answers
to census questions, which are, as far as I have found, the only
actual documentation for his place of birth. References to
his birth in Virginia are based on assumptions concerning the
location of his family at the time of his birth. He was
born on November 30, 1777 to Samuel Rhea Looney and Nancy Unknown. The
names of his parents are documented in applications for
Eastern Cherokee enrollment by one descendant.1
Samuel had one
brother, Moses Looney, born about 1778. Samuel and
Moses father, Samuel Rhea Looney, was killed by Indians in about
1779. Their widowed mother, Nancy, married Elijah Cross, a
revolutionary war veteran, in
about 1780. Elijah and Nancy had 7 children: Elijah Jr, Rachel, Amanda, Jesse, Abraham, David Looney, and Zachariah.
Elijah and
Nancy raised their children in Sullivan County.
It is
Samuel's mother, Nancy, whose blood line has been the subject of much speculation.
No fewer than 15 of her descendants applied for Eastern Cherokee
citizenship between 1906 and 1908, when the US Government set
aside a fund to reimburse the tribe for broken treaties,
claiming her as full blood Cherokee.
This includes descendants from both Nancy's Looney and Cross
families. All but one of the applicants gave her name as
"simply Nancy", no maiden name. One of her descendants2
actually claimed the right of enrollment by Samuel, as being
full blood Cherokee, without mention of the names of either
parent. Below is a list of descendants which applied with
the Eastern Cherokees I have documented to date:
EASTERN CHEROKEE APPLICATIONS
|
Name |
Application No. |
Date |
Family |
Residence |
Nancy % Cherokee claimed |
|
Ann Cross Taylor |
9758 |
08-Jan-07 |
Cross |
Decatur, Meigs Co, TN |
full blood |
|
Melinda Adeline Blevins Powers |
18666 |
16-Mar-07 |
Looney |
South Pittsburg, Marion Co, TN |
full blood |
|
Ella Burton Higdon Hunter |
25174 |
11-Jun-07 |
Looney |
Decatur, Meigs Co, TN |
full blood |
|
Fannie Cross Arrants Moulton |
25915 |
19-Jun-07 |
Cross |
Decatur, Meigs Co, TN |
full blood |
|
Mary Quitman Arrants |
25916 |
19-Jun-07 |
Cross |
Decatur, Meigs Co, TN |
full blood |
|
Carolyn Alex Arrants |
25917 |
19-Jun-07 |
Cross |
Decatur, Meigs Co, TN |
full blood |
|
Isaac Cross Arrants |
25918 |
19-Jun-07 |
Cross |
Decatur, Meigs Co, TN |
full blood |
|
Amanda Arrants |
25919 |
19-Jun-07 |
Cross |
Decatur, Meigs Co, TN |
full blood |
|
Elmore Rice Taylor |
28269 |
02-Jul-07 |
Cross |
McMinn Co, TN |
full blood |
|
Herbert Emmet Hunter |
28580 |
05-Jul-07 |
Looney |
Porterville, Tulare, CA |
full blood |
|
William Y Arrants |
29059 |
02-Jul-07 |
Cross |
Decatur, Meigs Co, TN |
full blood |
|
Noah Absolom Arrants |
33074 |
07-Aug-07 |
Cross |
Decatur, Meigs Co, TN |
full blood |
|
Susan W Taylor Loche |
34105 |
25-Jul-07 |
Cross |
Knoxville, Knox Co, TN |
full blood |
|
John Breckenridge Cross |
36248 |
20-Aug-07 |
Cross |
Decatur, Meigs Co, TN |
full blood |
|
Thomas Arrants |
39545 |
26-Aug-07 |
Cross |
Big Spring, Meigs Co, TN |
one-quarter |
All of the applications listed above
were rejected on the grounds that they did not produce the name
of anyone listed on the rolls. At first glance, it appears that
there are many in the family that believed the Cherokee
bloodline of Nancy was well known, however, there was obvious
collusion between family members, living in the same county, and
applying on the same date of June 19, 1907. What
gives more credence to the story is the differences between the
applications of the Looney and Cross family members.
Melinde Blevins Powers believed that Samuel Looney was full
blooded Cherokee. All other applicants claimed the full
blood belonging to Nancy, and referred to her as "simply Nancy",
no maiden name.
The most interesting accounts of the
ancestry of Samuel Looney come from the affidavits attached to
the application of William M Hunter on behalf of his children
claiming the rights of their mother, Ella Burton Higdon.
This application contains statements from three residents who
knew Samuel Looney and his wife Sarah. Their
accounts are as follows:
First account:
(two witnesses)
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In
the matter of Claim of Wm. M. Hunter, Eastern
Cherokee Enrollment.
Application No. 25174
State of Tennessee
Meigs County
Personally appeared before me an acting justice of
the peace for said County and State, T. H. Smith and
D. M. Blevins whom I certify to be reputable and
reliable citizens of said County and who being duly
sworn depose and say:
T.
H. Smith is aged 74 years and D. M. Blevins is aged
75 years, and we both reside in Meigs County, Tenn.,
and have resided all our lives. We were acquainted
with Malissa Blevins Higdon, the mother of Wm M
Hunter’s wife and she was born, raised and died in
Meigs County.
We
also knew Annie Looney Blevins, the grandmother of
Wm. M. Hunters wife. She was raised and died in
Meigs County, Tenn.
We
also knew the great grandparents of Wm. M. Hunter’s
wife on her mother’s side, Samuel Looney and wife,
and they lived for a number of years, and died in
Meigs County, Tenn., but do not know where they were
born and raised.
We
were personally acquainted with all said parties.
Samuel Looney has often told us that he was one half
Indian blood and he claimed to be of the Cherokee
tribe. We were satisfied from his appearance that
he possessed Indian blood, and we are further
satisfied that from appearance we can trace the
Indian blood all the way down the different
generations, even to Wm. M. Hunter’s children.
We
do not know whether any of these parties were ever
enrolled or not, and we do not know whether any of
them ever lived with any Indian tribe or not.
D.
M. Blevins further states that Samuel Looney was
living in what is now Meigs County, Tennessee, at
the time the Indians (Cherokees) were removed from
this county, and his information has always been
that he belonged to the Cherokee Indian tribe. I
have been personally acquainted with him from early
childhood.
We
have no interest in the matter of this claim.
T. H. Smith
Sworn to and
subscribed before me this June 29, 1908.
Justice of the Peace
I
certify to all facts herein except the claim which
says Samuel Looney has often told us that he was a
half breed. I have always understood that he was of
mixed blood but never heard him say as to (sic)
what.
D.
M. Blevins
Sworn to and subscribed before me this June 30, 1908
J. H. Neil J.P.
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Comments on the statement of D. M. Blevins.
D. M. Blevins was David Massengill Blevins
(1833-1911), the second cousin, 1x removed, of Ella
Burton Higdon. He had no direct relationship
with Samuel Looney, but was most likely familiar
with the Looney family of Meigs County through
Samuel's daughter Anna Burton Looney, wife of Hugh
Torbett Blevins. When Samuel died, David would
have been about 31 years old. |
Second account:
(one witness)
|
Application (sic) No. 25174. Wm. M.
Hunter, Eastern Cherokee Enrollment.
State of Tennesse
Meigs County.
Personally appeared before me, J. W. Lillard and
acting Notary Public in and for said county and
state, Sterling Hughes, whom I certify to be a
reputable, citizen and who being duly sworn deposes
and says:
I
am 83 years old and in my early childhood and youth,
I knew Samuel Looney, the great grandfather of wife
of Wm. M. Hunter and worked for him. He claimed to
be of Indian blood. He lived in Meigs County, and
at that time the Cherokee Indians loved south of the
Hiwassee River, about 10 to 12 miles from where
Looney lived. Cherokee Indians were often at his
place, making baskets and stayed around him a great
deal, often helping him some in his farm work.
I
have no interest in matter of this claim.
his
Sterling X Hughes
mark
Sworn to and subscribed before me this June 30,
1908.
J. W. Lilliard
Notary Public |
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Application No. 39545 Thomas Arrants, Eastern Cherokee Enrollment.
Thomas Arrants being
first duly sworn, deposes and says:
That I am 62
years of age and live in Meigs Co., Tenn. I
claim my Indian descent through my mother. My
father was a white man. I don't know how much
Indian my mother was. I think my mother was
born in Sullivan Co., Tenn. in the twenties.
I don't know whether my mother ever lived with the
Indians or not. I never lived with them.
I was never on any roll and never heard of my mother
being on any roll. Sallie Looney was my
mother's mother. Don't know where she
was born. Don't know whether she ever lived
with the Indians or not. I am recognized as a
white man in the community. I have an Aunt by
the name of Ann Taylor, Decatur, Tenn. who can give
the whole family history. Don't know
whther she has filed application or not, but suppose
she has. She is my mother's sister.
My mother had a brother named Absolom Cross and
Isaac Cross. They are dead. Isaac was
killed in the war in 1863 or 4. Absolom died
about three or four years ago. My mother
had only one sister, Ann Taylor. None of
my mother's brothers or sisters were on rolls that I
know of. My grandmother Looney was said to be
a quarteroon. Don't know whther she had any
brothers or sisters. Have no idea when my
grandmother died.
Thomas Arrants
Subscribed
and sworn to before me at Athens, Tenn. this 27th
day of June,
1908.
F.D.R.
Ass't toSpecial Commissioner of
the Court of Claims
Applicant shows
no (very little, if any,)
indication of Indian blood and seems to know little
or nothing of his ancestry. (His skin is
slightly dark.) |
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Comments on the statement of Thomas Arrants.
I agree with the notes of the Assistant
Commissioner. Thomas is very confused about
his ancestry. He appears to be off one
generation in his reference to his "grandmother."
His grandmother on his mother's side was Sarah
Hicks, not Sallie Looney. He may be referring
to our "Nancy", the Cherokee, who was his
great-grandmother, on his mother's father's side.
However, He would not have known her as Sallie
Looney, but Sallie Cross, or correctly, Nancy Cross. |
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HIS LIFE
Samuel married Sarah Evan Childress,
the daughter of William Childress and Ann Burton, in Tennessee,
sometime about 1796.
According to the Tennessee Census of
1812, Samuel lived in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
1850 US Census: Meigs County,
Tennessee, subdivision 22, September 24, 1850. Samuel,
aged 72, born Tennessee, Sarah, aged 72, born Virginia.
According to the Slave Inhabitants
Census of 1850, Samuel owned 11 slaves from the ages of 8 to 61,
five males and six females.
1860 US Census: Meigs County,
Tennessee, district 3, July 2, 1860, Samuel, aged 82, born
Tennessee, Anna B Blevins (his daughter), aged 58, born
Tennessee. Samuel lists property value at $1,200 and value
of personal estate at $8,165.00.
According to the Slave Inhabitants
Census of 1860, Samuel owned 10 slaves from the ages of one to
72, five males and five females.
According to the US IRS Tax
Assessment List, dated June 7, 1862, Samuel owned 160 acres of
land in Meigs County, Tennessee, with a valuation of $900.00.
Footnotes:
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Eastern
Cherokee enrollment application for Ella Burton Higdon
Hunter (#25174)
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Eastern
Cherokee enrollment application for Melinda Adeline
Blevins Powers (#18666)
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