| Horse-Trading Stories |
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New To Me
I have seen (multiple times) on genealogy websites that a Native American named Nancy BROWN was full-blood Ogala Sioux & was “traded to a Cherokee for a horse”. We have this Nancy BROWN also; but no one in my branch of the family tree seems to know about the Sioux info.
Mary Ann SHELTON Faucett (b. 1831), daughter of Stephen SHELTON (b. 1809) & Nancy BROWN (b. abt 1811) was part Indian. Nancy BROWN's parents are John BROWN (b. abt 1792) & Nancy (b. 1792). Unlike many others of her day, Mary Ann (Polly) did not hide her NA heritage. She was proud of it & spoke about it often. It is said that Polly's grandmother, the senior Nancy, was a full-blood.
Gypsy Story
Altho the Sioux info was new to me, the horse-trading story wasn’t. Daddy used to tell about an unnamed ancestor being camped near a stream when some gypsies came thru. Being awestruck by the beauty of a prized black horse owned by my ancestor, the Gypsy asked how much he'd take for it. My ancestor replied that the horse was not for sale. (The Gypsy's wife, meanwhile, sat quietly nearby holding a baby.) The story goes that the Gypsy kept asking until finally my ancestor said, "Give me your baby; and you can have my horse." To the astonishment of my ancestor, the Gypsy agreed & handed him the baby. Since childhood, I heard about having "Gypsy" blood on my Shelton side.
Opinions vary as to the value of oral tradition. I pay attention because I believe the stories offer clues & point us in directions to research. Could it be that the Sioux story & the Gypsy story were actually two versions of the same event? It is not likely that my dad exchanged information with or was influenced by stories of distant relatives. Since I doubt I have TWO ancestors that got traded for horses, I have become excited at the prospect of finally identifying a couple of the unnamed people in my dad's story. The fact that a similar tradition passed down different branches of the family tree adds credibility to the story, in my opinion.
Indian or Gypsy??
But which was it, Indian or Gypsy? I was curious; and so I posted a request that someone please come forward & reveal the source for the Sioux info. Altho I have gotten some helpful responses, I have not yet received an answer to my Sioux question specifically. With internet information being so widely available (& easily copied), I am coming to respect oral tradition a little more.
Sheila Gibson ~ SpiritHawk
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Web Address: http://www.sheilagibson.org/
Copyright © 2003 Ethereal World ~ 09 Sep 2003 10:00:00 GMT