Author Archives: Roberta Estes

About Roberta Estes

Scientist, author, genetic genealogist. Documenting Native Heritage through contemporaneous records and DNA.

Native Americans in the Carolina Borderlands, A Critical Ethnography by Michael Spivey

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Roberta Estes

I’ve read a lot of books on the topic of Native people. When I say a lot, I mean hundreds, if not thousands. Some are reference books. Some are histories or record stories. And then, there is the cream of … Continue reading →

Posted in South Carolina | Leave a comment

The Powhatan Confederacy, Past and Present by James Mooney

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Roberta Estes

The Powhatan are the Indians that lived near and surrounding Jamestown. Those same Indians claim to have killed the surviving Lost Colonists about 1607, the Colonistshaving joined with a Chesapeake Tribe after being left on Roanoke Island in 1587. Of course, … Continue reading →

Posted in Chickahominy, Mattapony, Nansemond, Pamunkey, Powhatan | 10 Comments

Evolution of Native Names – the Shaw Family in Michigan

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Roberta Estes

Michigan’s Native people did not bear the full force of early contact with Europeans. Many Native people were still living in Michigan, in their tribal units, speaking their own language, in the 1800s, even into the late 1800s and early 1900s. … Continue reading →

Posted in Chippewa, Michigan, Military, Ottawa | Leave a comment

Deserters and the Revolutionary War

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Roberta Estes

Deserter. Not a word we want to see beside the name of our ancestor. But desertion meant something a little different then than it does now. Most of the time, desertion was not to the enemy side. Most men just went home … Continue reading →

Posted in Military | 1 Comment

Ne-Do-Ba – Gwilodwogan (Wabanaki People)

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Roberta Estes

Did you get that? Not a word huh. Well, that’s because it’s not English. Nancy LeCompte, the Research and Education Director for the Ne-Do-Ba contacted me and shared her wonderful blog. the Ne-Do-Ba are Wabanaki people. Wabanaki translates loosely as “Dawnland,” meaning … Continue reading →

Posted in Abenaki, Canada, Maine, Maliseet, Micmac, New Hampshire, New York, Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Treaty, Vermont, Wabanaki | 3 Comments

White Deer – Ghosts of the Forests

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Roberta Estes

White deer are near and dear to my heart. In Michigan, deer are everywhere. There has been a population explosion in the past 20 to 30 years. About 10 years ago, I nearly wrecked my car about two miles away … Continue reading →

Posted in Chickasaw, Lost Colony, Michigan, Wisconsin | Leave a comment

Bet Ya Can’t Pick Just One….Name that is

Posted on March 24, 2012 by Roberta Estes

Oh, my head hurts. I’m busy transcribing away, working on the Massachusetts Indians who served in the Revolutionary War. And then I find Joseph Nicholas Hawwawas. A long time ago, I learned that when I look at a record and … Continue reading →

Posted in Massachusetts, Names | 3 Comments

Massachusetts Indians in the Revolutionary War

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Roberta Estes

Each state in the DAR Forgotten Patriot’s book is arranged separately. Quite a bit of history of both African and Native Americans relative to the war is given. About 1700 total people of color were found to have served out … Continue reading →

Posted in Mashpee, Massachusetts, Oneida, Stockbridge, Tuscarora, Wampanoag | Leave a comment

Maine Indians and the Revolutionary War

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Roberta Estes

I’m working my way through the DAR’s wonderful resource, Forgotten Patriots: African American and American Indian Patriot in the Revolutionary War. These names of course are all going on the Native Names document. The DAR has separated their research into … Continue reading →

Posted in Canawango, Maine, Maliseet, Micmac, Mohawk, Passamoquoddy, Penobscot, St. John's Indians | 4 Comments

New York Indian Reservations

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Roberta Estes

How things change in a little under 100 years. In the WWI draft, literally hundreds of men were registered on New York’s Indian reservations, with more registered off of the reservation, but within the county. Likely a result of a … Continue reading →