My Cherokee Ancestry?

This spring I got an "invite" from Ancestry.com 

to take there new Autosomal DNA Test. I jumped at it.

Like every Genealogist I am interested in my genetic makeup.

I was fairly certain about my Fathers side of the family, but my Moms was more interesting.

Many Americans believe they are descended from the original Americans. The Native Americans. But in my family is wasn't just wishful thinking. It was fact. Well, maybe a little wishful thinking. 

While my Mother was born in Tennessee, she was raised in Chicago, so most of my Mothers family I only saw when we went to Tennessee on vacations.  These trips sometimes included a  day trip to Cherokee North Carolina, more tourist attraction than an actual representation of the Cherokee people. But hey, as kids we loved it!

My Mothers  family is from the Smoky Mountains, which straddles the Tennessee/North Carolina state line. Today there are still many Cherokee people living in this area. So it made perfect sense that we might be "cousins".

 Melvina Gibbs Boling & Shade Boling

However….

When doing research, nothing ever confirmed this family legend. 

The Boling/Bolling/Bowling name can be traced back to Pocahontas, but whether its my "Boling" line, I can't be sure. This would be so far back, that it would be barely traceable in my DNA. 

So, I can't elaborate on that. I only write about my own research. About what I find, or don't find. Not stuff I "heard" or "think". 

This is what I found:

When asked what "color or race" he was my Grandfather, Shade Boling always answered "white".  As did his Mother Joanna "Josie" Brewer, and her Parents Andrew Jackson Brewer, and Nancy Galyean. 

 United States Census Civil District 10, Sevier, Tennessee

                                        

So maybe the Native American Ancestry comes from my Grandmother Martha Melvina Gibbs Boling. 

Well, when looking over the census my 

Grandmother also gives her "color or race" as "white".  As does her Mother Martha Branton Gibbs, and her Father Thomas John Gibbs.

 1900 United States Census Civil District 13, Blount, Tennessee

Thomas' Parents, James Gibbs and Sarah Good also answer this question with "white" in the 1870 census.

 1870 United States Census Qualla, Jackson North Carolina

So, how far back is my Native American Ancestry? Well, we can assume pretty far, if it exists at all. 

According to my DNA results, 97% of my DNA comes from the British Isles, and 3% is unknown. Perhaps that 3% is it? Who knows?

Am I disappointed? nope. I am proud of all of my Ancestors, people who took the chance to come here and have a better life, or even ones who came west. If I had found Native American Ancestry, I would have been equally proud. I am thankful for the life that I'm able to live now, because of all of the people who came before me. 

One last thing.  Ancestry.com shows you people who took the test who you are genetically linked to. My first cousins daughter took the test, and it came back as 60% British Isles, and 33% Eastern European (likely her fathers side, after looking at her tree), and 7% unknown. 

Mattie Belle Boling

 My Aunt Mattie was my Mother's sister. She was born in Tennessee on June 7, 1921.

Mattie Belle was the eighth child born to a family of 11 children. Her parents were Shade and Melvina Boling. 

 Mattie and Melvina Boling

Aunt Mattie's first husband was Walter Kirk. They had one son. Jack. Walter Kirk died before I was born, so I don't really know anything about him. I have heard family say he was very kind.  

Aunt Mattie's second husband was John Kereszturi. 

They were married in about 1969. 

 John & Mattie Keresturi

In the late 70's Aunt Mattie and Uncle John adopted a daughter, Lisa.

Aunt Mattie passed away on February 2, 2005 in Seymour Tennessee. Uncle John passed August 11, 2010

                                         Aunt Mattie's Obituary

MATTIE BELLE KERESZTURI

Mattie Belle Kereszturi, age 83 of Seymour died February 2, 2005. She is preceded in death by her parents: Shade and Melvina Boling. Survivors include her husband of 36 years, John J. Kereszturi of Seymour; children: Jack Kirk of Seymour, and Lisa Kereszturi of Memphis; brother: Shade Boling of Nashville; sister: Flori Crosley of FL; 3 grandchildren; 3 great-grandchildren; and many friends and relatives. A memorial service will be 11:00 a.m. Sunday, February 6, 2005 at Mountain View Church of God, 209 Ogle Rd. Seymour with Pastor Dennis Donnaly officiating. Memorial Funeral Home of Maryville in charge of arrangements. Condolences may be emailed to memorialfh@yahoo.com.

Shade Boling

Melvina Gibbs Boling & Shade Boling

Unfortunately I never met Grandpa Boling either. He died on January 9, 1961. Just two days before my sister Tammy was born. Its sad that he never saw her, because she resembles him more than any of us.

Grandpa Boling was born in Tennessee on May 15th. I have several different years of birth for him ranging from 1886-1888. So I just split the difference and say 1887!

Family legend says that this side of the family has native American blood. Some even speculate about  a relationship to Pocahontas. Who knows? 

I believe Grandpa Boling married my Grandmother Melvina Gibbs (Daughter of Thomas John Gibbs and Martha Branton) sometime before 1907, because my Uncle William Harrison Boling was born in December of 1907.

From what my Mother tells me, her father was kind and gentle. 

I don't know much about him, other than that during World War I he was living in Ohio working at Peters Cartridge Company. And during World War II he was living in Chicago. I think that the family moved around during the depression looking for work. But home base was in Walland Tennessee where my Mother was born. 

                       

My Grandfather used to work in a "Chair Factory" in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. It think  that I remember seeing it when I was young, and it was more of a barn than a factory. My Mother told me that while working there my Grandpa cut off two of his fingers and walked back to the house. I do know that according to the World War I draft registration card he was missing two fingers, so this story sounds accurate. But once I started to do my own Genealogical research I realized that she must have heard the story from someone, because it happened at least 20 years before her birth.
My Aunt Mattie gave my Mother one of the chairs that my Grandpa had made, and she passed it on to me. It is one of my most cherished possessions.      



 Shade Boling

 The only photographs I have of my Grandfather were taken late in his life. If anyone has any of him young I would LOVE to see them!

                                                       

Melvina Gibbs Boling

After writing my first post about my Paternal Grandmother, I thought it was fitting my second should be about my Maternal Grandmother, Melvina Gibbs Boling.

Grandma Boling was born in Tennessee in 1890. She died in Minnesota in 1973, and is buried in Tennessee.

This picture is a postcard taken in 1917 in Ohio. During the First World War her and my Grandpa were living there. He is listed on his WWI draft registration as working at Peters Cartridge Company.

Grandma is on the left and her sister Florie is on the right.

The child on the left is my uncle Ruben, and the one on the right is Aunt Florie's daughter. I think her name might be Nellie.

Grandma Boling had 11 children, only 8 survived till adulthood.

My Mom was the youngest, she was born when my Grandma was 46 and my Grandpa was 50.

I don't remember as much about Grandma Boling, but I do remember that she carried butterscotch candy in her purse.

This is the back of the postcard. I love that she thought she was "old" at 27.

Grandma was sending it to her brother Joe Gibbs.