Paul,
I am a member of the Monacan Indian Nation, and a descendant of the Pinn and 
Evans who you mentioned. My Evans line are Saponi from Brunswick County, and 
the Saponi were Siouian, and a part of the Monacan Nation.  I am not having 
a good experience with the Monacan as they seem to not want dark or brown 
skinned members. One of my Pinn cousins has filed a suit against them for 
discrimination, and blocking him from joining. As you mentioned the Johns 
descendants have no proof that they were Monacan, or Native. My 
understanding is that Will Johns was black/white, not Native/white as Houck 
implied in his book. My Pinn line came from Lancaster and Northumberland 
County, and were Wicomico. They joined with the other Indians in Amherst 
County in the 1700's, as did the Evans. Just as the Cherokee pushed out the 
descendants of slaves, the Monacans practice a similar discrimination 
against any Natives of dark skin. I have been a member since 1998, but have 
not received any communication in the last seven years. I have not voted for 
a President, received a yearly report, or been invited to a Pow Wow. They do 
not respond to any of my communications.

In the book, Indian Island, Dr. Houck makes references to my Pinn ancestors 
that are inaccurate. He stated that Rolly Pinn was a Monacan, when he was 
Wicomico (they paid tribute to the Powhatan). There were many tribes in 
Amherst County during that period, including the Cherokee. This is the point 
I was making about whites writing about Natives, and having their work 
accepted over a Natives writings.

Anita


>From: Paul Heinegg <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history         
>      <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Indian Schools
>Date: Fri, 18 May 2007 13:36:48 -0500
>
>Patricia Watkinson wrote, "A few years ago I advised and  sat on a 
>dissertation committee for a diss in History of Education at VCU on 
>"Policies and Attitudes: Public Education and the Monacan Indian Community 
>in Amherst County, Virginia
>1908-1965" by Melanie Haimes-Bartolf.  This is a good treatment, and it 
>includes information gleaned from interviews with Monacan seniors who had 
>gone to Bear Mountain School in the past.  You might try to get hold of it 
>if you are interested in modern Indian history."
>----------
>The acceptance of the mixed-race community in Amherst County as Monacan 
>Indian by the Virginia Legislature is based largely on Peter W. Houck's 
>book "Indian Island in Amherst County" (1984) Lynchburg, Va.: Progress 
>Printing Company. I understand he has since admitted he made up much of the 
>information in the book. My understanding of his admission is only hearsay, 
>but my own research (verifiable by anyone who is willing to spend a few 
>hours at the LVA) shows that the Johns family he portrays as Monacans were 
>a white branch of that family that had nothing to do with Monacan Indians.
>
>The community began with the movement there of Henry Hartless, a "mulatto," 
>presented by the Spotsylvania County court on 4 May 1761 for cohabiting 
>with a white woman [Spotsylvania Orders 1755-65, 208]. He became a large 
>landowner in Amherst. Other mixed-race families from surrounding counties 
>followed: Arnold, Beverly, Branham, Clark, Evans, Fields, Fortune, Gowen/ 
>Goins, Humbles, Johns, Pinn, Redcross, Terry, Viers, Winters, etc. To my 
>knowledge no one has ever made a connection between any of these families 
>and a Monocan Indian.
>
>The history of the mixed-race families that settled Amherst County can be 
>found on my web site: http://www.freeafricanamericans.com
>Paul

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