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bad blood

March 13, 2015 by jwoodhorse 1 Comment

I am looking for the ancestry for Herman Dixon Crabtree(my maternal grandfather), and Grace Holmes(my paternal grandmother). My father was James Edward Holmes, my mother was Lois Mae Crabtree. I was born out of wedlock in 1954. My name is James Edward Holmes, Jr..
My mother married my step-father in 1956, and we moved to Oregon. In 1958 two Indian agents showed up at the ranch to sign my mother to the tribal lists. My step-father grabbed the shotgun, and at the ready, escorted the agents out the front gate. My step father never allowed me to forget what he called, my bad blood.
That’s all I have. Was not allowed in this family. My mother was not allowed to speak of her side of the family. Just hoping to find some kind of connection. Heard a lot about Durham.

Comments

  1. jsmith says

    March 18, 2015 at 6:56 pm

    It can be challenging tracing lineage for more recent individuals, due to privacy laws and access to records. Further, out of wedlock scenarios can be even harder to verify. However, if you are talking about the Herman Dixon Crabtree that was married to a Flossie Mae, from North Carolina, then there is some information available on his lineage. Flossie is a bit of a mystery at this point. They only appear together on a WWII Draft document and on one 1930 Census record from NC. At that time, Herman was a sweeper at a cotton mill. They had no children listed at that time. So, establishing a confirmed connection to his couple would require some more digging and current records from state archives.

    However, if you are focusing on this individual and projecting back through the generations, there is a lot of extant documentation. His family lines can be found in Orange County, NC from the early 1800s onward (and some lines stretch back further). They do not appear to have any affiliation with the Cherokee tribe.

    You’d have to verify if this is the right couple. If so, you’ll still have to fill in gaps for Flossie. However, the story of two Indian agents trying to “sign” your mother up on tribal rolls, in Oregon, in 1954 sounds rather doubtful. The final roll, or base roll, for the Eastern Cherokee was completed in 1924. The tribe only adds names to this list and the BIA doesn’t go out of its way to enumerate individuals. And they certainly don’t dispatch two agents across the country to do so. It is incumbent upon an individual and families to maintain tribal affiliation.

    Here is an overview of Herman Crabtree’s lineage.

    NC Death Certificate:

    Name: Herman Dixon Crabtree
    Gender: Male
    Race: White
    Age: 60
    Birth Date: 14 Sep 1911
    Birth Place: North Carolina, United States
    Death Date: 2 Jun 1972
    Location: Durham, Durham
    Father: Morris Crabtree
    Mother: Esther Cates
    Residence: Durham, Durham, North Carolina

    1920 Census – Orange County, NC:

    Morris Crabtree 44
    Esther Crabtree 39
    Eugene Crabtree 16
    Addie Crabtree 14
    Caro Crabtree 10
    Herman Crabtree 8
    Nellie Crabtree 6
    Alma Crabtree 4
    Claro Crabtree 1

    WWII Draft Certificate:

    Name: Herman Dixon Crabtree
    Gender: Male
    Race: White
    Relationship: Self (Head)
    Birth Date: 14 Sep 1911
    Birth Place: Orange, North Carolina
    Residence: Bynum, Chatham, North Carolina, USA
    Registration: 1940
    Spouse: Flossie Mae Crabtree

    Herman D. Crabtree’s grave:

    http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=FindAGraveUS&h=42274375&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=1121

    NC Death Certificate:

    Name: Ester Cates Crabtree
    [Ester Cates Cates]
    Gender: Female
    Race: White
    Age: 63
    Birth Date: 20 Mar 1883
    Birth Place: Orange
    Death Date: 13 Mar 1947
    Location: Pleasant Garden, Guilford
    Father: Thomas Cates
    Mother: Angeline Cates
    Residence: Hillsboro, Orange, North Carolina

    Name: Morris William Crabtree
    Gender: Male
    Race: White
    Age: 73
    Birth Date: 27 Mar 1882
    Birth Place: Orange, North Carolina, United States
    Death Date: 13 Aug 1955
    Location: Hillsboro, Orange
    Father: Manly Crabtree
    Mother: Sallie Ellis
    Residence: Hillsboro, Orange, North Carolina

    Manley Crabtree (1851 – 1919) was the son of Norwood Crabtree (1821 – 1885) and Nancy Whitaker (1825 – 1900). Sarah Sally Ellis (1856 – 1925).

    Name: Sallie Crabtree
    [Sallie Ellis]
    Gender: Female
    Race: White
    Age: 69 Years 4 Months
    Birth Date: abt 1856
    Birth Place: Orange
    Death Date: 21 Jun 1925
    Location: Carrboro, Orange
    Spouse: Manuel Crabtree
    Father: Henry Ellis
    Mother: Margrett Davis

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