For as long as I can remember there has been a rumor in the family about us having American Indian blood. As I’ve worked on my tree, I even found hints in the Logan tree. Is there truth in this or just romantic fantasy? Do we turn to DNA to find out? Do we trace our ancestral limbs and find documentation?
Well, when doing your DNA, “if the Native percentage is back beyond 6 generations and drops below the 1% threshold, it’s extremely difficult to discern today.” It also depends on the type of test you had done. This is a good website explaining https://dna-explained.com/…/proving-native-american…/
So, I entered my DNA results into GEDMATCH and ran the MDLP World-22 Admixture; it came up as .26; on the World9 Admixture, it came up as .62, and the puntDNAL K13 came up as 1.07. So, do I have American Indian in me? Yes. Traces, but yes! But from which side of the family, Logan or Wescott? For me, it can be on either side.
“On Roanoke island and some of the adjacent sand islands and on the mainland of Dare and Hyde counties on the coast of North Carolina are a few families of mixed-blood, descendants of the local Indian tribes.” Mr. Speck visited Hyde and Dare Counties on behalf of the Bureau of American Ethnology in 1915.
“According to the accounts furnished by Raleigh’s Expedition, being the earliest notice that we have of these tribes, the region between Albemarle and Pamlico sound was the home of the Secotan Indians…among them the Hatteras band occupying the sandbanks off the coast, and the Machapunga on the mainland, near Mattamuskeet Lake.
A visit to their old home, however, and persistent inquiry among the settlers of Albemarle and Pamlico sound brought to knowledge a few individuals who are descended from Indians who came originally from Pungo River near Mattamuskeet Lake, Hyde County. These are evidently remnants of the Machapunga tribe, who have left their name to the Pungo River. Those whom I met traced their descent from one Israel Pierce, who was known as a Pungo River Indian.
I traced Pierce’s descendants through Mrs. M. H. Pugh, Pierce’s granddaughter, now a very old woman, estimating her age to be about eighty years, who was born and raised in the Pungo River district. Later in her life, she moved to Hatteras Island. She has four sons, daughters, and numerous grandchildren. At present, the dark-skinned people living on Roanoke, Hatteras, and other neighboring islands of the Pugh, Daniels, and Berry families, largely of negro blood, and some of those named Westcott, of a lighter strain, are of this blood.”
Annie Pugh was the “Mrs. M.H.Pugh” mentioned in the 1916 article by Frank G. Speck entitled “Remnants of the Machapunga Indians.” Only Annie considered herself Pungo Indian. Most of the people are descendants of the Hatteras and Roanoke Indians. Smith Pugh’s mother was a Hatteras Indian woman, and his father was white. I have not found a connection to this particular Pugh, but we have many Pugh names in our tree. They have been hard to trace.
The Wescott’s could also be “Melungeon’s,” “a term traditionally applied to one of numerous “tri-racial isolate” groups. Blacks, Native American, and White…Their ancestors can usually be traced back to colonial Virginia and the Carolinas. They were largely endogamous, marrying primarily within their community until about 1900. One of the theories about the Melungeons is that they are descendants of the Lost Colonists.
Martha Ann Chadwick, John T. Wescott’s wife, looks like she has Indian blood. She has the Pugh lineage. Her stepdaughter, Dora, also has the look.
Martha Ann Chadwick Wescott
Martha and Laura Wescott
Young Dora
Older Dora
Interestingly, the Isle of Wight, VA, where the Wescott’s came from, was originally called Warrosquyoake Shire, named after the Native Americans, Warrosquyoackes. The name was changed in 1637 to the Isle of Wight due to the difficulty in pronouncing their name.
My 6th great-grandmother on the Logan side is Lydia Russell Bean. If you Google her name, you will see many stories of her capture by the Cherokee and her freedom by Nanyehi (Cherokee: “One who goes about”), known in English as Nancy Ward.
The below is not original research on my part – I thank Google.
Lydia was tending to her cows near her cabin when…..quoting John P. Brown’s “Old Frontiers,”
“She was captured by the Indians as she rode horseback toward Fort Lee at Watauga and was taken to the Cherokee Camp on Nolichucky River.
She was told that she would be killed. She was questioned . . . [and] taken to a little town along the Little Tennessee River. Mrs. Bean was taken to Toquo and tied to a stake at the top of a large mound. The fire had been lighted around her when the Beloved woman, Nancy Ward, arrived on the scene.
Revolted at the thought that a Cherokee should torture a squaw she hastened to the rescue, scattered the burning brands, and cut the bonds which fastened the prisoner.
She took Mrs. Bean to her own house, where she was treated kindly.
In her gratitude, Lydia Bean instructed Nancy Ward and the other Cherokee women in making butter and cheese.
Due to Mrs. Bean’s training, Nancy Ward became the first owner of a herd of cattle.”
Lydia is credited with bravery at the time of her capture by the Indians, for she led her captors to believe the garrison at the Watauga settlement was well-defended, thus preventing an attack.
Although she was saved from certain death in July of 1776, her brother George was killed by Indians in May of 1797, and Lydia’s daughter Jane was killed by Indians in 1798.
However, it is rumored that Lydia’s nephew, Lewis (Louis) Russell, son of George, married (or had relations with) a Cherokee, which produced descendants.
The Henderson Rolls ( surnames with ancestors known to inhabit the Cherokee domain) lists some 1,959 persons of the Cherokee Nation in North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia…Full-Blood “Indians, Half-Breeds, Quadroons, Whites and Slaves,” as well as “mixed Catawba’s; mixed Spaniard; mixed Negroes” and “descendants of reserves.” Also listed are intermarried wives of Cherokees.
And the Dawes Rolls (“Final Rolls of the Citizens and Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory”) have lists of surnames in Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole Tribes.
Both of these rolls list Russell (I have Russells on both sides) and Bean (as well as Burns, Chase, Daniels, Davis, Harrison, Hawkins, Hill, & Logan- names from my tree). Now, whether or not these are MY ancestors. Who knows, but it is interesting.
So, where do my traces of Native Americans come from? I keep digging to find out.
If you need research assistance, do not hesitate to contact me.
The wife of my 2nd great-grandfather and my 3rd cousin, 4x removed.
(Her headstone has her name as “Lovie.” Census records show “Lovey,” as does her marriage record. She signed her father’s probate paper as “Lovy.”) I can only guess that the “G” is for her mother’s maiden name of “Gard or Guard,” as was the custom.
Unfortunately, this will be one of my shorter blogs because Lovie lived such a short, sad life.
When Lovie G. Tillett was born on April 6, 1860, in North Carolina, her father, Willis Tillett, was 38, and her mother, Abigail Gard, was 28.
Lovie was just one year old during the Civil War when the Burnside Expedition rolled into North Carolina and ravaged her town. Union troops led by General Ambrose Burnside fought a series of engagements along the North Carolina Coast in 1862.
Her father, Willis, was a Lighthouse Assistant to the Keeper from 1870-1873 in Roanoke Marshes, making $400 annually.
Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse was taken out of service by Confederates shortly after the outbreak of the Civil War, but the light was reactivated in 1863. By 1872, the marsh beneath the lighthouse had washed away, leaving the structure standing in ten feet of water. ……..The Lighthouse Board felt building a new lighthouse would be cheaper than rendering the current one safe.
Photograph courtesy U.S. Coast Guard
They were close to the Wescott’s, living next to several of them from 1860 to 1870, the latest living next door to John T. Wescott and his family. Among several relationships with each other, the main one is that John T. and Willis were first cousins. (Willis is also the stepson of John’s uncle)
In 1872, Lovie’s mother, Aby, died at age 40. Lovie was just 12 years old, and her father was 50. Sadly, Aby’s own mother died when Aby was just 11.
The epitaph on her stone reads, “She sleeps in Jesus and is blest. How sweet her slumbers are: From suffering & from sin released. She’s freed from every care.”
Three years later, when Lovie was 15, her father passed away.
His epitaph reads: “Farewell friends and daughter dear. I am not dead but sleeping here. My peace is made my grave, you see, Prepare for death & follow me.”
Willis did not leave a will, but John T. Wescott swore to the goods owned by Willis.
What is interesting about these documents is not only that John T. is swearing to Willis’ “chattels, rights, and credits” on Feb. 14, 1877, because he died without leaving a last Will and Testament, but that W. D. Chaddic (Martha Chadwick’s father) is the probate judge.
In Feb of 1877, the inventory of chattel was $475.35, but Washington DC sent $300, I assume from his last paycheck. By March 1, 1877, Willis’ estate was said to be worth $775.35. This would be $17,323.05 today!
Four days after her father’s death, Lovie turned 16 years old, having no parents to celebrate her.
Six months later, she married John Thomas Wescott, her 3rd cousin on one side and first cousin 1x removed on the other side.
A year later, their daughter Dora was born. And, sadly a year after that, Lovie died.
Her epitaph is so sad. It reads, “Sad is the house and lone the hours Since thy sweet smiles are gone. But Oh, a brighter home than ours, In Heaven is now thine own.”
Their cemetery is in Manteo off of Hwy 64 on property now owned by and being preserved by the Culpepper family. They have a connection to the Etheridge and Tillett families. There was also a "M. B. Culpepper" as a witness to John and Martha's wedding.
Cemetery Photos Courtesy of Dianne Tillett Ward
There is also a fourth grave belonging to John’s Aunt, Sabra Hackett. She’s the Aunt who helped raise Dora. Her epitaph reads: “This is not death’s dark portal. Tis life’s fair gate to me. Link after link is broken. And I at last am free.”
Sabra is not only John’s Aunt but is also Lovie’s Half Aunt, her mother’s half-sister. Wow, the intermarriages are mind-boggling.
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Not much is known about my 2nd great-grandfather, Silas H. Logan. As I wrote on his son’s blog, James Lemuel Logan, from the History of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Genealogy Memoirs – Illustrated – Vol. II
“Silas Logan, father of James L. Logan, of Vandergrift, born about 1825, in Corry, Erie county, Pennsylvania, and as a young man went to Wisconsin, then situated on the frontier. He settled among the Indians, but after a shore time returned to Pennsylvania, having made both the outward and homeward trips by wagon. On his return he settled in Titusville, where he engaged in the oil business, later removing to Blairsville, where he did some oil prospecting. Subsequently he took up his abode in Greensburg, and some time in the eighties went to Detroit, where he has since resided on a farm in the suburbs. Mr. Logan married Elizabeth Rowan, and the following are their children: James L., see forward: Henry, head bookkeeper for the American Harrow Company, of Detroit: Elsie, and Lena, both at home.”
Although the above article says he was born in Pennsylvania, five of the census records say he was born in New York, while his death record says Ohio. Regardless, he was born to Lemuel H. Logan and Lois Louise Bean on 10 Mar 1833. He was the second child of eight whole siblings and four half-siblings. By age four, they had moved to Pennsylvania from New York, where five of his siblings were born by the time he was 16.
At the age of 17, his sister Mary Jane died. She was only 4 yrs, 5 mos. and 18 days old. Seven days later, his brother Herman died as well. He was just 7 months old. We don’t know why they died, although there was an influenza epidemic during that year.
Two years later, his brother Ryland was born. Silas was 19. Just twenty-four days later, his mother, Lois, dies. We can only guess that she had difficulty recovering after the birth of Ryland. This same year, 1852, there was a Yellow Fever epidemic.
Records show that in 1859, Silas married my 2nd great-grandmother, Sarah Elizabeth Rowan, in Wisconsin when she was 16. Here is where our great-grandfather, Lemuel, was born. Silas farmed land with his in-laws for about a year before moving to Pennsylvania to begin working for the railroad. The 1870 census shows him as an engineer living in Oil Creek, Pennsylvania, on his sister-in-law’s family’s land (John Bean married Clara Armitage, and they owned Oil Creek). His other brother, Stephen, is shown as an “Oil Producer” in the same area and time period.
In 1879, his daughter Birdie was born in New York. A year later, they are back in Pennsylvania. The census shows he only worked the railroad 6 months out of the year, so he must have been doing the oil prospecting the other 6 months, traveling back and forth by wagon during this time.
By the 1900s, Silas and his family were farming in Michigan, and they remained there until he died of bronchopneumonia in 1917 at age 84.He is buried at Union Corners Cemetery in Troy, Oakland County, Michigan.
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My 2nd Great Grandfather- This is one gentleman whom I wish I had the honor of meeting. Those strong Wescott genes are surely evident in this man. I warn you, this is one of my longer blogs. How can you shorten a man’s life with two full-time careers and several business ventures in his 86 years? Did you know he designed many things still used in the Coast Guard today?
You will also see in many articles where Wescott is spelled Westcott. In my research, I had to learn to put in varied spellings (Wescott, Westcott, Westcoat, Weskitt)
John Thomas Wescott was born on August 31, 1853, in Currituck, North Carolina, his father, John, was 28, and his mother, Lovie, was 21. He had an older brother, William, born the year and a half before. His sister, Matilda Mann Wescott, was born when he was two. His brother Josiah Holley Wescott was born when “Little JT” was four years old.
Wescott Family Bible Sent to Virginia Spence Westlake from Mabel Wescott Martin Spring 1989
Copyright 1829
His father was a fisherman, and John started attending school when he was 6 years old. Unfortunately, his brother, William, died at the young age of 8 years old when JT was only 7. A year later, another brother came along, Charles Davis Wescott.
Around that year, the American Civil War came to North Carolina. JT recalls the Burnside Expedition, The Battle of Roanoke Island. In a newspaper article dated June 1, 1939, he states his father became a prisoner because they harbored two injured Confederate soldiers. In the article below, he refers to Virginia Dare, the first English-born child in the Americas. We, my genealogical cousins and I have been unable to find any record of John Sr. being a POW, but that does not mean he wasn’t one. It could have been an overnight stay in jail, or he had to pay a fine, or he was part of the prisoner exchange.
When John was 10, his sister Virginia Caroline was born. Three years later, another brother, Obediah Jennings, was born, and three years after that, Robert Edward Lee was born. By this time, JT was 16 years old.
He engaged in the Life Saving Service as a Surfman in the Nags Head Station- then known as No. 7- at 22 and served there for 5 years.
John Thomas Wescott married Lovey C. Tillett (his 3rd cousin) in Dare, North Carolina, on October 19, 1876, when he was 23. Lovey was just 16. A year later, their daughter, Dora D. Wescott, was born. Sadly, Lovey died just 11 months later. There is no death certificate on her, but many think she had complications with her birth and could not overcome them. John found himself with a new career, farming land, and a widow with an 11-month-old baby.
In 1880, his Aunt, Sabra Hackett, is shown as living with him and helping him raise Dora. With the help of his aunt, his career started thriving, and his brothers soon joined him.
Left: Charles Davis Wescott. The three men above right are Edgar Chadwick, Obadiah Wescott, and John Thomas Wescott. (Edgar is Martha Chadwick’s brother)
updated 11/25/17 due to another picture of Edgar being found
Josiah Holly Wescott
This same year, John’s position is shown as a boatswain of the Revenue Cutter, delivering supplies to the life-saving stations along the coast. He served in this position for 6 years. (A Boatswain is a ship’s officer in charge of equipment and the crew.)
By 1883, he married Martha Ann Chadwick, our ancestor, when she was 18 and John was 30. They had five children, plus Dora. A year after the marriage, his father died.
I see a lot of Wescott features in her, so I guess they’re Chadwick features!
By 1884, John was shown in Branson’s North Carolina Business Directory as the proprietor of the Wescott Hotel in Roanoke Island, NC. This same directory shows WD Chaddic (Martha’s father) as a lawyer in Manteo. It also shows he owns the Manteo Hotel in Manteo. We do not know much about the hotel he owned besides what is in the directory.
This same year, they moved to Elizabeth City, and his daughter Laura Chadwick Wescott was born.
In 1887, he was appointed Keeper of the Poyner’s Hill Lifesaving Station at the rate of $700.00 per year.
John T. Wescott’s Poyner’s Hill Lifesaving badge.
During his tenure here, he helped to save over twenty-five lives, all under very difficult and perilous conditions.
This same beach is owned by the Currituck Shooting Club. It was an exclusive club for hunters of fowl from all over. The fees were $3,000 to $5,000 a year. You can read more about the club here. I do not believe the Wescott’s were members, but the lifesaving station was on land owned by the Shooting Club. In fact, when Mary was younger, she wrote this letter to the St. Nicholas Magazine: An Illustrated Book For Young Folks by Mary Mapes Dodge.
In Albert Wescott Sr.’s things were some pictures of the club.
The Currituck Shooting Club owned the land where the Poyners Hill Lifesaving Sation was constructed. The shooting club, one of the oldest of its kind, burned to the ground in 2003, destroying valuable guns and artifacts about members such as J P Morgan and William Vanderbilt.
The Wescott name is written in the US Coast Guard’s website archives numerous times. I wrote to them after discovering there was an article written on John Thomas. Click on the link below to read what was sent to me from their archives.
A year later, Albert Read Wescott, Sr. was born in Poyner’s Hill. A year after that, in 1889, JT’s brother, Charles, was murdered.
Capt. C. D. Wescott of the steamer Cleopatra was stabbed in the shoulder by Mordica Hudson at Trenton, Jones County, last Saturday night. Causes: whiskey. The parties got into a dispute, ending in a fight, and Hudson stabbed Wescott in the shoulder with a knife, severing an artery, from which Wescott bled to death in an hour. ~December 12, 1889 The Tarborough Southerner from Tarboro, North Carolina · Page 1
The trial of Mordecai Hudson for the killing of Capt. Charles D. Wescott last November, at Trenton, was begun at Trenton on Tuesday morning, and Hudson was sentenced by the Judge to five years in the penitentiary. ~April 8, 1890 The Progressive Farmer from Winston-Salem, North Carolina · Page 3
All the Wescott brothers attended the trial.
Mary Yuela was born that same year, and Cora Virginia a few years later. I have never been able to determine where the name Yeula came from. The closest I found was that it could be an Indian word meaning Upward slope.
And in 1890, his son, Albert, was diagnosed with polio.
In 1892, John designed the box for Coston signals.
The Surfmen were supplied with appropriate clothing and boots, a lantern, a Coston Signal Kit, and a Surfman’s brass badge or token on which was noted his station and number. The Coston Signal was not unlike today’s flare gun and was to be used as a warning device when necessary. It was the duty of the Surfman to constantly look seaward as he walked, looking for ships in distress. If he saw a vessel that was headed into danger, he fired a Coston Signal in the hope the master of the ship would realize his error and turn seaward. If the vessel was already in the process of foundering, the signal was deployed to indicate they had been discovered and help was on the way. In such a circumstance, it was critical that the patrolman take accurate note of the circumstances and quickly return to the station to apprise the Keeper of the details. Accurate information was essential to allow the Keeper to decide what apparatus should be transported to the scene.
~History of The U.S. Life-Saving Service – III, Life At The Station by Tom Wimbrow
By 1900, JT was Secretary and Treasurer of the newly founded North Carolina Surfman’s Mutual Benefit Association, and JT designed a Cartouch Box.
Similar to this one
In researching his designs, I discovered that the Coston Signal was invented by a woman, MADAME MARTHA J. COSTON.
I am unsure if this is the box John designed, but it must be similar. These designs are still used in the military services as of this day.
His mother died in 1902, and Mabel Agassiz Wescott was born shortly afterward. Her middle name has always fascinated me, so I researched. Alexander Agassiz made three expeditions aboard the Albatross to collect specimens, explore the ocean depths, and study coral islands and reefs. John was such a lover of the sea and ships, so maybe he named her after Alexander.
Captain John Wescott is second to the right, standing, and Captain Josiah Wescott is second to the right, sitting.
In 1903, the Wright Brothers came calling to the Kill Devils Hill Life Saving Station in Kitty Hawk. Although family lore states that John T. was taking a nap during the flight, it is undocumented that he was there. However, his brothers and cousins were.
In “Conquering the Sky” by Larry E. Tise, several Keepers are mentioned along with Robert L. Wescott and others listed below. Read some here.
Commanded by Capt. Jesse Etheridge Ward (possible cousin), the surfmen;
Will S. Dough (another possible cousin),
Adam D. Etheridge (father-in-law of 5th great-grandmother),
Bob L. Wescott (John T’s brother),
Tom Beacham (another cousin),
“Uncle Benny” O’Neal and,
click —> John T. Daniels (our 1st cousin 3x removed- married Amanda Wescott, John T’s Aunt!) He is now famous for taking the first picture of the Wright Brother’s flight, and for a few “minutes, though unconventional, Daniels “flew” with the flyer, becoming the third man to fly in the Wright Flyer and the first man to be involved in an airplane accident.”
In 1909, his brother, Josiah, died while working as a Captain in the New Inlet Life Saving Station. He had served at the station since 1894. He had a heart attack while waiting for the mail boat in Rodanthe. The postmaster sent for Keeper Midgett, who brought other surfmen. The crew respectively escorted him back to Manteo, where he lived. All drills were ceased for the day.
Martha, Captain Wescott, and Mabel in 1910.
In 1915, the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service and the U.S. Lifesaving Service were merged to form a new agency, the U.S. Coast Guard. In 1939, the Coast Guard absorbed the U.S. Lighthouse Service, and by 1946, it had also absorbed the Steamboat Inspection Service.
Two years later, in 1917, at age 63, Captain John Thomas Wescott retired. I have a feeling if he was not made to retire, he would have continued in the Coast Guard. But retirement did not stop JT. On to another career…
Captain Wescott moved his family to Wayneville, North Carolina, better known as Lake Junaluska, by the next year. During this time, the Lake Junaluska Assembly, Inc. was being established. The Laymen’s Missionary Movement was created in 1908. The Second General Missionary Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was held at Lake Junaluska on June 25-29, 1913, and this constituted the official opening of the Southern Assembly.
Chief Junaluska, for whom the Assembly, community, and adjoining mountain are named, was a Cherokee chief among the exiles of 1838. It is said that his name was originally Tsunulahunski or Gulkalaski. He fought under Jackson in the War of 1812 and saved the General’s life at the Battle of Horse Shoe Bend; in later life, he was quoted as saying that if he had known Jackson would drive his people from their home, he would not have saved his life at the Bend. He was the friend of the white man and so remained even after the deportation. Junaluska died on November 20, 1858, when he was over a hundred years old. He and his wife, Nicie, are buried near Robbinsville, North Carolina, where their graves are surrounded by an iron fence and a bronze tablet erected in 1910 bears an inscription that recites his story and service to the State and nation.
Despite the program’s excellence and the collection’s success, the Southern Assembly in 1913 seems to have been a dismal place. The lake had not been filled, and early attendants spoke of mud all over the place and walking across the dry lake bed where a corn crop was being harvested.
Most people stayed at Waynesville, and the Southern Railway ran a shuttle train back and forth. Hand baggage could be carried, but wagons had to be found to transport trunks and heavy luggage. Captain Wescott was in the right place at the right time, for the first passenger boat was put on the lake, operated by Captain Wescott, and was named “Unagusta.” Captain Wescott started his new career at age 64. A boat was built to ply the lake and transport visitors from the railway station to the Terrace Hotel. Captain Wescott, who for a period was manager of the Terrace. The name was later changed to Cherokee; this boat became obsolete, and in 1952, the Cherokee II was built. ~Source: “Junaluska Jubilee: A short history of the Lake Junaluska Assembly, Inc. on the occasion of its Fiftieth Anniversary.”
Photos in possession of Marlee Logan passed down by Albert Read Wescott, Sr. to Sharon Wescott Gibbs.
Lake Junaluska and The Cherokee about 1920.
The Cherokee boathouse.
Captain Wescott, Albert Read Wescott Jr. with Bucky, Mary W sitting 1919-20
1920s -Rebecca Carver: My father had a dairy farm, and we furnished the milk that went to the families at the Assembly. They didn’t have swimming pools in the 1920 ‘s and ’30s, so the Assembly let Camp Junaluska, which was above Long’s Chapel United Methodist church, build boat docks and let us go swimming in the lake just down below the depot station. That’s how I learned to swim. Captain Wescott owned the Cherokee Inn, and he was a very good friend of my father. Back then, the children and youth stayed fully clothed until they got to the bath house, and then they went into a little room and changed into a bathing suit. Well, we didn’t have the ten or fifteen cents to pay for that little room, so Captain Wescott let us have a boat. We’d go out on that little boat and change into our bathing suits, and go over to swim near the bath house. Then we’d go back out in the boat and change back into our clothes, and then bring the boat back to Captain Wescott. He was a very dear friend.
About 1923, the annual election of the Queen of Junaluska was inaugurated. The first queen was Miss Mabel Wescott, daughter of Captain Wescott, and with three exceptions, there was an annual election thereafter. The crowning was always an important social event, preceded in the afternoon by a boat pageant in which the Queen, her court, and many other young people rode in boats towed by the Cherokee. As recalled by one resident, “Closely related to the coronation ceremonies is the water pageant. This is usually set for the day of the crowning of the Queen. The decorated boats are as beautiful as delicate petals drifting on a quiet stream. Everyone in the community gathers along the lake shore or in the reviewing stand at the boathouse to see the prize floats go by. In former years, Captain Wescott, with a big Cherokee boat, drew all the decorated craft, tied together like a giant daisy chain, before the reviewing stand. Along the shore and upon the green lawn near the auditorium, Junaluska neighbors and visiting friends gather annually to watch the water sports.”
As written in “The Waynesville Mountaineer” on June 16, 1926:
“The Cherokee,” a picture courtesy of the Spence/Wescott family. Circa 1920.
1923, John ran a hotel, and in 1926, at age 76, Captain Wescott was still going strong. The Duke Alumni held their reunion at Lake Junaluska, where the Captain took them on a tour of the lake before their retreat.
In 1925, his brother, Captain Robert E. Lee, died in Kitty Hawk from thoracic actinomycosis, which he had suffered since 1918. Two years later, his sister Matilda died of a ruptured gall bladder in Virginia.
Back Row: Mabel A. Wescott, Cora Wescott Spence, Mary Y. Wescott, John Albert Coggins, Laura Wescott Coggins Middle Row: Ruby Wescott (holding dau. Jean) Albert R. Wescott, Martha Ann Chadwick Wescott, Capt. John Thomas Wescott Front Row: Albert R. Wescott, Jr., (son of Ruby & Albert, Sr) Mary Virginia Spence,
On December 26, 1933, Captain Wescott, age 80, and Martha, age 68, celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary.
Two years later, Martha died of a kidney disorder. (Chronic valvular disease, chronic nephritis)
1938- John Thomas Wescott, Jr., Albert Read Wescott, Sr., Albert Read Wescott, Jr.
In June of 1939, at age 85, Captain Wescott began “grooming” for his 22nd season with the Cherokee. Among Ruby and Albert Wescott, Sr.’s are two original newspaper articles. One of which I’ve agreed to give our cousin, descendant of Josiah Holly, for the archives in North Carolina. Although he lived in Norfolk, VA, he would come to Lake Junaluska during the summers.
WHEREAS, the Wescott Family arrived in Currituck, North Carolina ( Manteo was a part of Currituck County until 1870 ) in 1755, and Stuckley Wescott believed to be the first Wescott in 1635 to arrive in America; and WHEREAS, the Wescotts were one of 7 original families that settled on Roanoke Island, and donated one acre in 1870 for the Old Courthouse in downtown Manteo.” WHEREAS, the Wescotts were hardworking people, farmers, seamen, postmasters, fishermen, boat builders, merchants, hunters, and guides, the most famous job of the Wescott men is they served as Lifesavers and served the highest rank, Keepers of the Stations. Later many joined the Coast Guard and served for years. And
WHEREAS, the Wescotts were known for their sense of humor, it was said in the Observer June 19, 1878, “Practical jokers, general rule they obey the Bible” and are proud of their heritage and contributions to the Town of Manteo.
WHEREAS, on July 7, 1899 the “Fisherman and Farmer” stated that Josiah Holly Wescott was “an all around good fellow and we are proud to have such a man in a humane service watching and rescuing the imperiled when in shipwreck”.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT PROCLAIMED on behalf of the humble members of the Wescott Family, that I Jamie Daniels, Mayor of the Town of Manteo, and on behalf of the Board of Commissioners, do hereby recognize October 28, 2017 as the “Wescott Family Day”.
On October 28, 2017 there was the first Wescott’s of Manteo Family Reunion. Unfortunately, I could not attend, but hope to next year. With information from myself, Lou Ellen Daniels (4th cousin; descendant of Josiah Holly Wescott), Juanita Wescott (wife of my 2nd cousin, Colon Wayne Wescott; descendant of Josiah Holly Wescott), and others from the descendant’s of Captain John Thomas Wescott’s brothers, cousins were brought together to discuss their Wescott heritage.
Below are the pages of JT’s siblings displayed at the reunion with contributions from each family.
They visited the cemetery being preserved in the middle of the Manteo Airport. The stone on the outside of the white fence is John Wescott’s headstone (my 3rd great grandfather), Captain JT’s father. Wescott Cemetery
From the Wescott Cemetery link above, you will see that several markers are unclear. This is what Juanita wrote to me after her visit there.
“Theo Fitzpatrick was a confederate soldier. His grave is clear. Many of the grave sites are cement slabs, put there by the government in WWII , about 1940. They say there are slaves buried here. We have been told that some stones were removed and thrown away. William Wescott saw them at the end of a road used as a dump, then one day they disappeared. Also, Malcolm Fearing told me the same story as he was told by his father, Keith Fearing. I believe they were Barbry and John “Jackie” and others as I see Barbry still living beside John and Lovie in 1850 on the census. I can’t find the brothers and sisters of John “Wellington” anywhere. We keep the name Wellington just to differentiate between the Johns. Don’t know where it came from. I only find the name John in signed documents and historical records.”
The “Wellington” reference is from a discussion I had with Juanita and Lou Ellen as to Captain JT’s father, John. Many people refer to his middle name being “Wellington”, but we’ve never had any proof of that and in a newspaper article, John Thomas refers to his father as John T. Wescott, Sr.
Uncle Read will have to go with me next October. I have a feeling he and his third cousin, Wilton Wescott, would get along famously!
Wilton is an amazing photographer, Wilton C. Photography (view his site), but his life is the Salt Life for sure.
Juanita said, “My favorite moment from the reunion was when the three oldest Wescott men from three of John Thomas’ brothers met for the first time. They were all raised here on the same 12 mile island but did not know each other. “
Charles Wescott (99 yrs old), William Wescott, and Roy Wescott.
The next reunion is the third weekend of October 2018. Who’s going with me?
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John Loggan and his twin brother James were born in Voluntown, Connecticut, on 30 June 1731. Their father, John, was 32, and their mother, Margaret, was 28.
James stayed in Connecticut and served in the Revolutionary War.
John’s brother Hugh was born in Voluntown, Connecticut, on September 14, 1736, when John was 5 years old. Hugh passed away on September 15, 1755, in Washington, Connecticut, when John was 24 and Hugh was 19.
His sister Mary died on March 27, 1739, at the age of 14, when John was 7 years old, in Voluntown, Connecticut.
John’s brothers Robert and Samuel were born in Plainfield, Connecticut, on July 12, 1739, when John was 8 years old. Robert fought in the French and Indian War, and Samuel fought in the Civil War.
His brother Mathew was born in Washington, Connecticut, on December 15, 1742, when John was 11 years old. Mathew fought in the Revolutionary War.
John married Azubah Royce in Madison, Connecticut, on 15 November 1753, when he was 22. Azubah’s father, John Royce, was married to John’s father’s second wife, Dorcas. John Royce was Dorcas’ first husband and my sixth great-grandfather.
John had a daughter named Mary, born in 1754 in Woodbury. He also had a son named Daniel, born in 1762 in Woodbury. Another daughter, Rhoda, was born in 1767 in Woodbury but passed away at age nine. John’s mother Margaret died in 1770 in Washington when she was 67. John also had daughters named Anna and Elizabeth. Anna was born in 1770 in Woodbury, and Elizabeth was born around 1773 in Rupert, Vermont.
John Jr. was living in the 13 colonies at one of the most important turning points in American history—the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Death of Daughter
John Jr. lived in Voluntown, Connecticut, during the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. During this same year, John’s nine-year-old daughter, Rhoda, was accidentally shot by her brother while he was playing with a gun in the yard, saying he was going to shoot Tories. Rhoda had teased her brother about his ability to shoot and told him to shoot her if he could. Tragically, she was killed.
The 1777 Battle of Ridgefield was fought in the state of Connecticut, where John Logan Jr. was living at the time. His father died later that year, on 2 December 1777, in Washington, Connecticut, at the age of 78.
During the Revolutionary War, James served in Connecticut.
John Logan Jr. also lived in Vermont when it became the 14th state on 4 March 1791. After the Revolutionary War, the second “g” was dropped from our last name, and, from what I’ve discovered so far, it has been spelled “Logan” ever since.
His wife Azubah died on 27 August 1796, at the age of 59, in Rupert, Vermont. They had been married for 42 years.
John died on 17 September 1809 in Rupert, Vermont, at the age of 78.
Rise and shine, family! Every once in a while, when you stare at a photo or hear a story from Grandma, you realize there’s more in your blood than just names and dates. One such story in our family is that of James Lemuel Logan — not just because of what he did, but the spirit with which he lived it.
Born in Wisconsin, Made of Grit
James Lemuel Logan came into the world on September 6, 1860, in Sparta, Wisconsin. His dad, Silas, was 27, and his mom, Sarah, was only 18. Small-town beginnings, but then life had big plans for him.
Wagon Wheels & New Frontiers
He used to tell his granddaughter, Carrie Elva Logan Porter Reade, stories about crossing the prairie in a covered wagon. That image — dusty roads, miles of open land, hopes packed into the wagon — tells you already that James grew up with adventure by his side.
His father, Silas, had moved around: from Pennsylvania to Wisconsin (when it was frontier), then back. Often by wagon. Eventually, Silas settled in places like Titusville and Greensburg in Pennsylvania, where he did some oil work and prospecting.
Work, Rails, & Iron
James didn’t stay small-town idle. He got a common school education, then, around age eighteen, he became a brakeman on the Pennsylvania Railroad. But he wasn’t satisfied being up and down the tracks in that role for long. After a few months, James moved on.
Next, he tried out being a teamster in Blairsville, then worked as a locomotive fireman. Eventually, James earned a promotion to engineer — a job he held for about eight years. That means he was the one driving those massive machines. Keeping them working. Steering where steel met steam.
In 1898, he moved to Vandergrift and worked for Apollo Iron and Steel as a locomotive engineer. Then, when a foundry moved, he moved with the opportunity and kept working with the Chilled Roll Foundry Company in its new place. Still living in Apollo. Still working with his hands and heart.
Family, Faith & Final Years
On December 22, 1882, James married Caroline Stitt, of Blairsville. Over 17 years, they had six children. Life was busy, loud, full. Some children passed, some stayed, but each one carried part of James forward.
Even as years wore on, he was active in the community: belonged to lodges like the I.O.O.F., the Knights of Malta, and was part of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. He identified as an Independent politically and attended the Methodist Episcopal church. All of which suggests values — faith, connection, doing right by people.
In his later years, he was in Michigan — still along for the ride life offered. James died on April 10, 1952, in Pontiac, Michigan, at age 91.
What We Learn from Lem
Here’s what sticks with me when I think of James Lemuel Logan.
Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it’s quietly riding across a prairie, choosing steady work, keeping family close.
Change is part of the journey: moving places, changing jobs, rising to bigger roles — James did it repeatedly, often stepping outside his comfort.
Legacy is more than blood. It’s stories told at kitchen tables, values passed down, the strength in saying “I’ll drive the engine” when perhaps simpler paths were available.
Want to dive deeper? I’m here for it. Whether it’s finding letters, photos, or more stories from Carrie (his granddaughter), each clue adds color to James Lem’s life. Because family history isn’t just about knowing who came before — it’s about seeing ourselves in them, feeling their triumphs & struggles, and finding what they left that’s still alive in us. 🌾🚂👟
The following is from the History of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Volume 2 By John Newton Boucher :
“JAMES L. LOGAN. Silas Logan, father of James L. Logan, of Vandergrift, born about 1825, in Corry, Erie county, Pennsylvania, and as a young man went to Wisconsin, then situated on the frontier. He settled among the Indians, but after a shore time returned to Pennsylvania, having made both the outward and homeward trips by wagon. On his return he settled in Titusville, where he engaged in the oil business, later removing to Blairsville, where he did some oil prospecting. Subsequently, he took up his abode in Greensburg, and some time in the eighties went to Detroit, where he has since resided on a farm in the suburbs. Mr. Logan married Elizabeth Rowan, and the following are their children: James L., see forward: Henry, head bookkeeper for the American Harrow Company, of Detroit: Elsie, and Lena, both at home.
James L. Logan, son of Silas and Elizabeth (Rowan) Logan was born September 6, 1860, in Sparta, Monroe county, Wisconsin, and received a common school education. About his eighteenth year he secured a position as a brakeman of the Pennsylvania railroad, but not finding the associations congenial resigned at the end of a few months. He then went to Blairsville, where for about a year he was employed as a teamster, afterward obtaining a position as locomotive fireman on the Pennsylvania railroad. About two years and nine months later he was promoted to the position of engineer, which he held for some eight years. At the end of that time he resigned and for the three years following was variously employed. In 1898 he moved to Vandergrift, where he became locomotive engineer for the Apollo Iron and Steel Company, remaining in this position about two years and a half. He then accepted a position with the Chilled Roll Foundry Company of Apollo, and on the removal of the foundry to Vandergrift was retained, being transferred to that place. He continued, however, to live in Apollo, where he still resides (as of the date of the article).
He belongs to Mineral Point Lodge, No. 615, I. O. O. F.; Apollo Commandery, No. 365, Knights of Malta; and Allegheny Division, No. 108, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. He is an Independent in politics and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
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From Johann Leopold Schwittkowski to John Paul Hennig: A Family Name’s Journey
Every family tree has a few surprise twists—hidden stories that explain how we became who we are today. One of those stories in my family starts with a young man from Prussia who carried an impossibly long last name and an unshakable sense of purpose. His name was Johann Leopold Schwittkowski… until he decided it shouldn’t be.
This is the story of how he became John Paul Hennig, and how that decision shaped every generation that followed.
A Boy from West Prussia
Johann Leopold entered the world on a chilly November day in 1865, in a place called Danziger Höhe, tucked inside West Prussia. His parents, Johann and Maria Elisabeth (née Hennig), were young and raising a bustling household. Over time, the house filled with siblings—Joseph, Anton, Paul, and several others. One little sister, Maria Elisabeth, only stayed for three months, leaving a small shadow of grief behind.
When Johann’s father died in 1883, seventeen-year-old Johann stepped up. He helped his mother keep the family together—likely working the land and caring for the younger children, already showing the grit that would carry him across an ocean.
Crossing the Atlantic
By 1891, adventure was calling. Johann, 26, and his brother Anton packed their hopes, said their goodbyes, and boarded the Belgenland in Antwerp, bound for Philadelphia. They stepped onto American soil on May 25, aiming to build new lives in Milwaukee.
Two years later, love bloomed. On October 4, 1893, Johann married Augusta Julie Reikowski—and because this family never does things halfway, Anton got married the very same day. It must have been one spectacular double wedding.
Why the Name Became Hennig
Around 1910–1911, something shifted. The family began using the surname Hennig, which had been Johann’s mother’s maiden name.
Why? According to naturalization papers from Johann’s brother Paul, the old name—Schwittkowski—sounded too Polish to people at the time. Johann was proud of his German heritage, and he wanted his family to be seen for who they were. So, he chose to honor his mother’s family name instead.
And just like that, Johann Leopold Schwittkowski became John Paul Hennig.
A Life of Hard Work
John worked as a grain elevator operator for years, providing for his growing family. When a strike and crop shortages hit in 1921, he pivoted and went to work at the Falk Corporation iron foundry.
On February 4, 1933, at 67, he passed away in Milwaukee after a cerebral hemorrhage. It was the end of his story—but the beginning of ours under a new name.
His Legacy
Sometimes family history isn’t about famous names or dramatic events. Sometimes it’s about one man who quietly carried his family’s past across an ocean, chose a new name, and built a foundation for generations to come.
That’s who Johann—our John—was. The man who turned Schwittkowski into Hennig, and gave us a fresh start.
Need more help? Visit Loganalogy.com Research Specialist page! I offer guidance to streamline your research, provide expert tips, and help you build a family tree that future generations will cherish. 🌳🧾🧓🏼
Emigrated to the United States of America at Age 26
25 May 1891 • Antwerp, Belgium
Arrival
Johann departed Antwerp, Belgium, with his brother Anton on the ship “Belgenland”; he arrived in Philadelphia on 25 May 1891. Ship manifest notes both are German cits, are farmers, sitting in J Forward, are carrying 2 pieces of luggage, and plan to settle in Milwaukee.
“2 pieces of luggage”. Can you imagine arriving in a foreign country with one piece of luggage each? Amazing!
Rev. A. J. Decker- Person Pronouncing Marriage Paul Schwitkowski- Witness Joseph Bergenthal-Witness St. Anthony Church 8th & Mitchell Streets.
Johann and Anton were married on the same day.
Augusta Julie Reikowski
An unidentified Falk employee stands next to a large Steel Spur Gear. The sign in the photograph reads, “Cast Steel Spur Gear. Made by The Falk Co. Milwaukee, Wis. For Featherstone Foundry and Machine Co. of Chicago, Ills. Wt. 9340 lbs.”
Hennig Family circa 1918
Martha, Ralph, Clara, Johnnie, Marge
George, John Paul, Roy, Augusta, Ben
7 Feb 1933 • Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, USA
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It started in the 1990’s, I wanted to know more about where I came from, but not necessarily genealogy wise, I wanted to know more about my biological father who died when I was five. At some point when I was in high school (80’s) I found out I had two half sisters and two half brothers, one of which died before I was born. We all had this same father with different mothers. What did we share? Did we look alike? Did we talk alike? Who was this man who fathered us, who left Pontiac High School in Michigan in the 10th grade and joined the Army a year or two later and served in WW2 and the Korean War? Who died of a heart attack at age 48 and left me with question upon question. His name was Arthur Lee Logan, Sr.- “Art”.
From there it grew to the yearning to know more, to know his parents and his parent’s parents. To know my mom’s ancestors and their ancestors and where we came from.
So, from the Logan and Stitt and Rowan’s of Pennsylvania< Vermont< Connecticut< Ireland< Scotland (where my 22% Scot Irish DNA comes from) and his Mother’s parents and grandparents the Kunkle/Gunkel and Hawk & Schlonecker and Younkins & Kocher of Pennsylvania < Germany (where my 24% Eastern European DNA comes from)…
Logan Homestead then Connecticut
Logan Homestead now Connecticut
To my Mom’s father’s family the Wescott/Weskitt/Wescoat & Chadwick/Chaddic/Shadock and Chapman & Burns of North Carolina<Virginia< England (where my 42% Scandinavia DNA comes from)
and her mother’s family Stephanz/Stefanc/Stefanac and Swegel/Švegelj from Kansas City< Stari Trg ob Kolpi, Črnomelj, Austria< Dolenji Radenci, Slovenija and Deskova vas, Stari trg ob Kolpi, Slovenia (also includes my 24% Eastern European DNA)
andSchwitkowski and Hennig & Reikowski/ReikWisconsin< West Prussia and Gdańsk, Poland (also includes my 24% Eastern European DNA) to today where I sit in Florida, United States of America…
Deskova, Slovenia
Kovaca Vas, Crnomelj, Austria
I seem to have roots everywhere!
No matter which limb I am researching, the journey always leads me to the coast. We are water people through and through.
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John T. Wescott’s Poyner’s Hill Lifesaving badge. 
Captain Wescott, Albert Read Wescott Jr. with Bucky, Mary W sitting 1919-20
Two years later, Martha died of a kidney disorder. (Chronic valvular disease, chronic nephritis)
From there it grew to the yearning to know more, to know his parents and his parent’s parents. To know my mom’s ancestors and their ancestors and where we came from.
and Schwitkowski and Hennig & Reikowski/Reik Wisconsin< West Prussia and Gdańsk, Poland (also includes my 24% Eastern European DNA) to today where I sit in Florida, United States of America…
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