My family believes Nancy Madden, my great-grandmother, was a Native American who was adopted. We know nothing except that she was born in Florida (Ft. Walton area, possibly) and that she later married Augustus M. Hendrix, who was born in Alabama. They later settled in MIssissippi. Can anyone help us find her? We’d love to know more about her and her ancestors.
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Why do you theorize that she was adopted? Her parents were John James Madden (1856 AL – 1919), and Ada POSS: Gandy (1867 – UNK).
http://www.mytrees.com/cgi-bin/yaodoqry?MADDEN+JOHN++1880+1882+++++GANDY+ADA+M++All+1+0+1+0+0+0
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2:2:SYV5-73M
This family was living in Alabama for a while then moved into Florida in the late 1800s. They were living in Walton FL by 1900. They then moved to Harrison County MS by 1910.
She is found with her parents and siblings on the 1900 Census, living in Walton. Her brother Brinkley is found right next to her Hendrix household in Harrison County, MS, in the 1910 enumeration. Her paternal lines can be traced back fairly well. Although, there isn’t much info available on the maternal lines. The lineages that can be traced (Madden, Hutto, etc.) go back to early colonial roots. They received early lands grants in lands that had been ceded by tribes, which was part of the dispossession and removal process. One line, the Galloways, even received Cherokee Land Lottery plots. This lineage is as follows:
William Galloway – Cherokee Land Lottery Winner
Daughter: Melissa Ann Galloway married George Solomon Hutto
Grandson: Samuel Hutto married Sarah Tullington
Great-granddaughter: Margaret Louisa Hutton married Demosthenes Robert Malcom Madden
Great-great grandson: John James Madden (father of Nancy)
So, in that regard there was a sort of direct relationship to the Cherokee people, but it was that of White American settlers explicitly taking Cherokee land and forcing the tribe to move to Indian Territory, west of the Mississippi.
However, all of these lineages would not represent her actual ancestry if you think she was adopted. And without firm confirmation and documentation these scenarios cannot be researched any further. The only thing that might confirm parentage is DNA testing on directly lineal descendants through appropriate lines of descent (for example, direct female lines descended from Nancy could be compared with the straight female descendants of her sisters).
Thank you very much for your help. I greatly appreciate it. That’s another small piece of the puzzle that my cousin and I had been missing..
If anyone else happens to know about the Maddens, please share. I’m willing to look at all pieces of information.
It seems someone commented and deleted it. They asked why I would assume she was adopted and they shared information from Ancestry.com. I have that same information, but I questioned it because my aunt said an older family member told her that Great-Grandma had been adopted. I’m trying to figure out if that was true, or if I should go with what Ancestry.com has given me.
I did a little more research and found that in the region of Walton Co., FL, there were both Choctaw and Creek Indians. So it could be that Great-Grandma was Creek instead. I just can’t seem to find anything more. Does anyone know the Madden family for Walton Co., FL?