New theory about William Alexander Heffington was that he was given to a Caucasion family to raise around 1830. Records indicate he was born in Alabama (possibly Lawrence County,Tennessee but doubtful) in 1824 but birth records cannot be found. He was married in Lauderdale County, Alabama in 1845, lived in Iuka, Mississippi in 1846. Would like to find out about his parents, exactly where he was born.
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He appears in three census records giving his place of birth about 1824 in Alabama. He is also listed consistently as White.
Cherokee settlements in Alabama came about later and in sparser fashion. It was mostly displaced Cherokees coming from the eastern lands, moving into Alabama territory that hadn’t necessarily been traditionally settled previously (or, not as heaviliy). Even in the years just before – or during – the Removal, there were only a few hundred Cherokee family clusters living in the northeast part of the state. The Henderson Roll counted 200+ heads of households or individuals living in Alabama in 1835. The removal count for the Benge trail out of northern Alabama was just over 1000, but less than 2,000 (figures range). But, the point is: we are talking about a rather small population regardless.
Also, there is some issue with his birth year and the adoption story. The forced removal was 1838-9. If William was born about 1824. He would have been a teenager during this time. Unlikely that he’d be “given” to a White familiy. Why give him away at age 6, in 1830?
Is the supposition that he was given as a child to a “caucasian” familiy by one of the ~200 Cherokee families living in Alabama at that time, nearly a decade and a half prior to Removal? Why? What source would confirm this or even suggest this? How common do you think it was for Cherokees to just give up their kids to White families? And even when this situation occured, it would have represents a statistically rare event.
If the population was ~ 1000+ Cherokees in Alabama about 1824, and you consider half the population were males, and a small percentage of this population was age 0-5 years (let’s say 3-5% accounting for a low growth rate and standard population age distribution)…we are talking about a potential pool of Cherokee boys born at that time at something like two dozen individuals. Total. And of these 20-some young boys, one the ~200+ families had to “give” them to a White family? Again, why? What reason do you have for such a theory?
I bring this up because you should only create theories if there is some reason to persue them. In other words, there should be some kind of information or indication that this could be the case, and then you research it in methodical fashion. Is there ANY source that indicates he was adopted? I mean, in the historical record (not modern theories). IF not, I would recommend proceeding with standard genealogical practices. Dig in the local records and try to find confirmation of parentage. Sometimes, records can only be found in-person, the old fashioned way. Or, use the old default method. Use surnames as a guide…look for other Heffingtons that moved in a way that matched his life events, or seem to be tangetially related. Then, you can proceed to make those connections. Adoption records are quite rare in the early 1800s and before. If one assumes this kind of scenario, it normally takes more extensive Y-DNA testing to confirm it.
I received your very informative email and appreciate the detailed response.
We have heard and read of some Native American families (no specific tribes mentioned) entrusting some of their children to White familie hoping to provide them a better life. Certainly a very difficult decision to make but times were tough all over back then.
Having hit a brick wall regarding William Alexander Heffington, we decided to try the longshot approach. I just wanted to find out if your organization had any records of this. If I offended anyone with my query, I am truly sorry. That was certainly NOT my intent.