http://donchesnut.com/genealogy/pages/cherokeeplace.htm

There is so much history buried in place names for those who look, and who have a good translator which this site provides.

Here are a few very interesting examples:

Tagwa’hi

• “Catawba place,” from Ata’gwa or Ta’gwa, Catawba Indian, and hi, locative. A name occurring in several places in the old Cherokee country. A settlement of this name, known to the whites as Toccoa, was upon Toccoa creek, east of Clarksville, in Habersham County, Ga.; another was upon Toccoa or Ocoee river, about the present Toccoa, in Fannin county, Ga.; a third may have been on Persimmon creek, which is known to the Cherokee as Tagwa’hi, and enters Hiwassee river some distance below Murphy, in Cherokee County, N.C.

The Catawba were well known initially as enemies of the Cherokee, then eventually, many joined the Cherokee.  Regardless of which state they were in, enemy or friend, their lands abutted and overlapped, and they were always a consideration.

The state name Tennessee is thought to have come from this word:

Tanasi’

• A name which cannot be analyzed, commonly spelled Tennessee, occurring in several places in the old Cherokee country, viz.: 1. On Little Tennessee river about half-way between Citico and Toco creeks, in Monroe county, Tenn. 2. “Old Tennessee town,” on Hiwassee river, a short distance above the junction of Ocoee, in Polk county, Tenn. 3. On Tennessee creek, a head-stream of Tuckasegee river, in Jackson County, N.C. Tanasqui, visited by Pardo in 1567, may have been another place of the same name.

Both DeSoto (1540) and Pardo’s (1567) journeys took them through Cherokee country.  They name several places that are not otherwise known in the Cherokee language.  Some may have actually been Creek.  However, there is no question that they encountered the Cherokee people, as well as other tribes.  This makes the next place name quite interesting.  

Skwan’-digu gun’yi (for Askwan’-digu gun’yi)

• “Where the Spaniard is in the water” (or other liquid). A place on Upper Soco creek, on the reservation in Jackson County, N.C.

By 1754, William Saunders in the “Colonial Records of North Carolina” report that a group of 30-40 Saponi had settled on the lands of William Eaton in Granville County, NC. 

As luck would have it, Janet Crain discovered the “Muster Roll of the Regiment of Granville County under the command of Colonel William Eaton as taken as a general muster of the said Regiment October 8, 1754.”

On that list are several surnames that are recognizable as families associated with Native heritage such as Harris, Chavers, Alford, Cade, Nichols, Hedgeparth, Gowen and others.  Several are also associated with Melungeon heritage such as Gowen, Mullins, Collins, Bolton (Bollin) and Moore. 

However, the question is whether or not there is anything on the muster list that might identify who is Native or of Native descent, and who is not, and indeed, there is.  Several people are noted at either negro or mulatto, as follows:

• Edward Harris, negro
• William Chavers, negro
• William Chavers Jun., Mul.
• Gilberth Chavers, Mulatto
• John Smith   Nut Bush (I’m just going to leave this alone)
• Thomas Gowen, mulatto
• Mickael Gowen, mulatto
• Edward Gowen, mulatto
• Robert Davis, mulatto
• William Burnel, mulatto

John Smith’s note of “nut bush” could be an indication of a location.  One man is noted by a creek name and one says “up the river”.  Or it could possibly be an indication of a Native group association.  If we exclude this individual, as he is not noted as being negro or mulatto, there are a total of 9 men “of color.”  Only free people could serve in the militia, so we know these men weren’t slaves.

If each man had a wife and one child, that would be 27 people, 2 children would be 36 people and 3 children would be 45 people.  This fits the 30-40 Saponi stated to have gone to live on William Eaton’s land, assuming that the 30-40 meant total people and was not a family count.  Of these, the Chavers and Gowen families are known to be Lumbee as well as Tuscarora.  Harris is the primary Catawba surname, although being a very common surname, may not be related.  Gowen (Goins) is a Melungeon surname as well.

Perhaps, using the muster roll and the NC colonial records, together, we’ve just identified a number of Saponi families.  By this time in the historical record, the name Saponi could represent any of the eastern remnant tribes’ members.

I suspect that at least some of the men not classified as “of color” also carried mixed heritage.  Many of the surnames were the same.  You can take a look at the complete list here:                                                                                                                    

http://melungeon-historical-societymhs.blogspot.com/p/muster-roll-of-regiment-in-granville.html

Poster contest winner Mason Strother, a fifth-grader at Startown Elementary School in Catawba County.

The Red Cross and emergency managers from the Unifour counties (Alexander, Burke, Catawba and Caldwell) held its annual Severe Weather Awareness Poster Contest for fourth- and fifth-graders.

The overall winner was Mason Strother, a fifth-grader at Startown Elementary School in Catawba County. Mason’s parents, teachers and classmates were present for the surprise presentation by Suzan Anderson from the American Red Cross, Mayor Ann Stedman from the City of Newton and Karyn Yaussy from Catawba County Emergency Management.

The Catawba County winner is Cayman Carpenter a fifth-grader at Oxford Elementary School.

The Catawba County winner is Cayman Carpenter a fifth-grader at Oxford Elementary School. Cayman’s poster depicted a lightning storm. Both Mason and Cayman’s artwork is on display at the Catawba County Government Center through the month of March.

The Alexander County winner is Abigail Rodriguez Meneses from Hiddenite Elementary.

The Burke County winner is Rayna Hudson from Oak Hill Elementary School.

The Burke County winner is Rayna Hudson from Oak Hill Elementary School.

Alexander, Burke and Catawba County students in the 4th or 5th grades submitted posters related to the theme “Severe Weather Awareness” and illustrated an example of a natural hazard that affects North Carolina.

One poster from each county and one overall winner from all entries were chosen as the winners of the Unifour Area Severe Weather Awareness Week Poster Contest. The winners were announced during Severe Weather Awareness Week with surprise presentations at each winner’s school.

Registration

What did you do this week? Are you beginning to gain a better understanding of  the mission as well as the goals and objectives of your institution/organization? Have you received any specific training and how does it relate to your work responsibilities? If not – is there additional training that you would like to receive that would assist you in performing you job? By contrast, do you find yourself providing informal training to some of you colleagues? Name two or three skills you have developed and how they might help you in the future. What previous skills or knowledge, either classroom or professional, have you begun to apply in your internship?

This week I continue to work in registration on editing and uploading Catawba pottery to Past Perfect. Some interesting pieces include vases called Rebecca vases which have long slender/elegant necks and handles, wedding vases which are round at the bottom and open up to two spouts with a handle between the two, and a variety of detailed pipes. A large part of the Catawba assignment includes writing up metadata. Technical in nature, I am filling out the following areas:

• Caption (an assigned item number)
• Original size (of the digital image before editing)
• Original format (they are all digital!)
• Equipment (the type of camera used to photograph the collection)
• Software
• Color (RGB in this case)
• Location (the file)
• Created by (the photographer)
• Copyrights (McKissick and USC)

The metadata I am creating simply accompanies the digital image, so all information is focused on the image itself, and not the physical artwork.

I have not received any specific training, as I came into the internship to make use of skill I already had, and build upon them. Prior courses such as Metadata, Design and Management of Digital Image Collections, and Cataloging gave me a foundation for my work at the McKissick. I already had experience with editing digital images and entering metadata. My work at the Irving Department of Rare Books and Special Collections (as seen in additional blog posts) compliments my work at the McKissick.

At the moment, I cannot think of any training I need additionally for this project, however I look forward to the next one in which I will tackle creating my first finding aid! This area, I may need assistance in.

Skills acquired since interning:

1. Attention to detail. It is so easy to enter in wrong letters, select the wrong image (because they are all numbered similarly), and misspell words when entering metadata.
2. Mastering Past Perfect. OK – maybe not “mastering,” however; I am becoming confident in using the system.

My grandfather and I at the 2008 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Clearwater, Florida

This is a newspaper article that was published in December 2011, and I wanted to post it in on my blog to celebrate the Air Force retirement of my grandfather, which took place on January 31, 2012

DETERMINATION LINKS GENERATIONS OF ‘IRONMEN’

Charlotte Observer, by Joe DePriest

Catawba County (North Carolina) native Joe Lineberger, 80, and his grandson, Brian Boyle, 25, are best friends. They hang out, talk a lot and enjoy the company. What’s more: they inspire each other. They’ve inspired me since I’ve gotten to know them over the past few weeks.

When Boyle told me about his grandfather’s recent “Spirit of Service” award from the U.S. Air Force, he didn’t mention his book about recovering from a near fatal auto accident as a teenager. “Iron Heart” by Brian Boyle with Bill Katovsky (founder of Triathlete magazine) was first published in 2009 and a paperback version came out on Nov. 15.

Lineberger brought up the subject of his grandson soon after we first talked. He asked if I knew about Boyle’s injuries, his comeback and completing a dream of finishing an Ironman Triathlon.

That’s how it went: grandfather and grandson putting the emphasis not on themselves, but the other. There’s an energy going on here – a sharing of strength. 

As a kid, Lineberger picked cotton on a Catawba County farm and later worked in his uncle’s grocery in downtown Maiden. Three uncles served in World War II and he was proud of them. At Maiden High, he played football, baseball and basketball – dreaming of going to Duke University. His family couldn’t afford the tuition so Lineberger joined Duke’s R.O.T.C. program and worked odd jobs like waiting tables in the university dining hall and selling football programs at games.

He was determined to succeed and earned a bachelor’s degree from Duke. Later, he’d get a master of business administration degree from the University of Chicago.

Action in Vietnam

Lineberger’s Air Force career began in 1953; he retired 28 years later as a colonel, but stayed on as a civilian employee. At 80, Lineberger still works full-time at Andrews Air Force Base and the Pentagon. He’s a Senior Executive Service member, the equivalent of a three-star general. 

The “Spirit of Service” award is for more than 50 years of service, including assignments with Air Force headquarters in Washington and the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force. Lineberger was military assistant to the assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower, Reserve Affairs and Installations under five assistant secretaries. 

During the recent awards ceremony Michael Rhodes, director of administration and management in the office of the Secretary of Defense, talked about Lineberger and others who were being honored that day. ”….They’ve had a hand in creating the world we live in today,” he said. “For more than five decades, each of the tremendous public servants we’re celebrating today has ensured our military strength and readiness. They meant business and they got business done.” 

Lineberger has pulled his share of administrative duties. But he was also awarded the Bronze Star for taking part in ground action during the bloody 1968 Tet Offensive in Vietnam. He was in Cholon, the Chinese section of Saigon, where some of the most intense fighting took place. 

The Vietnam War is a subject he knows first-hand. He’s researched Congressional Medal of Honor nominations for two Air Force heroes killed in Vietnam and shepherded the paperwork through the system: From the Joint Chiefs of Staff and defense department to Congress and the White House. ”I guided them through the hoops,” Lineberger said. “I know the hoops. I’ve been through them before.”

One of those Medal of Honor winners, Airman Bill Pitsenbarger, is the subject of a movie that will be filmed next year, partly in the Carolinas and Georgia. Lineberger is one of the consultants on “The Last Full Measure” with an all-star cast that includes Bruce Willis, Robert Duvall, Laurence Fishburne, Morgan Freeman and Charlie Hunnam. 

Lineberger has many relatives and friends in North Carolina and wishes he could get back more often to see them. Maybe the movie will give him the chance. 

Meanwhile, he’s still working with the Air Force because “it keeps the mind fresh,” Lineberger told me.

His wife, Mary Helen, died seven years ago. They had five children. Boyle is the oldest of nine grandchildren. 

Although Lineberger keeps in shape by walking, he doesn’t do the grueling Ironman Triathlons and marathons Boyle takes on. But Lineberger is often at the finish line to offer encouragement.  The fact his grandson is out doing all that physically challenging stuff is nothing short of a miracle. 

Learning to walk

Boyle, who lives in Welcome, Md., was 18 when he headed home from swim practice one day and a dump truck rammed into his Camaro. Air-lifted to a shock-trauma hospital, he’d lost 60 percent of his blood, his heart had moved across his chest, and his organs and pelvis were pulverized.  In a coma for two months, he eventually came to and relearned how to walk, run and swim. 

He’s won all sorts of competitions, graduated cum laude from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and in 2010 was awarded the American Red Cross Regional Spokesperson of the Year award for the second year in a row. 

Boyle has been featured on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” NBC’s “Today” show, ESPN, and in The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Fitness magazine, Runner’s World – the list goes on and on. You can get all the details in “Iron Heart: The True Story of How I Came Back From the Dead.” 

Boyle survived because of his ironclad determination. He got that from his grandfather – somebody Boyle said “I want to and will try to emulate the rest of my life.” 

A “model of determination,” Boyle called him. “And most of all, a hero.” 

I’d call both of them “ironmen.”

Some items from this morning’s NRC Event Reports:

1. An Aramark linen transport truck carrying used bedding from a Nevada hospital set off a radiation monitor in Truckee, California, last Friday. California Highway Patrol pulled over the vehicle and escorted it back to the border investigation station. The driver said that she was not transporting any radioactive materials and didn’t know why the California radiation monitor might have been tripped. CHP measured the radiation at .400 millirems per hour, which excceded the three-times background radiation level CHP uses for a stop.

CHP did not have the equipment necessary to determine what isotope was causing the excess radiation level, nor did they have the capability to unload and examine the contents of the trailer. Later that afternoon, CHP released the trailer to return to its point of origin, the Reknown South Meadows Medical Center in Reno, Nevada.

Back in Reno, a team from the Nevada Radiation Control Program (NRCP) unloaded the truck and determined that the source of the radiation was Technicium-99, probably from bedding soiled by a patient at the center. The hospital said that linen is not routinely scanned for radiation. The plastic bin containing the radioactive bedding has been moved to the center’s radioactive decay room for two to ten days to allow the radiation level to drop. NRCP and the hospital are now discussing procedure changes to prevent further incidents.

2. The Texas Department of Health notified the NRC today that a fire last Saturday at Pasadena Refinery Systems, Inc., had damaged two fixed nuclear gauges and possibly damaged two more. Each of the gauges contains Cesium-137 sources. Conditions in the plant were considered too unsafe for immediate entry. Arrangements have been made with the gauges’ manufacturer to remove and examine the sources once it is safe to do so.

3. Yesterday morning, the Catawba nuclear power plant in South Carolina began a technical specification shutdown for both reactors following the failure of a control room area chilled water system. Both reactors are at 0 per cent output as of this morning’s Reactor Status Reports.

4. The Navy reported to the NRC today that a helicopter on a training flight Tuesday night lost an integrated blade inspection system. The nature of the radioactive source in inspection system was not disclosed. The flight originated and ended at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar near San Diego. Much of the flight was over the Pacific Ocean. An investigation into the incident is underway.

Tranquility is the symbol on this diary.  Happiness was the symbol of the last, which led me to ponder the difference between the two.  Happiness is defined by the presence of joy and lack of suffering.  Currently there are many things that make me happy.  Jason, the baby, our new apartment, my work….among many other things.  Still, it seems complete and utter satisfaction is difficult to come by or maintain.  Happiness and sadness fluctuate.  To only have one or the other in one’s life is not to have balance in one’s life.

Tranquility, on the other hand, is something that can remain through the ups and downs.  Tranquility is beyond happiness in that it requires acceptance and calmness.  Tranquility is peace of mind.  It is standing still amidst the swiftly moving world. Tranquility is my goal I think.  They key here is tranquility—to let the world speed by us while we take our time.  If we can hold on to our sense of tranquility then we came come through less affected and less stressed.

Take this past weekend for example.  It was supposed to be fun, but it turned out to be quite stressful.  It was difficult remain tranquil with everything that happened. We headed out on Saturday to Blowing Rock and the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Blue Ridge Parkway is 469 miles long and connects the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina to the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.  There are Split-rail fences, old farmsteads, mountain meadows and scenic overlooks with breathtaking views.

Blowing Rock didn’t advertise a charge for admission, so when we got there it was a surprise.  Though we enjoyed the view it wasn’t easy to forget that we couldn’t afford to be doing it really.  I wanted to hike longer, but felt I shouldn’t.  The rain and my sore muscles kept us from exerting ourselves, which was probably for the best.

Anyway, the windy cliffs of the area were home to the Cherokee and the Catawba Indian tribes and they did NOT get along.  The story of “The “Blowing Rock” is about two star-crossed lovers, one from each tribe, were walking near The Rock when the reddening sky signaled to the brave that he must return to his tribal duty, and the maiden urged him to stay with her. His desperation in choosing between duty and love caused him to leap from the edge of the gorge toward the rocks below, while the maiden beseeched the Great Spirit to bring him back to her. The famous winds of the John’s River Gorge blew her lover back into her arms, and this legend about The Blowing Rock is still told today.

We left Blowing Rock and drove down The Blue Ridge Parkway.  Though Jason wanted to zoom along the curves, the other traffic kept us at 35 miles per hour or so.  It was probably for the best.  We really got to enjoy the awesome scenery.  The slow pace picked up, but not before I realized that Chimney Rock closed at 5:30pm.  Though we couldn’t afford to sped $24 on it either, we had decided to go there anyway.  Both of us grew frustrated as 5:30 drew ever closer.  We still had a ways to go and no one was moving fast enough.  Both of us were hungry and I had to pee.  We should have stopped, but we pressed onward in the hopes of making it on time.

We arrived in the very small, but very small town of Chimney Rock.  We arrived just 5 minutes too late.  The park was closed.

On our way out of town—in Lure—we were pulled over for speeding.  The officer, who was a rookie, gave us a ticket.  He didn’t care that we weren’t from around there and honestly didn’t know the speed limit.  After Jason demanded to see his gun calibration and license, which he declined to show, I walked across the street to the use the restroom.  The woman refused to let me use the restroom, claiming that she didn’t have one and that I couldn’t go out back in the woods to relieve myself either.  Imagine, denying a woman who is clearly six months pregnant a place to go to the bathroom!  How cruel! Angry, I stomped out. Miles and minuets later, when we left the tourist trap town, we stopped at a BP for gas and for me to pee.  Ah! Relief at last!

Admittedly, much of the trip sucked, however, the views were spectacular and we got some great pictures.

The Bulldogs took an early lead when redshirt senior quarterback Cody Haffly hit Andrew Nallenweg for a six yard touchdown pass. The touchdown pass was one of four for Haffly on the day. The Bulldogs also blocked a field goal and junior Jarvis Smith returned it for an 80 yard touchdown, giving Wingate a 14-10 lead after the first quarter.

The second quarter was packed with scoring as the two teams combined for 37 points in the quarter. The Bulldogs would get two touchdowns from junior wide receiver Chris Bowden, one from senior wide receiver Marquise Allen and a field goal from senior Paul Grammaticopoulos. Wingate held a 37-24 advantage at the half. Haffly threw for 321 yards and four touchdowns on the day.

The second half proved to be quite the opposite of the first. Both teams buckled down on defense which made for an exciting finish. The Bulldogs got a touchdown run from freshman running back Nestor Lantigua and two more field goals from Grammaticopoulos. Grammaticopoulos’ three field goals earned SAC specialist of the week. Catawba would score two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but it was too little too late, as the Bulldogs held on for the victory.

“Defense played a smart game,” said Head Coach Joe Reich. “Once we realized that we could control the run game without blitzing, we were able to make them throw underneath and rally to the ball. We sat back and played more conservatively.”

The Bulldogs return to action on Saturday, when they head to Lenoir-Rhyne for a game with playoff implications for both teams.

Bryant Lilley

Staff Writer 

Edited by Brittany Pales, Alex Tai Laing, Jhamie Chin

• By Brentin Mock
  6:00 AM Sep 28th, 2011

Cherokee Indians disowning black tribe members forces look at slavery

Last week, University of Michigan history professor Dr. Tiya Miles was surprised when she got the call from the MacArthur Foundation that she would be a 2011 recipient of their highly coveted “genius” fellowship grants — a $500,000 no-strings-attached sum that is dispersed to fellows and stretched out over five years. The professor had been excavating many long-buried stories about the relationships between Cherokee Indians, enslaved African-Americans and free blacks over the the past few centuries in America. She is the author of several books, chapters and articles on the subject, including her first book “Ties That Bind: The Story of an Afro-Cherokee Family in Slavery and Freedom,” which tells the story of a young African-American woman who was married into a Cherokee tribe, and also about how Cherokee women fought for her and her black children to have rights among the Cherokees. Miles plans to use the grant to further her studies, but delving into new subjects considering northern slave-holding states such as Michigan.

The award also came at an apt time given the citizenship status of black “freedmen” — the descendants of enslaved Afro-Cherokees — has been in question and was only just recently settled. Their citizenship will impact voting for a new Cherokee Principal Chief — a process that began September 24 and will collect votes through October 8.

The Loop 21 had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Miles, about the state of relations between African Americans and Cherokee Indians, the history behind it, and what the future brings.

Loop 21: The expulsion of the freedmen in 2007 — would it be accurate to describe that in terms of pure racism towards the descendants of slaves, or is it more complex than that?

Dr. Tiya Miles: I think that one aspect of this is a latent anti-black prejudice. And I have to say, Cherokees aren’t alone in this. What group in this country has not been affected by the anti-black prejudice that proliferates within our culture and has for our whole history? I think everyone is affected by this. And native people have really been targeted to be drawn into a heightened awareness of racial hierarchy and where they sit in that hierarchy. That’s an aspect people might not want to address directly. I think another issue is also a fear of depleted resources. This is a moment when everyone is concerned about economics and thinking about whether or not we’re going to see a double-dip recession, and how long the downturn will last. In this kind of environment I think people want to tighten their fist. And they want to think about how they can better their own small group. Perhaps to the detriment of minorities in that group — I think that’s going here too. And also the Cherokee Nation has legitimate reason to feel resentful — not to the descendants of freed people; I think they ought to be grateful to them since their ancestors helped build that nation — but resentful to the United States government. I think that the Cherokee’s feelings of resentment is legitimate when it’s directed toward the federal government, and I think it’s illegitimate when turned toward the descendants of slaves who helped the Cherokee nation to survive, who helped them to move across the Trail of Tears, who did the labor to make their journey that was awful, to make their journey less horrific, and who really built their wealth in Indian territory.

Loop 21: What are the moral problems with the Dawes laws that started this separation between Cherokee and black freedmen?

Miles: I think that most people who have looked at the Dawes laws and thought about them would acknowledge that these are really flawed lists of not only the Cherokee nation but also all Native nations. They are flawed in more ways than we can even talk about right now. First of all, Native people, for the most part, didn’t even want to be involved in the process. Of course that was a process started by the United States federal government to divide up tribal lands and individuals. This was a policy on the part of the government to break up native peoplehood, and to get them to feel like private property was all important to them, as opposed to communal property, or betterment of the entire group. From the very beginning this was something that native people protested and didn’t want. So it’s saddening that — and ironic — that right now in 2011 these lists that Native people didn’t even want to be involved in are now being used to legitimize things like taking away citizenship status from descendants of slaves — that’s only one part of the problem.

Loop 21: What other problems are there?

These rolls have no way of making a notation of the deep cultural relations between the freed people and Cherokees. These were black people who connected deeply with their Native American context. They thought of themselves as Cherokee men and women as opposed to thinking of themselves as American blacks. They even referred to black people who were moving in from the Southern states moving into Indian territory as “state Negroes.” They used this term as a way to distinguish between their own cultural context, which was the Native American one, and the cultural context of the Exodusters, people who were coming West, which was really an African-American one, one that connected them to a larger American context, not a Native American one. So these rolls have so many holes in them that it’s really a shame that we rely on them today to decide who should or should not be included in these nations.

Loop 21: Has there ever been a point in your research where you became so discouraged that you wanted to leave the subject altogether?
Miles: Yes, I’ve been discouraged. One time during a graduate seminar on Native American history, a colonial historian named James Merrell came to talk about his book about the Catawba Indians of South Carolina. I asked him about his research about blacks and Catawbas and he told us that he had been asked by the members of Catawba Tribal Council not to publish materials that gave evidence of black-Catawba intermarriage. I have to say, that to me was very disheartening to think that members of Native American nation would ever want to disavow that they had ever allied with or been intimate with African Americans when this was an important part of that history.  To me it was a signal that native people just like all people in this country have been caught up in the racial hierarchy. It was very disheartening, but it was also discouraging because it made me want to keep digging and keep finding the information and perhaps start to rebuild those bridges. But my mother in that moment helped me straighten my back and get back to work, by telling me that that maybe I didn’t choose this topic, maybe it chose me. And I do feel like all of these people who are doing scholarship or creative work and remembering the experiences of our ancestors are helping us to respect them  and bring back for them in their memory the regard that they should have had in their lifetimes but didn’t have in this country.

Loop 21: The U.S. Housing and Urban Development froze $33 million from the Cherokee nation. Did that move undermine Cherokee sovereignty?

Miles: I am no legal scholar, but my own personal opinion about this is that I would have been very disturbed if the U.S. Supreme Court came out and told the Cherokee Nation that you must do x, y and z. Because I think that would have definitely undercut Cherokee sovereignty. That’s not what happened, though. What happened was the U.S. government told the Cherokee government that they might be withholding funds. And that sounded to me like a nation-to-nation discussion, and that’s what sovereign nations do. So if China told the United States they were going to withhold funds from us would we say they are undercutting our sovereignty? Probably not. We’d be very upset, but we would say they have a right as a nation to do that. So while I think even though this whole situation and the way it was played out was ugly, and you have to admit that it was, it could have been much worse, if the United States government did in some direct way said you Cherokee nation must do x, y or z, but that didn’t happen. The Cherokee nation made a decision.

Loop 21: Was winning the MacArthur ever a dream or goal of yours when you were younger?

Miles: When I was much younger — and I have to say that I grew up in an amazing family that was really all about education — but even so I didn’t know that being a professor was a job that somebody could do! I didn’t know that until I went to college and one of my roommates was a child of professors. Let me tell you, I felt pretty intimidated then because I thought this was a whole world that I never knew about or had access to growing up. So even just to have this job being able to read, write and teach, think to me is a great privilege that I am very grateful for. In terms of the MacArthur Fellowship, of course, I knew that the people who had won it in the past, I was aware of it, but frankly I never thought I would be someone who would be considered for this. I was completely shocked when I got the phone call. I am so honored, I feel like the foundation and the anonymous nominators were just so generous to consider me for this.

We have nearly finished ‘Writing with Ease’ Level 1.  Yes, it’s aimed at a 1st grader and Mr. Brilliant is in 4th grade and doing 5th grade work, however, he has issuing with his handwriting and listening skills.  This work addresses both.  Additionally I am examining where he may have gaps in his grammar.

Spelling:

Plurals.  I have trouble getting Mr. B to slow down enough to do this right.  He knows it is fox/foxes but he keeps writing foxs.  *shrugs*

Writing & Research:

Research and write 4 facts about 2 breeds of cats, from the Stuart Little unit.  At this moment he’s sitting and looking at wiki and yelling at me that there no facts there.  *facepalm*

Math:

Rounding, place value

Science:

Short discussion and then writing paragraph on electricity.

Native American names of local mammals:

Deer:

Catawba: wideboye (wee-duh-boy-yay)

Cherokee: ahawi (ah-wee)

Racoon:

Catawba: ciqene (chee-kuh-nay)

Cherokee: kvtli (cutt-lee)

Fox:

Catawba: depeyamuye (duh-puh-yah-moo-yay)

Cherokee: tsutia (joot-lah)

Rabbit:

Catawba pv(n)wa(n) (pun-wahn)

Cherokee: tsisdu (jesse-doo)

History & Art:

Continue work on Landscape.  Make list of items needed to build model of Native American – LowCountry home.  (LowCountry is spelled correctly, I didn’t forget the space between words nor capitalize the C in error).

Social Studies and Reading:

‘Liberty for All’ by Joy Hakim – completed chapter 6

‘Indian Legends’ an Oak Meadow Collection – completed chapter 13

‘Who Was Helen Keller?’ by Gare Thompson – completed chapter 2

‘All Sail Set’ by Armstrong Sperry – working on chapter 2 (despite Mr. B loving ‘Call it Courage’ he’s struggling with ‘All Sail Set’.  Ironically, Mr. A+ has spirited away this book and read it himself).

Read-aloud:

‘Turn Homeward Hannalee’ by Patricia Beatty

Belmont, NC

Belmont
www.cityofbelmont.org

Geography: Located about 15 miles west of uptown Charlotte, NC, and flanked by two rivers, the Catawba and South Fork Catawba. Adjacent to Belmont, the rivers make up two arms of Lake Wylie and form a peninsula on which the city is situated.

History: Once known as Garibaldi, the city named in honor of August Belmont, a prominent New York banker. Settlement in the Belmont area began around the colonial-era Fort at the Point, built in the 1750s by Dutch settler James Kuykendall and others. The fort was built because of ongoing hostilities with the Cherokee, but it was apparently never attacked. The South Point Community, located about 2-1/2 miles south of present-day downtown Belmont, was the site of Stowesville Mill. Founded by Jasper Stowe and Associates in 1853, it was one of the first three cotton mills in operation in Gaston County.

Where To Go: The Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden is a 450-acre  world-class botanical garden located on New Hope Road southwest of Belmont. The Downtown Belmont Historic District has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1996. Roughly bounded by the former campus of Sacred Heart College, the Norfolk Southern Railway line, Main, Glenway, and Bryant Streets, Keener Blvd., and Central Ave, the district covers 1,700 acres It contains 264 buildings and 2 structures built between 1850 and 1949, including examples of Tudor Revival, Bungalow/Craftsman, and Colonial Revival architectural styles. It includes the Colonial Revival-style former US Post Office at 115 N. Main Street, now the Belmont City Hall. The Belmont Hosiery Mill at 608 S. Main Street is also listed on National Register. Stowe Manor, at 217 South Central Avenue, is the 1920’s mansion built for textile magnate S.P. Stowe. The campus of Belmont Abbey has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places as an Historic District since 1973. The Abbey Basilica of Mary Help of Christians is the central feature of the campus. The Belmont Historical Society Cultural and Heritage Learning Center, believed to be the third oldest home in Belmont. The property also contains a free-standing kitchen, a mill house, and a garage. Displays include furnishings, artifacts, and pictures which tell the history of Belmont from the time of its Native Americaninhabitants through the textile age.

Recently, the downtown area of Belmont has been expanding and adding new attractions like restaurants, bars, and comedy clubs. There also is a coffee shop in the downtown part of Belmont called “Caravan,” that hosts an open mike night on Thursday and Friday nights. With coffee being enjoyed by those in all aspects of life, Caravan attracts all different types of people in Belmont, some you may not have known lived in Belmont before and then again, you might see an old friend. Since it is right beside Stowe Park, it is a good rest area to get a cold drink during the summer or a hot cup of coffee during the colder parts of the year.

There is a general store by the name of “Stowe Mercantile Co.” that provides everything you need from fixing things around the home to toys for the children. Belmont is home to “Bills Belmont Drive-In”, more commonly known just as the “Drive-In.” the drive in stays busy during the warm summer nights when students are out of school for the summer. These have both been a part of Belmont for a long time, but they still are a major part of the community. 

Mount Holly, NC

Mount Holly

www.mtholly.us

Geography: The city is situated on the western bank of the Catawba River north of I-85 and south of NC 16.

History: King George II of Great Britain first issued land grants for the Mount Holly area around 1750. A few years later in 1754, James Kuykendall of Holland was issued a grant for an area known as Dutchman’s Creek. By 1875, Mount Holly finally received the name it has today and was named after the Mount Holly Cotton Mill. The name “Mount Holly” was used in recognition of the famed yarn made at a spinning mill in Mount Holly, New Jersey.

A.P. and D.E. Rhyne and Ambrose Costner originally owned the Mount Holly Cotton Mill. It was the fourth mill to be built in Gaston County and is the oldest surviving mill today. The mill’s success and the prosperity of the area as a whole led local residents to petition the North Carolina General Assembly for incorporation of Mount Holly in 1879.

The first railroad in Gaston County, the Carolina Central Railway, began serving Mount Holly in 1860. The line, which runs parallel with North Carolina State Highway 27, is still in service and operated by CSX. In 1911, construction began on the area’s second railroad known as the Piedmont and Northern Railway. On May 20, 1912 it made its first run from Charlotte to Gastonia.

Electricity became available to homes and businesses around the turn of the twentieth century. The Woodlawn Mill, located on Woodlawn Avenue, was built in 1906 and was the first mill in Gaston County to be served with electricity.

The Catawba by Creekbend  is in the $14-18 range and is bottled by Oliver Winery of Bloomington Indiana.

Start by getting your $2 wristband which allows you to drink in the street, yes, I said drink in the street! There is something so exciting about being able to do something that is typically illegal. Anyway, I have to back up by saying we actually started the day by running in the Bele Chere 5k which thankfully started at 7:30am (thankful because it was already 78* at that time and the sun was just started to hit its stride). The race was really challenging for a 5k with all of the hills in downtown AVL. Greg finished in just over 21 minutes and I in 28:45 which is great for me especially with the hills.

Back to the beer, after getting your wristband you can purchase craft beers such as Pisgah, Asheville Brewing Co or Highland for $5 a glass and Bud/Bud light were $4. It was 95*+ when we were there in the afternoon so water was essential. The artists were great, lots of jewelry, clothing, pottery, photography, etc… One of the more unique items were these kids hoodies that had fur on the inside of the hood and little horns to make them look like monsters, I had never seen anything like it.

I must make note, there were a lot, I mean more than usual, people preaching with mega phones and huge signs about God and how we are sinners and we should come to their side. I find this type of tactic in recruiting a bit mortifying, uncomfortable and inappropriate. It was over the top but freedom of speech is exactly that; just letting you know what to expect.

Karaoke and fussball were available in the streets sponsored by businesses and there were lots of great street performers. The food was abundant. Lots of local restaurants featuring their unique dishes along with the standard carnival/festival food. There was even a donut burger, the donuts were the buns; I didn’t attempt one of those.

We had a great time and beat the heat by stopping in one of our favorite bars, Jack of the Wood, for a Catawba Cream Ale and some air conditioning. I would go back next year for sure!

 Tonight We’re Watching “Mystery Of The Catawba River”. A Beautiful Russian Girl, Was Strangled To Death. Her Family Had Moved From Russia To America A Better Life. She Was A College Student.

 And What I Hate The Most About These Stories, Is Having Seen How Beautiful The Victim Was. You Could Tell By Looking At Her How Beautiful She Was On The Inside As Well. Her Friends And Family Said That She Had A Great Sense Of Humor, An Amazing Poet, And A Wonderful Person To Be Around. She Donated Her Time To Organizations, AND The Last Time She Was Seen Alive Was At The GoodWill, Donating Her Belongings.

 Why Do Terrible Things Happen To Good People?

 I Used To Think About Why God Would Do Things Like This To Good People. I Would Get Mad. I’d Think That God Was A Terrible Being. But, I About It This Way.

 God Planned This.

 …

In the Last Few Weeks Of My Senior Year, There Was An Assembly About ‘Distracted Driving’. I immediately Thought I Was Going To Cry, Just Like I Did For The Last ‘Rachel’s Challenge’ Assemblies.

 A Woman Walked Onto The Stage With A Football And A Letterman’s Jacket. She Hung The Jacket It Up On A Stand In Front Of Everybody In The Cafeteria. It Got REALLY quiet. She Then Put The Football On top Of The Stand.

 She Grabbed The Microphone And Told Us That Those Two Items Belonged To Her Son. Her Son Had Died In A Car Accident A Month Before His Senior Year.

 He Was In The Passengers Side Of Vehicle, The Driver Was His Girlfriend. I Believe there Were 3 Other Friends In The Car. They Were Driving On Dark Road Next To An Orchard After The Boy’s Football Game (I Cannot remember His Name). His Girlfriend Had Her License For a Few Weeks, I think, And I Think the Mom Said That The Girlfriend Was The Only One Wearing A Seatbelt That Night. Poor Choices Are What Took This High School Football Star’s Life. Everyone Told The Girl That She Was Driving Too Slow, So She Decided To Speed Up. Someone Made A Joke About Her Jerking The Wheel Slightly, She Said ” What? Like This!” Jokingly. She Jerked The Wheel And Lost Control Of The Car. They Crashed Into A Tree. Everyone, Except For Her, Shot Out Of The Car. The Football Star Died Instantly. The Other Teens Left With Serious Injuries.

 The Mother Told Us Of How He Had His Whole Life Ahead Of Him. The Top 3 Colleges He Wanted To Go To e-Mailed Him, A Few Days After The accident. She Thanked Them For Accepting Her Son Into Their College, But He Has Passed Away.

 She Said That He Was Always Active In His Life. And Encouraged Others To Do The Same.

…

 I Don’t Know Why I Didn’t Cry. I Wanted To, But For Some Reason I Couldn’t.

 The Assembly Taught Me To Not Be Selfish With My Life. I Am Lucky To Still Be Alive And That I Should Actually Do Something With It. The Teens Whose Lives Were Cut Short Would Give Anything To Spend Another Year With Their Family And Friends.

 And Here I Am Wasting My Life. I Might As Well Be Dead.

…

 God Put These People On Earth, To Make Us Rethink Our Lives. To Make Us Appreciate What We Have. To Allow Us To Reevaluate Our Lives. It Gives You A Chance To Ask Yourself, “Is This How I Want Remembered?” “Do I Want The Last Memory That My Parents Have Of Me Saying, ‘Bye.’ And Not Saying ‘I Love You.’?”.

 That’s How I Like To See It.

 But, I’d Like To Know What Kind Of Mark I Will Leave Behind On People.

 Am I A Good Person?

 Will I Be Remembered?

 Will People Tell Stories Of Me And The Things I’ve Done With My Life?

 I Don’t Know.

 I Decided To Live My Life Differently After That Day. I Prayed For The Family’s Whose Lives Were Changed Dramatically By A Car Accident That Could Have Been Prevented.

 I Thank The Mother For Telling Her Son’s Story To My School, And For Helping Me Change My Life For The Better.

Columbia, South Carolina —- United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated in March 2011 that Ronald McAteer, age 53, of Catawba, South Carolina, was sentenced today in federal court for possession of child pornography, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252A. United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie of Columbia sentenced McAteer to 60 months imprisonment to be followed by supervised release for the rest of his life. Additionally, McAteer must register as a sex offender.

Evidence in this case established that in December 2009, an FBI agent from Chicago, Illinois, downloaded approximately 400 images of child pornography from McAteer’s computer through use of a file sharing program that McAteer was using

on his computer, thereby making the images freely available to anyone with a compatible program. After agents determined that McAteer’s computer was the source for the images, they obtained a federal search warrant. On March 11, 2010, agents executed the warrant. During the search, McAteer admitted that he had shared child pornography over the internet. When agents searched his computer, they found over 1000 images and 67 movies of child pornography.

The case was investigated by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Assistant United States Attorney Dean A. Eichelberger of the Columbia office handled the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information, please visit http://www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

#####

Contact the Joe Griffith Law Firm immediately to discuss your legal rights.

South Carolina Attorney Joe Griffith understands the federal and state child pornography statutes, federal sentencing guidelines, and case law involved with child pornography and the sexual solicitation of a minor. The Joe Griffith Law Firm is a Charleston, SC law firm that focuses on criminal litigation and child pornography.

SC Lawyer Joe Griffith represents those accused of criminal misdemeanors and/or felonies in a variety of state and federal proceedings including, but not limited to, initial appearances, preliminary hearings, bond hearings, trials, sentencing hearings, parole hearings, probation hearings, and appeals. We represent those designated “witnesses,” “subjects” or “targets” of grand jury criminal investigations, and have the experience to know when to assert 5th Amendment rights, make effective “proffer” statements, or demand immunity from government prosecutors. We are extremely effective in conducting pre-indictment investigations to gather and analyze evidence in order to make factual and legal presentations to prosecutors in an effort to persuade them to issue a declination whereby they agree to not indict a person or company under criminal investigation. We have been successful in having investigations declined pre-indictment. In the event of an indictment or other criminal charge, our attorneys stand ready to fight for our client and protect his or her legal rights to the fullest extent of the law.

If you or your loved one has received a subject letter or target letter naming you as a subject or target of an alleged child pornography crime, have been served with a search warrant or grand jury subpoena, or have been charged in a criminal complaint or an indictment with the crime of child pornography, contact the Joe Griffith Law Firm immediately to discuss your legal rights.

Joseph P. Griffith, Jr.
SC Child Pornography Criminal Attorney
SC Child Pornography Defense Lawyer
SC Criminal Defense Child Pornography Law Firm
Joe Griffith Law Firm, LLC
7 State Street
Charleston, South Carolina 29401
(843) 225-5563

http://www.joegriffith.com

South Carolina Attorney Joe Griffith is a former SC federal prosecutor who handles state child pornography cases, federal child pornography possession and distribution cases, solicitation of a minor cases, contributing to the delinquency of a minor cases, and internet crimes cases involving child pornography, in South Carolina and the United States. As a former federal prosecutor who has litigated nearly 30 federal court trials, top-rated attorney Joseph P. Griffith, Jr. focuses the great majority of his practice on federal White Collar Criminal defense. He has handled a wide range of White Collar Criminal cases, with particular emphasis on antitrust crimes, bank fraud, corporate fraud, environmental crimes, false claims act/government fraud, health care fraud, mail/wire fraud, securities/stock fraud and tax fraud crimes. Joseph P. Griffith, Jr. has received Martindale-Hubbell’s highest AV rating, has received AVVO’s highest 10/10 rating, is a member of the Bar Register of Pre-eminent Lawyers, has been chosen a South Carolina Super Lawyer, and has been chosen one of the Best Lawyers in America. He has the experience to adroitly guide you or your company through the difficult process of a White Collar criminal investigation, and, if necessary, forcefully litigate your defense in the event of a prosecution.

© 2011 Joseph P. Griffith, Jr.