A Good Book

Yonaguska was a prominent Cherokee Chief. He was known to be a fair and wise man. He was a peace chief and counselor rather than a war leader. He was a very handsome man standing at 6'3" tall, strongly built, with a faint tinge of red to his countenance.

When the missionaries had finished the translation of the book of Matthew of the New Testament into the Cherokee language, it was taken and presented to Yonaguska for his people to read. Yonaguska had never learned to read the Cherokee syllabary or English. Before he would allow his people to read the book of Matthew, he asked that it be read to him privately in order for him to be assured that it was something worthy for his people to read.

After listening to a few chapters, Yonaguska remarked dryly,

" Well, it seems to be a good book - strange that the white people are not better, after having had it so long."


Articles in regards to mission work among the Cherokee nation:

http://www.manataka.org/page1383.html

http://rla.unc.edu/Research/Mission.html

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NXG/is_/ai_n28045163

Nichati Cherokee

A new Photo of a Younger Nichati Cherokee!



For Aunt Tommie,
This is a photo sent to me by a 'cousin' I just discovered. Truthfully, he discovered me. His grandmother shared it with him and it would seem we are both descendants of the same Nichati Cherokee. I am posting it here so that my own Aunt Tommie might be able to see it.

This is Nichati's daughter, Clara and her husband Robert Riffe. They are the grand parents of my own Aunt Tommie and my father. (Thanks Local Malcontent!)

My Aunt Tommie, My father , Jack, and Aunt Donna.

A reason to blog.

SYDNEY, Australia (July 14) - A 108-year-old Australian woman who was promoted as the world's oldest blogger has died two weeks after making her last post about "singing a happy song," her great-grand son and her online forum said.

Olive Riley wrote 74 entries in her blogs, firstly www.allaboutolive.com.au and later www.worldsoldestblogger.blogspot.com. A friend introduced Riley to blogging early in 2007, and was hooked.

Riley "passed away peacefully on Saturday, July 12," a posting on her Web site said. No cause of death was given. "She will be mourned by thousands of Internet friends and hundreds of descendants and other relatives."

Born in the remote mining town of Broken Hill in 1899, Riley blogged regularly in the last year of her life about growing up in the Outback, raising three children and working as a farm cook and bartender earlier in her life.

I found this article to be inspiring. What a treasure she has left for her family, and others, to be able to read about her life. I often wonder if my great grand children may one day be interested in reading my blog and stories of my life.

I have recently been able to see photographs of my own great grand parents thanks to the help of an online friend and the Internet. It would be so wonderful to be able to read a bit about their day to day lives and to know what was happening politically during their life time! What fun it would be to know how they felt about issues of their day.

I want to continue to blog so that one day anyone who cares to may be able to know me through my writings.

Meet my great grandparents, Clara and Robert Riffe. I know Robert Riffe was a Baptist minister in West Virginia for many years. He was the father of my Dad's dad, 'old man Booker' as he was lovingly referred to by all in the community. Booker was also a Baptist minister, as well as his son, my Dad. But wouldn't it be wonderful if I could read his sermon outlines?

My Cherokee Heritage

Of interest to my family...


This is the only known photo of my Cherokee great grandmother. Her name has been spelled in different ways and she is listed in the Cherokee Guion Miller Roll as a full blood Cherokee.

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Nichati's (Spelled Nycetye) daughter, America, is listed as well, which has caused some confusion as to the question, "How much Cherokee blood do we have???"

She is of the 'Lester' family who are direct descendants of William Lester an original settler of the Wyoming County area of West Virginia.She married William England.

...March 26, 1785 - James Anderson, assignee of William Lester...400 ac...on the waters of Holstein River on the Poplar Grove...250 ac. surveyed for William Lester on January 29, 1774, includes improvements, actual settlement made in 1768..

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It was her daughter, that married and became a 'Riffe' which is my maiden name. My father remembers his grandmother singing Cherokee songs to him, but no one made the effort to teach the children the language, which saddens me!


This is my family back in the '70's and you can see that my father still carries some of the Cherokee genes in his coloring and facial features. I have always seen a lot of it in my older sister, Pam, a fact which has made me secretly jealous over the years!

By my generation there are no longer many traces of our Cherokee heritage visible. I guess the red hair and freckles cover it!!!


This is my Dad with his two surviving sisters...all grand children of Nichati Cherokee !

Indian Teeth

Well, yet another of my children have had the blessing of inheriting their great grandmother's Cherokee DNA and having the 3 and even 4 rooted molars. This time it is Jewel. She has FOUR!

She had to have a root canal today. The dentist wasn't even sure he wanted to touch her, but it had to be done. After, several attempts, he finally got her numbed enough to work. That is another fairly common trait, not being able to properly numb us.

What does this indian grand daughter look like?

Not much like her grandmother, Nikotai Cherokee, as she was called.