Chapter 11: 1740-1755, A foot in both worlds

Edward had been raised among his mother’s people and within her clan, but his father had taken him along on many of his trips to the cities where the Whites lived for trade goods. As a consequence, he had learned to speak both English and Cherokee. And, when he reached adulthood, he had continued to trade with his mother’s people to supplement his farming.

2 “You must overcome your White heritage,” one of his customers had told him. “The Whites are filthy animals – they are not human!” the man had exclaimed.

3 “Ned, be careful that you don’t git in too thick with those damned savages,” one of his White neighbors had cautioned about the same time. “Those copper-colored heathens will steal you blind when you ain’t lookin,” he explained.

4 Thus, although many would say that Ned had a foot in both worlds, he had never felt completely at ease in either. “The girls on neither side want anything to do with me,” he complained to his mother. As a consequence, he had decided to marry a woman of mixed heritage like himself. Mary understood what it meant to be a half-breed.

5 Mary named her youngest son after her brother, Thomas. He was born in the spring of 1747, and he was fairer-skinned than his older brothers. And, as Ned had his older sons to tag along with him on his trips into the Cherokee back country, Mary was free to keep Thomas close to her and raise him amongst his White neighbors and kinfolks.

6 Thus, from an early age, Thomas was more closely linked to the culture of the Whites than he was to that of the Cherokee. “I want to learn about Scotland,” he told his father when he was eight years old. “You need to learn more about the forests,” his father responded.

7 “The forests are being felled, and crops are growing in their place” Thomas pointed out. “I guess that’s so,” Ned admitted as he looked down at his young son and scratched his chin. “I guess that’s so.”

8 The generations of John and Tikami Vann:

9 They were the ancestors of Edward Vann, Chief James Vann and the comedian Will Rogers.

10 Edward Vann married Mary Barnes, and they were the parents of Thomas Vann.

11 Thomas and Anne Vann were the parents of Dempsey Vann.

12 Dempsey Vann married Ruth Reed, and they were the parents of Bryant Vann.

13 Bryant Vann married Sarah Lemley, and they had children together.

Chapter 10: 1719-1740, The widow and the watchmaker

Jean Jacques Flournoy was born in Switzerland to a prominent French Huguenot family. His great-great-grandfather had fled to Geneva after the massacre of the Protestants at Vassy. The family lived and flourished there for over one hundred years until Jean Jacques grew restless and decided to emigrate to Virginia.

2 He was a watchmaker by trade and decided to set up shop at Williamsburg, the colonial capital of Virginia. There Jean Jacques became John James, rented a room and began looking for a more suitable location to house his business.

3 Now it happened about that time that the widow of Orlando Jones was looking to sell her late husband’s house on Duke of Gloucester Street as directed in his will. Her name was Mary; and she was beautiful, charming and only twenty-three years old.

4 “The house is perfect, and its mistress is beautiful,” John told her. He purchased the house for one hundred pounds “current money” and one hundred pounds Sterling. He also began calling on the Widow Jones immediately thereafter.

5 One day, John knocked on her door and presented her with flowers as she welcomed him into her home. “They are splendid!” she exclaimed with obvious delight. “Not as splendid as the lady who holds them,” he replied. “Monsieur Flournoy, you are too kind, and people are beginning to talk,” Mary giggled. “Then we must silence all of the whispering and be married,” he blurted out.

6 They were married in June of 1720 at the Bruton Parish Church which had been finished just five years prior to that event. Everyone in Williamsburg seemed to be happy for the couple except for her first husband’s family.

7 Mary was the guardian of Orlando’s two young children by his first wife, her step-children. “We don’t want Mr. Flournoy taking advantage of the inheritance of my brother’s children,” Orlando’s sister protested. As a consequence, John and Mary surrendered custody of the boy and girl to the Jones family. Many years later, the daughter (Frances) would go on to have a daughter of her own (Martha), who would then go on to marry George Washington.

8 Nevertheless, the unpleasantness over Mary’s step-children did not put too much of a dent in the couple’s bliss. After all, they had already had four children of their own by that time. And, over the years that followed, they would produce five more children together. One of whom (a boy named Matthews) would figure prominently in the push to settle the lands on the other side of Virginia’s mountains.

9 Then, in March of 1640, tragedy struck the family. John came down with a fever and was dead within days. “I won’t last the week,” Mary predicted. She followed her husband to the grave two days later. Some of her neighbors said that she died of the fever, others claimed that she had died of a broken heart.

10 Now these are the generations of Jean Jacques Flournoy of Switzerland:

11 John James Flournoy married Mary Elizabeth Williams Jones, and they had a son named Matthews.

12 Matthews Flournoy married Patsy Pryor, and they had a son named Samuel.

Chapter 9: 1710-1717, A Maryland inn

The royal colony of Maryland granted a license to Charles Rumsey in 1710 to operate an ordinary (tavern/inn) on his property located at the headwaters of the Bohemia River. “Katherine, this will help to sustain our family,” he explained to his wife. The income which they derived from his plantation was simply not enough to support the couple and the four children who were still living at home (they had eight in all).

2 “It will mean a great deal more work for me, and we will have to share our home with strangers,” Katherine protested. “But we will do what we must do,” she sighed.

3 It did, after all, make sense. Numerous travelers had passed by their home over the years on their way to Wilmington and Philadelphia. “We must build a reputation for cleanliness and hospitality that will draw them to us,” Charles told his wife and children.

4 Toward that end, no one was more enthusiastic or helpful than their youngest son Edward. Edward was only seven years old when the Rumsey’s home became an ordinary, but he was determined to do his part from the very beginning. He especially enjoyed listening to the storytelling and political debates which their guests engaged in from time to time.

5 In the summer of 1716, two especially memorable guests stayed overnight at the inn. Thomas Harney was heading south on his way home from Wilmington, and John Brevard was heading north on his way to Philadelphia. Both men were travel weary, but they weren’t too tired to discuss the political rights of Catholics within the colony.

6 “The papists should not have the vote,” John said. “This is a royal colony of a Christian king and state,” Thomas agreed. “That’s true, but this was founded as a refuge for them,” another man reminded them.

7 “Do you want papists to rule here?” John demanded. “I didn’t say that,” the man protested. “Then you must agree with us that they should not have any opportunity to influence what happens here,” Thomas finished. “Well, there’s nothing before the assembly at present,” the man said as he downed his drink and left.

8 Edward had been so mesmerized by the conversation that he had almost forgotten what his father had sent him to do. He cleared his throat. “I’ll show you to your room now,” he offered. “Yes, I am very tired, and I’d like to get an early start in the morning,” Thomas admitted.

9 John nodded in agreement, and the two men followed Edward out of the common room and down a hallway. Although strangers to each other, the two men shared the same bed that night in the room designated for the Rumsey’s guests.

10 The next morning, Katherine served them breakfast while Edward saddled their horses and led them to the front of the house. John and Thomas thanked their hosts and paid Charles for their food and lodging. Then they shook hands, mounted their horses and rode off in separate directions.

11 Unfortunately, Charles died the following year. Edward’s older brothers, Charles and William, helped their mother settle their father’s estate and finish raising him. Moreover, as their father was not a wealthy man, things would be especially hard on Edward as the youngest son. Tradition and the law still favored older siblings when it came to inheritance. As for the Catholics in Maryland, they lost their right to vote a year after Charles’ death.

12 Now Charles and Katherine Rumsey were the parents of Prudence, Margaret, Grace, Elizabeth, Mary, Charles, William and Edward.

13 William became a surveyor and went on to become quite wealthy. His son, Benjamin, served as a delegate from Maryland to the Continental Congress in 1776 and 1777.

14 Edward was the father of a son named James, who would one day go on to become an inventor of many marvelous things.