Some while ago, Rhonda (nee: Besaw) True, wife of Charles Francis True Jr., of Whitefield, New Hampshire, shared quite a bit of emails with me regarding Nancy (nee: Millette) Cruger - Lyons, which revealed quite a bit of informative "details" regarding the evolution/ development through time of Nancy Cruger's "stories" about Flora "Una Anna" (nee: Ingerson) Hunt and/ or Almira (nee: Rines) Ingerson.
To my thinking, Nancy Millette (a.k.a. Nancy Cruger and Nancy Lyons) first began to say that Flora Ingerson - Hunt was born in Littleton, New Hampshire "on the riverbank" to provide attachment to the Town of Littleton, New Hampshire of which she was charged with promoting to industrial and commericial interested business enterprises. Then when she became acquainted with my "cousin" Newton E. Washburn, when she sought and got the Basketmaking grant of which she did nothing with, she began to "evolve her story" to saying that Flora "Una Anna" was born along the Ammonoosuc River
"near Newton Washburn's basketmaking shop". Later, once the archaelogical investigations and test pitting began to emerge in the local newspapers regarding the Nevers Farm/ Property in Jefferson, N.H., she began to state that "Almira (Rines) Ingerson and/ or Flora Una Anna (Ingerson) Hunt was born in an "Abenaki Village" situated in Jefferson, New Hampshire along the Israel riverbank".
"near Newton Washburn's basketmaking shop". Later, once the archaelogical investigations and test pitting began to emerge in the local newspapers regarding the Nevers Farm/ Property in Jefferson, N.H., she began to state that "Almira (Rines) Ingerson and/ or Flora Una Anna (Ingerson) Hunt was born in an "Abenaki Village" situated in Jefferson, New Hampshire along the Israel riverbank".
Indeed, as I stated in a previous posting on this blog, as it states in this email to Rhonda Besaw from Nancy herself, Nancy stated that, "I have a photo of Chief Homer St. Francis and one of my Grandfather Reginald Hunt and side by side they could easily be brothers. Homer thought it was funny when I showed him this many years ago! he said Someone jumped the fence girl!". Indeed this photograph showing session that Nancy speaks of in this email happened on the sidewalk of Littleton, N.H. in July 1994 after she witnessed "Chief" Homer St. Francis had had his photograph taken with Newton Washburn in the Thayers Inn Hotel the previous late-September 1993 Fall Foliage Weekend Celebration on Littleton's Main Street, and that Newton Washburn got a "Certificate of Indian Status & Citizenship Sovereign Abenaki Nation, Republic of Missisquoi Membership Card". She wanted one of these "Membership Cards" too, and she used her Grandfather's photograph to get one. "Chief
Homer St. Francis Sr. told his "Tribal Judge" Mike Delaney to give her one, which Mike did. Mary Warren also got a "Membership Card". These "Cards" were given to people, with little or NO genealogical evidence having been researched and solidified by either John Moody, Homer St. Francis, Mike Delaney, or recieved from the applicant of being legitimately Abenaki Indian. These membership cards issued by Homer's "group" were given out like "token toys" in a Cracker Jake box of carmel popcorn to anyone that "Chief" Homer St. Francis liked, or thought he could use to his or his "group's" benefit! John Moody would simply say, "Oh yes, I know that surname was Abenaki and give his "voice or nod of approval" as well to the applicant for membership. Little verification was done in those days apparently. That's my thinking and conclusions on the situation anyway.
Homer St. Francis Sr. told his "Tribal Judge" Mike Delaney to give her one, which Mike did. Mary Warren also got a "Membership Card". These "Cards" were given to people, with little or NO genealogical evidence having been researched and solidified by either John Moody, Homer St. Francis, Mike Delaney, or recieved from the applicant of being legitimately Abenaki Indian. These membership cards issued by Homer's "group" were given out like "token toys" in a Cracker Jake box of carmel popcorn to anyone that "Chief" Homer St. Francis liked, or thought he could use to his or his "group's" benefit! John Moody would simply say, "Oh yes, I know that surname was Abenaki and give his "voice or nod of approval" as well to the applicant for membership. Little verification was done in those days apparently. That's my thinking and conclusions on the situation anyway.
Certainly this "anthro" (whoever they were) wasn't very good at genealogical research!
THE ABOVE ARE MY CONCLUSIONS BASED ON EXAMINATION OF THE FACTUAL DOCUMENTED GENEALOGICAL HISTORY. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR WANT TO REVIEW THE BACKBONE DOCUMENTATION, JUST COMMUNICATE WITH ME. I WILL SHARE/ SHOW ANYONE THE DOCUMENTATION THAT BACKS UP MY CONCLUSIONS 100% PERCENT.
1.Nancy Millette – Cruger (nhconnec@ncia.net) stated to Rhoda Besaw through Yahoo’s message board “Webenaki”, “that Flora Ingerson – Hunt was born on the Amonoosuc river bank=(HEARSAY).
2. According to Nancy Millette, Flora Ingerson – Hunt’s full name was Flora Una Anna/ Anna Una Ingerson. (FALSE). Her full given-name was Flora Eunice Ingerson (TRUE =DOCUMENTED IN PRESBREY HISTORY).
3.Rines Family name (according to Nancy Millette) is a short version of Rinville of Odanak, Quebec, Canada. (FALSE). Almira/ Elmira Rines – Ingerson’s ancestral Rines lineage descends from Berwick, York County, Maine ca. 1739 and very likely before that, from the Oyster River, New Hampshire area.
4. Almira Rines – Ingerson (according to Nancy Millette) was alledgedly from the “Indian/Abenaki Village” in Jefferson, New Hampshire= (FALSE).
2. According to Nancy Millette, Flora Ingerson – Hunt’s full name was Flora Una Anna/ Anna Una Ingerson. (FALSE). Her full given-name was Flora Eunice Ingerson (TRUE =DOCUMENTED IN PRESBREY HISTORY).
3.Rines Family name (according to Nancy Millette) is a short version of Rinville of Odanak, Quebec, Canada. (FALSE). Almira/ Elmira Rines – Ingerson’s ancestral Rines lineage descends from Berwick, York County, Maine ca. 1739 and very likely before that, from the Oyster River, New Hampshire area.
4. Almira Rines – Ingerson (according to Nancy Millette) was alledgedly from the “Indian/Abenaki Village” in Jefferson, New Hampshire= (FALSE).
Almira Rines – Ingerson was born in Littleton, Grafton County, New Hampshire and later relocated with her parents and siblings to Jefferson, Coos County, New Hampshire ca. 1855-1856. This “Indian Village” in Jefferson is nothing of the kind. In fact, it is simply an identified Paleo-Indian Edward Bouras and Paul Bock, in June of 1995 during a series of walkovers, located a Archaeological site with NO Contact Era materials found within or around this site, to date. Their discovery of lithic debitage, led to a series of SCRAP excavations in Jefferson, N.H. on the Nevers property. This site has produced a significant lithic assemblage, evidence of exotic lithics, and NO mixing with artifacts from later time periods.
5. Almira Rines – Ingerson was (according to Nancy Millette) a medicine woman who taught her daughter the medicines=(FALSE). Almira Rines – Ingerson became deceased BEFORE the 1880 Census. Almira’s daughter Flora Eunice Ingerson – Hunt was born September 09, 1874 and died March 11, 1963 in Monroe, Grafton County, New Hampshire. Almira Rines – Ingerson would NOT have been able to teach much of anything about [plant] medicines to her 5 and a half year old daughter Flora Eunice Ingerson – Hunt.
6. According to Nancy Lee Millette, Flora Ingerson – Hunt’s husband Henry Otis Hunt was “a mixed blood”. She states that he was directly related to the Ramo family (his mother’s side) who is directly related to Homer St. Francis’ family= (FALSE). This I got from an antho [?].
5. Almira Rines – Ingerson was (according to Nancy Millette) a medicine woman who taught her daughter the medicines=(FALSE). Almira Rines – Ingerson became deceased BEFORE the 1880 Census. Almira’s daughter Flora Eunice Ingerson – Hunt was born September 09, 1874 and died March 11, 1963 in Monroe, Grafton County, New Hampshire. Almira Rines – Ingerson would NOT have been able to teach much of anything about [plant] medicines to her 5 and a half year old daughter Flora Eunice Ingerson – Hunt.
6. According to Nancy Lee Millette, Flora Ingerson – Hunt’s husband Henry Otis Hunt was “a mixed blood”. She states that he was directly related to the Ramo family (his mother’s side) who is directly related to Homer St. Francis’ family= (FALSE). This I got from an antho [?].
Homer St. Francis of Swanton, Franklin County, Vermont does not have any Ramo direct ancestors who have married to Homer St. Francis’ siblings or ancestors.
