Ask nearly any person in America if they have native American blood in them, and they will answer in the affirm. We Americans, as a culture, as a society, have a very deep and proud connection to the native people that once were the sole occupants on our continent. It has always been striking to me, so many Americans claim to have some distant indian ancestor; and we are proud of that heritage; A great many sometimes wish we could establish, to great degrees of certainty, our true connections to the native American bloodlines. My family falls into the category of proud, distant mixed-blooded Cherokee. In fact, when I look back on my childhood, because I had a great fascination with anything native American, it sometimes seems I was raised as an indian. And I don’t believe I am the only one in my family that feels this way. It seems, most of them, immediate and extended, feel a deep and certain connection to native American culture, art, music and history. For my sisters, my mother, aunt and uncle and a number of near and distant cousins, we might as well be full-blood Cherokee, for as much as we feel that blood coursing through our veins. The undying intuition in us that we have at least some Cherokee blood, cause our hearts to swell and our souls to soar when we hear or see anything native American. We have an underlying, all encompassing easiness that spreads over us when we are near anything native American, as do many people who live in this country. But in my family, as with many others, the facts do not bare out any near native American ancestry. But this doesn’t seem to demean our pride in things native American. If my family does have native American blood in it, then it is distant at best. For me, my sisters and my cousins, those of us occupying this rung in our family ladder, according to what information is available, the last full-blooded Cherokee ancestor is seven generations above us, or our fifth great grandmother – a woman known in folklore as Princess Cornblossom. I say ‘folklore’ because there is no credible historical evidence (that I have been able to find) she even existed. Yet, in order for us to believe the family history, which is very rich and very interesting, we must believe that Princess Cornblossom was real – as she was the central figure in many of our family legends and the connection to our known sir name – Troxel. Having looked through everything available to me, I have tried to confirm or deny the historical authenticity of Princess Cornblossom and her family and I have concluded, while there is no credible historical evidence suggesting she existed, neither is there evidence suggesting that she did not. The stories and legends concerning Cornblossom and her family, while, for the most part, not confirmable, have been told and retold for years – perhaps generations. The story of Cornblossom and her people is well known in the area generally consisting of the upper portion of the Cumberland River in south Central Kentucky. Within the legends themselves, there is little variation. Whether or not it can be established Princess Cornblossom was a real person, other figures appearing in the legends were real, historic figures – most notably, the notorious Cherokee War Chief, Doublehead. The legends say Doublehead was Princess Cornblossoms father. Additional historic figures include Cornblossoms alleged husband, George Jacob Troxel (Big Jake), Peter Troxel (Little Jake), Cornblossoms alleged son and William Troxel, her grandson. But all other figures, including Standing Fern, Chief Red Bird, brave Tuckahoe and Princess Cornblossom and events evolving these figures must remain shrouded in the mists of uncertainty. As objectively as possible, I have tried to establish what is known and what is unknown. In some cases, I have uncovered some inconsistencies between the legends and the actual historic record and I have looked at as much evidence, either direct or circumstantial as was available and I am led to only one conclusion. While there are some interesting co-incidentences and some striking circumstantial evidence of there being a daughter of Chief Doublehead living in the area of Sterns, Kentucky at the turn of the 18th century, the certainty of Princess Cornblossom and her legends remain unsubstantiated in my own mind. Which isn’t to say, they are not accurate accountings of actual historic events. There simply isn’t any historic evidence. And this last, one might ask the question, as I have, how does it affect how the legends and stories should be thought of, or viewed by those of us interested in these characters and stories. The simple answer is, it should not affect us at all. There is no evidence to the contrary, therefore, we may, if we choose to, consider these legends true and accurate – and in the end, what does it truly matter if we believe them or not – Having grown so wide and well known in the communities close to the areas supposedly involved in the stories, the stories themselves, barring any real evidence, even barring any real credibility, doesn’t matter. As residents of south central Kentucky, the legends themselves are a part of our history. Thomas Harlan Troxel It is not impossible, the legends of Princess Cornblossom are not from the distant past at all, but were born in the year 1964 when Thomas Harlan Troxel (Harlan) published a book, “Legend of the Secret Mine”. This is the earliest known written reference of Princess Cornblossom, and there are some who believe that Cornblossom and the legends surrounding her, are simply figments of Harlan Troxels imagination. Harlan was the Son of Joab Burkie Troxel who was a Baptist minister and an optician. He was born in the year ____ in a rugged, unpopulated area of The Big South Fork River, known as Bear Creek. His mother was Louisa (Caddell) Troxel. While the exact location of his birth place is roughly located at the present day Bear Creek Horse Camp, in 1908, when he was ____ years old, Harlan’s parents moved their family farther up Bear Creek, to a place Joab Burkie referred to in his journal as “The Farm”. This is generally accepted as the home of this branch of the Troxel family from 1908 until 1924. Harlan had ___ sisters, and ____ brothers – a large family, of which he was the ___ child. Not a great deal is known about Harlan’s life on Bear Creek, but it is known that siblings played well together, with little or no friction, and that the family was in general, well adjusted and happy. From excepts of Joab Burkies journal (Harlan’s father), it is known that, during the years the family lived at Bear Creek, the family income was negligible, and the family got along by means of “subsistence”. It is know that Joab Burkie raised a large garden and had various animals. Both of Harlan’s parents were very active members of the Otter Creek Baptist Church, which was located about 2.5 miles from “The Farm”. Louisa taught Sunday school there, and it is thought that Burkie preached from time to time. It is known that Burkie helped build, or least make repairs to the church building. It can be fairly well assumed that the Troxel children, including Harlan, were active in the church. It is not known when the Troxels became associated with Otter Creek Baptist church, but it was at least as early as the times of Harlan’s grandfather, Peter Troxel, the grandson of “Little Jake” (Peter) Troxel and is buried at Otter Creek in the cemetery which is now known as the Troxel Cemetery. Born in 1820, just ten years after the alleged massacre at Yahoo Falls, Harlan’s grand father fought for the Union in the Civil War, and died of consumption in 1874, not many years prior to Harlan’s birth. While it is not believed the Troxels owned the farm on Bear Creek very many years prior to their occupation, the Troxel tie to the Big South Fork River runs as far back as 1804, at least one hundred years prior to Joab Bunkie’s move to “The Farm”. This is know by deeds found in the Pulaski and Wayne Counties, in Kentucky. A George Jacob Troxel is shown to have paid taxes on 200 acres of land on “Kings Creek” which is known today at the Little South Fork River – a fairly large tributary of the Big South Fork. There is further documentation that in ____, in the falcon____ that one Jacob Troxel, the Son of “Little Jake”, took position of ___acres of land on the Big South Fork River, and this has been shown to be the land in the Bear Creek area. The question we have to ask ourselves is, where did Harlan obtain the information contained in his book, “Legend of the lost Mine?” Is it reasonable that the stories were passed down from his father, who had heard them from his father, and so on, all the way back to the matriarch of the legends, Princess Cornblossom her self? Of course it is reasonable. In fact, one would think this would be the most likely source of the legends. However, if we look at the family continuiety, we see that, structurally, it is unlikely the stories were obtained by Harlan from his father or grandfather. Harlan’s grandfather, Peter, was the grandson of Little Jake (also Peter). Little Jake is the youngest character in the legends and is the Son of Cornblossom herself. And I have one met Harlan. When thought of in this manner, the ancestral distances seem to shrink. One would think, if Harlan’s grandfather was the grandson of Little Jake, the it is possible, that Harlan got the stories second hand – which one would consider to be fairly authentic. However, it is known that Little Jake either died or disappeared in 1810 – the time of the yahoo falls masicure, before Peter was born. In fact, Peter’s father, Jacob, Little Jake’s son, was only 4 years old when the Yahoo masicure occurred, or when his father died. Therefore, it would be possible for Little Jake to have passed the story down to either his son or grandson. It could be argued however, that the story was passed to Jacob by his Grandfather, who, according to some sources, survived the Yahoo masicure (even though there is a grave stone for his at the entrance to Yahoo Falls). However, according to historical records, George Jacob Troxel (Big Jake, husband of Cornblossom, father of Little Jake) lived until 1840, having moved to Marshall County, Alabama sometime after 1810. Whether Big Jake (George Jacob Troxel) survived the Yahoo masicure appears to be irrelevant when considering him a source of the Cornblossom Legends. If he was not killed at Yahoo Falls, he certainly was not living in the Big South Fork area, to have passed the stories down to his grandson, Jacob. But if Jacob’s father, little Jake was killed a yahoo falls, who raised him? It was most likely, Jane Stevenson, his mother, who, it is know, married Hiram Gregory in 1825, ___ years after the yahoo manicure. This occurred when Jacob was ____ years old. If you will recall, according to Harlan’s legends, Hiram Gregory is the man who is supposedly responsible for the yahoo incident. So we are to believe, Jacobs step father was responsible for an action that led to his real fathers death? It certainly wouldn’t be unheard of. Especially considering, Jane’s son would have been a quarter Cherokee, at the time of “removal” – thus perhaps she married Hiram Gregory, a rich land owner, to establish her son as “white” instead of Cherokee; thus, eliminating the threat of removal. It is possible then, the stories were passed down to Jacob from Jane Stevenson, widow of Little Jake. If the stories came from Jacob, and he told his son Peter, Harlan’s grand father, then one would expect Peter to be the actual source of the stories in Harlan’s life. However, it should be pointed out that Peter died prior to Harlan’s birth, leaving the only source of the family story to be that of Joab Burkie. There are many people now living who remember Joab Burkie. Additionally, several of Joab Bunkie’s journals still exist and have been carefully studied for any mention of these family stories. Furthermore, no one currently living can remember Joab Burkie speaking of any person named Little Jake, or Big Jake or Princess Cornblossom. Therefore, it seems unlikely or impossible that the source of Harlan’s stories are either his father or his grandfather. But those of us in my family who believe, for whatever reason, be it our love and connection to nature, or our intuitive attraction to anything native American, we must believe that Princess Cornblossom existed. We must believe this, because she is our connection to the Cherokee blood – her father allegedly being in infamous Cherokee war chief, Doublehead. . Whether she actually existed or not, some folklore also indicates that Princess Cornblossom was half French, which actually seems more credible than her actual existence – Doublehead was known to have French connections. So, if the princess was a real person, then it is most likely she was a mixed blood – thus making my generations nearest full blooded Cherokee chief Doublehead himself. Me 1Mom 2grandBanks 3greatBurk 42greatPeter 53greatGeorge washing 64greatPeter 7five greatcornblossom
Posted on: Sat, 18 Oct 2014 01:52:16 +0000
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