Our Patawomeck Ancestors

Our Patawomeck Ancestors

by Shawn Henry Potter and Lois Carol Potter
renatuspress@gmail.com

Since the dawn of time, the Patawomeck (pronounced Potomac) people have inhabited the lands around modern-day Potomac Creek, a tributary of the Potomac River, in Stafford County, Virginia.[1] Archaeologists have discovered artifacts at Patawomeck sites that closely resemble those found in upper New York and dated to about AD 1300.[2] Whether these artifacts reflect population movements or long-distance trade is unclear.[3]

Since the dawn of time, the Patawomeck (pronounced Potomac) people have inhabited the lands around modern-day Potomac Creek

At the time of English contact in the early 1600s, the Patawomeck was a member tribe of the Powhatan Chiefdom, allied through marriage with Powhatan Chief Wahunsenecawh.[4] They shared the same estuarine hunter-gatherer lifeways, maternal-line inheritance system, religious worldview, and Eastern Algonquian language as the other members of the Powhatan Chiefdom.[5]

From 1607 onward, the steady arrival of ever-increasing numbers of English colonists, and gradual appropriation of Powhatan lands, provoked Powhatan resistance and eventually led to the decade-long 1622 and two-year-long 1644 Anglo-Powhatan wars.[6] In both wars, the Patawomeck remained neutral.[7] In 1642, Jesuit missionary Father Andrew White spent seven weeks among the Patawomeck, explaining the gospel. Patawomeck Chief Wahanganoche, his family, and many others converted to the Christian faith and were baptized.[8]

Yet continued expansion of English settlements and deliberate encroachment on Patawomeck lands eventually led to open Anglo-Patawomeck conflict. In 1662, local English colonists arrested and transported to Jamestown Patawomeck Chief Wahanganoche on charges of murder, theft, and conspiracy. The House of Burgesses examined the evidence, determined that the charges were entirely fabricated, released Chief Wahanganoche, and ordered the accusers to make restitution. However, Chief Wahanganoche was murdered as he returned home. Ango-Patawomeck hostilities intensified.[9]

However, Chief Wahanganoche was murdered as he returned home

On 10 Jul 1666, the Governor’s Council ordered that “the whole nation of the Doegs and Potomacks be forthwith prosecuted with war to their utter destruction if possible and that their women and children and their goods or as much of it as shall be taken to be disposed of according to such instructions as shall be issued from the Right Honourable the Governor.”[10] The 1669 colonial census recorded no Patawomeck warriors.[11] Ravenous and genocidal policies of the English colonists had led to confiscation of vast tracts of Patawomeck territory and near extermination of the Patawomeck people.

Yet the Patawomeck survived – primarily through descendants of Anglo-Patawomeck intermarriage. Some Patawomeck descendants remained in the Stafford County area; others joined the westward American migration. Although colonial authorities tried to erase their existence, Patawomeck descendants quietly preserved their native identity, history, and culture for centuries.

In 1967, government authors of The Hornbook of Virginia History observed: “Today six small Indian groups in Virginia, all of them originally parts of the Powhatan Confederacy, attempt to maintain their tribal identity. The two best known, the Pamunkey and the Mattaponi, live on tribal reservations in King William County. The Potomac in Stafford County, the Rappahannock in Essex and Caroline, the Chickahominy in Charles City and James City, and the Nansemond in Nansemond County, all live in the same areas that were occupied by their tribal ancestors.”[12]

On 18 Feb 2010, the Commonwealth of Virginia formally recognized The Patawomeck Indian Tribe of Virginia, which today includes about 2,300 members.[13] The Patawomeck people remain committed to preserving their identity and history, honoring their forebears, and growing their community.

Yet the Patawomeck survived – primarily through descendants of Anglo-Patawomeck intermarriage

We are honored to present our two documented lines of descent from Patawomeck ancestors – one through the Sullivan family and one through the Williamson family. May we forever remember and strive to emulate our dignified, faithful, and courageous Patawomeck forebears.

Our Sullivan Patawomeck Ancestors

  1. Chief Wahunsenecawh of Powhatan (c. 1547-1618) = Winganuske of Patawomeck (c. 1570-bef. 1618)[14]
  2. Pocahontas (c.1596-1617) = Kocoum of Patawomeck (1577-1613)[15]
  3. Ka-Okee (c.1609-1642) = Thomas Pettus (1598-1663)[16]
  4. Christian Pettus (c. 1636-bef. 1701) = John Martin (c. 1633-1676)[17]
  5. daughter Martin (c. 1660-1677) = Darby Sullivan, Sr. (c. 1653-1699)[18]
  6. Darby Sullivan, Jr. (c. 1676-1729) = Elizabeth Burgess (c. 1704-1775)[19]
  7. Burgess Sullivan (c. 1725-1802) = Linney Wilkerson (c. 1737-1805)[20]
  8. Daniel Sullivan (c. 1766-1845) = Jane Settle (c. 1769-1855)[21]
  9. William Sullivan (c. 1805-1870) = Corrella Spurrier (c. 1807-1877)[22]
  10. John Henry Sullivan (1840-1923) = Lucinda Jane Kinkade (c. 1838-1878)[23]
  11. David Alexander Sullivan (1864-1946) = Martha Florence Bush (1872-1923)[24]
  12. Guy Rue Sullivan (1906-1986) = Delpha Ermine Conner (1903-1941)[25]
  13. Leroy Kenneth Sullivan (1931-2022) = Nancy Alice Aliesch (1937- )[26]
  14. Lois Carol Sullivan (1958- ) = Shawn Henry Potter (1957- )[27]

Our Williamson Patawomeck Ancestors

  1. Chief Wahunsenecawh of Powhatan (c. 1547-1618) = Winganuske of Patawomeck (c. 1570-bef. 1618)[28]
  2. Pocahontas (c.1596-1617) = Kocoum of Patawomeck (1577-1613)[29]
  3. Ka-Okee (c.1609-1642) = Thomas Pettus (1598-1663)[30]
  4. Stephen Pettus, Sr. (c.1622-bef. 1700) = daughter of William Harris[31]
  5. Stephen Pettus, Jr. (c.1655-aft.1700) = unnamed wife[32]
  6. Stephen Pettus III (c. 1685-1759) = Mary Dabney (c.1692-1737)[33]
  7. Judith Pettus (c.1712-aft. 1767) = John Williamson, Sr. (c.1705-bef.1757)[34]
  8. Judith Williamson (c.1748-aft. 1774) = William Allen Lancaster, Sr. (c.1736-1778)[35]
  9. William Allen Lancaster, Jr. (1772-1860) = Judith Lancaster (1776-c.1856)[36]
  10. James Lancaster (1816-1898) = Lucinda Washburn (1820-1901)[37]
  11. Sarah Matilda Lancaster (1853-1901) = Charles Tinker Seaver (1849-1923)[38]
  12. Frances Ida Seaver (1874-1962) = Ivan Merle Whittaker (1882-1950)[39]
  13. Carl Tinker Whittaker (1911-1992) = Geneva Grace Beck (1913-2006)[40]
  14. Carla Gene Whittaker (1934-2019) = Thomas Henry Potter (1928-2008)[41]
  15. Shawn Henry Potter (1957- ) = Lois Carol Sullivan (1958- )[42]

______________________

[1] Stephen R. Potter, Commoners, Tribute, and Chiefs The Development of Algonquian Culture in the Potomac Valley (Charlottesville, VA: University Press of Virginia, 1993).

[2] T. Dale Stewart, Archeological Exploration of Patawomeke: The Indian Town Site (44St2) Ancestral to the One (44St1) Visited in 1608 by Captain John Smith (Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1992).

[3] Dennis B. Blanton, Stevan C. Pullins, Veronica L. Deitrick, The Potomac Creek Site (44ST2) Revisited Virginia Department of Historic Resources Research Report Series No. 10 (Richmond, VA: Virginia Department of Historic Resources: 1998), 8-11.

[4] William L. Deyo, Pocahontas and Kocoum Their Early Descendants and Indian Ancestors (Colonial Beach, Virginia: Dejoux Publications, 2025), 20, 150, 156. For more about the author and his other works, see: https://billdeyo.com/.

[5] Martin L. Gallivan, The Powhatan Landscape An Archaeological History of the Algonquian Chesapeake (Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida, 2016), 64.

[6] Helen C. Rountree, Pocahontas Powhatan Opechancanough Three Indian Lives Changed by Jamestown (Charlottesville, Virginia: University of Virginia Press, 2005), 288-325.

[7] Deyo, Pocahontas and Kocoum, 160, 240.

[8] Provincials of the Society of Jesus to the General of the Society at Rome, “A Narrative derived from the Letters of Ours, out of Maryland, [1642],” in Clayton Colman Hall, ed., Narratives of Early Maryland 1633-1684 (New York: Barns & Noble, Inc., 1910), 134-135. “Silently committing the thing to God, at length in safety he [Father Andrew White] reached Potomac – which in the vernacular is called Patomake – in which harbor, when they had cast anchor, the ship stuck so fast, bound by a great quantity of ice, that for a space of seventeen days it could not be moved. Walking on the ice, as if on land, the Father departed for the town; and when the ice was broken up, the ship, driven and jammed by the force and violence of the ice, sunk, the cargo however being in a great measure recovered. ¶ By this misfortune the Father was detained longer in his visit, to wit, seven weeks; for he found it necessary to bring another ship from St. Mary’s. But the spiritual advantage of souls readily compensated for that delay; for during that time was added to the Church the ruler of that little village, with the other principal men of its inhabitants, who received the faith of Christ and baptism. Besides these, also another, with many of his friends; a third likewise, with his wife, his son, and a friend; a fourth, in like manner, with another of no ignoble standing among his people. By their example, the people are prepared to receive the faith, whenever we shall have leisure to instruct them by catechism.” https://archive.org/details/narrativesofearl1967hall/page/134/mode/2up.

[9] Deyo, Pocahontas and Kocoum, 268-271.

[10] Governor’s Council. “Governor’s Council Declares War on the Patawomeck Tribe (July 10, 1666)” Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, (21 Nov. 2025).

[11] Deyo, Pocahontas and Kocoum, 275-276.

[12] Ibid.

[13] Commonwealth of Virginia, House Joint Resolution No. 150, Extending state recognition to the Patawomeck Indian Tribe of Virginia, Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 18, 2010, Agreed to by the Senate, February 16, 2010. https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20101/HJ150/text/HJ150ER.

[14] Deyo, Pocahontas and Kocoum, 20, 150, 156.

[15] Deyo, Pocahontas and Kocoum, 19, 30, 147. Rountree, 200. “Pocahontas was ‘now married to a private captain called Kocoum some 2 years since.’ Rountree cited William Strachey as follows “Strachey 1953 [1612]: 62; Haile 1998: 620; brackets mine.”

[16] Deyo, Pocahontas and Kocoum, 35-36.

[17] Deyo, Pocahontas and Kocoum, 72-99.

[18] William L. Deyo, “The Patawomeck Sullivan Family,” in Patawomeck Tides , Vol. 13, No. 1, 25 Mar 2012, pp. 7-8. See also Renatus Press, Identifying the Parents of Darby Sullivan, Jr., through Court, Deed, and Probate Analysis, https://renatuspress.com/family/identifying-the-parents-of-darby-sullivan-jr-through-court-deed-and-probate-analysis/.

[19] Ibid.

[20] Renatus Press, Identifying the Parents of Burgess Sullivan through Onomastic, Court, and Probate Analysis, https://renatuspress.com/family/identifying-the-parents-of-burgess-sullivan-through-onomastic-court-and-probate-analysis/.

[21] Renatus Press, Identifying the Parents of Daniel Sullivan through Tax, DNA, and Onomastic Analysis, https://renatuspress.com/family/identifying-the-parents-of-daniel-sullivan-through-tax-dna-and-onomastic-analysis/.

[22] Renatus Press, William Sullivan, Son of Daniel Sullivan and Jane Settle, https://renatuspress.com/family/william-sullivan-son-of-daniel-sullivan-and-jane-settle/.

[23] Kentucky, Larue County, Upton, Death Certificate for John Henry Sullivan, 10 Oct 1929. See also Find a Grave, John Henry Sullivan, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/135553470/.

[24] Find a Grave, David Alexander Sullivan, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/83101338/. See also Find a Grave, Martha Florence Bush, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/83101383/.

[25] Kentucky, Jefferson County, Louisville, “The Courier-Journal,” Obituary of Guy R. Sullivan, 21 Jun 1986. See also Kentucky, Hardin County, Elizabethtown, Death Certificate for Delpha Ermine Conner (Sullivan), 21 May 1941.

[26] Birth Certificate for Leroy Kenneth Sullivan, Birth Certificate for Nancy Alice Aliesch, Marriage Certificate for Leroy and Nancy.

[27] Birth Certificate for Lois Carol Sullivan, Birth Certificate for Shawn Henry Potter, Marriage Certificate for Lois and Shawn.

[28] Deyo, Pocahontas and Kocoum, 20, 150, 156.

[29] Deyo, Pocahontas and Kocoum, 19, 30, 147. Rountree, 200. “Pocahontas was ‘now married to a private captain called Kocoum some 2 years since.’ Rountree cited William Strachey as follows “Strachey 1953 [1612]: 62; Haile 1998: 620; brackets mine.”

[30] Deyo, Pocahontas and Kocoum, 35-36.

[31] Deyo, Pocahontas and Kocoum, 41.

[32] Deyo, Pocahontas and Kocoum, 55.

[33] Ibid.

[34] Renatus Press, Parents of Judith (c. 1712-aft. 1767), wife of John Williamson (c. 1705-1757), https://renatuspress.com/family/parents-of-judith-c-1712-aft-1767-wife-of-john-williamson-sr-c-1705-1757/. See also Henrico County, Virginia, Records, p. 217. April Court, 1764. Petition of Judith Williamson, widow of John Williamson [Sr.], for her dower in lands of the dec’d, referred to next court. See also Henrico County, Virginia, Records, p. 177. October Court, 1767. On petition of Judith Williamson for her dower in lands of her dec’d husband, John Williamson, it is ordered that Benjamin Duval, gent., surveyor of this county, lay off her dower in three lots in Richmond town. Henrico County, Virginia, Records, p. 217. December Court, 1757. Will of John Williamson was proved – presented by executors John and Robert Williamson [sons of deceased], and proved by Robert Sharp and John Loyd.

[35] The following record shows that Judith Williamson, daughter of John Williamson and Judith Pettus, married William Allen Lancaster. Henrico County, Virginia, Records, p. 293. 19 Feb 1771. John Sutton Farrar and Susannah [daughter of deceased], his wife, Samuel Williamson [son of deceased], Allen Williamson [son of deceased], Thomas Williamson [son of deceased], James Browning and Ann [daughter of deceased], his wife, William Miller and Elizabeth [daughter of deceased], his wife, Groves Harding and Sarah [daughter of deceased], his wife, William Allen Lankaster and Judith [daughter of deceased], his wife, and Lucy Williamson [daughter of deceased], residual legatees under the will of John Williamson, dec’d, to Charles Snead of Henrico County, for 30 pounds, 170 acres in Henrico on Georges Branch. Witnessed: Daniel Kelly, Robert Snead. Recorded August 5, 1771. Dr. Edgar Lee Lancaster,” in Mary Nixon Rogers, Lancaster from Virginia to Texas (Rosenberg, TX: Privately published, 1975), 5. “C-9. Lankester, Judah: born October 22, 1776; died about 1860, Smith County, Tennessee; married William Allen Lancaster, Jr. (her cousin, the son of William Allen Lancaster and Judith (Williamson) Lancaster), August 15, 1797, Prince Edward County, Virginia; moved to Kentucky, then to Smith County, Tennessee.” See also Marriage Bonds, 1754-1850, Prince Edward County, Virginia, p. 35, image 22. “Year – 1797, Females – Lancaster, Judy, Males – Lancaster, William, Parent of Bride – Nathaniel Lancaster.” The following two records show that Nathaniel Lancaster and William Allen Lancaster were brothers, sons of John Lancaster. Henrico County, Virginia, Deeds: 1750-1774,” p. 515. September 5, 1757. John Lankister to his son, Nathaniel Lankister, both of Henrico County, Virginia, for 50 pounds, 180 acres on the south side of Deep Run; adj. John North, Richard Cottrell, John Eales and William Jones. Signed: John (his mark) Lankester, Francis (her x mark) Lankister. Wit: Christopher John Thomas, John Lankister. Recorded: 3 Oct 1757. See also Henrico County, Virginia, Deeds and Wills: 1767-1774, part 1, p. 162. February 1769. John Lankester of Henrico County, Virginia, for 110 pounds and 4 pence currency paid by William Allen Lankester, make deeded to my son William A. Lankester his heirs and assignees, on a certain parcel of land and plantation whereon John Lankester now lives … 100 acres on Deep Run Creek in Henrico County, all lands, houses, orchards, garden, fences, woods, waters and advantage with five negroes, to wit: Peggy, Rachel, Sara, Charles and Peter, also all my working tools, stock, cattle, sheep, and hogs and all money due me, one gun, one sword, and one tea kettle. Wit: Leon Henley, David Allen, Jessie Smith, and William Henley.

[36] Dr. Edgar Lee Lancaster,” in Mary Nixon Rogers, Lancaster from Virginia to Texas (Rosenberg, TX: Privately published, 1975), 5. “C-9. Lankester, Judah: born October 22, 1776; died about 1860, Smith County, Tennessee; married William Allen Lancaster, Jr. (her cousin, the son of William Allen Lancaster and Judith (Williamson) Lancaster), August 15, 1797, Prince Edward County, Virginia; moved to Kentucky, then to Smith County, Tennessee.” See also Will of William Allen Lancaster, Jr., Smith County, Tennessee, Will Book 8, p. 52, signed 25 Aug 1858, proven Jun 1860. See also Tennessee, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1779-2008, p. 109, image 116, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/9176/records/4417263. Catherine Lindsay Knorr, Marriage Bonds and Ministers’ Returns of Prince Edward County, Virginia, 1754-1810 (Published by Catherine Lindsay Knorr), p. 45. “15 August 1797, William Lancaster and Judy Lancaster, dau. of Nathaniel Lancaster, who is surety.” “Photocopy of Nathaniel Lancaster (1734-1809) Bible in the possession of a descendant, Dr. Edgar Lee Lancaster,” in Mary Nixon Rogers, Lancaster from Virginia to Texas (Rosenberg, TX: Privately published, 1975), 15. “Juda Lankester was Born October 11th, 1776.”

[37] Smith County, Tennessee, Court 1867-1871, Administrative Receipts, p. 247, 9 Oct 1869, “Received $59.75 my full distributive share in the proceeds of the sale of the lands of my father Wm. Lancaster, sold by decree of Smith Co., Courts, James Lancaster, by Lewis Washburn, Att’y in Fact.” See also Will of James Lancaster, Montwalls Township, Vernon County, Missouri, signed 23 Jan 1860. See also Obituary of James Lancaster, “Nevada Daily Mail,” Nevada, Missouri, 11 Jul 1898. See also Find a Grave for James Lancaster, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/78305906/james_allison-lancaster. Find a Grave for James Lancaster, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/78305906/james_allison-lancaster. Obituary of Lucinda Washburn (Lancaster), “Nevada Daily Mail,” Nevada, Missouri, 11 Mar 1901. See also Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/78306004/lucinda-lancaster.

[38] 1860 US Federal Census, Missouri, Vernon, Montevallo, p. 24, image 25, house 163-156, James and Lucinda Lancaster, with daughter Sarah M. Lancaster (age 6). See also Find a Grave for Matilda Sarah “Tilly” Lancaster (Seaver), https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/82501739/matilda-sarah-seaver. For the parents of Frances Ida Seaver (Whittaker), see Obituary for Frances Ida Seaver (Whittaker), Beaver, Oklahoma, The Herald-Democrat, Thursday, 12 Jul 1962, died 8 Jul 1962. See also 1880 US Federal Census, Illinois, Rock Island, Edgington, p. 243, image 14, house 90/94. Charles T. Seaver and Matilda S. Seaver, with children Fanny Seaver (age 4) and Lucy (age 2). See also Death Certificate for Lucy Seaver (Taylor), daughter of Carles T. Seaver and Matilda Lancaster, Texas Dept of Health, 12 Jun 1953, died 9 May 1953. Death Certificate for Charles Tinker Seaver, Amarillo, Texas, 4 Oct 1923, died 3 Oct 1923. See also Find a Grave for Charles Tinker Seaver, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/82501126/charles_tinker-seaver.

[39] Death Certificate for Frances Ida Seaver (Whittaker), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 6 Aug 1962, died 8 Jul 1962. See also Obituary for Frances Ida Seaver (Whittaker), Beaver, Oklahoma, The Herald-Democrat, Thursday, 12 Jul 1962, died 8 Jul 1962. Marriage Certificate for Ivan Merle Whittaker and Frances Ida Seaver (Whittaker), Beaver County Courthouse, Beaver, Oklahoma, 26 Feb 1908. Death Certificate for Ivan Merle Whittaker, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1 Apr 1950, died 13 Mar 1950.

[40] Delayed Birth Certificate for Carl Tinker Whittaker, Jefferson City, Missouri, 28 Jun 1938, born 15 Mar 1911. See also Obituary for Carl Tinker Whittaker, “The Mannford Eagle,” Mannford, Oklahoma, 7 Oct 1992. See also Find a Grave for Carl Tinker Whittaker, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/14798180/carl_tinker-whittaker. Marriage Record for Carl Tinker Whittaker and Geneva Grace Beck (Whittaker), Beaver County Courthouse, Beaver, Oklahoma, 24 Aug 1932. Delayed Birth Certificate for Geneva Grace Beck (Whittaker), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 13 Feb 1959, born 12 Mar 1913. See also Obituary for Geneva Grace Beck (Whittaker), “The Daily Oklahoman,” Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 21 Oct 2006. See also Find a Grave for Geneva Grace Beck (Whittaker), https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/16363338/geneva_grace-whittaker.

[41] Birth Certificate for Carla Gene Whittaker (Potter), Oklahoma State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 26 Sep 1934, born 10 Sep 1934. See also Find a Grave for Carla Gene Whittaker (Potter), https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/100608636/carla-gene-potter. Marriage Record for Thomas Henry Potter and Carla Gene Whittaker (Potter), Bryan County, Oklahoma, 7 Jun 1954, married on 6 Jun 1954. See also Newspaper Marriage Announcement for Thomas Henry Potter and Carla Gene Whittaker, Durant, Oklahoma, Durant Daily Democrat, Sun 13 Jun 1954 p 18. Birth Certificate for Thomas Henry Potter, Oklahoma State Health Department, Division of Vital Statistics, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 17 Aug 1944, born 14 Jan 1928. See also Obituary for Thomas Henry Potter, “Sand Springs Leader,” Sand Springs, Oklahoma, 7 Sep 2008 (vol. 92, no. 236). See also Find a Grave for Thomas Henry Potter, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/29657515/thomas-henry-potter.

[42] Birth Certificate for Lois Carol Sullivan, Birth Certificate for Shawn Henry Potter, Marriage Certificate for Lois and Shawn.