A Revolutionary War Hero and a Cherokee Great-Grandmother

Lawrence Connor, my sixth great-grandfather, (on my mom’s side) proved himself the definition of an American patriot.

Born in Dublin, Ireland in 1752, Lawrence arrived in the American Colony of Virginia in 1773 as an indentured servant to Cyrus Cooper of Alexandria, Virginia for a term of four years. In the mid-1770s, Shawnee Indians were attacking American settlers as they encroached on land in West Virginia and Kentucky along the Ohio River, because while the Shawnee Indians still claimed ownership of this land, the Iroquois had ceded it in the 1768 Treaty of Fort Stanwix. Lawrence, perhaps in exchange for his indentured servitude, went on a nearly two-year expedition against the Shawnee Indians, and before that was complete had signed up to join the 12^th Virginia Regiment (Later the 8^th Virginia Regiment.) in the Revolutionary War. Lawrence fought in the battles at Germantown, Monmouth, Gilford Court House, Camden, and Stony Point. In the battle at Camden he wounded his arm or shoulder to the extent that it later impacted his ability to work and he received a pension from 1789 until he died in 1826. Lawrence served in the Revolution for three years, often returning to battle after overcoming illnesses and injuries. Even though Lawrence Connor was a new arrival in the American Colonies, he gave everything he had, including his arm and his ability to make his own living, for his new country. Thankfully his new, young, country appreciated it enough to provide a pension.

Lawrence Connor married Margaret Blane in 1783, and they had 11 children- Alexander, (whom I descend from) Mary, Elizabeth, Esther, Joseph, James, Sallie, Nancy, Cornelius, Alice, and Margaret. The story is that Margaret Blane was Cherokee Indian. So, lets discuss the possibility of that. To begin with, claims of Indian ancestry that prove untrue are quite common. Margaret’s grandson James Connor claimed that his grandmother was Cherokee Indian when he applied for benefits in his Tennessee Indian Miller Roll Application #39004. Was James trying to get something that didn’t rightfully belong to him, or was he the only member of the family willing to claim his Indian descent? Some sources claim that Margaret Blane was an Indian orphan taken in by Anglos. Some assert that she might have ‘only’ been half Native American. The fact that Lawrence was a newly arrived immigrant, from Ireland, involved in Indian expeditions, does make the possibility of Margaret Blane being of Indian descent more likely. Among people that research this, there seems to be a general sentiment that Margaret Blane is at least half Native American and hopefully it can be proven at some point.

Some Connor ancestors have utilized DNA testing to try and solve this mystery, but ideally we need someone who descends from the maternal side and carries her mitochondrial DNA (unless it turns out that her mother was European and her father was Native American, then that won’t work either.) Many Connors on the paternal side have also applied the use of DNA to learn more about the family ancestry and it has been determined that the DNA for three sons of Lawrence and Margaret- Alexander, Cornelius and Joseph, matches.  

  

My Branch of the Tree:

Lawrence Connor m. Margaret Blane

Alexander Connor m. Elizabeth Jackman

Thomas G. Connor m. Martha Whitworth

Margaret Connor m. Hugh Portwood

Arma Laura Portwood m. William David Erwin

Arma Mae Erwin m Joseph Rhoads

Grandma Rhoads m. Grandpa Maddox

Maddox m. Chapin

Me