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Subject: [Melungeon] Re: Melungeon-D Digest V01 #105
Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2001 13:07:00 EST
Where did Casteel come in? John Casteel was in the military and met and
married Fawn Walkingstick in Georgia. They had Indian John, b. 1764. He m.
Elon/Ellen Metcalfe and had John Harrison Casteel. But Indian John lived 113
years and once said, jokingly or not, that he had 7 wives and 147 kids. I
think he's the John Casteel that married Mary Friend, who herself was
probably half-Shawnee. I think my gg grandpa, Hollister DeWitt, m. one of
their daughters while they were still in IN. Other DeWitts married other
daughters. Anyway, my sister and I can easily pass for Eastern Cherokee and
I have one of the little silver spoons mentioned in the will of Edmond
Casteel I.
As for the pre-NA Casteels, they were du Chastel de Blangerval in France, and
being Protestants, they fled to the Low Countries and then to England. In
the US they married DeWitts, also very protestant, at least 8 times. Some
think that before France the Casteels were Spanish Castile. If so they would
have been very Roman Catholic and probably related to the royal Castiles.
Oh, well, I am descended from the royal Castiles anyway.
Oh, yes, my elders never even hinted at NA blood, although they had plenty to
say about being Casteel and Mama even washed my hair with castile soap. My
just-turned-70 baby sister and I are left to figure out things for ourselves.
With the help of lots of folks telling us we must be NA.
Grandpa Robert Sherman was helping build the railroad through the Badlands of
South Dakota by about 1878. He didn't look Indian and probably was smart to
keep his mouth shut up there and at that time.
I hereby offer $100 to anybody who can prove just why we look NA. Yeah, we
know we probably come from that major DeWitt line started by Barent who
married the granddaughter of Wyandance, great sacchem of the Montauks of Long
Island, but that was in the 1600's.
I've found a lot of Casteels and DeWitts, including the well-known literate
humorous Roger Casey. I came up with his DeWitt lineage, but like me, he's
got more NA than just the dab of Montauk.
Roberta Hart Dutton
In a message dated 2/2/01 12:14:16 AM,
writes:
>Okay...so where do the Casteels come in?
>
>According to the site they are a common Melungeon name.
>
>My Casteel took a Willis as her second husband incidentally after my g
>Grandfather died.
>
>Elizabeth
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