David Troxel (Trachsel) - SURNAMES & NATIVE INDIAN NAMES

Brenda KL

5/17/2025 at 12:54 AM

It would be a great help if everyone STOPPED adding the husbands surnames to the wives and vise versa. I've been finding this all over in this file of Blue Jacket's, Straight Tai's and Cornstalk's. I'm sure it's making much confusion for the armature genealogists. For example:

David Troxel (Trachsel) <<< He's NOT a Trachsel is mother is
Immediate Family:
Son of Johann Peter Troxell, I and Juliana Catherina Trachsel

Husband of Anna Elizabeth Troxell <<< Anna Elizabeth is NOT a Troxell, she's a Chartier
and Anna Julianna Catherina Troxel <<< Anna Julianna Catherina, well is this one his mother or someone named like his mother ???

Then there seems to be a problem with NATIVE INDIAN NAMES. They should NOT be written with the aka names or their Father's names or their mother's names included with their name. They should NOT have their titles, Tribe, Band or Clan name in their names either. Most Native American Indians did NOT have surnamed until around the early 1800;s UNLESS they married white men. For example:

Straight Tail Straightail (Xilmachoenan), Piqua [Waterbird} Shawnee
^^^ Should be simply Xilmachoenah Waterbird OR Xilmachoenah Straight Tail
Then in her "notes" section you add AKA "Waterbird" and Shawnee Indian of Piqua Village

Blancneige Snow White Snow-in-the-face Wapakonee Straight Tail Chartier
^^^ Should be simply Blancneige Wapakonee OR Blancneige Wapakonee Straight Tail
Then in her "notes" you would add AKA Snow White and Snow in the Face and Shawnee Pekowi Band, Turtle Clan

Chief Opessa "Opeththa" Straight Tail <<< Should be Opessa Straight Tail
^^^ In "notes" section AKA Opeththa, Chief of "whatever". His children would NOT all have his name of Opessa and should look like this....

Father of
Cakundawanna Sevana Straight Tail <<< Correct !
Blancneige Wapakonee" "Snow In The Face" Chartier <<< Blancneige Wapakonee Straight Tail
Tecoomteh Straight Tail <<< Correct !
Wawwaythi Shawnee, Straight-Tail <<< Wawwaythi Straight Tail
Loyparkoweh Opessa Straight Tail, Straight-Tail <<< Loyparkoweh Straight Tail
Lawaquaqua Wawwaythi Lawaquaqua Pride Opessa <<< Lawaquaqua Straight Tail
Oowl Blanceneige-Wapakonee Opessa, Chartier (Straight Tail) 'Snow White'"Snow In The Face" <<< Blancneige Wapakonee Straight Tail
Oshashqua Straight Tail <<< Correct !

You CAN add the fathers end of his name for a surname to keep track in the gedcom programs or whatever it is you use. If they had European names then their name should look like this

Peter Wocunuckshenah Chartier for easy identification, using the European name first and last.

Anyway, not a lecture here, just trying to be helpful and teach a few things. Yes, I am Native American Indian and a genealogist - historian for over 45 years

Erica Howton C

5/18/2025 at 10:19 AM

Brenda KL

Thank you so much for this!

Private User you may find these comments helpful also.

Private User

5/18/2025 at 2:02 PM

Thank you for this Brenda, you are right in the historical context, I’m not sure how far back to take this, but I think you are talking about a much older period than I deal with. Closer to 1900, Indian Agents would sometimes agree, sometimes not. I don’t modify sources; I take them at face value. If a census that I source calls one by an Indian name I use that name. I will always place an Indian name as a given name (even though it may be a complex single name) and the English name by which one “became” known in quotes as the middle name so that it shows up in the profile.

To me it’s a matter of respect.

Many times, the wife will not take the husband’s surname but the children do. It’s all about timing, if the family was in fact assimilated as was the effort by the US Government, then Indian naming conventions could have changed during a lifetime. But sometimes we are constrained by the profile input fields and how they are titled and intended to be used.

I don’t disagree, and I think it disrespectful to not use Indian names where we know them; I use them as given names when I know. Case in point, working now on Sweet Grass Woman, married Little Soldier, her father was named Black Tongue, her mother Owl Woman. She is sometimes known as Mrs. Little Soldier, usually in later government documents. But she so has a Mandan Indian given name, Sa-Nu-Twa-Ra-Ka-Ha, so was “Sweet Grass Woman” an attempt at English translation…, probably. It is therefore an “also known as” from the English perspective. Censuses identify their children both with and without the surname Little Soldier! (son Turtle has no surname, son Sa-he-ha-ni 'Clarence' uses the surname Little Soldier.)

Sometimes, by implication…children c. 1900 are caught in the middle of White American assimilation attitudes.

You are not wrong…

Erica Howton C

5/19/2025 at 4:13 AM

Brenda KL

I’ll try and help fix the names this week, but do feel free to edit yourself. Geni is one world tree and we appreciate experts helping to get it right.

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David Troxel (Trachsel) - SURNAMES & NATIVE INDIAN NAMES

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