Genealogy Data Page 91 (Notes Pages)

Some records show the died in 1875, however, Edney M. Word appears to be alive and recorded in the June 1, 1900 Census in District 10, Macon Co., TN living with John Wesley Word at the age of 61 and number of years married as 41. Also included in the census was Leonard (13), Cordella (11) & Stella B. (9). It also indicates she can read, write and speak English.

Athline Esteb, daugter of Stella Belle Word Allen speaks of her grandmother as a full blooded Indian. Others believe that the Indian blood is perhaps one or two more generations back. She does not now remember which tribe but they were a peaceful tribe. Others have reported that she was from the Crow nation. She said Mom (Stella) was ashamed of being part Indian. She said one time when she was little, she was looking through adrawer and found in the back a picture of the family with a lady with dark skin in it. She ask her mother who it was and her mother only said "she was the woman that raised me ". She ask her to put it away. Later Athline found out that it was her grandmother and she was an Indian/Native American. She said that she was a beautiful woman, she stood tall and proud but her mother would not talk about her because during this time being part Indian was not a thing to talk about. This fact was held as a fami ly secret for many years. Athline said she was always proud of her Indian blood. - record of conversation with Athline Esteb and Joe Jamison on April 30, 1997 when she was 87 years old . She has since passed away and is Joe's 1st Cousin, once removed, i.e. Lucy Madel ine Andrew s Jamison's 1st cousin. A neice of Athline, Susan Smith, also had many pictures that she could not identify. One of these pictures contained a family who she could not identify. Later when a copy of this picture was shown to Lucy Andrews Jamison, grand daughter of John Word, she was able to identify the family as that of Samuel Word, his wife and their children. The obvious conclusion was the mother in the picture who had Indian facial feature was Edney, our roots to the native Americans in the family.

In another conversation with Athline, she said that she remembers seeing trunks which her grandmother used to travel. She said that she had beenliving in Paris France prior to her marria ge to Samuel Word. Theverification of this has not been determined, but Athline said that some Indians had apparently been take to Europe years earlier for unknown reasons. Some in the family believe that Edney was full blooded Crow, however, the author has no proof. In any case , the area where they lived was inhabited with the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation. Most all ofthe Cherokee were move out of Georgia, NC and Tennessee in the 1830s. Afew escaped t o the mountains and there established the Eastern tribe. Most of the group were moved to Oklahoma along the Pioneer Trail. Itlater became known as the Trail of Tears because so many died along theway. The trail runs directly through the farm of William Robert "Bud"Jamison.

Several other branches of the Word family have traditions of Indians in the background. Whic h tribe or even if this is same tale of Samuel'swife is unknown. These are the families in Mississippi and Texas whoshare this tradition.

Edney, Ednie or Edna may have been her name. Later John Wesley Word's daughter Della had a daughter who was she named "Ednie Viola Patterson". The baby did not live and is buried in th e same family graveas I. L. Andrews, Della Word Andrews Patterson, I.L.(Jr.), as Ednie V. Patterson, Jan 21, 1925-Jan 22, 1925 on the family farm between Lafayette and Red Boiling Springs, TN. This is located on the old highway. The parentage of Edney in this record is highly suspected asbeing incorrect or that of one of Samuel's other wives after Edney had died. The author is still searching for this truth.