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''This article is designed as a non-linear discussion of Indian Captivity Stories in the Handley, Cowan, and Walker families of southwest Virginia and east Tennessee. There are a number of these stories, some of which exist in multiple versions. As a whole, the stories include substantial family information which has been used by genealogists to shape their family histories' /lineages. The stories are not, however, necessarily consistent with each other, and some versions are thought to be more reliable than others. You can reach different conclusions about your family history, depending on which version of which stories are "accepted".''<BR><BR>
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''This article is designed as a non-linear discussion of Indian Captivity Stories in the Handley Cowan and Walker families of southwest Virginia and east Tennessee. There are a substantial number of these stories, some of which exist in multiple versions, varing from source to source. These stories include substantial family information which has been used in the past to reach genealogical conclusions. The stories are not, however, necessarily consistent with each other, and some versions are more reliable than others. The main idea underlying this article is that these stories have been used by genealogists as accurate depictions of their family history, whereas the reality is that considerable distortion has been introduced into them, particularly in terms of describing family relations. These distortions are thought not to have been deliberate, but to have occurred as some writers have attempted to reconcile discrepancies that they found in the stories that had been related to them by family members.''<BR><BR>
 
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''The reader will find articles about the individual stories grouped by the principal persons involved. Other articles provide basic genealogic and family history information about the individuals mentioned in the stories, graphic depictions of the family trees developed from the different stories, and separate discussions of the genealogical interpretation of these stories. Ultimately, articles dealing with the historical and social context underlying the stories are also planned. One of the main purposes of this article---perhaps the main purpose---is to provide a sorting out of these stories, with the ultimate objective of contributing to our understanding of the family relations for the people contained in these stories.''
   
''The non-linear nature of the article comes from the fact that there are several separate but related "mini-articles" - articles being devloped, each of which deals with a separate topic, but which taken together support an analysis of the captivity stories. The goal is to attempt a sorting out of fact and fiction, and show how these stories came to be, and how distortions were introduced into them. An additional goal is to provide a sounder basis for understanding of the genealogical relationships among the Cowans.''
 
 
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Latest revision as of 21:12, 31 May 2010

Indian Captivity Stories of the Walker, Cowan, and Handley Families

William M. Willis
January 2007
(under development)


Foreword


This article is designed as a non-linear discussion of Indian Captivity Stories in the Handley, Cowan, and Walker families of southwest Virginia and east Tennessee. There are a number of these stories, some of which exist in multiple versions. As a whole, the stories include substantial family information which has been used by genealogists to shape their family histories' /lineages. The stories are not, however, necessarily consistent with each other, and some versions are thought to be more reliable than others. You can reach different conclusions about your family history, depending on which version of which stories are "accepted".

The reader will find articles about the individual stories grouped by the principal persons involved. Other articles provide basic genealogic and family history information about the individuals mentioned in the stories, graphic depictions of the family trees developed from the different stories, and separate discussions of the genealogical interpretation of these stories. Ultimately, articles dealing with the historical and social context underlying the stories are also planned. One of the main purposes of this article---perhaps the main purpose---is to provide a sorting out of these stories, with the ultimate objective of contributing to our understanding of the family relations for the people contained in these stories.