"The Mattaponi Lie: Part 1"
- Moderator
- Apr 24
- 15 min read
The Duplicity of George F. Custalow and the Collusion of the Gatekeepers
Ever wonder WHY the Mattaponi Indian Tribe has, up to now, never filed a petition for Federal Recognition, either through the BIA route, or through the Congressional route?
Hold on to your hats, we are going to tell you why!
At the cemetery of Mattaponi Indian Baptist Church are the conspicuous and gated headstones of Thornton Allmond and Eliza 'Major' Allmond, the grandparents of every single person on the current Mattaponi tribal roll. This site is situated so that no one visiting the reservation can enter, or leave, without being able to see it from the road. It is a touching tribute to the ancestors of the tribe, but don't believe everything your eyes tell you.
Before we get into the rest of this blog piece let's talk about these two headstones. Both appear to be machine engraved, a technology not utilized when Thornton died in 1878, and Eliza died on May 15, 1892 (as her estate stated she actually did die, and this is not the year on the tombstone (see page 68 of 430 https://www.lva.virginia.gov/chancery/case_detail.asp?CFN=101-1909-003)). This church was not built until 1935, which is over 57 years after Thornton's death, and 43 years after Eliza's death. With a couple of exceptions, every single person in this graveyard belongs to either to the Allmond family, or the Custalow family (and those exceptions also have modern headstones). Where are all of the graves for the historical Mattaponi families that we KNOW are buried on that reservation? They fought in life to hold on to their reservation and tribal identities, only to be unceremoniously erased from the Mattaponi Indian collective memory in their deaths. Why aren't the gatekeepers, who can clearly see all of these Mattaponi people in the historical record, asking about their final resting place? It is clear that this cemetery is relatively recent in the history of the Mattaponi, so where are all the other families? Here is a list of those buried at the Mattaponi Indian Baptist Church.
Now back to these headstones. We know at the time of Thornton Allmond's death, he was NOT a resident of this reservation, nor was he a member of the tribe. In 1878, he owned a piece of land and a wood yard adjacent to the reservation, and as customary at the time, was probably buried on his own property (see testimony of Abram Morris, pages 93-98 of 430, https://www.lva.virginia.gov/chancery/case_detail.asp?CFN=101-1909-003). At the time of his death, we know that Thornton Allmond, Sr. owed at least three tracts of land, totaling approximately 200 acres. These tracts adjoined and/or were in very close proximity to the Mattaponi Indian Reservation (pages 87, 217, and 242 https://www.lva.virginia.gov/chancery/case_detail.asp?CFN=101-1909-003). We also know that Eliza 'Major' Allmond was probably not a resident either, as her son, John B. Allmond, charged the estate for transporting her back and forth to 'Mattaponi' (https://www.lva.virginia.gov/chancery/case_detail.asp?CFN=101-1909-003, pg. 363), where he had 'obtained' a piece of property. The aforementioned lawsuit argued back and forth as to whether Eliza boarded with John B. Allmond on the piece of reservation land he 'obtained', or not (https://www.lva.virginia.gov/chancery/case_detail.asp?CFN=101-1909-003, page 337). The crux was that he charged her 'board' to her estate (In a nutshell, John B. Allmond was nickeling and diming the estate for every cent he could get). Additionally, we also know that her daughter, Mary Eliza Allmond Langston, and son-in-law, lived on her off-reservation property with her as her health declined. This information was all included in a lengthy lawsuit in a fight over her estate, that was filed promptly after her death in 1892. This leads us to believe she was also buried on the Thornton Allmond property. Additionally, monies from the estate were put aside for headstones for both Thornton and Eliza, as well as the fencing in of the grave markers. Click here Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index - 101-1909-003 to see the chancery case regarding Eliza Allmond's estate (be ready to read, as the case is 430 odd pages).
In the days before embalming (her estate was NOT charged for embalming), it is unlikely the family dug her, and/or him, up after five or more years to relocate them to the Mattaponi Indian Baptist Church cemetery. So, are there bodies under those headstones or not, or is this part of a larger performance for the public with the intent to legitimize the current families (or should we say family.... singular)?
We would suggest you go get a snack, and something to drink, because we have a long tale to tell you about what happened at the Mattaponi Indian Reservation, and how we have arrived at the unfortunate situation where we are today. First, we want to introduce all of the players. We will start here with the historical tribe and the historical families:
1868 Mattaponi Indian Tribe Membership Roll and Petition to Governor
This petition from the Mattaponi Indian Tribe of King William County, VA to the Governor of Virginia is found in the Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol 36 #4, and begins on page 257.
The petition challenged an attempt by Thornton Allmond to close an access road to the reservation. Allmond, an interesting and pivotal character in the history of the Mattaponi tribe, was born in Gloucester County, Virginia, in 1812 and may have been the son of Miles Allmond. He first appeared in Gloucester personal property tax lists for ‘free negros and mulattos” in 1833 and 1834, where he was described as having no occupation and residing at or near Guinea.
In 1835 the Gloucester list shows him living in King William County. Although no King William marriage records from the 1830s survive, marriage records for his children list his wife as Eliza Major. Thornton and Eliza were probably married at about the time of his removal from Gloucester since the 1850 census of King William County gives the age of his oldest child as fourteen.
Thornton Allmond made his will in December 1878 and was dead by the end of February 1879. Because of a mistake in his will, which does not survive in the King William records, an agreement was recorded between his widow, children, and their spouses. From this and the Bureau of Vital Statistics marriage register we know that most of his children married into the Mattaponi and Pamunkey tribes. (Note: We found that they DID NOT marry into the Mattaponi, with the exception of Thorton Allmond, Jr who married Elizabeth Tuppence. They had no children together, and his family were quick to point out her six children were not his in the lawsuit. Thornton becomes testy when questioned about his residence on the reservation during a deposition (https://www.lva.virginia.gov/chancery/case_detail.asp?CFN=101-1909-003, pg. 122). Some have speculated that John B. Allmond married Mary Catherine Tuppence, daughter of Farley Tuppence. He was, in fact, married to Mary Catherine Sampson, born at the Pamunkey Reservation, according to her son's death certificate.))
Mattaponi Tribe of Indians Complaint to Governor 8 May 1868
Elston Major Chief of Tribe of Mattaponi Indians complains that Sterling Thornton (white) and Thornton Almond owners of land (Clifton) thru which a road leading from Indian Town to the Main road leading from King William CH to Frazer's Ferry (across Mattaponi) are seeking to deprive them of use of said road, which has been open for a great period of time.
Ellick King owned all of this and sold it to Mr. Drew[?] who put gates across the road. The County Court of King William ordered the gates to be removed, say 15 years ago. Thornton claims that this road from Indian Town to Main road belongs to him. The Indians ask that the Governor will protect them in their rights.
A List of Chiefs, Headmen and members of the Mattaponi Indian Tribe situate in the County of King William and State of Virginia
April 1868
Chief
Ellston Major
Headmen
Austin Key
Robert Toopence
Members of Tribe
F
Franklin, Nancy
K
Key, Claiborne
Key, Austin
Key, Jno Anderson
M
Major, Henry
Major, Ellston
Major, Lee Franklin
Major, Coley
Major, Mary
Major, Parkey
Major, John
T
Toopence, Park Farley
Toopence, Elizabeth
Toopence, Robert
Toopence, Emeline
Toopence, Laura
Toopence, Mary Catherine
Toopence, James C.
Toopence, Lucy J
The above is a list of Chiefs, Headmen, & members of the Mattaponi Indian Tribe. Hardin Littlepage, William J. Rimmer (Trimmer), Trustees for said Indian tribe.
—
April 18’h 1868
In June 1866 I was appointed surveyor of a Road leading to the Mattaponi Indian Tribe through Clifton & the Tribe assigned to me as hands to work upon this Road.
First, I summoned them as usual & appeared on the road to work was stopped by the owner of the land through which the road passes since then both myself and Elstan Major who is the Head man of the tribe have applied to the authorities of this county & can get no clemancy [sic] whatever. And still the tribe are without a road of their own & are required to work on the public road.
D. Robinson
(One of the Trustees)
Mattaponi Tribe
—
Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth
Richmond, Va.
April 23rd 1868
To the Commonwealth’s Atty
for King William County
Dr Sir:
Elston Major Chief of the Mattaponi Indian Tribe has made complaint to the Governor that the said tribe are obstructed in the use of the road (in your County which passes through a farm called Clifton now owned by Sterling Thornton and Thornton Almond, and which they claim to be a public road) leading from Indian Town to the main road between King Wm C.H. and Frazer’s ferry, which they have enjoyed from time immemorial and which affords the only mode of exit from town.
Jn Herndon, Secy C
Notice anyone missing? Most of the Allmond/Custalow family do not track back to a single person on this list, or anyone even remotely related to the people on this list! Now remember this list was made in response to the encroachment of Sterling Thornton and Thornton Allmond onto the reservation road, essentially locking the Mattaponi on to the reservation. Also remember that the Custalows all descend from this Mr. Thornton Allmond, via the marriage of his daughter Adeline to Norman Custalow. Elston Major made many complaints to the Govenor in the intervening years about the Allmond/Custalow clan stripping the reservation of resources, leaving the tribe so poor that Elston, in 1877, had to appeal to the Govenor for monies to pay Henry Major's debts (a tribal member) after he died in 1873. He stated that he, as chief, was responsible for Henry's debts, but Alex Allmond had taken over Henry's lot and house, preventing him from selling the house or renting the lot to pay his expenses. In another letter to the Govenor, Elston Major explains in exasperation that the local authorities will not do anything about the problems the tribe is having with Thornton Allmond. Remember the gatekeepers???? Lastly, pay attention to the date of this roll and the names of the Tribal Trustees, you will need to know this later.
The players:
Thornton Allmond
Thorton Allmond, born about 1812, was the son of Miles Allmond, and a currently unknown mother. He, and Sterling Thornton (also a Gloucester native), show up on the outskirts of the Mattaponi Reservation about 1835. In 1840, he is enumerated on the Federal Census in a household consisting of just himself, but by 1850 he has a wife, Eliza, and several children. Because we don't know who his mother is (as Miles Allmond had at least 3 wives, and two sets of children), we are uncertain as whether he was Native, or not. However, he was consistently called a 'free mulatto' in the records with one exception, when he filed a claim through the Freedman's Bureau to recover a horse he said was stolen while he was away during the Civil War, where he was called 'Indian'. When Miles Allmond, his father, later married the widowed mother of Elston Major (Ann Edwards Major, daughter of Elston Edwards), the record called her 'Indian', but him a 'free Negro' (Gloucester County, Virginia Marriage Register April 19, 1860).
Upon further inquiry, we discovered that the 'colored' Allmond's are probably related to the 'white' Allmond's, with both families tracking back to the vicinity of the Little England Plantation in the Guinea area of Gloucester County, Va.
Regardless of the other information, we know that Thornton was not Mattaponi. What we do know is that the situation between Thornton Allmond and the tribe became so contentious that it resulted in Thornton Allmond shooting and killing Mattaponi tribal member William "Billy" Archer Key in 1868. Allmond was sentenced to ten years in prison for the murder, dying not too long after his release (in 1878).
The chief, and council, appealed to the Govenor several times to stop Allmond from converting their property, and we know that Mr. Allmond died having acquired several pieces of land and a wood yard, all off-reservation. After arriving in King William with nothing to his name, Thornton Allmond amassed considerable property, and a thriving lumber business by the time of his death nearly forty years later. In the fight over Eliza Allmond's estate, it was stated that Thornton Allmond had 'obtained' a parcel on the Mattaponi Indian Reservation, and one of his children wanted to charge her estate to build an outhouse on the parcel (this occurred after 1892). How he 'obtained' this piece is unknown, as he was not a Mattaponi Indian, but this 'acquired lot', in addition to the lot Alex Allmond took from the tribe in 1877 (the Henry Major lot), allowed the Allmond family to get a foothold onto the reservation. Perhaps Billy Key's death had something to do with him 'obtaining' this piece, as Thornton, Sr. was quickly convicted and imprisoned. At the time of his intake into the Virginia Penitentiary his physical description shows he was not in the best of health. Years as a lumberman had taken its toll, leaving him blind and with limited use of one hand. Unsurprisingly, Thornton dies not too long after his release, in December 1878 (the lawsuit sets the date of death as December 14, 1878).
Norman Custalow
Norman Custalow, born about 1834, was the son of Jack and Nancy Custalow. Jack, his wife Nancy, sister Caroline, and mother Agnes, were formally freed in 1800 by Byrd Chamberlayne (in King William), in accordance with the will of William Dandridge, deceased. During the intervening years, Jack was invariably called 'Jack Custalow' and 'Jack Dandridge' on the personal property tax list. The former plantation of William Dandridge was very close to the Mattaponi Indian Reservation, and the descendants of these freed slaves initially stayed very close to it, probably because other family remained enslaved in the vicinity. Also freed with the Dandridge/Custalows was a man named Gilbert. Gilbert initially went by Gilbert Dandridge, later changing his name to Gilbert Dover, we are unsure as to whether he was related to the emancipated Custalow slaves. By 1900, Norman's son George reported on the Federal Indian census that Norman was 1/8 white, and that both of Norman's parent were Mattaponi, which we know is not true, as there are emancipation papers for both of his parents, an aunt, AND a grandmother on file at King William Courthouse. Norman Custalow married, first, Adeline Allmond, daughter of Thornton Allmond and his wife Eliza. Norman and Adeline had several children to include George, Solomon, and Junious. After Adeline's death, he married Nancy Langston (a Pamunkey Indian) in New Kent County on May 21, 1878. We know Norman was not Mattaponi. By 1882, Nancy is deceased. Norman and Adeline's sons, especially George, later used legal mechanizations and brute force (not to mention help from the gatekeepers) to take over the Mattaponi Indian Reservation.
The King Sisters
In 1889, George Custalow, born about 1866, married Emma King of Hanover County, VA and his brother Solomon married Emma's sister Lillie in 1901. Solomon ran an announcement in the Richmond Times announcing their nuptials:
However, the Clerk of the Hanover County Court had an entirely different take on the Custalow's and King's when George got married in 1889:
Emma (b 1869) and Lillie (b 1878) were the daughters of William King (1846-1924) and the former Eliza Ann Wingfield (1852-1926). Eliza was the daughter of Stephen Garrett Wingfield, a white man, and Betsy Winston, a former slave, all born in Hanover County. The Wingfield family were not Mattaponi.
William King (a Civil War soldier) was the son of William King, a free man of color (b 1825, in Gloucester, VA according to son's death certificate) and Jane Lucas (b c 1820), a white woman. He was one of a set of twin boys. Through money from the inheritance of Jane Lucas, the elder William King was able to acquire several acres of land not far from the historic Yellow Tavern, in Hanover County, Va. There were multiple members of Jane's family living in the close vicinity. We are uncertain as to where William King originated, and who his parents were, but it appears the King family were not Mattaponi either. George Custalow indicated as much, when he stated in a lawsuit that Emma had been 'admitted into the tribe'.
Florence Harris
Florence Harris (1874-1919) was the wife of the third Custalow brother, Junious 'Kit' Custalow (1863-1938). When they married December 28, 1892, in King William County, Florence named her parents as William T. Harris and Francis. William 'Todd' Harris, Jr (1840-1917) and Francis Hill (1851-1900) were married in King William County, Va probably around 1869-70. Both of Florence's parents were freeborn, and neighbors to Betsy Custalow, who lived close to, but not on the Mattaponi Indian Reservation. However, neither family has been associated with the Mattaponi Indian Reservation, past or present. Members of the Hill family assisted Eliza Allmond in her final illness, and married the 'non-Native' Custalow's, and both families were considered 'black'. This may account for the alleged poor treatment Kit, Florence, and their children received from the tribe (the other two Custalow brothers). Florence Harris was not a Mattaponi.
Eliza 'Major' Allmond
Eliza 'Major' Allmond (c 1811-1892) was the wife of Thornton Allmond, and the ancestress of every single enrolled tribal member. We are unsure as to who she really was, but it was claimed that she was the illegitimate daughter of tribal member Billy Major, and a white woman named 'Betsy Welch'. We were unable to find any family with the last name of 'Welch' or 'Welsh' in King William. However, there were a family of 'free mulattoes' in neighboring Caroline County by the last name of Welch/Welsh. We found NO record of Eliza prior to her marriage to Thornton Allmond based on the 'official' tribal information and propaganda.
The then chief, Elston Major, and trustees rejected the claim. It was interesting that Thornton Allmond had been at odds with the tribe for almost twenty years and now suddenly his wife claimed to be the daughter of tribal member, a claim that was made AFTER the alleged father was dead. It appeared that, at the time, no one knew who Eliza was, or where she came from, but Thornton Allmond (and later his grandkids the Custalow's) used this claim to justify their 'entitlement' to reservation resources. We still don't know the answer to exactly who Eliza 'Major' was, however the gatekeepers did not allow the legitimate tribal members to make the determination. Historical Mattaponi families found the claim to Mattaponi lineage via Eliza convenient to Thornton Allmond (who was getting PAID converting tribal resources), and suspicious because Billy Major was no longer alive to confirm or deny it. Not only that, why wasn't the claim made when he was alive...hmmmm.... Lastly, how likely is that Thornton Allmond, who made money taking resources from the reservation (later with the help of his in-laws, the Custalows), managed to marry a tribal descendant in the midst of the confusion and bitterness towards the tribe?
Towards the end of her life Eliza was cared for by her daughter Mary Allmond Langston, with help from son John Allmond (who by this time was living on the reservation). But there was another person who cared for her, Evelyn Bowles. She may hold the key to who Eliza really was.
Now before we get down to the nitty-gritty remember this Virginia law:
February 27, 1866.
Be it enacted by the general assembly, that every person having one-fourth or more of negro blood, shall be deemed a colored person, and every person, not a colored person, having one-fourth or more of Indian blood, shall be deemed an Indian.
And later this law:
1930
§ 67. Colored persons and Indians defined.—Every person in whom there is ascertainable any negro blood shall be deemed and taken to be a colored person, and every person not a colored person having one-fourth or more of American Indian blood shall be deemed an American Indian; except that members of Indian tribes living on reservations allotted them by the Commonwealth of Virginia having one-fourth or more of Indian blood and less than one-sixteenth of negro blood shall be deemed tribal Indians so long as they are domiciled on said reservations. (Code 1887, § 49; 1910, p. 581; 1930, p. 97.)
In 1866, Natives received marginally better legal, and social treatment, than those considered 'negroes' (we did say marginally). Emancipation was in full swing, and newly freed blacks became targets for onerous social and legal restrictions. With this in mind, consider what happened at the Mattaponi Indian Reservation and to the families who lived there.
Contrary to what scholarship says about a 'real indigenous community', tribal members moved on and off the reservation all the time, that did not make them less of a tribal member or indigenous. Many were sailors, worked for local whites, and traveled back and forth to places like Philadelphia and Baltimore. Many of the reservations in Virginia were full of women and children, for a variety of reasons, and sometime families would temporarily leave, especially if there was conflict brewing on the reservation, only to return years later. We don't find this unusual, after all white people left Europe, but that doesn't make them less European. However, Natives are/were held to a different standard if they want/wanted to maintain their indigenous identity with the gatekeepers.
In the aftermath of the Billy Key killing, his brother John Anderson, and some members of the Tuppence family left the reservation. Emmaline Tuppence Key, Billy's widow, disappears from the record, and their kids were farmed out to work for local whites. Remaining are Claiborn and Austin Key, Farley Tuppence and her family, and Elston Major with his family. By 1870, some of the Dungee family have also moved back on the reservation. Also on the census list, are members of the Allmond family, who are now identifying as 'Indian'. (Note: This list appears to group all indigenous persons on one continuous census list, regardless of residence.) It also appears, according to a receipt included in the lawsuit that Thorton Allmond (and not Eliza) 'owned' a lot (https://www.lva.virginia.gov/chancery/case_detail.asp?CFN=101-1909-003, pg. 356). Among those Allmond's was Adeline Custalow and her children. Perhaps this was why William Key was killed, and he was only to be the first death.
