Introduction: In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry continues her series on the genealogy of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, focusing on the Bearse, Mills, Coombs, and Foxx family lines. Melissa is a genealogist who has a website, americana-archives.com, and a Facebook group, New England Family Genealogy and History.

Today I continue my “Mayflower Descendants & the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe” series, featuring Mayflower descendants who married into Mashpee Wampanoag families: Wopânâak, which means “People of the First Light.”

To recap: My series on the Mayflower lines of Katie Crocker of Barnstable, Massachusetts, has featured a rare account book connected to the business of Zenas Crocker (1761-1807) and his descendants.

The Crocker account book includes residents of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, and the Cahoon Museum granted me permission to share the account book’s pages and do further research. Some of the ancestors of the Wampanoag families shown in the photo below are found in the ledger. (For previous stories see the links listed at the end of this article.)

Katie asked me to investigate her purported Wampanoag line. Her 10th great grandfather Augustine (Austin) Bearse married Mary, believed to be the granddaughter of Iyannough, American Indian sachem and leader of the Mattachiest (Mattakeese, a sub-group of the Wampanoag people) Tribe of Cummaquid in the area of what is now Barnstable, Massachusetts. The village of Hyannis and the Wianno section of Osterville are named after him.

While there are no records found (so far) to verify Mary’s lineage, there are many descendants who reference her and others who are curious. Much more on this subject will come in future articles.

In Part VIII I covered Civil War soldier Nathaniel D. S. Bearse (1842-1928), a direct descendant of Mayflower passengers Stephen Hopkins, Thomas Rogers, John Howland, and Elizabeth Tilley, and a 7th generational lineal descendant of Austin and Mary Bearse. He married Olive Gould Pells (1844-1910), a member of the Wampanoag people.

Nathaniel and his wife are identified in this lineage chart compiled by Christopher C. Child, author and genealogist for the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) from his post, “Civil War Soldiers of Mashpee.” The Bearse line comes down through Anna Snow’s marriage to Timothy Bearse.

In Parts IX and X, I covered the descendants of Nathaniel and Olive which include the Oakley, Mills, Coombs. DeGrasse, and other allied lines.

Another descendant, Maurice L. Foxx or “Strong Bear” (1948-2008), the great grandson of Nathaniel D. S. Bearse and Olive Gould (Pells) Bearse, was one of the six children born to Peace Alexander and Mildred Jacqueline (Bearse) Foxx. Mildred Jacqueline Bearse was the daughter of Maurice Stanley and Juliette M. (Brown) Bearse and the granddaughter of Nathaniel Doane and Elizabeth Blake (Peters) Bearse.

Strong Bear was a former member of the Commission of Indian Affairs in Massachusetts and a well-regarded authority and lecturer on Native American history.

He helped to establish several Native American museum programs including those at the Fruitlands Museum in Harvard and the Children’s Museum in Boston. He also served on the Wampanoag Advisory Committee at Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth.

His obituary notes that he is survived by a son, Maurice N. Foxx of Atlanta; two daughters, Monet C. Foxx of Dorchester and Aisha J. Foxx of Brockton; his grandson, Majai Grey Foxx of Dorchester; a sister, Anne M. Foxx of Yarmouth; four brothers, Peace Alexander Foxx Jr. of Virginia, Rev. L. Nelson Foxx of Cambridge, Vincent Foxx Sr. of Roxbury and Frederick Foxx of Minneapolis; and an extensive extended family and many friends. He was predeceased by a brother, Nathaniel Foxx.

Lastly, his memoriam states he was a member of the tribe’s Bearse family, descendants of Cape Cod’s historic sagamore, or sachem, Iyannough (also Iyanough). Here is a photo of the statue commemorating Sachem Iyannough, leader of the Mattakeese Tribe of Cummaquid, located at Hyannis Town Green on Main Street.

More Genealogy on Maurice L. Foxx

Strong Bear has an Amos line. He descends from Rev. Joseph “Blind Joe” Amos and his wife Abigail (Wickham) Amos. Rev. Amos’ brother Daniel, who married Delia Frances Hicks, appears on Child’s genealogy chart above.

The Amos family is listed in “Report to the Governor and Council, Concerning the Indians of the Commonwealth, Under the Act of April 6, 1859.”

Rev. Amos’ daughter Cordelia Amos married Charles Holmes Peters. Peters is listed in the “Acts and Resolves Passed by the General Court,” and was named as a descendant of the Algonquin Tribe of Indians, a branch of the Mashpee Wampanoag.

Charles A. Peters of Mashpee, a descendant, attended the Carlisle Indian School. His student record is available here.

Charles was listed as missing in action in August 1918.

Later in August 1918 it was reported that Charles was found, and he returned to duty. Here is a photo of him in uniform.

Another descendant of this line is spiritual leader and supreme medicine man for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, John A. Peters (1930-1997) aka “Slow Turtle – Cjegktoonuppa.” son of Stephan A. and Clara Jane (Miles/Mills) Peters. John was also a police officer for the Mashpee Police Department.

His obituary was published in the Providence Journal. He died on 27 October 1997 and left many descendants which are listed below in the news clip.

Stay tuned for more!

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Note on the header image: Ousamequin, or “Massasoit” (Wampanoag term for “Great Sachem”) and Governor John Carver smoking a ceremonial pipe at Plymouth Colony in 1621. Credit: Sutro Library; Wikimedia Commons.

Related Articles:

• Mayflower Descendants: Who’s Who, Part 35 (part 9)
• Mayflower Descendants: Who’s Who, Part 35 (part 10)
• Mayflower Descendants: Who’s Who, Part 35 (part 11)
• Mayflower Descendants: Who’s Who, Part 35 (part 12)
• Mayflower Descendants & the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe (part 1)
• Mayflower Descendants & the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe (part 2)
• Mayflower Descendants & the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe (part 3)
• Mayflower Descendants & the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe (part 4)
• Mayflower Descendants & the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe (part 5)
• Mayflower Descendants & the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe (part 6)
• Mayflower Descendants & the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe (part 7)
• Mayflower Descendants & the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe (part 8)
• Mayflower Descendants & the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe (part 9)
• Mayflower Descendants & the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe (part 10)
• Richard Bourne: Missionary to Plymouth Colony Indians
• Thomas Tupper: Missionary to Plymouth Colony Indians