Introduction: In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry begins a new series about the Passamaquoddy and Penobscot Indian Tribes of Maine. For readers diving into family connections and wondering what does once removed mean in genealogy, this story offers a glimpse into how generations and relationships intertwine through time and history. Melissa is a genealogist who has a website, americana-archives.com, and a Facebook group, New England Family Genealogy and History.

In 1921 some members of the Passamaquoddy and Penobscot Indian Tribes participated in the Plymouth Tercentenary celebration, which was held between June and September to mark the 300th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ landing.

In this collage of members of the Penobscot Tribe, we see: (top row, left to right) Gov. Newell Tomah in full regalia; Joseph M. Soloman holding his grandson Teddy Soloman; Mrs. Mary Paulsoosop Nepune, aka Mary Molasses; (middle row, left to right) Francis Nicola and Myra Andrews;  Ramona Mitchell/Mitchill; Frank Dana and son; (bottom row, left to right) Elmer Attean, later “Chief Black Hawk”;  Chief Lion Newall, a Nestor “Dreamer”; Elizabeth Andrews.

I am researching these families and hope to provide some additional history. Sources from GenealogyBank, FamilySearch, and the American Philosophical Society collections have proven helpful.

Note: Variations on tribes such as the Wawenock (proper name Wali·na´kiak, meaning “People of the Bay Country”) were just one of the bands or subgroups of the Penobscot Tribe, located in Maine. The Passamaquoddy and Penobscot Indians are the descendants of Native American peoples who have inhabited Maine and western New Brunswick since well before recorded history.

Daring Canoe Trip

My first two subjects, Newell Tomah and Johnnie Ranco, expert canoers from the Penobscot Tribe, made a journey from Indian Island near Old Town, Maine, to Plymouth, Massachusetts.

A newspaper clip in the Philadelphia Inquirer announced their departure.

The Boston Herald also covered the story with a photo feature with Tomah and Ranco in regalia. Their departure from Indian Village was made the occasion of a parade with congratulatory speeches and music by a band.

This article reports:

There is no stormier stretch of American Atlantic coast than that between Penobscot Bay and Cape Cod, but Tomah and Ranco are not afraid. They know that their ancestors cruised all along [the] shore from Passamaquoddy Bay to Boston in birch canoes, and they feel safe in their birch, although it is rather smaller that the war and cruising craft of the days of Madockawando – only 17 ½ feet long and 30 inches wide. They carry a complete camping outfit, intending to sleep ashore, putting in at convenient harbors. Both are noted Penobscot River woodsmen and log drivers, and they are used to rough seas on the big lakes of northern Maine and “white water” on the rushing rivers, so the prospect of facing heavy seas between there and Plymouth doesn’t worry them.

Here is a photo of Tomah and Ranco in their canoe.

Indian Island Tribal Officials

A 1927 Maine Directory lists some of the tribal officials from Indian Island near Old Town, which includes Tomah and relatives:

• Governor: Newell Tomah.
• Governor: Lester Barrett.
• Councillors: James P. Lewis, Louis Nicholas, Peter Nicolas, Nicholas Sockebasin, Gabriel A. Paul, Newell Paul, Phillip Lolar.
• Representative to Legislature: Lawrence J. Mitchell.
• Police: Francis Ranco.
• Fire Chief: James P. Lewis.

More on these listed tribal members in future stories.

Chief Neptune and Family

Below is a photo of Chief Francis Neptune building a canoe near Old Town, Maine.

There is a Chief Francis Neptune that appears in this 1921 Plymouth Tercentenary photograph labeled: “A group of Passamaquoddy standing by the canoe used to get to Plymouth. Standing on the far left is Chief Neptune, a skillful basket maker, trapper, fisherman, musician, and orator.”

I found a news clip from 1893 mentioning Francis Neptune and his basketmaking.

This notice reports:

Francis Neptune and a member of Penobscot Indians are occupying their camp a short distance west of Pittsfield village. They will remain throughout the winter, making baskets.

It appears from records that the Neptune families in Indian Island, Maine, are direct descendants of Polansuwe Susehp Neptan, aka Passamaquoddy Chief Francis Joseph Neptune, who was a hero of the Revolutionary War.

During the Revolution, the Passamaquoddy community sided with the American colonists. On 12 June 1775, the Passamaquoddy tribe assisted in a military attack called “The Battle of the Rim” against the British fleet at Pleasant Point.

Chief Francis Neptune fired one of the first shots in this battle and it killed the British Admiral Cox, which left the British fleet in chaos, and they quickly surrendered.

Under Chief Neptune’s orders, nearly 200 Passamaquoddy men served as soldiers in the Revolutionary War.

The role of the Passamaquoddy in securing victory in the Revolutionary War was recognized by George Washington who wrote a letter to Chief Neptune in 1776 thanking the Passamaquoddy and proclaiming a “pledge of friendship.”

Here is a hand-colored glass lantern slide drawing of Sachem John Neptune of Maine. In The Maine Woods, Henry David Thoreau told of a visit he made to Old John Neptune in 1853 when the sachem was in his eighties.

A wedding announcement for John Neptune was published in the Gloucester Telegraph in 1851 claiming he was 83 years old.

This article reports:

The Bangor Whig says, Hon. John Neptune, Governor of the Penobscot Tribe Indians, aged 83 years, was married in this city on Thursday [November 27] to Miss Mary Paulsoosop, aged 73. The Governor has been very successful the past few months in hunting, having secured some $500 worth of game, and he became so elated with his success that he could not refrain from hunting among the women.

I found a mortuary notice for Sachem John Neptune, who was described as “a polished man,” with “noble dignified presence.” He was of “gigantic stature,” wise, and spoke eloquently.

This article reports:

Death of an Old Indian Chief

The Maine papers announce the death of John Neptune, Lieutenant Governor of the Penobscots, at the residence of his son-in-law, Mitchell Nicols, on Orson Island, May 9. There are no records by which to determine his exact age, but when ten years old he, in company with his father and other members of the eastern tribes, visited Gen. Washington, then at White Plains. This must have been in 1776, as we have no account of Washington being at White Plains at any other time, and if the statement is true, the Governor was about ninety-nine years of age at the time of his death.

I found another Francis Martin Neptune, born in Old Town in 1898, who married Elizabeth Andrews, and a Chief William Neptune, who was part of the 1921 Plymouth celebration, and will cover these connections for the next story.

Stay tuned!

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Note on the header image: Penobscot Indian Island Reservation, Maine, from a postcard c. 1930-1945. Credit: Tichnor Brothers collection, Boston Public Library; Wikimedia Commons.