For the Monacan Indians, the name thing was a little different. As they were gradually assimilated into the rest of the Virginia population, they tended to marry into black families, who in turn took the name of the white folks on whose farms they worked or (in the case of slaves) to whom they belonged. So the "Johns" and "Hamilton" names were those of big landowners, whereas "Branham" and "Redcross" were not - they came either from free black or Indian families.

That part of Amherst County is still fairly unpopulated, and very mountainous. Until about the 50's, it was still very socially isolated, with families dependent on apple-picking, tobacco, and other seasonal work. Today it's less so, of course, with everyone on welfare, with smartphones, everyone with a car, and nobody farther than 30 minutes away from a Wal-Mart ...

Lannis