Martha was born in 1811 in Georgia. She was the daughter of John Dunn and Janey Harris. She passed away in 1885.
Census
1850 - Martha Hanson, age 45, District 14, Marion County, Alabama
1860 - Patsy Henson, age 48, Comanche, TX, Cora P.O.
1870 - Martha Henson, age 60, Comanche, TX, Comanche P.O.
1880 - Martha Hanson, age 70, Comanche, TX
Notes
Martha's daughter Elizabeth Hanson Howell, her children, and several children of Martha's sons Armistead and Pinkney applied in 1901 and 1902 for identification as Mississippi Choctaws, claiming through Martha, whose mother, Jane Harris, they claimed to have been a full-blooded Mississippi Choctaw.[1]. All of their applications were denied; none offered any evidence at all besides their own statements, which were pretty vague and contradictory. Additionally, they claimed that Jane Harris lived in Tishomingo County, Mississippi, in 1830. I haven't found any evidence of her ever living there; she lived in North Carolina, Georgia, and Marion County, Alabama, as far as I can tell, but I need to do more research. My grandfather, a second great grandson of Martha Dunn, does not have any Native American ethnicity on his mother's side reported by Ancestry. It's also not clear how Martha's gravestone came to have the name "Whistling Bee" on it. Elizabeth Howell continued to appeal the case until at least 1906, but never offered any supporting evidence.
Sources
↑ Dawes Enrollment Jacket for Choctaw, Mississippi Choctaw, Card #MCR 1382, Consolidated Case of Elizabeth Howell, et al., NAID: 44501776 (accessed at https://catalog.archives.gov/id/44501776 on 6 Nov 2023)
"1850 United States Federal Census", The National Archives in Washington D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M432; Residence Date: 1850; Home in 1850: District 14, Marion, Alabama; Roll: 10; Page: 131b; Line Number: 11, Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 8054 #16103290 (accessed 6 November 2023)
"1860 United States Federal Census", The National Archives in Washington D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M653; Residence Date: 1860; Home in 1860: Comanche, Texas; Roll: M653_1289; Page: 261; Family History Library Film: 805289, Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 7667 #34956583 (accessed 6 November 2023)
"1880 United States Federal Census", Year: 1880; Census Place: Comanche, Texas; Roll: 1297; Page: 103B; Enumeration District: 031, Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 6742 #6671885 (accessed 6 November 2023)
"Georgia, U.S., Marriage Records From Select Counties, 1828-1978", Georgia Archives; Morrow, Georgia; County Marriage Records, 1828–1978, Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 4766 #21244654 (accessed 6 November 2023)
"Texas, U.S., County Tax Rolls, 1846-1910", Original data: Texas, County Tax Rolls, 1846-1910. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013; FHL Film Number: 002282156, Ancestry Record 60184 #2727591 (accessed 6 November 2023)
"Texas, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1833-1974", Texas, Comanche County, Probate Records; Author: Texas, Probate Court (Comanche County); Probate Place: Comanche, Texas, Ancestry Record 2115 #1707976 (accessed 6 November 2023)
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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Martha by comparing test results with other carriers of her mitochondrial DNA.
However, there are no known mtDNA test-takers in her direct maternal line.
It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Martha: