the "Cantwell" Chart of the Rayne Family
This chart was included in a box of papers pertaining to Cherokee religious & magical practices. It was donated in 1988 to Savannah State University, Savannah, GA by Rebecca Cantwell of Kingston, GA.
It was only by pure serindipidy that a professor there, Dr. Edward F. Womack, specializes in Cherokee political history & has put much of his research online.
When I spoke with Dr. Womack, he was aware of the Rayne family's involvement with the Cherokee in NW Georgia. In fact, he had included it amongst his research to document the extensive Anglo influences & intermarriages from a very early date. Other than that he was not of much help. He only supposed that Miss Cantwell was interested in the Raynes because of the stature of Adawehi as a shaman & tribal elder. Unfortunately, the next chart back, which included Evan Rayne & his parents, Emrys Rayne & Adawehi went missing some time ago.
I've no idea what the term "precept" means. I telephoned Dr. Rayne to ask, but he said that he had no idea. He suggested that perhaps it was a term Miss Cantwell used to for some special designation, such as eldest male child. He also said he had no idea why Miss Cantwell would be interested in the Rayne family. He had never met her, nor had he ever been to the Savannah area. To his knowledge she is not related to the family.
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