Genealogy Month Spotlight — May 2026

Amstaya Ann Moyjoy (1725–1808)

Amstaya Ann Moyjoy is my paternal sixth great-grandmother and remains one of the most fascinating figures in my family history. Her story reflects the blending of oral tradition, early American history, and ongoing genealogical research that continues to connect generations of our family today.

Amstaya Ann Moyjoy was reportedly born in Pennsylvania around 1725 during the colonial era, a time when Native American nations and European settlers were shaping the early history of America. Family traditions associate her with Cherokee ancestry and connect her lineage to several prominent Cherokee families, although some details remain difficult to fully verify through surviving historical records.

Historical family lineage records connected to the Moytoy and Cherokee family lines. Courtesy of Ancestry®

According to family records, her parents were Oconostota, also referenced in family histories as Chief Oconostota Stalking Turkey Little Carpenter White Owl Raven Moytoyaka James Beaver Attakullakulla (1680–1741), and Nionne Ollie/Aniwaya Nancy Li Wildrise 1 Broom Minnie Large Moytoy Attakullakulla/Tenase/Bellis (1685–1746). Researchers continue to study these family connections, as Cherokee naming traditions and colonial records often varied significantly during the eighteenth century.

Family records also identify several siblings connected to the Moyjoy and Attakullakulla lines, including Chief Attakullakulla (1699–1777), Nancy Black Fox, remembered in some family histories as a Chickasaw woman (1705–1763), and Clogoittah, also known as Susan Moytoy Carpenter Doublehead (1710–1764). Additional family traditions reference half-siblings including Dragging Canoe (1734–1792), Ogemahgeshigoquay Raven, and Catherine Kingfisher.

Around 1750, Amstaya Ann married Capt. Robert William Black in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Together they raised a large family whose descendants became part of Pennsylvania’s early American communities. Their children reportedly included William Black (1753–1837), Thomas Black, Sarah Black, Samuel Black, Robert Black, Rachel Black, Jean Black, James John Black, Eleanor Black, Hannah Black, and Martha Black.

Their eldest known son, William Black, was born in December 1753 in Nockamixon Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Historical records place members of the Black family in Philadelphia, York County, Mount Joy, and Biglerville throughout the late eighteenth century.

Amstaya Ann lived through an extraordinary period of history that included the colonial years, the French and Indian War, the American Revolution, and the early formation of the United States. By 1790, records place the Black family in York County, Pennsylvania, where they became part of the growing frontier communities of the new nation.

Following the death of her husband, Capt. Robert William Black, on June 27, 1799, after nearly fifty years of marriage, Amstaya Ann later married Richard Parks in Philadelphia in 1806 at approximately eighty-one years of age.

She died on April 13, 1808, in Pennsylvania at approximately eighty-three years old. A memorial associated with Ann Black appears at Mount Moriah Cemetery. Because the cemetery was established after her death, researchers continue to investigate whether this reflects a later reburial or memorial dedication.

The story of Amstaya Ann Moyjoy reminds us that genealogy is often a blend of documented history, oral tradition, and continuing discovery. Each generation adds new pieces to the puzzle, preserving the stories, struggles, and legacies of those who came before us.