Former resident authors book on Catawba Indians

VALLEY — Former Sanford resident Judy Canty Martin, a member of the Catawba Indians who helped settle the San Luis Valley in the 1880’s, authored a book, “We Are All Catawba: Complete Genealogy of My Daddy’s Catawba Ancestors.” Canty-Martin also has an exhibit in the museum in Alamosa.

The book was edited by Shirley Hamblin and is available through various sources including Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

“Judy Martin’s ‘We Are All Catawba’ is an invaluable source for all of those who are trying to trace their Catawba family history,” stated Jamie Harris, Chief of the Sizemore Tribe of the New River; Tutelo- Catawba. “It gives pertinent information that goes far beyond just genealogy. It tells the story of our people. Where, when and how they lived and how they came to move away from their Native homelands. Researching Native American history and family lines is very difficult due to many factors. Ms. Martin’s book puts so much of this priceless information right at the researchers’ fingertips. As a Catawba descendant, this book, ‘We Are

All Catawba’ will help tell our peoples stories for generations to come.”

Lars Adams, award winning author, added, “Judy Martin has presented one of the most complete genealogical works on the Catawba Nation families to date. With painstaking research and fully illustrated pages with images of original documents, this book with documented genealogy will be a ready assistant to both the family historian and general researcher.”

Author S. Pony Hill stated, “For the past 500 years the shelves have been filled with histories of Indigenous tribes, communities, and families written by non-Natives.

While these cold, objective volumes are often abounding with facts, figures, and objective outside observations, there is little personal or emotional investment for the writer, or the reader. With this outstanding publication from Judy Martin, we are gifted a unique inside view of the trials, tribulations, and hard won victories of the Catawba tribe as told through the individual biographies and genealogies of Martin’s own ancestors. The care and detail she articulates when documenting the minutiae of her ancestors’ lives belies the singular devotion which could only originate from blood lineage.”