People might wonder why I am interested in researching a part of my heritage that is so small. Most people would choose to conduct genealogy research on their most prominent ethnic group or race. I am mostly Scotch, Irish, and English however I have always had a strong attachment to the Cherokee Indian side of who I am. My Fathers great grandmother was full blooded Cherokee, of the Qualla tribe. Recently we found out that my Mother also had Indian blood. Her great great grandmother was also full blooded Cherokee. So by my calculations, that makes me a sixteenth Cherokee. I began to run into problems researching my heritage. I did discover some wonderful means to research your Indian heritage, specifically your Cherokee heritage. I am sharing those tips here.
1) Cherokee Heritage Books. On a recent trip to Cherokee, North Carolina, I found several books listing relatives that were on the rolls and books. This book was very helpful in researching names, birthdates, death, and tribal location. ( Book browsed at Indian summer Soveigners in Cherokee, North Carolina and at the Moccassin Tracks Store)
2) Graveyards. There are a lot of native Indians that did not receive proper burial, but from the mid 1880’s on, Cherokee had their own graveyards or shared those of their white neighbors. Often, the tombstones have not only the deceased person’s information, but the parent’s names were listed. ( Experience at graveyards in Cherokee County, Buncome, County, and the Cherokee reservation.
3) Indian rolls. The Cherokee County Courthouse was closed by the time that I got to Cherokee on the weekend, However, the clerk stated that they have copies of all the census done, even the Specific Indian rolls that the government made the Cherokees keep. ( Cherokee County Courthouse visit)
4) List of those on the trail of tears. This is much harder to research. If you have Cherokee blood, there is a large chance that your relatives might have been part of the trail of tears. If your Cherokee heritage can be traced to the Midwest or some other part of the United States, chances are you are a descendent from someone who walked the trail of tears. I contacted the United States Census office, and they stated that although it was a sad part of our history, they do have some of the trail of tears rolls. But if your ancestors are from North Carolina, chances are they escaped the trail of tears and this would not do you much good. good. ( http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/trail_of_tears.htm)
5) Probably the most beneficial place to being your research is through the Cherokee Heritage Center. This center is located in Talequah, Oklahoma. I called them at (918) 456-6007. You can also contact them tollfree at at (888) 999-6007. They are sending me, free of charge, a book on researching your Cherokee heritage. They also stated that they can better assist in reseraching if a person to person visit was made, as they have birth and death records, trail of tear records, and census reports on file. Also , some people have already researched their indian heritage, and these family trees are listed. However they offered to assist me if I had names to start with. I do hvae the name of my paternal Cherokee relative. The lady who answered suggested I call back in a week to see if she had found any information. I plan to follow up on this lead. (www.cherokeeheritage.com)
Good luck researching your Cherokee heritage. I have found out that it is not an easy task, but with continued effort, I hope to know the linage of bogh sides of my Cherokee heritage.
Reference:
- Experience
