Articles & FAQs

Preparing for the Possible Outcome of Your Cherokee Genealogy Research
by Christina Berry

More and more families are trying to trace their Cherokee roots. In many cases the family has nothing much to go on except for family legends of Cherokee heritage. Sadly, in many cases these families will never be able to conclusively prove their Cherokee heritage. This is why, when beginning the search into the possibility of Cherokee roots families should try to keep their expectations low.

When it comes to Cherokee genealogy there are basically five groups of people. A family must be open to the possibility that any of the five of these are relevant to their situation.

1. In some cases rumors of Cherokee ancestry in a family turn out to be false. It is possible that some families who are trying to find Cherokee roots are neither Cherokee, nor Native American.

2. In a few cases a family may find that, while the rumor has always been that they are Cherokee, in reality they belong to a different Indian tribe. I go into this possibility in greater detail in a previous article, To Be Or Not To Be . . . Cherokee.

3. In a few cases rumors of Cherokee ancestry in a family can never be proven or traced. The family may, in fact, be Cherokee, but because of the nature of Cherokee history some family histories are difficult if not impossible to document.

4. There are some families who can prove that they are Cherokee but are not eligible for enrollment in any of the three federally recognized tribes. The reason for this is that the Cherokee Nation was made to sign numerous rolls through the history of their early contact with the US government. In these cases, however, the families' ancestors may have left the Cherokee Nation, or the Eastern Cherokee boundary, before the final rolls (Dawes or Baker) or the families' ancestors refused to sign the final rolls because of their negative experiences with rolls in the past. In the case of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee there may also be families who have ancestors on the final roll (Baker) but they do not meet the blood quantum requirement so that cannot enroll.

5. Lastly, there are some families which will find a direct ancestor on one of the final rolls (Baker or Dawes), meet any relevant blood quantum requirements and will be able to register with their tribe. To learn more about the requirements for joining one of the three federally recognized tribes read a previous article, Joining the Nation - What is Required?

Every family who is beginning the search for their Cherokee ancestors hopes that they will be in the last group. However, the majority will not be. It is important to not to set your hopes too high. Tracing your genealogy is a fun and exciting journey into the past. Families may not find what they are looking for, but hopefully they will learn a bit about their family in the process.

Related Reading
Excerpts from this article appear in the All Things Cherokee Customized Cherokee Rolls Report, which also includes detailed Cherokee enrollment information, as well as a custom surname search of 15 Cherokee rolls, including the Dawes and Baker Rolls.

Cherokee Roots, Volume 2: Western Cherokee Rolls
by Bob Blankenship

In order to join the Cherokee Nation you must prove you are a descendent of a Dawes Roll signer. It is this fact that makes Bob Blankenship's book a great tool. Cherokee Roots, Volume 2 indexes all of the Rolls west of the Mississippi: 1851 Old Settler Roll, 1852 Drennen Roll, Dawes Roll, and Guion Miller Roll. The book is an index of the names on the Rolls organized alphabetically by last name. The information included is the name and Roll number of everyone who signed each Roll, a great place to start your research.

Cherokee Roots, Volume 1: Eastern Cherokee Rolls
by Bob Blankenship

In order to join the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians you must prove you are a descendent of a Baker Roll signer. This makes Bob Blankenship's book a great tool. Cherokee Roots, Volume 1 indexes all of the Rolls east of the Mississippi: Reservation Rolls 1817, Emigration Rolls 1817-35, Henderson Roll 1835, Mullay Roll 1848, Siler Roll 1851, Chapman Roll 1852, Swetland Roll 1869, Hester Roll 1883, Churchill Roll 1908, Guion Miller Roll 1909, and Baker Roll 1924. The book is an index of the names on the Rolls organized alphabetically by last name. The information included is the name and Roll number of everyone who signed each Roll, a great place to start your research.