I am looking for the ancestry for Herman Dixon Crabtree(my maternal grandfather), and Grace Holmes(my paternal grandmother). My father was James Edward Holmes, my mother was Lois Mae Crabtree. I was born out of wedlock in 1954. My name is James Edward Holmes, Jr..
My mother married my step-father in 1956, and we moved to Oregon. In 1958 two Indian agents showed up at the ranch to sign my mother to the tribal lists. My step-father grabbed the shotgun, and at the ready, escorted the agents out the front gate. My step father never allowed me to forget what he called, my bad blood.
That’s all I have. Was not allowed in this family. My mother was not allowed to speak of her side of the family. Just hoping to find some kind of connection. Heard a lot about Durham.
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It can be challenging tracing lineage for more recent individuals, due to privacy laws and access to records. Further, out of wedlock scenarios can be even harder to verify. However, if you are talking about the Herman Dixon Crabtree that was married to a Flossie Mae, from North Carolina, then there is some information available on his lineage. Flossie is a bit of a mystery at this point. They only appear together on a WWII Draft document and on one 1930 Census record from NC. At that time, Herman was a sweeper at a cotton mill. They had no children listed at that time. So, establishing a confirmed connection to his couple would require some more digging and current records from state archives.
However, if you are focusing on this individual and projecting back through the generations, there is a lot of extant documentation. His family lines can be found in Orange County, NC from the early 1800s onward (and some lines stretch back further). They do not appear to have any affiliation with the Cherokee tribe.
You’d have to verify if this is the right couple. If so, you’ll still have to fill in gaps for Flossie. However, the story of two Indian agents trying to “sign” your mother up on tribal rolls, in Oregon, in 1954 sounds rather doubtful. The final roll, or base roll, for the Eastern Cherokee was completed in 1924. The tribe only adds names to this list and the BIA doesn’t go out of its way to enumerate individuals. And they certainly don’t dispatch two agents across the country to do so. It is incumbent upon an individual and families to maintain tribal affiliation.
Here is an overview of Herman Crabtree’s lineage.
NC Death Certificate:
Name: Herman Dixon Crabtree
Gender: Male
Race: White
Age: 60
Birth Date: 14 Sep 1911
Birth Place: North Carolina, United States
Death Date: 2 Jun 1972
Location: Durham, Durham
Father: Morris Crabtree
Mother: Esther Cates
Residence: Durham, Durham, North Carolina
1920 Census – Orange County, NC:
Morris Crabtree 44
Esther Crabtree 39
Eugene Crabtree 16
Addie Crabtree 14
Caro Crabtree 10
Herman Crabtree 8
Nellie Crabtree 6
Alma Crabtree 4
Claro Crabtree 1
WWII Draft Certificate:
Name: Herman Dixon Crabtree
Gender: Male
Race: White
Relationship: Self (Head)
Birth Date: 14 Sep 1911
Birth Place: Orange, North Carolina
Residence: Bynum, Chatham, North Carolina, USA
Registration: 1940
Spouse: Flossie Mae Crabtree
Herman D. Crabtree’s grave:
http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=FindAGraveUS&h=42274375&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=1121
NC Death Certificate:
Name: Ester Cates Crabtree
[Ester Cates Cates]
Gender: Female
Race: White
Age: 63
Birth Date: 20 Mar 1883
Birth Place: Orange
Death Date: 13 Mar 1947
Location: Pleasant Garden, Guilford
Father: Thomas Cates
Mother: Angeline Cates
Residence: Hillsboro, Orange, North Carolina
Name: Morris William Crabtree
Gender: Male
Race: White
Age: 73
Birth Date: 27 Mar 1882
Birth Place: Orange, North Carolina, United States
Death Date: 13 Aug 1955
Location: Hillsboro, Orange
Father: Manly Crabtree
Mother: Sallie Ellis
Residence: Hillsboro, Orange, North Carolina
Manley Crabtree (1851 – 1919) was the son of Norwood Crabtree (1821 – 1885) and Nancy Whitaker (1825 – 1900). Sarah Sally Ellis (1856 – 1925).
Name: Sallie Crabtree
[Sallie Ellis]
Gender: Female
Race: White
Age: 69 Years 4 Months
Birth Date: abt 1856
Birth Place: Orange
Death Date: 21 Jun 1925
Location: Carrboro, Orange
Spouse: Manuel Crabtree
Father: Henry Ellis
Mother: Margrett Davis