Category Archives: Cherokee

Allen County Public Library Native and African American Online Resources

Posted on October 10, 2014 by Roberta Estes

The Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana is far more than a local, county, state or even regional resource. It’s one of the premiere genealogy libraries in the country and draws researchers from all states and Canada with … Continue reading →

Posted in Cherokee, Research, Resources | 1 Comment

Cherokee Freedmen Rolls

Posted on September 3, 2014 by Roberta Estes

Freedmen is one of the terms given to emancipated slaves and their descendants after slavery was abolished in the United States following the American Civil War. In this context, “Cherokee Freedmen” refers to the African-American men and women who were … Continue reading →

Posted in Cherokee | 9 Comments

Tracing Cherokee Ancestors

Posted on August 31, 2014 by Roberta Estes

Several years, ago – we’re talking in the decades now – before the internet and e-mail….you know, back in the dark ages…I visited the Muskogee County Genealogical Society in Muskogee, OK. I was that certain that my oral family history … Continue reading →

Posted in Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, Seminole | 12 Comments

Augusta County, VA Homicides Involving Indians

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Roberta Estes

From the paper, “Augusta County Homicides” on the cjrc.osu.edu server. The following three homicides are recorded and extracted from various records as having occurred in Augusta County and involving Indians. I wonder if Standking Turke is Standing Turkey, misspelled. 1742 … Continue reading →

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Cherokee Became Ubiquitous Word for Indian

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Roberta Estes

By the early 1900s when reparations were being paid by the government to Cherokee descendants, the word Cherokee became ubiquitous with Native, especially in descendants in the eastern US who had Native ancestry, but didn’t necessarily know which tribe. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Cherokee, History | 4 Comments

Parsons and Abbott Roll – 1832 Creek Census

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Roberta Estes

By a treaty of March 24, 1832, the Creek Indians ceded to the United States all of their land east of the Mississippi River. Heads of families were entitled to tracts of land, which, if possible, were to include their … Continue reading →

Posted in Cherokee, Creek, Uchee | 8 Comments

Stand Watie, Cherokee

Posted on June 16, 2014 by Roberta Estes

Stand Watie (December 12, 1806 – September 9, 1871; also known as Standhope Uwatie, Degataga (Cherokee: ᏕᎦᏔᎦ), meaning “stand firm”, and Isaac S. Watie) was a leader of the Cherokee Nation and a brigadier general of the Confederate States Army … Continue reading →

Posted in Cherokee, Choctaw, Military, Muscogee, Osage, Seminole | 4 Comments

Native American DNA Projects

Posted on May 26, 2014 by Roberta Estes

I’m often asked about DNA projects at Family Tree DNA that are for or include Native American or aboriginal DNA results. Please note that different project administrators have different criteria for admission to a project. Some require definitive proof of descent, some require … Continue reading →

Posted in Aboriginal, Acadian, Algonquian, Cherokee, DNA, Lumbee, Micmac, Piscataway, Shawnee, Tuscarora, Waccamaw | 9 Comments

South Carolina Indian Traders 1750-1754

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Roberta Estes

The study of traders is important to the study of Native American tribes and ancestors. Most, if not all, traders established Native relationships, and by that, I mean marital or intimate relationships. What that means, exactly, depends on the culture … Continue reading →

Posted in Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, Savannah, Traders | 22 Comments

1757 Letter from the Chiefs of the Catawba Nation to SC Governor Lyttleton

Posted on February 22, 2014 by Roberta Estes

A letter signed on the 16th of June 1757 by the Chiefs of the Catawba Nation and several formerly separate tribes within that Nation, says, among much else, that: “Our brothers, the Cherocees, has sent us a tomahawk for to … Continue reading →