Okla. genealogist helps research Cherokee roots

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (AP) – The question Gene Norris hears most often is, “I found out my grandma was Cherokee; what do I do now?”

Norris, senior genealogist in the Cherokee Family Research Center at the Cherokee Heritage Center, believes that to answer that question, the inquirer generally needs a quick history lesson.

“For the most part, the people who stop in here are visiting, taking a day trip and are curious,” said Norris. “We do have a few from time to time who come in equipped to do serious research, but it’s important those who are seeking to trace Cherokee ancestry have more than just a name.”

Norris said in a genealogical pursuit, it’s important to begin with yourself, and work back from there. If possible, birth certificates for parents is key.

“It’s also helpful if a person can trace ancestry to a specific line - either the mother or the father,” said Norris. “The more information, the better.”

According to Norris, about two in 10 people are successful in actually verifying ancestry. Being Cherokee in a genetic sense, and being Cherokee on paper, are two different things.

“The U.S is such a melting pot,” said Norris. “Today’s census provides myriad options for identifying race, which was not true 150 years ago. There are only two federal censuses – those of 1870 and 1880 – that gave a category for Indian.”

Those familiar with modern Cherokee Nation law understand to be considered a tribal citizen, a person has to be able to trace an ancestor to the Dawes Rolls.

“What is really interesting is that Indian tribes were not concerned with blood quantum,” said Norris. “Blood degrees were established by the federal government. Tribes may have had an idea of blood degree in a mathematical sense, but had no need to use it.”

Norris said the lowest blood degree listed on the Dawes Rolls was 1/128th, which means a Cherokee citizen born in 2000 who is descended from a person of that blood quantum is 1/4,096th Cherokee.

“A lot of people find it’s very important to let us know of their ancestral blood degree,” said Norris. “But it was the Dawes Commission that used blood degree for allotment of land that made blood degree important.”

Though the U.S. had promised, through any number of treaties, the Cherokee people a state would never be made of the Cherokee Nation, the Dawes Act retracted that promise, and the people feared their loss of sovereignty.

Very few Cherokees came forward to claim their land allotments, which prompted the Curtis Act. This in turn forced Cherokees to receive land allotments, whether they wanted them or not. To qualify for Dawes, individuals had to prove they were legal residents of the Cherokee Nation, as well as being listed on the 1880 or 1896 Cherokee Nation censuses.

Some families may have had siblings, in which some were considered Cherokee and others were not, simply due to geography. That status would thereby affect descendants’ ability to seek citizenship within the tribe.

“For instance, if you have a family of five siblings – two sisters and three brothers – and one sister and two brothers moved to Texas and lived there during the Dawes Commission inquiries, they would not have been Cherokee citizens, nor will their descendants, regardless of blood degree,” said Norris.

Norris said once a person begins to gather information about his or her family, it’s important to organize it immediately.

“May sure you write everything down,” said Norris. “While you may think you can keep everything straight in your head, trust me, it’s best to write it all down.”

Norris also recommends enlisting family elders’ help.

“Your oldest relatives usually have the most information about your family members,” said Norris. “Interview your family members. There also may be a family member doing research.”

Norris and his staff are available to assist those interested in tracing family ties, and usually begin by filling out a “pedigree chart.”

“The chart begins with the person seeking the information, and includes his or her name, date and place of birth, date and place of marriage, and spouse’s name,” said Norris. “Then we go back from there. Once we get that, we begin the research, usually online using several different sites, as well as the books of documents we have here on site.”

The primary goal of the Cherokee Family Research Center is to promote understanding of Cherokee Nation documents, compiling Cherokee family histories and housing all resources specific to Cherokee genealogy.

The collection of the CFRC includes donated families’ histories, Census and payment listings of Cherokee Nation citizens.

The Cherokee Heritage Center is hosting is 11th annual Cherokee Ancestry Conference Friday and Saturday, June 8-9, beginning at 9:30 a.m. daily in the Osiyo Training Room at the Cherokee Nation Tribal Complex.

Topics for discussion include “The Cherokees and the American Civil War,” “Resources of the Oklahoma History Center,” “The Grant Foreman Room and its Resources,” “Using the Internet for Cherokee Research,” “Missions and Missionaries in the Cherokee Nation,” “The Resources of the Cherokee National Archives,” and “The Cherokee Freedmen: From Emancipation to American Citizenship.”

“This is one of the most popular programs presented each year,” said Karen Cooper, executive director of the Cherokee Heritage Center. “Most Cherokee people don’t realize the tremendous amount of resources available for them to trace their family history. The instruction, material and information presented are unbeatable, first-class. The results can be life-changing.”

Cherokee Ancestry Conference participants will also learn Cherokee heritage and culture, how to work with a variety of Cherokee resources, and how to trace family members’ timelines dating back to the Trail of Tears more than 170 years ago.

Registration is $60 for Cherokee National Historical Society members and First Families of the Cherokee Nation, and $75 for nonmembers, if received by June 1.

Registration after June 3 will be $70 for members and $85 for nonmembers.

For more information, call (918) 456-6007, or email genalogy(at)cherokeeheritage center.org.

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Information from: Tahlequah Daily Press, http://www.tahlequahdaailypress.com