250th ANNIVERSARY OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE - UNITED STATES HISTORY

The United States will celebrate its 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026, marking the semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independence.

Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery

James Barton Longacre (11 Aug 1794)

Etching and stipple and line engraving on paper.

Public Domain

Ancestry Worship - Genealogy

A GOOD STORY

 

HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS ON LINE - CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY LONG BEACH : ALWAYS CHECK COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY COLLECTIONS

Many colleges and universities have collections that are useful for genealogy research and family history writing.  Some still have microfiche and microfilm!  

It's always a good idea to check your local colleges and universities where you may be able to use what they have without having a library card, so long do so within the library. Others have cards for alumni or offer rights and responsibilities to the paying public.

But you may be surprised to find that the collections may not just be local.  And you can call or visit to find out how to access as a guest. Besides holding many newspapers in microfilm, there's also digitalized collections,

Here is an example, from the California State University at Long Beach.

CSULIB - LIBRARY GUIDE - HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS ON LINE

Sampling:

California Digital Newspaper Collection 1846-1922
A collection of free full text searchable historic newspapers, including these:
California Star 1847-1848
Daily Alta California 1849-1891
Imperial Valley News 1901-1911
Los Angeles Herald 1873-1910
Los Angeles Star 1851-1854
Marin Journal (San Rafael) 1861-1920
Pacific Rural Press (SF) 1871-1922
Sacramento Daily Union 1851-1898
San Francisco Call 1890-1913
Sausalito News 1885-1922

More sampling:
Chung Sai Yat Po (San Francisco)  coming from UC - example of collaboration between Cal States and UC's.
Chinese language newspaper, 1900-1904

Daily Forty-Niner Online Archive, 1949 to Date
Online archive of the campus newspaper from 1994-2006.

El Clamor Publico
A early Los Angeles Spanish language newspaper, with some English articles, published from 1855 - 1859.

Daily 49er (Current issues). Student CSULB Newspaper.

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FATHERS DAY

 

A 'mid-century' loving family gifting dad a watch...

Remember all those who nurtured you with love...

SPEAKING OF MONEY : DID YOU EVER TAKE A TOUR OF A UNITED STATES MINT? : ANNIVERSARY 250 YEARS : FIVE NEW QUARTERS

Yes there are tours and there are also offers such as the quarters minted for the 250th anniversary of this country.  UNITED STATES MINT GOVERNMENT SITE

Denver, CO
Philadelphia, PA
Washington, DC
San Francisco, CA
West Point, NY
Fort Knox, KY

Now, private businesses are offering $2 bills that are color enhanced (I never heard of such a thing being legal but it must be), but officially, the United States mint has created five new quarters designed to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Semiquincentennial Quarters 2026 :  Buy a bag and distribute them among family and friends?

****

Deep in my memory is a tour of the mint in Washington DC when I was about ten years old. I was in awe of the sheets of paper money that were so messed up that they were in a bin, likely on their way to a big paper shredder.

FATHERLOSS by NEIL CHETHIK : AN EXCELLENT BOOK ABOUT GRIEVING THE DEATH OF YOUR FATHER

I picked up this book, published years ago, at a book sale. It's an excellent book!  It starts with a 'gypsy' proverb : You have to dig deep to bury your father. While this book is written for sons, I think daughters can benefit too. It's a book of empathy and understanding.

  

This book was based on a national survey of over 300 men back in the day, along with in-depth interviews of many others. Some famous men are examples used to bring up the different ways that men grieve or process their relationship and feelings - or lack of - for their fathers. So I'll name drop:

John F. Kennedy Jr.

Michael Jordan

Dylan Thomas

John Quincy Adams

Mahatma Gandhi

Ernest Hemingway ....

Read about men's style of mourning and how one's relationship with dad is so impactful.

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QUESTIONS FROM READERS of ANCESTRY WORSHIP - GENEALOGY

You can use COMMENTS to ask me for advice on a problem you're facing as you research. I don't respond immediately but will try to fit in a post on the subject whenever possible. The Question and Answer will appear on this blog, ANCESTRY WORSHIP - Genealogy Blogspot, and hopefully be helpful to you as well as other researchers.

I read all COMMENTS before publishing them and WILL NOT PUBLISH your personal information or your exact comment to me. I may also change names you provide for purposes of teaching and to maintain your privacy. 

This seems to have worked well so far!

Christine

Ancestry Worship - Genealogy

USING NEW MEXICO AS AN EXAMPLE : THE HISTORIC STATE : NATIVE AMERICANS - SPAIN - MEXICO - U.S. TERRITORY : STATE CENSUS ADVENTURE #6

 I found New Mexico confusing, so I hope to unconfuse you... !!!

What if your ancestor lived in what was a territory rather than a state?

As most of my readers know, the United States began on the Atlantic coast,  and then there was "expansion."

When Lewis and Clark began their expedition to find out what was West of the Alleghenies in May 1804, specifically to explore the Louisiana Territory, Purchased in 1803, they officially began in Missouri and the Missouri River, but actually, to get to the Missouri River they left what is the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, using the Ohio River to get to that official starting point.  (Pittsburgh was almost the Wild Wild West!) Louisiana Territory was previously owned by France, but what of Spanish America and Mexican America? 

The twists and turns of history affected what's available as does who conducted the census. The acquisition of territory came first, then statehood.  What country owned that land? Who took the census? Was it Federal, State, Territorial, special?

First, research the history of the state. Spain first claimed land in what became New Mexico.  Then Mexico did. Spain did a census in 1790. Mexico did in1823 and then 1845.

In 1850, New Mexico became a Territory of the United States. From that point on the territory was included in what we call the U.S. Federal Census, though it was not a state. Statehood for New Mexico as a state of the United States of America - "joined the Union" was 1912. Which means that we are looking for resources from various countries.

Take a look at this list from NEW MEXICO STATE LIBRARY - GUIDE TO CENSUS (Genealogy) THERE WERE MANY CENSUS including some specific to Native Americans, it's a wonder...

Excerpt: Spanish and Mexican Census Records :

1845, 1830, 1827, 1826, 1823, 1822, 1816, 1802, 1790, and 1750-- Mexican and Spanish colonial censuses exist. The colonial censuses include the wife's maiden name. These censuses are incomplete and do not include all families in New Mexico.***

Though the United States first started taking a national (I call that a FEDERAL) census in 1790 (OF STATES THAT WERE ACTUALLY STATES), New Mexico did not appear until the 1850 census (7th). The New Mexico State Library has microfilm of the dicennial Federal Census of New Mexico for the years: 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, and then the New Mexico Territory Census of 1885!

*** No census has ever been totally complete, inclusive of every resident, for various reasons.  In New Mexico's example we should consider California, another state that was claimed by Spain and then Mexico. When populations were sparse or a great deal of travel was necessary, lots of people who lived there were not counted.

In the case of French America or Spanish America, Church records can be especially helpful.

And a reminder : STATE LIBRARIES are often separate of STATE ARCHIVES.

Whew!

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The TAG for this series is  "STATE CENSUS ADVENTURE"

MEMORIAL DAY

In 1890 every state in the United States (then in the Union) adopted MEMORIAL DAY to honor those who lost their lives in the service of the United States Military.  Since then service members may have their service noted on their tombstone or have markers placed by local veterans' groups.

Here is the link to the VA where a description of headstones, markers, and medallions, is given. National Cemetery Administration Headstones, Markers, and Medallions

Read about the no-cost benefits for veterans.

USING OKLAHOMA AS AN EXAMPLE : THE OKLAHOMA HISTORICAL SOCIETY TIPS US OFF! AND PROVIDES SEARCHABLE DATABASES

Oklahoma state census - 1890***, 1907.


No wonder there was a hit stage musical called Oklahoma! The state has played an important part in American history. There were pioneers of course but often researchers into Native American heritage find themselves looking into what's available in that state as well. So the bad news is that this state is one of those who suffered the loss from the legendary fire that wiped out most of the 1890 Federal Census... But there is the 1890 OKLAHOMA TERRITORIAL CENSUS! ***

As well, there is this offering: Smith's First Directory of Oklahoma Territory

Smith's First Directory of Oklahoma Territory For the Year Commencing August 1, 1890 provides information about the population of early Oklahoma. The index includes over 17,000 names arranged alphabetically by surname.

OKLAHOMA HISTORICAL SOCIETY Very interesting offerings! 

Such as :1933 Unemployed Relief Census - An index of more than 100,000 names listed in the Unemployed Relief Census records. There are twenty-seven Oklahoma counties included. A searchable database on line!

Now, you might think that Oklahoma Historical Society might only interested in those Native American tribes whose people were relocated to Oklahoma but WOW!  Excerpt: 

The American Indian Archives

Since 1934 the Oklahoma Historical Society American Indian Archives have housed records for numerous tribal nations. The records came to the Oklahoma Historical Society after Congress passed legislation giving the OHS custody of the materials. These records include a variety of official documents and information relating to nations in Indian and Oklahoma Territory. The archives include a significant number of records pertaining to the Five Tribes as well as other tribal nations.

The Research Division is an affiliate of the National Archives and Records Administration.

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INDEXING

 

NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF THE UNITED STATES : DAWES ROLLS : 1896 APPLICATIONS AND THE CURTIS ACT : APPLICATIONS TAKEN 1898 - 1907

ARCHIVES GOV RESEARCH DAWES ROLLS 

Excerpt: The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has custody of the Final Rolls of the Five Civilized Tribes, known as the Final Dawes Rolls, as well as related census cards, enrollment applications, land allotment jackets, and maps. These records are found in Record Group 48, Records of the Office of the Secretary of the Interior, and in Record Group 75, Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The Final Dawes Rolls and related records are some of the most heavily used records at NARA for researching membership in the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole Nations in Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma).

Note that these tribes were originally exempted but did end up being counted, and it's controversial.

Excerpt: Then, in 1895, Congress authorized a survey of Indian Territory, and in 1896 Congress authorized the Dawes Commission to add names to existing tribal rolls as a preliminary step to allotment. The Commission received more than 7,500 applications for enrollment and traveled throughout Indian Territory conducting hearings.

These applications, known as the 1896 Applications, were declared null and void two years later, when Congress passed an act on June 28, 1898, authorizing the Commission to proceed with enrollment and allotment for the Five Civilized Tribes without tribal consent. The 1898 act, known as the Curtis Act, also provided for the termination of the Five Civilized Tribes’ tribal governments. By 1902, each of the Five Tribes had negotiated and ratified an agreement that modified the terms of the Curtis Act and became the basis for enrollment and allotment.

With new guidelines in place, the Dawes Commission accepted enrollment applications from 1898 through 1907, with a handful accepted in 1914.

MOCCASSIN

 

CHEROKEE : DAWES ROLLS : COUNT CONTROVERSIES : WHO GOT LAND

The Dawes Rolls were controversial in their time. They were a census of Native Americans. As we have seen, over time who was or was not a Cherokee, deserving of Tribal Membership, varied. At one point anyone who was Black and lived in the territory was a member of the tribe - if they were recognized or declared within 6 months. However some Cherokee had held slaves while others married Freedmen.

Excerpt page 116 - "On January 31, 1899. a vote was held to determine what to do with the proposed Dawes Commission Treaty; the conservatives lost by 2, 015 votes in their efforts to reject all agreements with the commission.  This draft agreement, though accepted by the tribe, was nonetheless rejected by Congress as insufficient.  An agreement was finally settled upon and adopted in 1902. In 1901 the Dawes Commission began working towards compiling the final tribal rolls to decide who got land allotments.  The commission ultimately broke down those residing on Cherokee land into three categories: Cherokees, whites, and freedmen. All told, the counted inhabitants of the Cherokee Nation numbered 41,824 total including 4,919 freedmen, 8703 "full blooded" and 27, 916 "mixed bloods"  There were over 1,000 freedmen who had previously been citizen 

Tribal Government ENDED.

The Cherokee (and other tribes) had their own rolls and were not in agreement with the governments, for they had expelled people or revoked tribal membership in the past, and the government tried to compare the two rolls as well.

Excerpt page 122 -

"The final Cherokee Nation rolls included 36,619 Indians, including 27,916 "mixed bloods" and 8,703 "full bloods" In addition, the commission included 286 whites and 4.919 freedman, bring the final total up to 41,824. These were made citizens of the Untieds States and (the state of) Oklahoma."

These past weeks, I've excerpted some important part of Cherokee Nation Citizenship by Aaron Kushner, a highly recommended book. There is more to the story, and if you find this of interest, please get yourself a copy or demand that your library get a copy for the shelves.

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MOTHERS DAY : A DAY TO SAY THANK YOU TO THOSE MOTHERLY PERSONS WHO NURTURED YOU

 

It's time to remember the motherly people in your life who raised you.

Ask her some questions about her own mother, your grandmother.

What stories have you never heard before?

LAKE COTTAGE

What a lovely old image, curtesy of Graphics Fairy.

When did you last go on vacation?

Did you go on vacations as a child? Where to?

What is your fantasy vacation?

 

Ancestry Worship - Genealogy

CHEROKEE : THE 1833 BEGINNINGS OF THE DAWES ROLLS : CRIMINAL WHITE SQUATTERS and the INDIAN PROBLEM : INCOMING SETTLERS THREATENED TRIBAL OWNERSHIP OF LAND

What a book this is!  I'm so glad author Aaron Kushner did not give into political correctness (as it is today) or go sentimental on us as he reported the complications of Cherokee Nation Citizenship.  So very many Americans are today seeking the truth of their ancestry and family history and many of them have heard they have some tribal ancestry as well. I would say that the Cherokee may be the most famous of all the tribes.

Excerpt page 107 -

"In 1883 a group of Eastern humanitarians, led by Senator Henry L. Dawes, began meeting regularly to discuss the "Indian problem."  They observed the influx of white settlers into Indian Territory and the lack of stable law enforcement therein; since the Cherokee Nation and other tribal nations could not prosecute crimes where an American was involved, lawlessness spread like wildfire, especially among white squatters."

Excerpt page 108 - William Ross was the leader of the Cherokee at that time.

"William Ross argued that their system (of communal tenure) created no "landless paupers" or "absent landlords" to brutally eject them; the Cherokee had among them poverty but not starvation.

By 1890 the white settlers were outnumbering the Cherokee and they wanted to acquire property. 

Excerpt page 110 -

"Undeterred by the Cherokee Nation or the half-hearted attempts made by the United States to escort them out, non-citizen whites continued to pour into the Nation. The most dangerous of these were those who advanced "some fantastic claim to citizenship, and who loudly demanded every privilege enjoyed by the Indians" despite tribal authorities repeatedly denying them access. Cherokee leaders soon found themselves operating a minority government in their own territory.  The United States census of Indian Territory of 1890 listed 56,309 inhabitants in the Cherokee Nation. 29,166 were coded white. 5,127 were coded Black, and 22,015 were coded Indian.

Excerpt page 111 -

"Up until 1887, Cherokee leaders had successfully resisted American pressures for allotment and territorial assimilation.  In 1887, Congress passed the General Allotment Act, better known as the Dawes Act, to turn the I*Indians into private land holders,.  By allotting land to individual in tribal nations, the thinking went, the total lands allotted would not equal the total acreage held in common by the tribes, the remainder would be left for white settlers and corporations to consume.  The Dawes act, however, did not app;ly to the Cherokees, Choctaws, Creeks,m= Chickasaws, or Seminoles because of prior Treaty agreements. Nevertheless, the writing was on the wall."  (These were the Five Civilized Tribes.)

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CHEROKEE AFTER THE TREATY OF 1866 : EASTERN BAND CITIZENS OF THE STATE RATHER THAN THE CHEROKEE NATION : LEAD UP TO THE DAWES ROLLS

In 1866, by defining who was a member of the Cherokee tribe/Nation, the Cherokee also determined that they could remove someone from the tribe.  This caused conflict as well... In 1866 it went to the Supreme Court

Excerpt page 105 -  "... The United States Supreme Court decided in the case of Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians v. United States and the Cherokee, Nation, Commonly Called Cherokee Nation West. ... the court ruled that, since Cherokees in North Carolina had "refused to join their countrymen in the removal to the lands ceded to them west of the Mississippi," they could claim nothing belonging to the Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory.  These people had, in effect, legally cut themselves off from the common fund of the Cherokee Nation.  The Cherokees in North Carolina were considered to be "citizens of the state."

Was there total cooperation with this by Native Americans or governmental agents? NO! And forced removal was called a refusal to go to lands ceded to them!

The Cherokee were now in conflict with the United States as the Treaty allowed for a couple railroads to run through their Territory and they were considered to be backward and against progress when they did not easily give up their lands. Their traditional way of life held that land was held in common. So there again, if a particular Cherokee was for giving up land to make way for "progress" rather than stay put, it was a tribal issue and a political one. Did it always have to do with just how "red" someone was?

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LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY 100 YEAR ANNIVERSARY : MY RECENT VISIT : GENEALOGY AND HISTORY DEPARTMENT

I was recently able to visit LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY - CENTRAL (downtown Los Angeles) which has a rich history since 1926. There are a number of museum quality exhibits at that branch and special programs will take place through this year at all branches. Of course, the Genealogy and History Department is my favorite.  Here are some photographs I took that might interest you!  

These "big book" displays featured the various departments 

at Central Library. It's a dynamic display.

"Tucked deep inside Central Library, the History and Genealogy Department is one of the most distinctive research destinations in the Los Angeles Public Library system. The department is home to uniquely curated holdings that chronical the history of Los Angeles, Southern California, and the people who've shaped the region. It has become the deep-dive research into genealogy, regional history, and maps."

"Here visitors can explore Maps of Los Angeles and the world, from nautical charts to Thomas Guides to one of the largest collects of USGS topographic maps in a public library.

Genealogy tools like family folders, county records, and news clippings, many carefully indexed by staff using resources not found anywhere else.

The California Index, a one-of-a-kind, online research tool that points to people and subjects important to Southern California."

CONGRATULATIONS  LOS ANGLES PUBLIC LIBRARY!

WHITE HORSE

 

CHEROKEES and THE CIVIL WAR : FULL BLOODED PRIDE MEANT TO BE OPPOSED TO WHITE SOCIETY : CHEROKEE AFFILIATE WITH CONFEDERACY : TRIBAL MEMBERSHIP CHANGES : TREATY OF 1866

Previously, the Cherokee, Creek, and Osage Nations who had suffered removal (Trail of Tears) from their territories and were now forced to live together  and signed a compact which was intended to establish unity - peaceful relationships and secure the general welfare. It was signed on November 2, 1843. The idea was to protect themselves from the United States.

Excerpt page 80 -

"Notably, Article I, Section 9, provided that "any citizen of one Nation may be admitted to citizenship in any other Nation, party hereto, by consent of the proper authorities of such Nation."

Excerpt page 81 -

"Throughout the 1840's and 1850's, as Cherokees settled into their new territory, the Nation found itself changing demographically... to be "full blooded" meant something more than racial pride; "it indicated a distinct social, political, and economic attitude" opposed to the impositions and relishes of white civilization. Traditionalists generally did not own slaves and largely disliked the practice... The tension (between Cherokee slave owners who were usually partly Caucasian and these Traditionalists) came to a boil by the time the Confederates asked the Cherokee Nation to join the Southern cause..."

The social divisions between Cherokee meant that there were different attitudes about joining up to fight in the Civil War, and because the Cherokee overall were cooperative, pressure was put up on them to do so, for the Confederacy, as the South was their original territory. Abolitionist Christian missionaries were also speaking out in South Carolina, Mississippi, and Alabama - wherever they had churches.

Excerpt page 83 - 

"In May 1861, "Confederate forces annexed the Indian Territory as a military district" and by October of that year, Albert Pike, Confederate liaison to Indian Territory, had convinced each of the Five Tribes (ie. The Five Civilized tribes - Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek), and Seminole nations) to join the Confederacy.

The Treaty of 1866 came after the participation in the Civil War proved to damage the Cherokee Nation significantly.  As Union troops came through, many defected to the Union side, but the conflict included political divisions within the tribe as well as the consequences of violence.

This Treaty redefined membership and there were significant changes in who could become a member of the tribe - or remain a member, and it emphasized blood. This means that increasingly blood quotients were aligned with political viewpoints.

Excerpt page 83 - 84

... "The new Treaty defined citizenship of the Cherokee Nation as belonging to all native-born Cherokees, all Indians and whites legally adopted by members, all freedmen liberated by acts of their masters, and all free Black persons residing therein."

It's stated by the author, Aaron Kushner, that this Treaty has had ramifications to this day on who is or is not a member of the tribe.

If you are tracing your Native American heritage, please check the changes in such rules or laws as you go back documenting your ancestors, and by tribe. In the case of Cherokee, or perhaps the other nations who potentially agreed to unification in 18 43, who was where in 1866? (Check all Federal and State census...) The Treaty also put into place a time limit or line for those who fit these definitions within 6 months of the Treaty. Because both removal from native lands to new territories and the Civil War, people were displaced, fighting, or traveling, hiding, or had other reasons why they might not have been able to declare themselves or be recognized within those 6 months. 

In the genealogy I mentioned researching in my first post of this series, I found that my client had reason to think that at least some of his relatives (if not his direct line) married into Native American tribes. He also might have had melungeon relatives. Though in the South, he stated that his family had never had slaves and did not believe in slavery. The families he was closely related to did not show up on slave schedules as slave owners.  However a potential branch of the family in the deep south did own slaves. I found that one side of his family did fight for the Union, signing up in other states,  but also that there were Confederate highway robbers among his relatives. Relatives on both sides had married Native Americans. At least one unrelated Native American in their agricultural community - a neighbor so to speak - had owned a good number of slaves. Presently this client likely has relatives who are members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee whose DNA test would show them to have Scottish - Anglo - possibly French Huguenot ancestors. These Cherokee in general were not marched as they remained in North Carolina, in the mountains, married with Europeans.

If you are seeking tribal membership, whatever the tribe, it is my strong suggestion that you continue documenting from the present to the past. Document entire families with birth, marriage, and death records, not just direct ancestry, find anything you can, because you may have success that way showing the lineage going back past the Treaty of 1866.

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POSTS ABOUT THIS BOOK WILL CONTINUE IN A FEW DAYS so STOP BACK!

CHEROKEE : 64 TOWNS : WARLIKE OR PEACEFUL? : SLAVERY BEFORE EUROPEANS ARRIVED : CHEROKEE ADOPTED BUT ALSO SOLD CAPTURED SLAVES : WAS IT RACISM?

Excerpt page 29 -

"By 1700, "the Cherokee Nation" consisted of sixty-four towns," loosely categorized as upper, middle, and lower, towns, depending on their geographical locations.  These towns, or villages, were politically autonomous.  Edmond Atkin, member of the South Carolina Governor's Council and Indian trader, reported on the status of Cherokee towns in 1755, noting particularly the difference between the upper towns and the lower towns. "The upper and lower Cherokees," Atkin wrote, "differ from each other, as much almost as two different nations."  The upper Cherokees were "much more warlike," yet were better protected by the mountains than their southern neighbors, the lower Cherokees, "whose Towns being the most and nearest (are much exposed), are glad to accept the Mediation of the South Carolina Government,: due to their more precarious position..."

The governments were identified by if they were "white" (peace loving) or "red" (war loving). However the Native councils themselves were not as dictatorial as state governments, allowed men and women to speak, even if what they had to say might be unpopular. Consensus, harmony and justice, was the goal. In the cases of murder or incest the council would prevail but punishment for lesser offences were often dealt with by public shaming. 

Excerpt: page 39 - 40

"Slavery existed in parts of North American long before European settlers arrived. Though slaves were traditionally taken as prisoners of war, according to historian Rudi Halliburton Jr., there appeared to have been a commercial traffic in some places as well. From the time of their earliest contact with Europeans, Cherokees had engaged in a practice of "quasi-slavery" and forced adoption among their Indian captives - a practice later used in the treatment of Caucasian and African prisoners as well... ...chattel Slavery as an institution did not exist prior to  European settlement.  Once introduced by English traders, Cherokees were quick to accept the European brand of slave holding as one of the benefits of white civilization. English traders in the seventeenth century began to establish themselves among the Cherokees through marriage and the spread of material wealth...  

Many Cherokees also took to institutionalized Slavery because of the benefits they received from stealing or returning runaway slaves.  English and French colonialists frequently urged Cherokees to sell them slaves stolen from the plantations or villages of their European adversaries. .... The return or barter of runaway slaves became so common that Cherokees were often known colloquially as 'slave catchers." .... "

But was it racism?  According to author Aaron Kushner, not exactly. The Cherokee were more focused on the otherness of both Caucasians and Africans and considered them both inferior... at least early on. Eventually, the tribe tackled with notions that would not see Freedman or  people of African descent as worthy of the same tribal membership status...

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MOUNTAIN COTTAGE

Where do you think this is? 

 

CHEROKEE NATION CITIZENSHIP - A POLITICAL HISTORY by AARON KUSNER : ANCESTRY WORSHIP - GENEALOGY BOOK RECOMMENDATION

This is an excellent book to read if you're interested in the Cherokee, the Cherokee Republic, and the twists and turns of what it was and is to have Cherokee Nation citizenship.  I'll be posting a few excerpts this month from this book, but I encourage you to get a copy because it's packed full of information.  A key question about tribal membership is this issue: Is it BLOOD AS ANCESTRY or is it BLOOD AS CULTURE?

The Cherokee are one of the native tribes that has government recognition from way back and numerous members to this day. They are counted on the Dawes Rolls. From the days of the mountain men, the trappers and traders, and then the ministers coming into the country, there have been intermarriages between Cherokee and persons of European descent. (One of the most famous, because of his writings, was James Adair.) While it is understood that many a European married a Native American woman, many a Native American man married an European settlers.  In the mid to late 1800's there were also "White squatters."

This book covers historical changes in tribal recognition that includes the cultural movement from a matriarchal society to one influenced by patriarchal world views, by the government of the United States and by Protestant Christian ministers. It shows that racism, in particular against slaves and Freedmen, had its impact on who gets to have a tribal identity.  Cherokee did hold slaves, and I know that this truth has been denied in college classrooms, but I've found that on census.  

Clan affiliation and a more communal view of responsibility to others and changes in attitudes about war and much else, including marriage, may confuse things further, as each of the 64 Cherokee towns had different cultural notions. As author Kushner states,  while some couples stayed together for life, polygamy was practiced and "divorce" was at will by either party. (What this means is that children being raised by a mother with several men as fathers to her children might actually be raised within a Clan due to the inter-dependence of Clan members, but some of the children might not have the same blood quotient or tribal identity.)

This book reminded me of my first big genealogy assignment because the person's heritage was in North Carolina, a state I knew nothing about at the time, and the Central to Western portion, where there were also Melungeons - then a mystery. On page 26 of this book is the mention of a Cherokee story that taught values and "Kanadi" which translates to "Lucky One." Faintly and badly written on a census was a marriage between one of his not-direct ancestors and a woman with this name. However, it had been interpreted as Canadi, Canada, and Kennedy.  On one census, one of his relatives with a large family, had three children identified as "Negroes" and a family photo did show these children to be darker than the others.  However, I came to think that they were actually all partially Native American. This was before DNA tests... but now that there is ...

I will be posting excerpts in the next weeks from this fascinating book that I hope will be of help to those of you interested in Native American and Cherokee Genealogy and family history!

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BE HAPPY

 

TO YOU

 

Ancestry Worship - Genealogy

VICTORIAN

A history of the houses you or your ancestors lived in can be about architecture

 but so much more.

Did they build their own house?
Design their own house?

Add onto their house?

Buy or rent their house?

How long did they live in the house?

Where did they move to?

What did it look like?
What was your room like?

Did you share a room? With who?

Does the house still stand?

When did it last sell - and for how much?

What was Grandma's house like?

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