Genealogy Guide

Welcome to Genealogy Guide

Family History Genealogy Article

Cherokee Genealogy
Trevor Dumbleton

For those of Native American descent, one of the easiest genealogies to trace is Cherokee genealogy. Thanks to the Cherokee being one of the most Anglicized of the nations, they put down much more of their history in writing than many other nations.

As the Cherokee lived along and near the Eastern Seaboard, had much more contact with white settlers and thus picked up many more of the white settlers ways. Included among these ways was the habit of obsessively writing down their births, deaths, and parentage. Though other nations certainly kept track of such things, the Cherokee actually put their genealogy down on paper, allowing later generations to trace their lineage. Thus, Cherokee genealogy is the most complete of all the Native American nations.

However, just because it is the easiest lineage to trace does not mean that it is actually easy. The record is not entirely complete, after all, and there are many other problems involved. Not least among this is the fact that many Native Americans used two names in their dealings with other people. One was the name to the tribe. The other was an Anglicized name that included a surname. It is very difficult to trace one particular person, just because one name might show up on one document, and the other name on another document. Unless a person knows both names that the person went by, this habit could chop off the family tree at a person whose Anglicized name shows up as a parent, but whose birth certificate cannot be found, simply because the Native name was used. Thus, Cherokee genealogy searches often come up with the dead end of a mysterious name.

As well, many people claim Cherokee ancestry, but were not actually Cherokee. There were many other nations around the Cherokee, and some folks would simply call themselves Cherokee to save a lot of confusion. Thus, a person might have grown up believing they were Cherokee, but their Native American grandfather or great-grandmother would not show up on the Cherokee genealogy. This is a strange but very true fact of life for those who know they are descendents of Native Americans, but cannot figure out anything past one name.

However, for those who are Cherokee and know it, and can find the proper names for their ancestors, Cherokee genealogy is very complete. There are many books, papers, and websites that are dedicated to showing family trees. If you can trace the names properly, you will be able to go back quite a ways into the past and find many of your ancestors. For those who can manage it, Cherokee genealogy is a rich mine of information about the names and places where your ancestors were born, lived, and died.

If you have the time and the energy and the knowledge that you need, you can trace your ancestry back to men and women living as natives on the shores of the New World. So give Cherokee genealogy a try figure out that much more about your family.

About the Author

http://www.familytreeshistory.com/ is a categorized resource directory to help explore the world of genealogy, or family trees, including the history of our ancestors.

Family History Genealogy Best products

Family History Genealogy News

Cut travel time with local history tours - Reporter

,American tradition calls for summer outings with the family to visit national treasures. Some may travel to Gettysburg or Lancaster County to take a break from city life or explore their historical roots. "I think we have to go to a rural place from ...

Protect Repositories of Polk History - The Ledger

I do not intend to speak today for Mister Dixon. That would be the late E. D. "Bud" Dixon, the man who was my industrial arts teacher not quite 50 years ago at Lakeland Junior High School (now Lawton Chiles Middle Academy). He's the same man who ...

Is genealogy becoming obsolete? Not for this researcher - Norman Transcript

Is genealogy becoming obsolete? The latest discussion by members on my Virginia List has been the possibility that genealogy is obsolete. They do not think as many researchers are posting new information, queries, etc., as they have done in the past ...

Help for novice genealogists at Chelsea District Library - Ann Arbor News Blog

For many people, solving family mysteries, learning tidbits of colorful ancestral pasts and discovering all the branches of a family tree take a lot of time and detective work. "It's addictive," says Philip Manzie of Chelsea, adding, "I've spent many ...

Genealogy Records Are Given to Library - New York Times

Wolfert Van Couwenhoven visited New Amsterdam in 1625 but apparently was unimpressed. He left town and went home to the Netherlands, only to return five years later and purchase a large tract of land on Long Island. He probably never imagined that ...

7/20 Kurth Library: Angelina County Genealogical Society meeting ... - Lufkin Daily News

The Angelina County Genealogical Society will meet at 5 p.m. July 21 in the large KML meeting room. Angelina County Clerk, JoAnn Chastain will present the program. Members are encouraged to attend and visitors are always welcome. The society has ...