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Looking for verification of Cherokee grandmother, Pera Walker, born, 1886, married to Samuel P. Landrem, Greenway, AR. Was told recently she was full Cherokee Indian. Would very much like to "brag" about my heritage even in my senior years. Where can I start looking?
Looking for verification of Cherokee grandmother, Pera Walker, born, 1886, married to Samuel P. Landrem, Greenway, AR. Was told recently she was full Cherokee Indian. Would very much like to "brag" about my heritage even in my senior years. Where can I start looking?
Info from 1910 census in Haywood Township, Arkansas (First Street): The entire family is listed as "white."
Samuel LANDREM, 27, first marriage, married 5 years, self & parents born Arkansas, occupation: laborer
Pera LANDREM, (wife) 22, given birth to 3 children & 2 are living, first marriage, married 5 years, born Missouri, father born Indiana, mother born Alabama
Thelma LANDREM, (daughter) 3, born Arkansas
Margarete LANDREM, (daughter) 1 4/12, born Arkansas
Mary WALKER, (mother-in-law) 59, widow, given birth to 4 children & 2 are living, born Alabama, parents born South Carolina
Found on Ancestry, perhaps the marriage record itself may contain further info:
Name: Pera Walker Gender: Female Residence: Greenway, Arkansas Spouse's Name: S P Landrem Spouse's Gender: Male Spouse's Residence: Greenway, Arkansas Marriage Date: 4 Dec 1904 Event Type: Marriage Bond FHL Film Number: 1301908
"Arkansas County Marriages, 1838–1957." Index. FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2009, 2011. "Arkansas County Marriages, 1838–1957," database, FamilySearch; from Arkansas Courts of Common Pleas and County Clerks. Digital images of originals housed at various county courthouses in the State of Arkansas. Marriage records.
1900 census, Haywood Township, Arkansas, First Street.
The entire family is listed as "white."
Mary WALKER, born Aug. 1850, age 49, widow, given birth to 4 children & 2 are living, born Alabama, father born S. Carolina, mother born Georgia, can read, but not write.
LaRoy WALKER, stepson, born May 1865, age 35, single, born Missouri, father born Indiana, mother born Missouri, day laborer, can read & write
Pearl WALKER, daughter, born Jan. 1884, age 16, born Missouri, father born Indiana, mother born Alabama, at school, can read & write
Peary WALKER, daughter, born June 1887, age 12, born Missouri, father born Indiana, mother born Alabama, at school, can read & write
Pera was daughter of Jesse C Walker and his second wife Mary Owen. Both parents are buried in Mitchell Cemetery, Greenway, Arkansas. (I believe their tombstones are misidentified on find a grave--JC Walker &Mary) As well as her stepbrother Laroy & sister Pearl Walker Davis.
All are listed as white.
Jesse C Walker & Mary Owen were married in Stoddard County, Missouri in 1882.June 11. The marriage license says they were residents of Dexter City, Stoddard Co--dated 6 June 1882.
Mary Owen was born Aug 1850 in Alabama & her parents born in South Carolina & Georgia--without more research I can only speculate that they may have been Levi & Elizabeth in Benton county & Calhoun Co Alabama. There were no Owen families in Alabama identified as Indian with a daughter born 1850.
Jesse C Walker 25 married his first wife Eliza D 16 prior to 1850 Stoddard County census, where they are found with Leah Randal 42 & her children Isabel, Beckwith, & Virginia.
I did not find Jesse C Walker's parents, he was born in Indiana. If a death certificate is filed in Arkansas, his parents should be listed. If the JC Walker tombstone is indeed his, it reads died 1895.
There was Cherokee Jesse Walker born in 1770s. I did not find a family link. It is a more common name than I would have guessed.
Jesse Walker & Eliza D--
These are Walker children from census records:
Eva (married Winstead)
Calvin C (died young)
Emma
Laroy
Sidney
Mark
Jesse C Walker children second marriage Mary Owen--
Pearl
Peary (Pera)
I had no idea the 1890 census had a reservation section that might be available to look through. I have only previously found a person in a fragment for a county in one of the Dakotas which wasn't destroyed in the fire.
Thanks for posting.
I have located families classified as mulatto in federal censuses 1860 & 1870 who in later censuses were enumerated as Indian. It is important to actually look at the census returns rather than rely solely on the index. Some search engines do not accurately*pick up "I" for Indian or "M" for mulatto. Many times the "M" is picked up as a "W" for white. So if you are searching for specific families, always look at the photocopy of the return. Also there are sometimes helpful census taker notes written on the returns, making it an important step in research.
*There were also annual Indian reservation censuses which covered different time periods. Some are available on ancestry.com.
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