Who's working on Native American Ancestry? (Indian, natives, search, white)

[ReturningWest]

I am, most of mine will be Southeastern. I have Martin from SC/NC that I've been unable to trace any farther back than 1834 in GA. I have Wadkins/Watkins that list NC but can't move them from GA to NC.

Then the big mystery is my gr grandfather Charles Howard Rowell. Born 1871 in GA maybe. His mother Martha Ann "Mattie" Wadkins (born 1853) had him "out of wedlock" and through out her life refused to tell anyone who his real father was. She is found on the 1860 census in Harris Co., GA with her parents and is not found again until 1900 in Muscogee Co., GA and her son Charles is not found on any census until 1900 as a married adult. Even worse, family lore has it that the Rowell surname was a "gift" from a family friend so Mattie could give her son a "real surname".

Based on my ethnology DNA test, his "real" father was indian. I also believe the Wadkins and the Martins might have been "mixed".

The only sure indian is Rachel E. Collins born 1755 in Orange Co., NC she would have been Saponi, most all of the Collins's in Orange Co., at that time were of Saponi decent. She would not account for my significant amount of Native American DNA.

At this time, I don't believe any of my ancestors were on the Rolls but I'm unsure. I think they were some of the remnants that hid or remained behind because there were mixed enought to pass.

So I'd love to hear from anyone else who's searching their indian roots.

[mawipafl]

I will be. Eastern Tribe Cherokee (NC) supposedly. Went from there to SC to GA to AL to TX and then OK. As far as I know the family was not part of the Trail of Tears nor are they on the Rolls.

ReturningWest - as for your Rowell in GA, I have a Howell line in GA. Perhaps part of my snag is that I've been looking for Howell and should maybe look for Rowell - deciphering and transcribing the handwriting at the time, it would be easy to mistake an H for an R.

[ReturningWest]

mawipafl, were they on the rolls? If they were in OK at the time they might have applied but been rejected - many indians were. There is a really good list of "applicants" that sometimes might hold a clue

[linicx]

I spent a fair amount of time in Cherokee territory in OK. I took the time to read the Dawes Rolls and attempt to understand the history. My perception of what I read regarding the Trail of Tears - and I am not saying is it not 100% accurate - is that it was a horrific event. The troops forced villagers out with no food, water, blankets, transportation or shelter. They died at the rate of one per mile. The names were not recorded. Whole families died during the march. Sometimes only one small child survived. From what I understand, the Cherokee was not the only eastern tribe ti be forced out of an area.

I was told that when it came time to register names, the peoples forced to march did noit willingly participate out of fear, and if they could pass for white they did. Today Talequah is still the tribal home of the Cherokee.

The Trail of Tears does not account for any of the northen tribes who were forced out. If I knew I had eastern/southern Indian history I would start with four places. Talequah, The Nine Trives in Miami, OK, The Five Tribes museum inside Honor Park at Muskogee, OK and the Oklahoma State Historical Society in Oklahoma City.

In my travels, i met many members of western tribes, but I have no idea how to research their ancestors.

Here is a story about my great-grandmother's maternal side of her family. Supposedly the original settler was in the Carolinas (before it was divided into two states). And supposedly his brother who lived in a different part of the Carolinas was called Chief Redbird by one of the tribes.
I doubt he was a chief, and I doubt it was a honorarium, but I do suspect he had flaming red hair - hence the name. Supposedly he marred the tribal Chief's daughter called Susannah of the Carolinas. This piece of family lore and a dollar will buy you a cup of coffee today. ,

[poster]

"Trail of Tears" does that have to do with what you experience when trying to do genealogical research on your Native American ancestors?

But seriously, I feel for anyone trying to research this part of their ancestry. With the anti-racial mixing attitudes of earlier times leading to the covering up any blending of the races and the poor record keeping of earlier times, there must be lots of brick walls.

[bjh]

My natives are Canadian. They are sometimes called Native North Americans.

[mawipafl]

I haven't dug too deeply yet into the Cherokee family line, but I think it's correct that essentially no one wanted to be on the Rolls. Initially I thought the lists would be comprehensive, but that's so far from the case. That's one of the best parts of doing genealogy - one learns the truth about history, and the what-we-thought's go out the window. I think in the family line I'll be researching they were able to stay off the rolls because there was at least one marriage between a Cherokee woman and a white Southerner which perhaps made them "invisible" to the list makers. Whether his ancestors had intermarried before that I don't know yet.

From the little bit I've read about the Trail of Tears, it was tears not just from sadness but from misery. Again, doing genealogy puts a different spin on history and brings it closer and more real.

[LinaJo76]

I found out, just a year ago, that my grandma was a full-blood Cherokee Indian. And I also found out that there is some Nez Perce Indian also (from which side, I'm not sure right now). I found out too that my real name was "Shining Star".

My oldest brother went through the family history and knows a lot more than I do. He doesn't e-mail much these days, so it's hard for me to get all the info from him.

I kind of knew there was some Native American in the family, but I wasn't too sure how much. A lot more than I thought. Even looking at pictures of my father, I see lots of Native in him. He doesn't look like the "ordinary" white man (yes, he's half Irish too). Just made me think about that a lot. And also that I didn't look like a lot of white girls do, when I was younger. I knew something was up with that, for sure.

[Eyes]

Many indigenous people may be traced through the churches.
They recorded the Baptisms and Marriages ... the churches were instrumental in "civilizin' us heathens.

[gardener34]

I am looking into researching a Canadian native north american ancestor. Cree tribe I am told. Who married my fur trader ancestor in Quebec. Have not begun yet though. I have a feeling it is going to be a tough nut to crack.