Cherokee Genealogy
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.