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Eastern Cherokee or Guion Miller Roll

United States North Carolina  American Indian Research  Indians of North Carolina  Guion Miller Roll

Definition, Value, Search Strategies, and Contents
The Guion Miller Roll is a list of Eastern Cherokee Indians who applied for compensation because of a 1906 lawsuit, and judgment in the tribe's favor in the United States Court of Claims.

Value. This set of records helps genealogists because each application usually has several generations of relatives with their names listed both in the Cherokee language, and as an English translation.

Name variations. Prior to 1900 only a few full-blooded Cherokees could speak or write English. Some Indian names are difficult to translate into English and could easily have several possible versions. And when lists of names in the Cherokee language were compiled an interpreter often had to help the stenographer figure out how to spell the Indian names. For example, the same Cherokee ancestor might have his name listed in the applications of different descendants as Ummerteskee, Ahmadeske and Askwater. Moreover, in Cherokee culture it was not unusual for Indians to use three or four different names over the course of their lifetimes (beyond a woman's maiden name). For all these reasons the Guion Miller Roll applications are an important research tool for learning family relationships, name variations, and name changes needed to understand a Cherokee family pedigree.

Search Strategy Suggestions. Cross reference English and Indian names, cross reference name variations, and compare all of a family's applications. Be flexible with spellings, especially in Cherokee. Also, the more children, spouses, brothers, sister, parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts you can find, the more you are likely to learn about the main person you are researching. Investigating slight differences in the applications of siblings can result in treasures of information easily overlooked on just one application.

Record types. Three main kinds of records are associated with the Guion Miller Roll:


 * Applications, affidavits and other papers used to show a person was eligible, or descended from an eligible Cherokee, including the English and Indian names of children, parents, grandparents and other relatives.
 * Guion Miller Roll, a published list of applicants for compensation, including names, residence, age, and Dawes number.
 * General Index, a published alphabetical index of the Guion Miller Roll, including roll number, name, and residence.

Claimants were asked to prove they were:


 * Members of the Eastern Cherokee tribe at the time of the treaties, or
 * Descended from members who had not been affiliated with any other tribe

Guion Miller, an agent of the Interior Department, was appointed as a commissioner of the Court of Claims to compile a list of claimants. He made an extensive enrollment of the Cherokees in 1907 and 1908.

Use the Guion Miller Roll if your ancestors were:


 * Alive on 28 May 1906
 * Members of the Eastern Cherokee tribe at the time of the treaties of 1835,1836, and 1845 between the United States and Eastern Cherokee
 * Descendants of members of the Eastern Cherokee tribe during the years of the treaties
 * Not affiliated with any Indian tribe other than the Cherokees
 * Not an "Old Settler" who had moved west prior to 1835

Origin of the Guion Miller Roll. In 1902 the Eastern Cherokee sued the United States to get the funds due them under the treaties of 1835,1836, and 1845. To certify the eligibility in the Cherokee Tribe, Guion Miller used several earlier Cherokee census lists created between 1835 and 1884 :


 * Henderson 1835 list Cherokee just prior to forced removal
 * Chapman 1851 list of Cherokees that remained in the East
 * Drennen 1851 list of Cherokees that had moved West
 * other records

Application contents. Each applicant was asked


 * His or her full English and Cherokee name
 * Place of birth
 * Name of husband or wife (English and Cherokee)
 * Names of children (English and Cherokee)
 * Names (English and Cherokee), places of birth and date of death of parents and grandparents
 * Names and ages of brothers and sisters (English and Cherokee)
 * Names of uncles and aunts (English and Cherokee)


 * The documentation includes application forms, correspondence, and affidavits necessary to prove eligibility for a claim.

Extent of the Rolls. Guion Miller stated there were 45,847 enrollment applications filed, representing some 90,000 individuals. After exceptions and adjustments were made, a total of 30,820 persons were eligible to share in the fund. The Eastern Cherokee Applications of the U.S. Court of Claims 1906–1909 are found on 348 rolls of microfilm.

Rejected Claims. Claim documents were kept whether they were paid or rejected. Rejected applications fall into five groups:


 * Those who left the Cherokee Nation in the East before 1835
 * Those who filed after the final application date of 31 August 1907
 * Illegitimate children rejected even when their brothers and sisters were admitted
 * Those who had dual tribal ancestry
 * Those who failed to prove the required relationship

Use Guion Miller Roll Records Online
Use the various editions of the roll, index, and applications that are available online:


 * fold3 Guion Miller Roll 115,567 entries, list of Eastern Cherokees eligible for a settlement payment as of 28 May 1906, (published 1909) (a) east, and (b) west of the Mississippi River. Shows (Dawes) roll number, application number, F.C.T. Commission number, name, address, relation, and age in 1906. Digital book images. ;.
 * fold3 Eastern Cherokee Applications 427,900 entries includes (1) Applications 1906-1909, (2) General Index (duplicate of the General Index below) 2 vols, and (3) Guion Miller Roll (duplicate of Guion Miller Roll above). Application forms may include name, residence, age, marital status, spouse, tribe, children, parents including mother's maiden name, parents' birthplaces, parents' residences in 1851, parents' death dates, siblings and their ages and residence, grandparents and their residences, uncles/aunts and their residences, and Cherokee ancestors back to 1835. Digital manuscript and book images.
 * National Archives General Index to the applications submitted for the Eastern Cherokee Roll of 1909 (Guion Miller Roll ) shows number (roll number), name, and state (of residence). Alphabetical by name. Digital book images.
 * Access Genealogy General Index shows number (roll number), name, and state (of residence). Computerized book extractions.
 * OKGenWeb selected Applications alphabetically, and selected Applications nummerically. Applications 1906-1909 may include name, residence, age, marital status, spouse, tribe, children, parents including mother's maiden name, parents' birthplaces, parents' residences in 1851, parents' death dates, siblings and their ages and residence, grandparents and their residences, uncles/aunts and their residences, and Cherokee ancestors back to 1835. Computerized manuscript extractions.

If the first search fails do not give up too easily. Be persistent. Try:


 * Use the alternate English or Cherokee name
 * Use an alternate spelling of the name
 * Use initials, abbreviations, or nicknames
 * Look for relatives like children, parents, brothers, or sisters who might list the person you seek as one of their relatives
 * Use an alternate version (or format) of the index or roll
 * Use the Dawes Commission Enrollment Records
 * Use the alternative books and lists cited on this Wiki page.

Book or Microfilm Options
Other than on the Internet, you could also search for an ancestor in book or microfilm versions of these records.

Or use FHL film  to find the General Index which starts at Target 2 and appears 172 pages after the Roll of Eastern Cherokees (Target 1) starts. Do not confuse the Roll (printed book) with the typescript General Index.

Search for an ancestor’s name in the General Index. The words “General Index” appear at the top of each page. The General Index is alphabetical by surname. If you cannot find your direct ancestor, look for his or her relatives. Some handwritten entries are found scattered among the typed names. Figure 1 below shows part of a sample page.

GENERAL INDEX Example:

NUMBER NAME and STATE 

34079 Owens, Minnie I.T.

33179 " Minnie Ga

15320 " Nancy A. Ga

43637 " Rachel I.T.

23903 " Samantha J. I.T.

13948 " Samuel I.T.

21021 " Sarah Jane I.T.

16048 " Susan A. I.T.

33501 " Tom Ga

36915 " Volina Dandridge Mo

22724 " William C., Jr. I.T.

40414 " William Daniel N.C.

40250 " William Jack Ga

20109 " Wilson Ga

17825 Owensbee, Joe Ga

11317 Owensby, F. M. Ga

43840 Owings, Thomas J. Mo

Figure 1. In the General Index application numbers are on the left side.

Copy all the information found in the index for your ancestor below and on your Research Log.

Application number: _______________________________

Full name: _______________________________________

State (residence): __________________________________

Find the Application Film Number
Look in the Family History Library Catalog for this entry:

United States. Court of Claims. Eastern Cherokee Applications, August 29, 1906–May 26, 1909. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M1104. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1981. (On 348 FHL films starting with .) Scroll down the catalog entry until you find the application numbers.


 * Decide which film to search by using the application number you found in the index in step 1. The 348 films of application papers (in packets) are in order by their application numbers.
 * Copy the film number of the application to your Research Log.

Film number: _____________________________________

Obtain and Copy the Application

 * Obtain the microfilm and load it on a microfilm reader.
 * Find the application packet in numerical order on the microfilm. Short slips of paper are used to show the start of each application packet.
 * Copy the application papers and update your Research Log and family history records with the new information you find.

Can’t Find a Name in the Guion Miller Roll?

Before concluding your ancestor’s name is not in the rolls, consider:


 * The name may be spelled differently, for example, Anne instead of Ann, or Thos. instead of Thomas. Search for variant spellings.
 * Look for your ancestor by his or her English name, Indian name, middle name, nickname, initials, married name, or maiden name.
 * Look for your ancestor in the “Additional Sources” below.
 * Look for your ancestor’s relatives in the Miller roll indexes. They may have mentioned your ancestor in their application documents.
 * Your ancestor may have been added to the supplemental rolls after the General Index was compiled. Search the three alphabetical “supplemental rolls” ahead of the General Index on film.


 * Not all Cherokees appear on this roll. Search for your ancestor on other records like the Dawes Commission Enrollment Records.

Additional records relating to the enrollment of Easter Cherokee 1908-1910 (National Archives microfilm publications: M685)


 * Report on exceptions with supplemental a roll 1909-1910 FHL Film: 830439 Miscellaneous testimony token before special commissioners volume 1-10, FHL Films: 830440-830444
 * Sizemore, Poindexter and Creek Testimonies FHL Film: 830444
 * Combined index of Eastern Cherokee Rolls A-Z 1851 FHL Film 830445
 * Chapman (1851), Drennen (1851), Siler (1854), Old Settler (1851), Hester (1851 and 1884), and Miscellaneous notes and drafts 1851. FHL Film: 830445

For Further Information

Blankenship, Bob. Guion Miller Roll “Plus” of Eastern Cherokee, East and West of the Mississippi, “1909." [N.C.]: Cherokee Roots, [19--]. (FHL book 970.3 C424gmr. ) Shows 62,769 names in two alphabetical lists (accepted, and not eligible) with their Miller and Dawes numbers, relationship, age, blood degree, and town.

Bowen, Jeff. Cherokee Descendants: An Index to the Guion Miller Applications. 4 vols. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 1996. (FHL book 970.3 C424bj. ) The east, east supplemental, west, and west supplemental rolls are indexed separately. The names are listed alphabetically and show the Miller Roll application number. The children’s names are grouped with the parent, with ages indicated for each family member.

Edgington, Billy Dubois, and Carol Anne Buswell. Vital Information from the Guion Miller Roll: Eastern Cherokee Court of Claims, 1906–1909. [Bountiful, Utah]: Heritage Books, 1999. (FHL book 970.3 C424eb; compact disc no. 195. ) This index shows each person’s name, Miller application number, sex, and often spouse, maiden name, birth year, birth state, residence, and Soundex code. An appendix lists the surnames in order by Soundex code.

Jordan, Jerry Wright. Cherokee By Blood: Records of Eastern Cherokee Ancestry in the U. S. Court of Claims, 1906-1910. 9 vols. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Press, 1987. (FHL book 970.3 C424j. ) Each volume is indexed. This combines genealogical information abstracted from both the applications and the rolls.

Jordan, Jerry Wright."Index to the Applications to the Guion Miller Roll of Eastern Cherokees." In USGenNet [website]. N.p.: USGenNet, 29 October 1999 [cited 28 May 2002]. Available at www.tngenweb.org/cherokee_by_blood/miller.htm

Hoskins, Shirley. Cherokee Blood (Tsa-la-gi-yi Gi-gv). Chattanooga, Tenn.: [n.p.], 1983. (FHL book 970.3 C424hs v. 3. ) Indexed descendants lists compiled from the Miller rolls. Shows application number, descendants, birthplace, birth date, notes

See also:


 * Dawes Commission Enrollment Records
 * Dawes Commission Enrollment Records for Five U.S. Indian Tribes
 * The U.S. Eastern Cherokee or Guion Miller Roll
 * American Indian Enrollment Records