Cherokee Nation



Image, Cherokee Indians in London

The Cherokee Tribe is one of what is often called the "Five Civilized Tribes" and resided in northern Georgia, western North Carolina, and southern Tennessee. A large portion of the tribe was removed to Indian Territory in the 1830s. Some remained in North Carolina.

Ancestral Homeland: Alabama to Virginia

Culture Area: Southern Appalachian Mountains

Linguistic Group: Iroquoian

Federal Status: recognized

Leaders: Sequoyah, Elias Boudinot

Brief Timeline

 * 1689-1763: French and Indian War, the Cherokee supported the English
 * 1738-1750: Smallpox epidemics
 * 1775-83: During Revolutionary War supported the British
 * 1800: "Moravians," Protestant missionaries of German origin, established the first mission at Spring Place.
 * 1801-1823: Return J. Meigs, an Indian agent, lived among the Cherokee.
 * 1819-1821: Sequoyah (George Gist) created the Cherokee alphabet.
 * 1827: Tribal leaders recorded their constitution
 * 1828: Cherokee Phoenix, a bilingual newspaper, contained columns in both English and Cherokee. Editor -- Elias Boudinot
 * December 1835: Treaty of New Echota
 * 1838: First Group; Start of Trail of Tears, 800-mile journey; 1838-39 - Second group; 4,000 Cherokees died

Brief History
Eastern Band of Cherokee

Removal

Additional References to the History of the Tribe and/or Bands
Frederick Webb Hodge, in his Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico, gave a more complete history of the Cherokee tribe, with estimations of the population of the tribe at various time periods. Additional details are given in John Swanton's The Indian Tribes of North America.

Tribal Headquarters
Cherokee Nation Tribal www.cherokee.org/Government/Default.aspx Government P.O. Box 948 Tahlequah, OK 74465 Phone: 918.453.5000

Records
Correspondence and Census

Census Rolls (M595) 1898-1914 FHL Film 573868; 1915-1922 FHL Film 573869; 1923-1929 FHL Film 573870; 1930-1932 FHL Film: 573871, 1933-1939 FHL Film: 573872

Enrollment Records


 * Dawes Commision Enrollement for Five Civilized Tribes
 * Eastern Cherokee - Guion Miller

Treaties


 * 1785 November 28, at Hopewell
 * November 28, 1785, referred to
 * 1791 July 2, on Holston River
 * 1794 June 26, at Philadelphia
 * 1798 October 2, at Tellico
 * 1804 October 24, at Tellico
 * 1805 October 25, at Tellico
 * 1805 October 27, at Tellico
 * 1806 January 7, at Washington
 * September 11, 1807,
 * August 9, 1814, referred to
 * 1816 March 22, at Washington
 * 1816 September 14, at Chickasaw Council House
 * 1817 July 8, at Cherokee Agency
 * 1819 February 27, at Washington
 * 1828 May 6, at Washington, Western Cherokee
 * 1833 February 14, at Fort Gibson
 * 1835 March 14, unratified
 * 1835 August 24, at Camp Holmes
 * 1835 December 29, at New Echota
 * March 1, 1836, supplementary
 * 1846 August 6, at Washington, with Western Cherokee
 * September 13, 1865, at Fort Smith-unratified
 * 1866 July 19, at Washington
 * 1868 April 27,

Western Band Treaties


 * May 6, 1828, at Washington
 * February 14, 1833,

Vital Records


 * Cherokee Agency, M 595, births and deaths 1924-1932, FHL Film: 573871; 1926-1939, FHL Film: 573872

Important Web Sites

 * Constitution of the Cherokee Nation
 * Official Web Site of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma
 * Cherokee Tribe Wikipedia
 * All Things Cherokee website -- a largely commercial website with a free message board and some free information about Cherokee research and records.