Tips for using the Guion Miller Roll

United States American Indian Research  Enrollment Records  Guion Miller Roll  Tips

The Guion Miller Roll is a list of Eastern Cherokees who applied for money awarded in 1905 because of a lawsuit. Applications are filed by number. You can obtain a copy of the application paper in the following two ways:


 * National Archives (U.S.). Order a copy online.

Family History Library. Use the Title Search for Eastern Cherokee Applications, August 29, 1906 – May 26, 1909.

If you need the application number, search the general alphabetical index to find your ancestor’s name, state and application number. The index is online on the National Archives (U.S.)pageor an Access Genealogy page.

When to Use the Roll

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, or were descendants of such a person.
 * not affiliated with any Indian tribe other than the Cherokees.

Content of applications

Each applicant was asked his or her full English and Indian name, place of birth, name of husband or wife, names of children, place of birth and date of death of parents and grandparents, names and ages of brothers and sisters, and names of uncles and aunts. The documentation includes application forms, correspondence, and affidavits necessary to prove eligibility for a claim.

There were 45,857 enrollments applications filed, representing some 90,000 individuals. After exceptions and adjustments were made, a total of 30,820 persons were eligible.

Rejected Claims:

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.

Guion Miller Rolls in the Family History Library
If you cannot find your direct ancestor, look for his or her relatives. The Family History Library has a copy of the index on.

The Applications are on 348 (first film)

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


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

If you cannot find your ancestor:
Before concluding your ancestor’s name is not in the roll, consider the following as you search the indexes.


 * The last name may be spelled differently, or the first name may be abbreviated. Search for variant spellings.
 * Look for your ancestor by his or her English names, Indian name, middle name, nickname, initials, married name, or maiden name.
 * Look for your ancestor’s relatives. 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.

Not all Cherokees appear on the roll. Search for your ancestor on other records, such as the Dawes Commission Enrollment Records.