The U.S. Eastern Cherokee or Guion Miller Roll

The Guion Miller Roll is a list of Eastern Cherokees who applied for money awarded in 1905 because of a 1902 lawsuit in which the Eastern Cherokee tribe sued the United States for funds due them under the treaties of 1835, 1836 and 1845. 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.

Documentation included application forms, correspondence and affidavits necessary to prove eligibility for a claim. 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 brother and sisters.
 * Names of uncles and aunts.

The Guion Miller roll may help you find your ancestors if they were:


 * Alive on 28 May 1906.
 * Members of the Eastern Cherokee tribe at the time of the treaties of 1835, 1836 and 1845.
 * Descendants of members of the Eastern Cherokee tribe during the years of the treaties.
 * Not affiliated with any Indian tribe other than the Eastern Cherokee.

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.