Cherokee Rolls

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February 14, 1998

OFFICIAL UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT CHEROKEE ROLLS COURTESY OF THE BOOK, 'CHEROKEE ROOTS' BY BOB BLANKENSHIP

THE ROLLS TAKEN EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI

1. RESERVATION ROLLS IN 1817: A Listing of those desiring a 640 tract in the east and permited to reside there.
2. EMIGRATION ROLLS 1817-35: Those who filed to emigrate to Arkansas country and after 1828, to Oklahoma.
3. HENDERSON ROLL 1835: A census of over 16,000 residing in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina to be removed to Oklahoma under the treaty of New Echota. (1835).
4. MULLAY ROLL 1848: This was a census of 1,517 Cherokee people remaining in North Carolina after the removal of 1838. John C. Mullay took the census pursuant to an act of congress in 1848.
5. SILAR ROLL 1851: A listing of some 1,700 Eastern Cherokee entitled to a per capita payment pursuant an act of congress in 1850.
6. CHAPMAN ROLL 1852: Prepared by Albert Chapman as a listing of those Cherokee actually receiving payment based on the Siler Roll.
7. SWETLAND ROLL 1869: Prepared by S.H. Swetland as a listing of those Cherokee, and their descendents, who were listed as remaining in North Carolina by Mullay in 1848. Made pursuant to an act of congress (1868) for a removal payment authorization.
8. HESTER ROLL 1883: Compiled by Joseph G. Hester as a roll of Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in 1883. (This roll is an excellent source of information, including ancestors, Chapman Roll number, age, English name and Indian Name.
9. CHURCHILL ROLL 1908: By Inspector Frank C. Churchill to certify members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Like the Hester Roll, includes a lot of information including degree of blood. Rejectees also are included.
10. GUION MILLER ROLL 1909: Compiled by Mr. Miller of all Eastern Cherokee, not Old Settlers, residing either east of west of the Mississippi. Ordered by Court of Claims as a result of suit won by the Eastern Cherokee. See Guion Miller Roll West for more details.
11. BAKER ROLL 1924: This was suppossed to be the final roll of the Eastern Cherokee. The land was to be alloted and all were to become regular citizens. Fortunately the Eastern Cherokee avoided the termination procedures, unlike their brothers of the Nation to the west. The Baker Roll revised the current membership roll of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina.

THE ROLLS TAKEN WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI

1. OLD SETTLER ROLL 1851: A listing of Cherokee still living in 1851 who were already residing in Oklahoma when the main body of the Cherokee arrived in the winter of 1839--as a result of the Treaty of New Echota (1835) Approximately one third of the Cherokee people at that time were Old Settlers and two thirds were new arrivals.
2. DRENNEN ROLL 1852: The first census of the new arrivals of 1839. The New Echota Treaty group--"Trail of Tears"
3. The Dawes Roll 1898-1914: The final roll for alloting the land and terminating the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Senator Henry L. Dawes was the commissioner's chairman, and consequently the name Dawes is associated with the final roll. The roll turned out not to be as final as it was expected to be. Upon the reorganization of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma in the 1970's the Dawes Roll became the only means of certifying membership. To be enrolled by the Cherokee Nation, one must prove ancestry to a person enrolled by Dawes. Information on enrollment with the Cherokee Nation may be obtained by writing to:
Cherokee Nation
Tribal Registrar
P.O. Box 948
Tahlequah, Oklahoma 74465

GUION MILLER ROLL 1909: A court of Claims suit resulted in members of the Eastern Cherokee living either east or west of the Mississippi, not including the Old Settlers, to be entitled to participate in a monetary award by the court, as a result of various treaty violations.
In order to participate one had to be alive on May 28, 1906 and establish themselves as a member of the Eastern Cherokee, or a decendant of, at the time of the violated treaties. 48,847 separate applications were filed, representing some 90,000 individuals. Out of this number, 3436 Cherokee east of the Mississippi were certified by Mr. Miller as being elgible to participate in the award.
One lucky enough to find an ancestor on this roll can find out a tremendous amount of information. Not only is the roll detailed, but copies of the actually applications are available, which in most cases, go back to the mid and early 1800's.

IF YOU ARE A DESCENDANT OF ANY CHEROKEE ON THESE ROLLS THEN YOU ARE A CHEROKEE BY BLOOD. IF NOT, THEN YOU ARE NOT A CHEROKEE. JUST SAYING YOU ARE CHEROKEE WILL NOT SUFFICE. YOU MUST BE ABLE TO PROVE IT.