Thoughts from Polly's Granddaughter: Cherokee Genealogy

Showing posts with label Cherokee Genealogy. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Ethnic Fraud Isn't Funny

Originally appeared in the Cherokee Pho eni x, July 2012, page 7.

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For a long time, I have been aware of the misconceptions people have about proving Cherokee ancestry, but these myths got my attention recently when I read an article written by Mike Jones for Tulsa World. In “Massachusetts ‘blood’ tiff no big deal in Oklahoma,” Mr. Jones shared why he believes Elizabeth Warren, US Senate Candidate from Massachusetts, might be Cherokee and why her lack of proof is, in his opinion, not a big deal to residents of Oklahoma.

Mr. Jones believes “Proving Indian heritage is not easy,” because “You have to trace your roots back to the Dawes Rolls.” He said “there were a lot of Indians in Oklahoma who simply refused to sign.” Though these are common beliefs, they are not supported by facts. Did Cherokees refuse to enroll? Yes. Were they enrolled anyway? Yes. Does Mr. Jones bother to tell his readers this? No. Does he tell his readers that some Cherokees who tried to avoid allotment were arrested and forced to enroll? No. What he does is apparently try to lead his readers into believing there were many people who refused to enroll, so today their descendants are unable to prove Indian ancestry. This is not true about Cherokee ancestry. There are Cherokee descendants who are not eligible to register with any of the three federally recognized tribes. Some because their blood quantum is too low to meet the minimum required amount and others because they don't have an ancestor on the Dawes or Baker Rolls but they still have ancestors found on other historical Cherokee rolls. We know this. No one disputes this. But Elizabeth Warren is not one of these people.

Why didn't Mr. Jones point out the many other rolls and records of the Cherokee people like the Emigration Roll, Henderson Roll, the Drennen Roll, the Old Settler Roll (two of them), the Guion Miller Roll, the Chapman Roll, the Siler Roll, the Lipe Roll, the censuses of 1869, 1880, 1890 and 1896? Or the muster rolls of Cherokee soldiers from the War of 1812 and the Civil War? Or the Moravian and the Brainerd Mission records? Or the muster rolls from the removal? Or the ration lists from before and after the removal? Or the claims the Cherokees filed against the US in the 1840s? Why didn't he point out the fact that Elizabeth Warren's ancestors are found on none of those rolls or in any of these records?

Ms. Warren claims to be Cherokee through her Crawford line. The genealogy of that family has been traced back 188 years, fourteen years before the forced removal. There is no indication of Cherokee ancestry. The family is listed as white on every record. The family did eventually move into Indian Territory in the late 1800s at the same time many other non-Indian families moved in – shortly before allotment when they hoped to get cheap land from Indians.

Mr. Jones, more than once, tries to say that being born in or being from a family with a history in Oklahoma probably means one has some Indian ancestry. He claims that it is unusual to find an Oklahoma native who doesn’t have Indian ancestry. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are many families who have a long history in Oklahoma, going back years before statehood, but have no Indian ancestry. In truth, these families are very likely non-Indian because the number of intruders, or people illegally squatting on Indian land, exploded during the two decades before statehood. By 1890, there were 128,000 non-Indians living in Indian Territory compared to about 50,000 Indians. By 1907, ninety percent of the population was intruders.

Though Mr. Jones cites a colleague’s “high cheekbones” as enough proof for him, despite her lack of “paper,” and though he says “the kerfuffle…..over….Warren's alleged Indian heritage seems pretty silly”, I disagree. Dishonesty is not silly. It is a problem. Ms. Warren is a lawyer, a law professor, and should know the burden of proof falls upon the claimant. She knows there is no documentation to support her claim of Cherokee ancestry, yet she continues to insist she is “Native American.” It is unfortunate that Mr. Jones tries to speak for “us way out here in Oklahoma” and says “the Indian brouhaha is laughable.” Apparently he didn’t ask a lot of Cherokees what they thought about Ms. Warren and her false claim, because ethnic fraud isn’t funny to us and we aren’t laughing.

Those are my thoughts for today.
Thanks for reading.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Elizabeth Warren's Ancestry - Part 2

We continue comparing Elizabeth Warren's ancestry with that of Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, Bill John Baker. The pattern continues to clearly show the difference in how a white family is found in the records compared to how an Indian family is listed.

The Great Great Grandparents

Preston H. Crawford, the great great grandfather of Ms. Warren, was the purported son of Jonathon Crawford and O.C. Smith. He was born about 1824 in Tennessee. On the 1850 US Census, he is found as Preston H. Crawfford, living in Eastern District, Bledsoe County, Tennessee with his wife, children and Margaret Graham, 6 years old, relationship unknown; race listed as white.* He was found on the 1860 US Census as Preston H. Crauford, living in Hooker, Laclede County, Missouri, with his wife and children; race listed as white.* He had two land patents issued to him in 1862, in Laclede County, Missouri. He was found on the US Civil War Draft Registration Records, 1863 - 1865, living in Laclede County, Missouri; race listed as white.He was found on the 1870 US Census living in Hooker, Laclede County, Missouri, with his children; race listed as white. His wife Edith died in 1871. He married Sarah S. Rice on October 12, 1875.

Sarah Harlin, the great great grandmother of Chief Baker, was the daughter of Eli Harlin and Delilah Alberty. She was born about 1824. In 1851, she was listed on the Cherokee Old Settler Roll, Flint 23. In 1880, she was listed on the Authenticated roll of the Cherokee Nation under the name of Sarah Tacket, page 329, number 2707, Native Cherokee. In 1896, she was found on the Cherokee Census roll under the name Sarah Tackett, page 1255, number 3400. In 1896, she was also found in the Cherokee Old Settler roll, page 460. In 1902-06, she was found on the Final Dawes Roll as Cherokee by Blood, 1/2, census card 6402, roll number 15325. She was found on the 1910 US Census listed as Sarah Tocket, living in Crittenden, Cherokee County, Oklahoma with her son-in-law, her daughter, her grandchildren and her grand daughter-in-law; race listed as Indian.

Ebenezer B. Walker, great great grandfather of Chief Baker, was the son of Jack Walker and Nancy Bushyhead. He was born in Cherokee Nation East and in 1851 was listed on the Drennen Roll, Tahlequah 260. He died January 1871.

Now we are seeing a very clear pattern develop. We are back to the great great grandparent generation, and Ms. Warren's ancestors are still only being found as white in the documents. On the other hand, Chief Baker's ancestors are found as Cherokee Indians. And notice that even though Sarah Harlin was born in 1834 and Indian, there are plenty of records to document both her existence and the fact she was Cherokee. We have 6 sources for her and all verify she is Cherokee even though many people wrongly assume records are harder to find if your ancestor was Indian/Cherokee.

Since the forced removal of the Cherokees was in 1838, we have gotten back to that time with both families. Preston H. Crawford was born approximately fourteen years before the forced removal and Sarah Harlin was born about four years before the removal.

The Crawford family was always listed as white in the records and remained in the east after the forced removal of the Cherokees. The Harlin family was always living among Cherokees and always listed as Indians. These two families are clearly found listed differently in the records.

In Elizabeth Warren's family, we have gotten to approximately 1824, fourteen years prior to the removal of the Cherokees from the east and there is no indication of Indian blood or association with the Cherokees through her Crawford line, the line she claims to be Cherokee through. That means we have gone back about 188 years and still not found a Cherokee.

Stay tuned for Part 3, where we discuss more about Ms. Warren's ancestry.

Those are my thoughts for today.
Thanks for reading.

*Often when the race was white, the race section was left blank.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Elizabeth Warren's Ancestry - Part 1

For a few weeks, it has been pretty big news that US Senate hopeful from Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren, has claimed to be Native American, Cherokee to be specific, in the past and she is still clinging to that story now. Several times, I have either read or heard her compared to the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, Bill John Baker, because some give her the benefit of the doubt and say Warren might have the same blood quantum as Baker. IF, and I capitalized that on purpose, because we are talking "big if" here, she actually had a Cherokee ancestor, and IF it was the ancestor she claims through, that might be true, but it isn't.

I think there must be a lot of people who either don't understand genealogy and the records available or there are a lot of people who haven't had the time to look. Whatever the reason, it seems people need to see for themselves that Warren's ancestry shows NO indication of Cherokee ancestry or heritage.

Because she has been compared to Chief Baker so much, I thought I would compare their genealogies and show how we can clearly see a difference between a real Cherokee and a fake one.

Like I have said before, there are numerous rolls of the Cherokee people plus many other records. If one can't find an ancestor on any of those rolls or in any of the records of the Cherokee people, then there is only one logical conclusion - they aren't Cherokee and they don't have a Cherokee ancestor.

Indian or Pretendian?

Elizabeth Herring Warren, who claims to be Cherokee through her mother's line of the Crawford family, is the child of Donald Herring and Pauline Louise Reed. She was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on June 22, 1949.

Bill John Baker, a Cherokee through his father's line of the Dubios family, is the child of Tim Baker and Isabell Louise Keith. He was born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, on February 9, 1952. As most people who know anything about Cherokees know, Tahlequah is the capital of the Cherokee Nation.

If we stopped here, we wouldn't know the rest of the story. Long before the allotment of the Cherokee land and the statehood of Oklahoma, non-Cherokees were being born in Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory and some Cherokees had been born outside the Cherokee Nation. Because of this, we can't base heritage on birthplace alone.

The Parents

Pauline Louise Reed, the mother of Ms. Warren, was the child of Harry G. Reed and Bethania "Hannie" Crawford. She was born in Hughes County, Oklahoma, on February 14, 1912. She was found on the 1920 US Census living in Hickory Ridge, Okfuskee County, Oklahoma with her parents and siblings, race listed as white. She was found on the 1930 US Census living in Wetumka, Hughes County, Oklahoma with her parents, race listed as white. She married Don Herring on January 2, 1932 in Hughes County, Oklahoma. She was found on the 1940 US Census living in Wetumka, Hughes County, Oklahoma with her husband and children, race listed as white. She died July 18, 1995.

Tim Baker, the father of Chief Baker, was the child of Lloyd Baker and Audey DuBois. He was born on January 27, 1926 in Oklahoma. He was found on the 1930 US Census as Jimmie, living in Tahlequah, Cherokee County, Oklahoma, with his parents, brother, uncle and grandmother; race listed as Indian, with a notation in the state column "Mixed blood Cherokee." He died May 5, 2005.

If we stopped here, we wouldn't know anything other than Ms. Warren's family was recorded as white in recent records and Chief Baker's family was recorded as Indian.

The Grandparents

Bethania "Hannie" Crawford, the grandmother of Ms. Warren, was the child of John Houston Crawford and Plina/Paulina Ann Bowen. She was born in Laclede County, Missouri, on October 29, 1875. She was found on the 1880 US Census as Bethena, living in Johnson County, Arkansas with her parents and siblings; race listed as white. She married Harry G. Reed in Sebastian County, Arkansas, on June 2, 1893. She was found on the 1910 US Census living in Muskogee County, Oklahoma with her husband and children; race listed as white. She was found on the 1920 US census living in Hickory Ridge, Okfuskee County, Oklahoma with her husband and children; race listed as white. She was found on the 1930 US Census living in Wetumka, Hughes County, Oklahoma, with her husband and daughter, Pauline; race listed as white. She was found on the 1940 US Census living in Wetumka, Hughes County, Oklahoma, with her husband; race listed as white. She died November 11, 1969 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Audey Nazarene DuBois, the grandmother of Chief Baker, was the child of FM Dubois and Nancy Walker. She was born in Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory on June 11, 1906. She was found on the 1910 US Census as Andie, living in Crittenden, Cherokee County, Oklahoma with her step-father, mother, siblings, grandmother and sister-in-law; race listed as Indian; listed as Cherokee on the Special Schedule. She was found on the 1930 US Census as Audie, living in Tahlequah, Cherokee County, Oklahoma, with her husband, children, brother and mother; race listed as Indian, with a notation in the state column "Mixed blood Cherokee." She was also found on her mother's Eastern Cherokee application (#5532), but her name was crossed over and labeled "out" due to her being born about two weeks past the eligibility date.

Now we are starting to see the difference between a white family and a Cherokee family. Four times we see Ms. Warren's grandmother listed as white. We never see her listed as Indian. And, on the flip side, we only see Chief Baker's grandmother listed as Indian, three times, and never as white. But, that isn't enough. We need to get far enough back into the history to reach the old Cherokee Nation records to see what we can find on these two families in them.

The Great Grandparents

John Houston Crawford, the great grandfather of Ms. Warren, was the son of Preston H. Crawford and Edith May "Ede" Marsh. He was born in Laclede County, Missouri, on March 26, 1858. He was found on the 1860 US Census as John H. Crauford, living in Hooker, Laclede County, Missouri, with his parents and siblings; race listed as white. He was found on the 1870 US Census living in Hooker, Laclede County, Missouri, with his father and siblings; race listed as white. He was found on the 1880 US Census as JH Crawford, living in Grant, Johnson County, Arkansas with his wife, children and a farm laboror; race listed as white. He was found on the 1900 US Census as John H. Crofford, living in Township 12, Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory with his children- RENTS; race listed as white, found on the regular census schedule, not the Special Schedule for Indians. He married Sarah E. Smith on September 2, 1904 in Laclede County, Missouri. He was found on the 1910 US Census listed as JH Crowford, living in Wetumka Ward 4, Hughes County, Oklahoma with his wife, two of his children and a step-daughter; race listed as white. He died January 23, 1924 and was buried in Wetumka Cemetery in Wetumka, Hughes County, Oklahoma.

Nancy Jane Walker, the great grandmother of Chief Baker, was the daughter of Ebenezer B. Walker and Sarah Harlin. She was born August 25, 1866 in Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory. In 1880, she was found on the Authenticated roll of the Cherokee Nation under the name Nancy J. Walker. In 1890, she was found on the Census of the Cherokee Nation under the name Nancy J. Osage, Native Cherokee. She was found on the 1896 Cherokee Census under the name Nancy Osage. She was found on the 1900 US Census living in Tahlequah, Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory with her husband, Phillip Osage; race listed as Indian, listed on Special Schedule for Indians. In 1902, she is found on the Final Dawes Roll as Cherokee by Blood, as Nancy J. Osage, 3/4, census card 6594, roll number 15787. In 1906-09, she is found on the Guion Miller Roll, Admitted, as Nancy J. DuBois, Tahlequah, OK, application 5532, roll 10168. She was found on the 1910 US Census listed as Nancy Cary, living in Crittenden, Cherokee County, Oklahoma with her husband B? C. Carey, her children, her mother and her daughter-in-law; race listed as Indian. She was found on the 1930 US Census as Nancy J. Carey, living in Tahlequah, Cherokee County, Oklahoma with her son-in-law, daughter, grandchildren, and son; race listed as Indian, with a notation in the state column "Mixed blood Cherokee."

Now we are starting to see a very big difference in the two families. Ms. Warren's is showing a very distinct pattern of living as whites while Chief Baker's is showing a very distinct pattern of living as Indians. We find Ms. Warren's great grandfather listed as white on five different documents. We find Chief Baker's great grandmother listed as Indian and/or Cherokee numerous times on many different documents. The pieces of the genealogical puzzles of these two very different families are starting to come together, but we aren't finished yet.

Stay tuned for the next post where we trace these families back to before the Trail of Tears. We still have a lot more to look at! And you thought Cherokee genealogy was hard........ :)

Those are my thoughts for today.
Thanks for reading.

Note - The links in the post are important. They take you to either an off site source for the information we found or they take you to a different page on my blog where the supporting documentation can be viewed.

*Often times, when the race was white, the race column was left blank by the US Census enumerators.

*Census images from ancestry.com

*Dawes and Guion Miller Roll images from fold3

Elizabeth Warren Genealogy - Crawford line

*Updated July 2, 2012 to add 1940 US Census information

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Destroying the Field - The Ramifications

Have I given you enough time to think about what the ramifications might be due to the mistake in the Van/Vann family genealogy? I am often asked why I think it is my job to research the ancestry of others who claim to be Cherokee? People who ask me this type of question usually say it is none of my business and the research of others isn't hurting anyone so I should just stay out of it. I think the fallout of this Van/Vann family mistake will make it pretty clear why the things I find in my research are important and how such mistakes CAN hurt the Cherokee people. This is a pretty big "OOPS!" and if I had to think of one word that would describe what this mistake affects, it would be integrity. This mistake affects the integrity of someone who proclaims to be a Cherokee genealogist; someone who claims to be a writer about things Cherokee; and even the integrity of the First Families of the Cherokee Nation. Some people dropped the ball on this one and it is a shame. If one is truly a Cherokee genealogist and if one truly writes about things Cherokee and if one is careful about who they approve for the First Families of the Cherokee Nation, then they should have caught this genealogical error, but none of the three did.

I have already shown why the Cherokee John Vann claimed by several families cannot possibly be their ancestor. There is no need to rehash that, but if you missed the post, I encourage you to go back and read it. To make a long story short, the Cherokee John Vann was dead and could not have possibly fathered the children he is given credit for today. The evidence and documentation are provided.

Now, for the fallout, and how mistakes in Cherokee genealogy, such as this one, can be damaging and harmful to the Cherokee people. There is a man who claims to offer affordable services in Cherokee genealogy. The problem is, his own genealogy is incorrect. His ancestor, John Van/n, was NOT the Cherokee John Vann he claims through. Like I have already shown, it is impossible. But this man has given talks on Cherokee history and genealogy and done "Cherokee" genealogy for others while apparently not being able to do his own genealogy correctly. Scary thing, folks. Something like this not only damages the integrity of the person claiming to be someone they are not, but also the genealogical community. It is important that those who claim to do genealogy feel a responsibility to search for the truth and leave no stone unturned. It didn't happen in this case and therefore, every other piece of genealogical work done by this man is now suspect. This mistake damaged his integrity.

This man apparently shares his family story (a myth) with anyone who will listen and, for some reason, people just accept what he claims, no questions asked. His family story made it into the book, "An Oral History of Tahlequah and the Cherokee Nation" by Deborah L. Duvall. On page 34, there is the "family story" titled, "John Vann, the Runaway." If you read the story and read my posts about the real Cherokee John Vann, you will see the story cannot be true, but it got printed in the book anyway. Sharing old legends or lore in a book is one thing, but sharing genealogical information and representing it as true when it is incorrect is another. Once something of a genealogical nature gets printed in a book, people will read it and assume it is true, whether it is or not. Scary thing, folks. Something like this not only hurts the Cherokee genealogical community, but also damages the integrity of the person who willy nilly included it in their book. It is important that those who include family genealogies in their published works feel a responsibility to their readers to provide accurate and truthful information. It didn't happen in this case and therefore, every other piece of published work done by this author is now suspect. This mistake damaged her integrity.

As if those two things aren't bad enough, this goes even further. The man who claims to be (but was not) the descendant of the Cherokee John Vann, son of John Shepard Vann and Elizabeth Pack Fields, was accepted into the First Families of the Cherokee Nation based on his "genealogical research." Scary thing, folks. Something like this not only hurts the Cherokee genealogical community, but also damages the integrity of the Cherokee National Historical Society, the First Families of the Cherokee Nation and the Cherokee Heritage Center. It is extremely important that those who claim to be the repository for the Cherokee National Archives and who say they assist Oklahoma Cherokee descendents to reconnect with their lineage get these things right! It didn't happen in this case and therefore, every other person approved for the First Families of the Cherokee Nation is now suspect. This mistake damaged the integrity of the group. This is extremely unfortunate.

Now, do you see how one family story not based in truth can get out of hand? These mistakes can lead to some pretty bad things when they get taken to this extent, can't they? This is why I am such a hard nose about Cherokee genealogy and history and why I insist people only claim what they can show through actual documentation. Mistakes in genealogy happen. I understand that. But when three different people/groups make the same mistake, that is no longer a mistake, but instead, irresponsible and/or sloppy work. It took me and one of my fellow researchers two days to obtain all the documentation we needed to disprove this family story.

This isn't funny, folks! We have a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists claiming to be Cherokee and doing Cherokee genealogy when he couldn't even get his own genealogy right! We have an author who says they write about the Cherokee people and their history including falsified and incorrect genealogies of white people in their published works that are supposed to be about Cherokee people. And we have the Cherokee National Historical Society and the First Families of the Cherokee Nation approving people who are NOT from Cherokee families. Those things are harmful to the Cherokee people. All it took was one to tell the myth of Cherokee ancestry; one to perpetuate the myth by publishing it; and another to give some sense of authenticity to the myth by approving it for a group that is thought of as truly Cherokee. Then magically (or irresponsibly, in my humble opinion), a Cherokee genealogy was created for a white family. All three of these people/groups should have found the information to show this was a myth before it ever got this far. It is unfortunate they didn't.

Those are my thoughts for today.
Thanks for reading.

For all of the posts in the Destroying the Field series, click on this LINK.

**Note -
This series came about after I was notified of the "family story" by a concerned reader who questioned it. I would like to thank that reader for bringing this to my attention.

I would also like to thank my research partners who took the time to help gather the documentation needed to show the truth.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Destroying the Field - Diggin' Up Bones

I'm diggin' up bones, I'm diggin' up bones.....Exhuming things that's better left alone..........

When digging around, we are bound to unearth something. Sometimes that something is what we were looking for and other times, maybe something better left alone. The case of the Van family who claims to descend from John Vann, son of John Shepard Vann and Elizabeth Pack Fields Coody Vann, is one such example. What someone seems to have done is dug around, found a Cherokee man with a similar name as their ancestor and then replaced their ancestor with that Cherokee man and invented a story and lineage that links them to the Cherokee Nation. The problem with this lineage is that, though invented, it is spreading across the internet like wildfire, and many people accept it as true.

The claim - Though there are a few variations, the basic premise of the story is that Elizabeth died during the Civil War and John Shepard Vann then married a white woman who made the younger John do "squaw's work." It is claimed because John had to do women's work, the other children laughed and made fun of him, so at the age of eight, he ran away, never having contact with his family again.

Fast forward to 1879 - The claim is the younger John married a woman named Sarah Matilda Himes or Hines (the spelling varies from tree to tree), produced children in the 1880s and died in 1899 in Texas.

First, Elizabeth Pack Fields Coody Vann did not die during the Civil War. She lived until July 1893, as reported in the Eastern Cherokee applications of her two children, Ella F. Robinson (8704) and Charles E. Vann (9157). This means John Shepard Vann did not marry a white woman after the Civil War. He was still married to the living mother of his son, John.

Though the descendants of Sarah Matilda Hines/Himes claim her husband was the Cherokee John Vann, who was the son of John S. Vann and Elizabeth Pack Fields, and that the Cherokee John Vann was the father of her children, this CANNOT be true. Sarah's oldest living child, a son, was born about 1886. There were several others born after him. The Cherokee John Vann died in 1879, therefore, he was dead approximately seven years before the birth of Sarah's oldest living child. It is not possible that he was the father of that child or any child that followed.

The evidence that the Cherokee John Vann died in 1879 is readily available because his death caused quite a commotion at the time. He was killed in Muskogee during a time when there was a lot of conflict between the affluent Cherokee mixed bloods and the Creek freedmen who lived on opposite sides of the boundary between the Cherokee and Creek Nations. His death was so well documented, even a novice genealogist should have been able to find evidence of it.

John's half sister, Ella F. Robinson, reported in her Eastern Cherokee application that he died without descent.

John's nephew, John C. Robinson, son of Ella, said in a WPA interview for the Indian-Pioneer History Project for Oklahoma that his uncle, Johnnie Vann, was killed in a meat market in Muskogee.

Though those two pieces of information should make one question the claim of the Sarah M. Hines/Himes descendants, since Ella C. Robinson says her brother died without descent, no date is listed for his death, therefore, most genealogists would continue to dig for more documentation. Hopefully, they would turn up the last bit of information to clear up any doubt. It is found in a letter Elizabeth Pack Fields Coody Vann wrote to the chief of the Cherokee Nation after the death of her son.

Cherokee Nation
Canadian District, Aug. 25th 1879

Hon. Charles Thompson
Chief Cherokee Nation

Sir:

On the 2nd day of Aug AD 1879 a band of armed Freedmen consisting of William Peters, Joe Barnett, Ben Barnett and Mose Redmouth citizens of the Muskoke Nation and Clem Kanady a citizen of the United States came into the town of Muskoke in Muskoke District Muskoke Nation shot and killed my son John Vann. A number of shots were fired at him by different persons. It seems to have been a shot from a gun in the hands of Joe Barnett which killed him
Under the Internations law between the Cherokee and Muskoke Nations the crime is to be tried by the laws of said Muskoke Nation. I am a Cherokee subject to the laws an claim the protection of my nation and as of you as the chief Executive officer to demand of the authorities of the Muskoke nation a fair and just trial that the murderer or murderers be punished and if it is the duty of the Attorney General of the Cherokee Nation to attend to and prosecute the case that he be directed to proceed at once
I will furnish the names of witnesses whenever they are wanted

Very Respectfully
Your obt. Svt.
Elizabeth P Vann

That letter shows that the entire story told by the descendants of Sarah M. Hines/Himes cannot be true. First, it shows the mother of John Vann did not die during the Civil War, since she is living 15 years after it ended. Secondly, it shows John Vann did not run away and have no further contact with his family. They knew where he was and what he was doing and were more than aware of the facts surrounding his death. And lastly, it gives the date, August 2, 1879, as the date of death of John Vann.

The Vann family was affluent and well documented. It is difficult to believe such a glaring error could be made in their lineage, but unfortunately, one was. This case reveals many issues we have in Cherokee genealogy and what is accepted by some as true. It touches on some things that may shock people. Stay tuned for the next installment in the series, Destroying the Field - The Ramifications, to see how people digging up the bones of a Cherokee and claiming him as their own when he is not is very much an example of exhuming things that are better left alone.

Those are my thoughts for today.
Thanks for reading.

**A special Thank You to my research partner who went to the library and got a copy of the Elizabeth P. Vann letter for this post.**

Sources -
--Eastern Cherokee Applications - Fold3
--University of Oklahoma Libraries Western History Collections, Indian Pioneer Collection,
Volume 77, Interview with John C. Robinson
--Elizabeth P. Vann letter - Cherokee Nation Papers (CNP) Roll 38, Box 110, Folder 3759

Destroying the Field - Some People Dig and Find Gold......(part 1)

Destroying the Field - Grandpa Tell Me 'Bout the Good Old Days (part 2)

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Destroying the Field - Grandpa, Tell Me 'Bout the Good Old Days

Can't you see it now? Children sitting around their daddy or their grandpa asking about the good old days? Oh how we love those old family stories! Of course they endear us to our grandpa, or daddy, or whoever is telling the story to us, but a word of caution.............those stories might not always be based in fact. For one reason or another, grandpa might have wanted to make the story a little more exciting or entertaining to his grandchildren or maybe someone tried to make the story more entertaining to him when he was a child, so he is just repeating what he heard. Maybe when the story was first told, it was true, but somehow, after being retold from generation to generation, more has been added so that it no longer resembles the original story.

Today, I am going to share one such story. I don't know the origination of it. I just know it is now becoming an internet myth, rapidly spreading, and being accepted as true. I imagine it has changed over the years and may not even resemble the original story today. Though I have repeatedly said family stories are unreliable, a lot of people disagree. I assure you, by the end of this series, "Destroying the Field," you will see why this family story is NOT true and you will see the ramifications of so many people accepting it as such without doing their own thorough research.

The name of the Cherokee claimed - John Vann, son of John Shepard Vann and Elizabeth Pack Fields.

The claim - Though there are a few variations, the basic premise of the story is that Elizabeth died during the Civil War and John Shepard Vann then married a white woman who made the younger John do "squaw's work." It is claimed because John had to do women's work, the other children laughed and made fun of him, so at the age of eight, he ran away, never having contact with his family again.

Fast forward to 1879 - The claim is the younger John married a woman named Sarah Matilda Himes or Hines (the spelling varies from tree to tree), produced children in the 1880s and died in 1899 in Texas.

Today, the descendants of Sarah claim to be Cherokee through this line -

James Vann - builder of the famed Vann House in Georgia
Rich Joe Vann - favorite son and inheritor of the Vann House after James' death
John Shepard Vann - active in Cherokee politics and a judge for the Circuit and Supreme Courts
John Vann - son of John Shepard Vann and Elizabeth Pack Fields Coody Vann

There's a lot of rich history in that family. Lots of exciting documentation exists today on several generations of the family because they were affluent and active in Cherokee politics. There is more than enough documentation to show that John Vann, son of John Shepard Vann and Elizabeth Pack Vann, did NOT father any of Sarah Matilda Himes/Hines' children, and that he is NOT he ancestor of those who descend through her. Stay tuned for the next installment in this series, "Destroying the Field - Diggin' Up Bones" where I will show you, through documentation, why this often shared, commonly accepted family story, is not true.

Those are my thoughts for today.
Thanks for reading.

Destroying the Field - Some People Dig and Find Gold......(part 1)
Destroying the Field - Diggin' Up Bones (part 3)

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Destroying the Field - Some People Dig and Find Gold..................

........others dig and find ancestors who are not theirs. Destroys the whole field (of genealogy.)

Stay tuned for more in the new series, "Destroying the Field."

Source - The Indiana Messenger; Indiana, Pennsylvania; August 11, 1869; p 2.

*Case brought to my attention by a concerned reader. Topic suggested by a friend. Thanks to you both!*

Those are my thoughts for today.
Thanks for reading.

Destroying the Field - Grandpa Tell Me 'Bout the Good Old Days (part 2)
Destroying the Field - Diggin' Up Bones (part 3)

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

You Can't Handle the Truth!

Truth is non-negotiable. Either something is true or it isn't. Yesterday, I was apparently "taken to task" over "truths." Apparently we all have our own truths. Whaaaaaaaaat? Back up there, buddy! We all have our own truths? Are you kidding me?

Fact is fact and fiction is fiction. In genealogy, we are supposed to be looking for facts, or I thought we were. But apparently not. Apparently it is okay for someone to claim any old thing they want about our Cherokee ancestors, with no real evidence or documentation to support what they say, and that is all okay. Pay attention here, folks. Watch what is going on........Did you see what I just said? It is okay for someone to write whatever the heck they want and try to pass it off as Cherokee genealogy and nobody has a problem with it. If a blog in the genealogical blogging community does this, IT IS OKAY! That blog will be promoted, tweeted, and shared all over the place, no questions asked. After all, we all have our own "truths."

But.......

What is not okay is for a Cherokee to take offense at that. What? Seriously it is not okay for a Cherokee to see it, point it out, and then say it was offensive. Don't believe me? Check out my recent interactions on Twitter. My tweet, "Promoting a blog that perpetuates myths about Cherokee ancestry is an insult to real Cherokee people," resulted in my being sent a nasty email and a later response on Twitter that included #bringit.

Are you kidding me? Bring it? Someone who is supposed to be a genealogist, seeking to get their certification, is going to tell me to "bring it" over this Crane Eater thing? Seriously, are you freaking kidding me? Crane Eater and James Keith were not the same man. The evidence and documentation clearly show it. This is not about a fight, a battle or personal attacks. It is about the truth, the real truth, and not some work of fiction being passed off as the truth.

Now if you want me to bring it, I can, but you better get ready because, to borrow some of your words to me, "I’m not a shrinking violet," and I'm "last person you want to #$%& off" when it comes to our Cherokee ancestors. You know there are some things that are very wrong here, yet rather than admit what you did might actually be offensive to Cherokees, you would rather attack me for saying it was offensive. That's fine. You made it perfectly clear where you stand on this issue. But, like it or not, Cherokees have the right to say all this wannabe hub-bub and the support and encouragement of it is offensive to us. That is our right and that is the truth. Oh, but I forgot, you can't handle the truth.

For the truth about Crane Eater and the never ending saga, please read:

Dissecting a Family Myth - William Loranzo Dow Keith

Dissecting a Family Myth - Keith Family Part 2

When Wannabes Attack (Again)

Let Crane Eater Rest In Peace

From My Inbox

This is How We Do It! (Cherokee Wannabe Genealogy)

She's Dug In, Baby! Let the Battle for Truth In Genealogy Begin

Crane Eater - A Story of Mistaken Identity and the Quest for Truth

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Sentimental Sunday - Crane Eater: A Story of Mistaken Identity and the Quest for Truth

Who was Crane Eater and why does his life matter?

Crane Eater was a full blood Cherokee and he was born in the old Cherokee Nation East. He served in the War of 1812 with a Cherokee regiment and did battle with Andrew Jackson against the Creeks. He was active in Cherokee politics and in 1835, he was living on the Coosawattee River in Georgia. He wasn't a rich man. Just a man of humble means living in his small home with 10 others in his full blood family.

Though he, along with nearly 16,000 others, signed a petition to remain in the east, his beloved homeland, he and the others were forced out; rounded up, arrested by the military and taken to the dreaded, horrific stockades where the Cherokees were held for months. He, like the other Cherokees, left on the now infamous Trail of Tears. He traveled through Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, and Missouri before finally reaching the Indian Territory. The weather and cold was nearly unbearable. The detachment he traveled with, just like those ahead of them and behind them, was forced to stop due to the frozen Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. People were suffering all around him. Everyone was sick. Many died.

Finally, in the early spring of 1839, he reached the Indian Territory. He settled on the Caney in Flint District with the surviving members of his family. Later, in 1842, he filed a claim against the United States government for the property he was forced to leave behind in the old nation. He was forced to abandon nearly everything he owned and never had a chance to retrieve it or sell it. Though under less than desirable circumstances, he did rebuild his life.

That life, the life of Crane Eater, matters because he is just one of many Cherokees from the old days whose lives are now being investigated. Sometimes their lives are studied by Cherokees but many times, their lives and history are studied by other people. Often those other people study our ancestors because they believe they, the other people, are Cherokee. Too many times, those other people are wrong.

Today, in the year 2012, one hundred and seventy four years after the Trail of Tears, there are a lot of rumors about Crane Eater that are not true. There is a white family who claims to have come from him. He did not know them and he never knew any of their people, yet they say he was the father of one of them. This is not true. He never knew the man they claim was his son. He was not married to the woman they claim was his wife. I imagine he would not like it that they try to give him children and a wife that were not his. I doubt he could ever understand why they do it. He had his own family. I believe he probably loved his family. This is why the story of his life matters.

Crane Eater was a full blood Cherokee man who had a family. For a white family to claim he was their ancestor and that his children were their ancestor's children is an outrage. By doing this, they are trying to erase the real Crane Eater and his family from history and replace them with James Keith, a white man, and his family. This is unacceptable and it is very disrespectful. Crane Eater deserves better than that. He stayed with his nation, through thick and thin, helping, as an average Cherokee citizen, to build it into what it is today. He never abandoned his nation or his people. He was one of those who signed the petition to try to keep their homeland. He was one those who was forcibly rounded up and removed. And he was one of those who survived to start over. It is important that people know the truth about Crane Eater and his life. If he is to be remembered, then he would want to be remembered for who he really was. To remember him any other way is a shame and dishonor to both him and the Cherokee people.

Those are my thoughts for today.

Thanks for reading.