Reservation Rolls
1817: A listing of those desiring a 640 acre tract in the east
and permitted to reside there.
Emigration Rolls
1817-35: Those who filed to emigrate [from the East] to Arkansas
country and after 1828, to Oklahoma.
Henderson Roll 1835: A census of over 16,000 Cherokee residing in
Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina to be removed
to Oklahoma under the treaty of New Echota (1835).
Mulay 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.
Siler Roll 1851: A listing of some 1700 Eastern Cherokee entitled
to a per capita payment pursuant to an act of Congress in 1850.
Chapman Roll 1852: Prepared by Albert Chapman as a listing of those
Cherokee actually receiving payment based on the Siler census.
Swetland Roll 1869: Prepared by S. H. Swetland as a listing of those
Cherokee, and their descendants, 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.
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.
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.
Guion Miller Roll 1909: Compiled by Mr. Miller of all Eastern Cherokee,
not Old Settlers, residing either east or 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.
Baker Roll 1924: This was supposed 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 is the current membership of
the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina.
THE ROLLS WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI
Since the removal in 1838, there have been numerous census taken
of those Cherokee now finding themselves west of the Mississippi
instead of their homeland in the east. The most information and
cross reference can be obtained by utilizing four major census
as follow:
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.
Drennan Roll 1852: The first census of the new arrivals of 1839.
The New Echota Treaty group - "Trail of Tears."
Dawes Roll 1898-1914: The final roll for allotting the
land and terminating the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Senator
Henry L. Dawes was the commis-sion's chairman, and consequently,
the name Dawes is associated with the final roll. The roll turned
out to not be as final as it was expected to be. Upon the reorganization
of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma in the 1970s, 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 the Cherokee Nation Tribal Registrar,
Tahlequah, OK.
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 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 descendant of, at the time of the
violated treaties. 48,847 seperate applications were filed, representing
some 90,000 individuals. Out of this number, 3,436 Cherokee east
of the Mississippi and 27,284 Cherokee west of the Mississippi
were certified by Mr. Miller as being eligible 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 [sic]
applications are available, which in most cases, go back to the
mid and early 1800s.