Dear kinfolk,

Years have been spent searching our Cherokee Indian heritage.  We may never be able to apply for Cherokee Citizenship, due to the Cherokee Nations strict policy….if the Cherokee ancestor did not sign the Indian rolls, started in 1835, they can not claim Cherokee citizenship!  I have searched many rolls without success.  The early rolls were taken by the federal government and used later by President Jackson to identify Indians he wanted moved from the east to the Oklahoma Territory.  Many Indian hid from the roll takers and others just refused to go on the infamous “trail of tears”.   At this time I believe our Cherokee ancestors were among those that did not sign the rolls and stayed in the original East Cherokee Nation.

My grandfather, William Henry Anderson, made a sworn affidavit in 1925 stating….”that his grandfather Henry (M) Anderson a quarter breed Cherokee Indian who was born in 1809 in the state of Mississippi as appears from the records taken from the family bible”.  So starting with those facts it leads us to the probability that the 1/4 blood would have come from his grandmother Elizabeth “Betty” Harlan Mitchell.

In 1907 the Dawes commission from Washington D.C. came to the Oklahoma Territory to verify who was a Cherokee citizen.  Again, the person with Indian blood had to appear on one of their earlier rolls and/or establish that they had moved to the Oklahoma Territory from the East Cherokee Nation.   Granddad William Anderson made the following written statement to the Guion Miller case #34466 Eastern Cherokees application.   I believe his application was based upon his Indian heritage from, “East Bettie Mitchell”, who had not moved to the Oklahoma Territory, but had remained in the “old”East” Cherokee Nation.  You will note his affidavit refers to his grandmother as East Bettie Mitchell.  He would have been referring to the old East Cherokee Nation citizenship and not her name being East.  William could not verify where she had lived in the Cherokee Nation and therefore was denied his application.  It was  real hard-nosed government official that made  judgement.  There were no computers in those days to verify where Indians lived in the old Cherokee Nation, East that.  The following is from the statement given the government (Guion Miller # 34466) by my grandfather Willian H. Anderson.

Henry (M) Anderson was my grandfather.

Henry (M) Anderson was the son of James Anderson and grandson of Henry Anderson and also grandson on his mothers side of James and Bettie Mitchell who lived in the old Cherokee Nation.

East Bettie Mitchell’s maiden name was East Bettie Harlin and was recognized Cherokee and my grandfather was an second cousin of old Tom Starr.

My grandfathers folks came from Tennessee to Mississippi then to Arkansas.  Farther dates I can’t tell you if there is any farther information I can give you I will gladly do so.

Yours very resp.

W.H. Anderson

Hamburg, Okla.

Also included is a family tree to help you follow the relationship of Henry M. Anderson to the Cherokee Indian, Bettie Harlan Mitchell.   There is a possibility that Henry M.’s mother Fannie Griffin could also have had Indian blood, but  it can not be verified.

On a separate note, recently I posted a blog titled HAPPY NEW YEAR KINFOLK.  Somehow it got lost in my computer and I am not certain it ever got out.  So, if you did not receive it and would like a copy just add a note in the COMMENTS block below and I will forward you a copy.

Again, Happy New Year,

Jim Lee