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Cherokee Rolls: East of the Mississippi

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 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 who were to be removed to Oklahoma under the Treaty of New Echota (1835).

Mullay Roll 1848: A census of 1,517 Cherokee people who remained 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 1,700 Eastern Cherokee who were entitled to a per capita payment, pursuant 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 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.

Hester Roll 1883: Compiled by Joseph G. Hester as a roll of the 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: Taken by Inspector Frank C. Churchill to certify members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Like the Hester Roll, it 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 a suit won by the Eastern Cherokee. See Guion Miller Roll West for more details.

Baker Roll 1924: This was supposed to have been 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 roll of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina.

Links to some of these rolls can be found here:

Native Americans: NCGenWeb Statewide page


Cherokee Rolls: West of the Mississippi

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.

Drennen Roll 1852: The first census of the new arrivals of 1839. The New Echota Treaty group--"Trail of Tears."

The Dawes Roll 1898-1914: The final roll for allotting the land and terminating the Cherokee nation of Oklahoma. Senator Henry L. Dawes was the commission'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 1970's, the Dawes Roll became the only means of certifying membership.


Qualla Boundary Public Library Holdings

These Cherokee reference books may be viewed at: Qualla Boundary Public Library, P.O. Box 1839, Cherokee, NC 28719, Phone: (828) 497-9023

Cherokee Emigration Rolls, 1817-1835, by Jack D. Baker.

Genealogy of "Old and New" Cherokee Indian Families, by George Morrison Bell, Sr.

Cherokee Roots, Volume 1 & 2. (2nd edition), by Bob Blankenship.

The Cherokee Indians and Those Who Came After, by N. C. Browder.

Cherokee Reservees, by David Keith Hampton.

Old Families and Their Genealogy, by Emmet Starr.

History of the Cherokee Indians and Their Legend and Folklore, by Emmet Starr.

Those who Cried, the 16,000, by James W. Tyner.

Our People and Where They Rest, Volume 1, by James W. Tyner.

Cherokee By Blood, Records of Eastern Cherokee Ancestry in the U.S. Court of Claims 1906-1910. Volumes 1-7, by Jerry Wright Jordan.

Exploring Your Cherokee Ancestry, A Basic Genealogical Research Guide, by Thomas G. Mooney.

The Heritage of Swain County, North Carolina, by Hazel C. Jenkins and Ora Lee Sossamon.

The Bone Rattler, the Bulletin of the Swain County Genealogical and Historical Society, Bryson City, NC.


Reference Books for Sale

These Cherokee reference books may be purchased from: Cherokee Roots, P.O. Box 525, Cherokee, NC 28719, Phone: (828) 497-9709

Cherokee Roots, Volume 1: East: Includes the following rolls: 1817 Reservations Rolls, 1817-1835 Emigration Rolls, 1835 Henderson Roll, 1848 Mullay Roll, 1851 Siler Roll, 1852 Chapman Roll, 1869 Swetland Roll, 1883 Hester Roll, 1908 Churchill Roll, 1909 Guion Miller East Roll, 1824 Baker Roll.

Cherokee Roots, Volume 2: West: Includes the following rolls: 1851 Old Settler Roll, 1852 Drennen Roll, 1898-1914 Dawes Roll, 1909 Guion Miller Roll.

1898 Dawes Roll "Plus": Includes the 1898 Dawes Roll, plus allGuion Miller Roll information for those individuals who were on both rolls.

1909 Guion Miller Roll "Plus": Includes the 1909 Guion Miller Roll, plus all 1898 Dawes Roll information for those individuals who were on both rolls.


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