Proving Cherokee heritage w/o a name on the rolls (not registered due to stigma at the time)?

Question

Dose anyone know if there is any way to prove one's Cherokee Indian heritage with out a family members name on the rolls. My great grandmother (name unknown at the moment) didn't register my grandma because she feared the stigma. I have very limited information, is it true there is a dna test, and if so would this be viable to use for registration?

Answer 1

Persons on the rolls are "proven".. this does not equate that they are not Cherokee, if they are not... you just need further evidence.  Example.. hubbys family knows of Cherokee background of an ancestor. She does not show on the census as such.. however, we DO know her proven sister.. and, the sister is shown on the census, not only as "Indian" but is living with a family who IS known to be on the rolls.  It is satisfactory evidence, to me, of the facts.  It does not mean qualified to enroll as tribal member.

My understanding is that no, DNA will not qualify to use for enrollment. You must have the right documentation. Just as an aside.. you MUST learn what gr grandma's name is. This indicates that you don't have your basic research facts (not a hostile comment). It is not good practice to be looking only for an expected result (ie Cherokee) instead of finding the records concerning the ancestor.  In other words... find gr grandma AND her family. It might turn out that a cousin IS on the rolls (brother, etc).  You would then use their application to compare to gr grandma and figure if she is/ is not. You might be looking right at the connection, but not see it.. because you don't know who to be looking for.

One last comment.. I "know" they were Cherokee but there is no record, is not solid genealogy.  For SOLID research, you state the facts that have been documented, and anything else is an unproven note. Many families claim Native background when they really are not.