Current Events > I just learned I'm descended from a Cherokee Nation Chief

(+) Yeah! (+)

So my sister has a lot of free time on her hands on account of not working and she spends a lot of that time combing through census records and other Ancestry.com records to explore our family tree. She's obsessed with the Native American side of our history and loves to talk about her findings to the family. Well, I guess she found some letter written by the Cherokee Nation to George Washington in 1789 about the Chief they put into power. That Chief being our great great great great great great grandfather... or however you express it six times "great". She somehow traced our lineage to him, which is pretty cool I guess. I don't know if it has any practical applications, but it's an interesting piece of trivia. Even if it was officially recognized, I don't think it would amount to much of anything since I haven't spent ANY of my life interacting with any tribes. I'd just be an outsider trying to claim something for posterity. What are your thoughts, CE?

You get casino profits now

That's neat, I have a small trace, like 8% of Lakota Blackfoot in my lineage. I only learned that through that mail-in DNA test thing a few years ago.

Have you ever gotten a DNA test that shows Native ancestry?

You and every other girl

obsolete posted...

You get casino profits now

That would certainly make my life easier if that were true!

MabusIncarnate posted...

That's neat, I have a small trace, like 8% of Lakota Blackfoot in my lineage. I only learned that through that mail-in DNA test thing a few years ago.

Hey, I'm Lakota, too! Should we get married and join the tribe?

Itachi157 posted...

Have you ever gotten a DNA test that shows Native ancestry?

Yes, I did one of those mail-in tests and my sister did the record research.

gunplagirl posted...

You and every other girl

Nuh-uh! That's not true! ...is it?

You gotta go on a long road trip with a wacky friend and a love interest to the tribe's homelands and complete the trials to claim your rightful title.

Lemme ask the wife if I can have another one, i'll let you know.

SableWolfAngel posted...

Nuh-uh! That's not true! ...is it?

https://tinyurl.com/yukpx5vj

For what it's worth, my mother's got a Bible with marriages and stuff recorded alongside some birth and death dates and names of children and their marriages. And on my father's side, I know that all 4 of his great grandparents crossed the border in their lifetimes. Besides finding out I'm 1/4 Jewish, I'm like 1/8th French and British mix (makes sense since my mother's ancestry comes from Ireland and so that would simplify to those two), and the rest is various native tribes throughout the southern and central United States, plus tribes from Mexico.

Wanna guess how much is Cherokee?

marthsheretoo posted...

You gotta go on a long road trip with a wacky friend and a love interest to the tribe's homelands and complete the trials to claim your rightful title.

I think I'd only want to do that if I could help the tribe in some way, like with money or volunteering or something.

MabusIncarnate posted...

Lemme ask the wife if I can have another one, i'll let you know.

Yes! Please do!

gunplagirl posted...

https://tinyurl.com/yukpx5vj

For what it's worth, my mother's got a Bible with marriages and stuff recorded alongside some birth and death dates and names of children and their marriages. And on my father's side, I know that all 4 of his great grandparents crossed the border in their lifetimes. Besides finding out I'm 1/4 Jewish, I'm like 1/8th French and British mix (makes sense since my mother's ancestry comes from Ireland and so that would simplify to those two), and the rest is various native tribes throughout the southern and central United States, plus tribes from Mexico.

Wanna guess how much is Cherokee?

But I have the records to back up my claims. And I never thought it was a royalty thing, just an interesting trace of my past. I wouldn't claim something like this with no basis, you know that. I don't think it makes me any more special than anyone else, I just think it's kinda cool since I've never concerned myself with my roots, but my sister is obsessed so it's hard to ignore when she starts talking about it. I'm also some kind of British and German mix on my mother's side, but I don't think I'm distantly related to a royal family or important historical figure. It's just for fun.

Um, 4%?

My great grandpa was supposedly a native American. I'm sure most America born people hear they some a distant native relative too.

My 4x Great Grandmother was First Nations (Canadian equivalent)

KogaSteelfang posted...

My great grandpa was supposedly a native American. I'm sure most America born people hear they some a distant native relative too.

Yea I hear I'm a mix of Scotch, Irish and Cherokee.

Was normal with people from East Tennessee I guess.

KogaSteelfang posted...

My great grandpa was supposedly a native American. I'm sure most America born people hear they some a distant native relative too.

We were told that we had native ancestry but turns out we're just English and Swedish

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AK2B5ffWR6g

i've got an aunt that claims she can trace my families relationship to pocahontas, she's spent years working on the pointless project. also supposed to be related to william harrision, the president that died a month into office...

So is everyone else. Get in line.

KogaSteelfang posted...

My great grandpa was supposedly a native American. I'm sure most America born people hear they some a distant native relative too.

Considering how many natives there were and how far the settlers went to take over, I'm sure that's true on some level. It just takes research to figure out who actually has the history to back it up.

trappedunderice posted...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AK2B5ffWR6g

I don't know what this is.

monkmith posted...

i've got an aunt that claims she can trace my families relationship to pocahontas, she's spent years working on the pointless project. also supposed to be related to william harrision, the president that died a month into office...

Sounds like she's really reaching to feel special or something. She should be able to find records if she's working that hard on it.

Kitt posted...

So is everyone else. Get in line.

Get in line for what? Knowing this information isn't helpful to my actual life at all. It's just a conversation starter.

SableWolfAngel posted...

Sounds like she's really reaching to feel special or something. She should be able to find records if she's working that hard on it.

she's got records, i just cant decide if i believe it or even care.

How can she have an Ancestry account if she doesnt have a job?

Kitt posted...

So is everyone else. Get in line.

not me, my family was too white European racist for that I guess

An old high school friend of mine found out that he was descended from William Lyon Mackenzie. You know, one of the original colonizers of Canada. He immediately told his very oldest childhood friend, who was still his friend, but also very indigenous. When his oldest childhood friend told him about this fact of history, he said, and I quote "I wasn't interested in a history lesson.", then stopped talking to him. I found that amusingly ironic.