From Sequoyah to Sequoyah: The Lineage of a Cherokee Family - Pt 1

Sequoyah Guess was about 10 years old when his father died in 1900. His father's death left him an orphan because his mother died the previous year. He was too young to enroll himself on Dawes, but that didn't mean he wasn't enrolled. As was common for those who couldn't or wouldn't enroll themselves, an informant who knew the family gave their information. 

Per the testimony of Tom Smith in Dawes Packet 8338, Sequoyah was the son of Dave and Nancy (Ooskoony Young Pig) Guess.

Fold3.com/Dawes Packets

The accuracy of that testimony was validated by information found on the rolls taken in the Cherokee Nation during the years 1890, 1893, and 1896, where Sequoyah is listed with David/Dave and Nancy Guess.

Sequoyah in 1890, 3 months old. - Ancestry.com/Oklahoma and Indian Territory, Indian Census Rolls, 1851-1959

Sequoyah in 1893, 3 years old. - Ancestry.com/Oklahoma and Indian Territory, Indian Census Rolls, 1851-1959

Sequoyah in 1896, 6 years old. - Ancestry.com/Oklahoma and Indian Territory, Indian Census Rolls, 1851-1959

After a reasonably exhaustive search, it was not difficult to conclude that David and Nancy Guess were the parents of Sequoyah. All the documentation found supported that determination, including the Eastern Cherokee Application filed for Sequoyah (17322) by his aunt, Alice Beamer. Though the application listed his English name as Tom Guess, his Indian name was listed as Sequoyah. His parents were listed as Dave Guess and Oo sgoo ne, which matched the names given for his parents in his Dawes application.

Fold3.com/Eastern Cherokee applications

The second page of Sequoyah's Eastern Cherokee application listed the names of his grandparents. While written in the opposite sections, his grandfathers were listed as Will Bigmoney aka Guess and Runabout Youngpig.

Fold3.com/Eastern Cherokee applications

Sequoyah's aunt, Alice, likely spoke little to no English because she gave additional testimony through an interpreter. Maybe Alice had the names put in the wrong columns or there was a clerical error, but later, in her testimony, she made it clear that Will Big Money was the paternal grandfather of Sequoyah. She also said Ah-del-a-guah was Will Big Money's father. (Note the name Dah-ya-nih listed as her father's "mother mother". That is likely a typo and should probably be "mother" meaning Will Big Money's mother was Dah-ya-nih.)

Fold3.com/Eastern Cherokee applications

Because Alice Beamer was Sequoyah's paternal aunt, her paternal grandparents were Sequoyah's paternal great-grandparents. On the first page of her Eastern Cherokee application (8045), Alice reported that her father was Bill Big Money and that his father (described as her father's father) was Big Money Guess.

Fold3.com/Eastern Cherokee applications

The second page of Alice's Eastern Cherokee application included the names of her paternal grandparents (and Sequoyah's paternal great-grandparents) as Big Money Guess or Ah-de-le-gua and Da-ye-ni. (Similar to Dah-ya-nih from above, isn't it? Remember that name. It's important.)

Fold3.com/Eastern Cherokee applications

At this point in this research, the names of Sequoyah's parents, paternal grandparents and paternal great-grandparents have been discovered. The lineage is:

Child - Sequoyah Guess
Father - David/Dave Guess
Paternal Grandfather - Will/Bill Big Money aka Guess
Paternal Great-Grandfather - Big Money Guess or  Ah-de-le-gua/Ah-del-a-guah
Paternal Great-Grandmother -  Da-ye-ni/Dah-ya-nih


All those names are important in the next installment of this series where we will explore the older Cherokee records, including some from the pre-removal era. This will be a great opportunity to learn about the variety of records available on Cherokees during that time period.

Those are my thoughts for today.
Thanks for reading.

copyright 2015, Polly's Granddaughter - TCB

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Thoughts and Prayers for the family of Jess Sixkiller

Cherokee Nation citizen and American Indian civil rights activist, Jess Sixkiller, was killed early Friday morning in Phoenix, Arizona during a home invasion. 

Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to the family at this difficult time.


Those are my thoughts for today.
Thanks for reading.

copyright 2015, Polly's Granddaughter - TCB

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Coming Soon - New Series: The "forgotten" descendants of Sequoyah

When my mom asked me to do the genealogy of her friend, I said I would, but I didn't think it would be much fun. The person appeared to descend from one of the most famous Cherokees that has ever walked the face of the earth, so I thought the lineage had probably been researched inside and out, backward and forward, with every tidbit of information scratched out of our records. But, because my mom asked, I started the work on the "well known genealogy."

After researching off and on for about a month in my spare time, the following topic came up on Facebook and it got my attention:

I stared at the screen in disbelief. George Guess Jr., the son of THE Sequoyah, did have descendants and I was researching those very descendants, per my mom's request. I also knew that Winnie Guess Perdue didn't descend from nor claim to descend from Sequoyah's son, George, but instead, Richard. And she does descend from that son, Richard.

My shock increased as I continued to read the comments in the thread:

and

Normally, I might have let it go, but the person spreading the untruths about Sequoyah's descendants is a self described "Cherokee genealogist" on Facebook and the name redacted by the red box is a Cherokee Nation council person! There is no way I could overlook the idea that some Cherokees might demand another Cherokee to stop claiming her own ancestors and that they might actually convince a Cherokee Nation tribal council person to get involved in helping with such a demand! 

When my mom suggested I do genealogical research for her friend, I assumed it would be a quiet job I did privately, simply to help a fellow Cherokee learn more about his ancestors. I was wrong. This research has become important in light of the inaccurate information being shared across social media and that has been far reaching enough to get the attention of our tribal council members.

In the upcoming weeks, with the permission of my client, I will be sharing information, supported by documentation, that will make it clear that George Guess Jr. and Richard Guess, sons of Sequoyah, did have descendants. These are apparently the "forgotten" descendants of Sequoyah and because of that, their stories need to be told.

Those are my thoughts for today.
Thanks for reading.






** Names redacted in black are commenters on the Recaps from Cherokee Nation Tribal Council Meetings Facebook page. The name redacted in red is a Cherokee Nation Tribal Council person who was mentioned in a comment, but who did not actually comment in the thread.

copyright 2015, Polly's Granddaughter - TCB

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Thank you for six years of success!

Today, this blog is 6 years old. It's hard to believe how far it's come since it's early beginnings. None of it could have happened without my loyal readers. I wanted to take a moment today to thank all my readers; my research partners; my friends and my family. Without you, this blog would not be the success that it is. Thank you for believing in me and in helping to make this blog what it is today. You are all greatly appreciated.

Those are my thoughts for today.
Thanks for reading.

copyright 2015, Polly's Granddaughter - TCB

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A Letter from a Reader - Thanking and Honoring Charlie Soap.

I received this message from a reader and with his permission, I'm sharing it below.

***

 

I grew up in the Bell community.

I was raised in a 4 room log cabin, we had no running water,no inside bathroom. We did have electricity.
 
We drew our water from a well, and in periods of drought, we would drive up to the Bethel spring to fetch water. We moved to town when I was a teenager and enjoyed the 'amenities' of running water.
 
When I was 22 or 23, I was in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Arkansas-Times Democrat ran a very large story on the running of the Bell Water line. I wrote letters to the editors of both the Times-Democrat and the Cherokee Phoenix telling of my pride in my former community and their hard work. To my surprise, both letters were printed.

Last year, Mr. Charlie Soap was in Jenks, Oklahoma, speaking to the Native American Children there and the audience was treated to a free showing of The Cherokee Word For Water.
 
There was a Q & A after the show. I raised my hand and when called upon, I addressed Mr. Soap in Cherokee, and then I said something to the affect of thanking him and the late Wilma Mankiller for their leadership and undying determination to complete this project. At that point, the moderator, who was also one of the producers of the show, ran up to me with the microphone so they could hear me better. She had tears in her eyes. 

I told them that the project was too late for my upbringing, but that my neighbors and relatives benefitted greatly from this project. And then I thanked Mr. Soap again, in Cherokee.

When the show closed, I and several others walked up to shake his hand. I could feel the eyes on me as he and I shook hands, no words were needed, the handshake said it all. But Mr. Soap did say, "Thank you, Brother, for coming." 

It was one of those rare moments where you come full circle and you are able to thank those who made life better for you and yours. I will always remember and honor Mr. Soap for his dedication and I hope that The Cherokee Word for Water is rightfully recognized by the Institute. 

Wado,
 
M. Walkingstick-Gregory 

copyright 2015, Polly's Granddaughter - TCB

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The Cherokee Word for Water - American Indian Top Movie ShowDown (2015)

The movie, The Cherokee Word for Water, has made the final round in the American Indian Top Movie ShowDown (2015). Voting runs from September 5 through September 18, 2015.

Many of us have seen the movie and felt pride knowing it was based on a true story of our people...of our strength...of our determination...and of our sense of community.

From the website:

"The Cherokee Word For Water is a feature-length motion picture inspired by the true story of the struggle for, opposition to, and ultimate success of a rural Cherokee community to bring running water to their families by using the traditional concept of "gadugi" working together to solve a problem."

In my humble opinion, the movie did more than just tell the story of the Bell Waterline Project. It also showed the American public who we Cherokees are today. We are not stereotypes. We are not mascots. We are not people of the past. We are a diverse, thriving and proud nation of people. Educating the American public about who we are is one of my top priorities. This movie helps do that and now you, my readers, can help do it as well by voting for The Cherokee Word for Water in the American Indian Film Institute's American Indian Top Movie ShowDown.

The #1 film will be shown at the 40th annual American Indian Film Festival, November 6-14, 2015, in San Francisco, California.

Cast your vote to show your support for The Cherokee Word for Water. Share with your friends and family so they can vote and show their support as well. Together, we can put The Cherokee Word for Water in the top 10 and show those who worked on this project how much we appreciate their determination and hard work in making this movie that tells a modern day Cherokee story.

** Click here to go to the website to VOTE **

Those are my thoughts for today.
Thanks for reading.

copyright 2015, Polly's Granddaughter - TCB

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