Dissecting a Family Myth - Keith Family Part 2

Just a quick post to share some additional information that has turned up in the case of the Keith family.

Though some descendants still seem to want to hang on to that last shred of hope that James Keith and Crane Eater were the same man, it is just not supported by the evidence.

In 1835, Crane Eater was living in the Cherokee Nation. He had 11 full bloods in his family, no whites and no mixed bloods. (United States official census of the Cherokee Nation, 1835)

In 1835, James Keith was living in Meriwether, Georgia, outside the Cherokee Nation on land that was ceded by the Creeks. (Obituary for James' daughter, Cynthia) According to James Keith's grandson, William Loranzo Dow Keith, James was a full blood who was married to a white woman. This would have made their children mixed bloods.

Also, the Cherokees who stayed in the East were found on various rolls (Chapman, Siler, etc...) None of the Keith family were found on these rolls, but were found on the United States censuses as white. In 1860, the instructions for enumerators were "5. Indians.-- Indians not taxed are not to be enumerated. The families of Indians who have renounced tribal rule, and who under State or Territorial laws exercise the rights of citizens, are to be enumerated. In all such cases write "Ind." opposite their names, in column 6, under heading "Color." " And, "9. Color.-- Under heading 6, entitled "Color," in all cases where the person is white leave the space blank; in all cases where the person is black without admixture insert the letter "B;"if a mulatto, or of mixed blood, write "M;"if an Indian, write "Ind." It is very desirable to have these directions carefully observed."

The Keith family is found with the color space left blank. The only logical conclusion is they were white and were not known as or accepted as Indian, no matter what William Loranzo Dow Keith said in his sworn testimony.

Also, there is a James Keith listed here (number 53) as receiving a land grant in the Georgia Land Lottery. Still researching this to connect the James Keith family to the James on this list. If it proves to be him, I don't see how the descendants can continue to carry on believing their ancestor was Cherokee since Indians did not receive land grants.

The fact, in light of all of the evidence that shows James Keith and Crane Eater were two completely different people, at least one descendant of the Keith family still clings to hope that this family proves to be Cherokee. They became condescending and rude when they read my original Keith family blog post and didn't see the story they wanted. They have continuously posted lies about me and attempted to make me look bad in any way they can. They have emailed the followers of my blog spreading untruths and they even went so far as to suggest people report me to the APG for being unethical. I am not even a member of the APG! Frustrating? Yes. Surprising? No. It is typical behavior for a person when their family myth is shattered and their ancestor turns out to be someone completely different than they hoped -- non-Cherokee.

Anyway........if nothing else, it is a perfect example of the difference between a person searching for the truth in their ancestry and a wannabe. Those searching find the truth and move on whether they are Cherokee descendants or not. Wannabes never give up the search, no matter what the evidence says, and they resort to lies and attacks in their attempt to discredit a person who reveals the truth. It is quite sad and pathetic, actually.

Those are my thoughts for today.
Thanks for reading.

CC
The Granddaughter

copyright 2011, Polly's Granddaughter - TCB

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Dissecting a Family Myth - William Loranzo Dow Keith

Disclaimer: Though another blogger claims I did this research for her, that is not true. If you are one of the people who found this post due to the writings of another blogger, please read this post or contact me privately for more information. 


Yesterday a friend contacted me and asked me to look up the Guion Miller application of William Loranzo Dow Keith. The descendants of William claim to descend from a Cherokee named Crane Eater based on this application. Almost immediately, I knew this was a family myth that needed to be dissected and explained.

The first thing I noticed about the Miller application filed by William was that it was rejected. The reason - "It does not appear that any ancestor was party to the treaties of 1835-6 or 1846. Nor does it appear that any ancestor was ever enrolled. Shows no real connection with the Eastern Cherokees." How much clearer can it get? Guion Miller said these people had NO REAL connection to the Cherokees. How is that sound genealogical evidence of Cherokee ancestry?


Having the application rejected is usually not good enough for some people to accept they are not Cherokee, so I kept looking. Next I noticed William reported his grandfather's English name as James Keith and Indian name "Heat", but later, after giving testimony for more information, William then threw the name Crane Eater out there. "But if he wasn't Cherokee, where would he get such a name?" you might ask. Let me tell you. William was born in Gordon County, Georgia. Guess what is in Gordon County, Georgia? A town/community named Crane-Eater as well as a creek with the same name. Notice William didn't pick just any Cherokee name to say he descended from, but instead, something he was familiar with - a place named after a Cherokee and near where he had previously lived. And, we know he knew about this place because he actually mentions it in his Miller application.


Also, William changed his story from the time he filed his application to the time he was questioned for more details about his grandfather. The first time he gave information about his grandfather, he said his grandfather's English name was James Keith. In the testimony for more information, he said, "My grandfather was a full blooded Cherokee. His name was Crane Eater: that was his Indian name. Don't know that he ever had any English name." Now why did the story change? Is it possible William forgot he had already reported the English name (and supposed Cherokee name) of his grandfather and thought this new story sounded better? Whatever the reason, the stories don't match and something is amiss.

William also says his grandfather lived with the Indians until he died, but this can't be true. The reason? Because we would assume a father was living in the place his children were born. William says his father, David A. Keith, was born in Monroe County, Georgia in 1807. According to the 1860 US Census, William's father, David, was 35 years old. This means he was actually born in approximately 1825. At that time, Monroe County, Georgia was no longer Indian land. It had been ceded by the Creek Nation in January, 1821. When Indians ceded land to the government, they moved off that land. This means white people lived there, not Indians. So, if David A. Keith was born there, his father (William's grandfather) was probably living there and not with Indians as William stated.

Another thing I noticed about the Miller application filed by William was that he had a lawyer working on his claim for him. Anyone who has read very many of the Miller applications is aware that it is rare to see a real Cherokee use a lawyer to get their money, but extremely common for a white person who is eventually rejected to use one. Cherokee genealogists are also aware of the fact lawyers were traveling around the country telling people the Cherokees were going to get a lot of money and for a small fee, the lawyer could help people get some of this money because the Cherokees had no records. The only people who got rich in this was the lawyers because the Cherokees had a lot of records and the fraudulent applications were nearly all rejected.

Something else that got my attention in this application was twice William wrote letters to the commission asking how long it would take to settle his case. In one letter, he even said, "I write to you to inquire the status of my case as I am in very bad health and not able to work......This is a matter this is of vital importance to me.............As I am in very straightened circumstances I would deem it a great favor if you could advise me to an early consumation of my claim." These sound like the words of a desperate man who needed money badly. It would not seem far fetched to think he would try to get it by saying anything he needed to say. After all, there was no punishment for filing a false claim, you just got rejected. But, if you could get admitted, then you got money. So what was there to stop people from trying to get this money? Haven't we all heard the old saying, "Hard times call for drastic measures"?

After moving from the Miller application, which should have been more than enough to dispel the family myth of Cherokee ancestry, I found more information. Apparently James Keith*, the great grand uncle of William (the uncle of his supposed full blood grandfather, James Keith/Crane Eater), was issued a passport to cross Creek Nation (Georgia Passports, page 229, dated Thursday, 17 November 1808). Guess what? Indians didn't need passports to cross Indian land. That is something white people needed. Since William claimed his grandpa was full blood, that would mean great grand uncle would probably have been at least some degree of Indian. If William's claim's were true, then why the need for a passport?

And, I am not finished yet. William's aunt, Cynthia Keith Prince McFarlin, who he mentions in his Miller application, the daughter of his "full blood Cherokee grandfather", was not born in Cherokee Nation, but instead in Meriwether, Georgia which is located in the west central part of the state and was created in 1827. Meriwether and its parent county, Troup, were included in the last territory ceded by the Creek Indians to the United States government. She then moved to Gordon County, Georgia, (at the time, Cherokee Nation) at the age of 7 (information from her obituary published in Calhoun Times; July 26, 1917.)

Since she was born in 1832, per her obituary, this means she moved into the Cherokee Nation in approximately 1839. Guess what happened in 1838-39? The Cherokees were removed and whites took over their homes and property! Now if James Keith was Cherokee, a full blood Cherokee, why would he move his family INTO Cherokee Nation as the Cherokees are being forced out? He wouldn't. The only people who moved into Cherokee Nation at that time were whites who were waiting like vultures to take Cherokee homes and property as soon as the army removed the Cherokees!

People often don't believe me when I say the very people who forced our ancestors off their land and took nearly everything else they had now have descendants who are trying to steal the last thing we have left -- our very identity. This family is a prime example of it. First, they moved onto Cherokee Nation lands as soon as the Cherokees were forced out! Then, they filed a claim for money due the Cherokees for that very same land! And now they claim to be Cherokee based on that rejected application! Are you kidding me? Why don't they just spit in our faces?

What gives this family the right to claim to be Cherokee when there is no evidence to support it, yet so much that suggests they aren't? I would like to say this is an isolated case and it doesn't happen very often, but unfortunately, it happens all the time. There is NO excuse for it. I only looked at this family for two hours and found all this information. If I can find this in that short amount of time, then why can't the descendants who have been looking for years find it? The pieces of the puzzle are all there. They just have to put them together. You can't change a family to Cherokee when they weren't. The evidence speaks for itself.

*Indenture: Witnesseth that James Keith, son of Samuel Keith dec'd and by consent of James Keith, his uncle, put himself an apprentice to Allen Spurlock to learn his art or mystery and after the manner of an apprentice to serve him from the date hereof during the full term of his minority ... [Guardian and Administrator's Bonds 1794-1848 p. 48; McRee p. 10]

More about the Keith family here.

Those are my thoughts for today.
Thanks for reading.

CC
The Granddaughter

Full documents used for the above sources are found below.

Eastern Cherokee/Guion Miller application for William Loranzo Dow Keith #2820, footnote.com








1860 US Census listing David A. Keith and family, ancestry.com


Obituary for Cynthia Keith Prince McFarlin, http://www.themashburncollection.com/search/label/Prince#axzz1CxPxqhWj

copyright 2011, Polly's Granddaughter - TCB

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Monday Madness - Common Family Stories

In today's world, there seems to be more people who claim unverified Cherokee ancestry than actual Cherokees who can prove their ancestry. People have these family traditions or stories that are passed down from generation to generation and even though they have never been able to verify these stories, they just keep on telling them. Most seem to believe their story is unique, therefore, it must be true. Nothing could actually be further from the truth. Real Cherokees hear these same stories over and over, and after a while, it gets maddening. Today, I thought I would share some of the most common themes in stories of unverified Cherokee ancestry.

• Some degree of great grandma was a Cherokee princess.
• Some degree of great grandpa was a chief.
• An ancestor escaped the Trail of Tears.
• An ancestor hid out.
• An ancestor passed for white.
• An ancestor was abandoned on the Trail of Tears as a baby/child.
• An ancestor was rescued from the Trail of Tears by a soldier.
• An ancestor's records were destroyed in a courthouse fire.
  
• An ancestor destroyed their "Indian papers" to hide their ancestry.
  
• An ancestor refused to "sign the roll".
• An ancestor looks Indian in their picture.
  
• The family received a letter telling them to claim their Indian land.

I have no idea how or why most of these stories got started in families, but to Cherokee genealogists, these are known as common myths. The minute we hear any of these things, we start seeing red flags. Unlike a lot of novice researchers who are only researching their family, we have researched lots and lots of families so we know these stories rarely if ever prove to be true.

So, if you are looking for a Cherokee ancestor because of one of these stories, you might want to re-evaluate the real reason you are doing your family genealogy. Do you just want to chase the trail of a "Cherokee" that might not exist or do you want to learn the truth about your ancestors, no matter who they were? Just something to think about.

Those are my thoughts for today.
Thanks for reading.

CC
The Granddaughter

copyright 2011, Polly's Granddaughter - TCB

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The Myth of the Cherokee Grandma - Part 2

My Cherokee grandma was a lot of things. She was a daughter, a mother, a grandmother and a great grandmother. She was a sister, an aunt, a niece and a friend. She was traditional, hard working and respected. Like I said, she was a lot of things, but there is one thing she was not. She was not a Cherokee Princess.

How many times have you heard someone proclaim their grandma was a Cherokee Princess? If you are like me, you have heard it too many times to count. Despite all the information that is now available explaining there was no such thing as a Cherokee Princess, people still continue to tell these stories. Usually, the "Cherokee Princess" has at least one and sometimes several greats in front of grandma, so that she is pretty far removed from the person telling you the story. Once again, they rarely know her name or any identifying details about her. All they know is she was a "princess".

When I hear these Cherokee Princess stories, I can't help but roll my eyes. One search on Google displays a number of resources that explains the myth of the Cherokee Princess. How can a person not know there was NO SUCH THING?

I have heard of a Cherokee Princess. Who was she?
The Cherokee Princess Myth
The Myth of the Cherokee Princess

I always wonder if the person telling the story has ever logically thought about what they are saying. Do they seriously believe if the Cherokee Nation had princesses, the names of those princesses would have been forgotten? I wonder why these people who believe they have a princess in their ancestry don't also claim they have a king or a chief or a queen too. Wouldn't the parents of the princess be part of their family? I also wonder why someone, somewhere, decided the real truth about their ancestors wasn't good enough, so they had to invent some mythological Cherokee Princess grandma to make things more interesting. Doesn't each of our ancestors, whether good or bad, have something unique and special about them that makes them worth remembering on their own merits?

My Cherokee Grandma was named Polly. She was born in Georgia in the early 1830's. She traveled with her parents when they relocated to Indian Territory before the forced removal. After losing her first husband in the Civil War, she married my grandpa. Together, they had three children and also raised my grandpa's niece who was left an orphan after the war. Grandma found herself a widow again when grandpa died. Despite this, she still raised three more children, two granddaughters and a grand nephew, who were motherless. From time to time, she would also take in other children who had no where else to go.

My Cherokee grandma was not a rich woman. She didn't live in a big house or own fancy things. By all standards, she was an average citizen of the Cherokee Nation. So, maybe I can't live under the illusion that somehow, I am more special, because my grandma was a Cherokee princess. But, at least my grandma was real. And I will take that over any fictitious princess any day of the week.

Those are my thoughts for the day.
Thank you for reading.

CC
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The Myth of the Cherokee Grandma - Part 1

I bet you are wondering who Polly is, aren't you? Well, she was my Cherokee grandma. I know, I know, just about everyone has a Cherokee grandma, but mine is real. I know her name and where she was born and where she died and who her parents were and who her husband was and who her children were. She was born to citizens of the Cherokee Nation East and moved with them when they relocated to Indian Territory. She was listed on every Cherokee roll that was taken from the time of her birth in the 1830's to the Miller Roll. Her existence is well documented and I have a paper trail that leads from her all the way to me.

If I seemed to have gone overboard on what I know about my Cherokee grandma, it is only because so many people claim to have one. Of course all my Cherokee friends have Cherokee grandma's or else they wouldn't be Cherokee, but there are a lot of other people who claim to have Cherokee grandmas too. If you are Indian, you have undoubtedly met at least one of these people in your life. Since you are Indian, these people seem to feel obliged to tell you about their Indian grandma. They rarely have a name to go with this grandma. They just know they have an Indian grandma, often Cherokee, often full blood. They have always heard stories about her.

The story is almost always the same. Here is "The Myth of the Cherokee Grandma".

I had a Cherokee grandma. She was a full blood. Not sure how far back she is in the family tree, but she was able to escape the Trail of Tears and then marry my grandpa. She was able to pass for white so the family never talked about her Indian blood because it was not good to be an Indian back in those days. Later generations didn't talk about her much because they were ashamed of her being Indian. We have tried to research her, but can't find anything about her because records on Indians were so rare.

This is a VERY common story. Oh, there will be a few minor differences to each story that is told, but the ultimate point of the story is to explain why the person cannot tell you who their Indian grandma was and why they cannot register with one of the three Federally Recognized tribes. When someone tells me this story about their family, I always wonder if they realize I have already heard this story at least 100 times before. I wonder if they have any idea how many other people tell a very similar story. And, I wonder if they realize, it is not mathematically possible for every person in the United States who claims to have a Cherokee grandma to actually have one. The historical Cherokee Nation just wasn't that large.

So, I know I might have gone a little overboard on stating what I know about Grandma Polly, but I didn't want her to be perceived as one of those mythological Cherokee grandmas some other people have.

Those are my thoughts for the day.
Thank you for reading.

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