History of the Eastern CherokeeStudy Guide of the Guion Miller Roll

History of the Eastern Cherokee
Extracted from the book
History, Myths, and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokee
by James Mooney's

The following is a history of the Eastern Cherokee as written by James Mooney. No greater testimonial can be offered to Mooney than the reliance placed on his work by anthropologists, general readers, and especially the various Native Americans have paid closer attention than the Cherokees, both in western North Carolina and Oklahoma. In the mid-1970s, Richard Mack Bettis, President of the Tsa-La-Gi-Ya Cherokee Community in Tulsa, Oklahoma, emphasized his people's apprectiation "that Mooney did not study form the distance of a classroom" but "lived with, ate with, even spoke with the Cherokee in their native tongue" and thus "was privy to their innermost thoughts and practices." Because "his work has become the source for most of what is known and available about the history of the Cherokee nation today," Bettis-as have other tribal members, east and west-grew up "holding the writings of James Mooney on the Cherokee in a reverence that is usually reserved for scripture."

Below is a table of contents of the history as laid out by Mooney. Also at the bottom of each page will be a next button that will take you through the history in page order. I have numbered the notes in order and then linked each directly to the note page where it can be found. It is my hope that within this set of webpages that you are able to find useful information that will further your knowledge of the Cherokee and your search for your lineage.

Many Cherokee today say that Mooney was only given bits and pieces and created much of what he wrote to impress the government in Washington. Whatever the truth, from the genealogist point of view we are given at least a glimpse of a possible ancestor in maybe the only record available of the time. No one for sure can prove or disprove the complete accuracy of Mooney's writings, but we can hope at least the records of actual people are close to the truth.

Concentration into Stockades--1838

U'tsala and Charley

Purchase of Qualla Reservation--1842

William H. Thomas

Yonaguska

Temporary Incorporation of Catawba

East Cherokee Census--1848

The Thomas Legion

Cherokee in Union Army

Adjustment of Titles 1873-76

Invitation from Western Band--1881

Suit Against Western Cherokee--1883-86