James Hezekiah McGehee applied for citizenship in the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma and had Uriah Riddle give testimony on his behalf, as well as John Ross (not the famous one). They both swore that James’ grandfather Samuel McGehee (1790 NC/SC) was Cherokee as well as his wife, Elizabeth Riddle (1803 TN). They don’t show up on the 1835 roll (they were in Alabama by about 1818), and they don’t show up on any later rolls. The testimonies given stated that Elizabeth Riddle spoke broken English, and was always assumed to be Cherokee. The application was denied based on lack of evidence. Would appreciate any advice on how to prove the Cherokee connection without having been on the rolls.
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