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Cherokee Rolls: Old Settler Roll

The Cherokee people began migrating west to Indian Territory as early as 1817. These early migrations were voluntary. These early migrant Cherokee were called Old Settlers.

The Old Settlers were any Cherokee living in Indian Territory prior to the forced migration known as the Trail of Tears, which took place in 1838-1839. With the Trail of Tears, the the majority of the Cherokee Nation was forced west to join the Old Settler Cherokee in Indian Territory.

In 1851, the Old Settler Roll was taken of those Cherokees who were Old Settlers in 1839 and still living in 1851.




Finding your ancestor on this Cherokee roll indicates that they were Cherokee, however this is not a final roll so cannot be used as proof for tribal enrollment in the Cherokee Nation, United Keetoowah Band (UKB), or the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Find original images of this and many other Cherokee rolls and tribal records at Fold3.

Elements of the Old Settler Roll:

    First Name
    Last Name – the last name of an enrolled individual. In cases where only one name is given, it is listed here.
    Family Number – Each family who enrolled was given a Family Number. The numbers start a recount within each district, so there will be a family #1 in Tahlequah as well as a #1 family in Flint. To see a full family, click on the Family # in order to see the other individuals listed as part of the household.
    Location – the name of the Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory district where the enrolled individual was living at the time of enrollment. Individuals who were living outside the Cherokee Nation at the time are listed as “Non-Resident.”

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Find original images of many Cherokee rolls, as well as other tribal records, at Fold3. The Fold3 collections feature original images of many historical documents never before available on the Internet, including war records, old newspapers, genealogical records, tribal rolls and treaties.



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