My name is Tina Annette Savage, maiden name Hopper. I would love to more about my Cherokee ancestry. Here is what I have:
Mother is Betty Groenewold born 1936 Oklahoma or Kansas Grandmother is Florine Lucille Hudson married October, 1933 in Chanute, Washita, OK to Heyo Fred Groenewold.
The Hudson line is my Cherokee side. Family hide our ancestry due to relocations that had been taking place. Possible Indian from father’s side: Father name Dwight Faye Hopper born Sept 14 1934, in Burford Arkansas, death June 20, Socorro NM.
his father was Oscar J. Hopper birth December 9, 1892, death Jan 8, 1977.
Fathers mother Ina Mae Hopper, birth may 4, 1907, death October 13, 1996.
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Florine was the daughter of Benjamin Franklin Hudson (b. 1880 MO) and Pearl Thompson (b. 1888 MO). This couple was married in Kansas in 1905. They then moved into Oklahoma before 1910. They were not affiliated with the Cherokee tribe, but came in just after allotment process/Land Rush and Oklahoma statehood.
Benjamin was the son of Samuel Nelson Hudson (b. 1834 MD) and Mary Matilda Jane Reed (b. 1837 OH). Samuel’s parents are listed as having POB as PA and MD, and he was born in MD as well. There is almost no chance he was Cherokee based on time period and locations we are talking about.. Mary’s parents are listed as having POB as OH and VA. Again, based on time period and location there is little chance they were Cherokee either.
Pearl was the daughter of Marion Jackson Thompson (b. 1868 IA) and Frances Melvina McQuinn (b. 1865 NE). Here is the marriage info for this couple:
Name Miss Frances E Mcqueen
Marriage Date 14 Jun 1885
Marriage Place St Joseph, Buchanan, Missouri
Registration Place Buchanan, Missouri, USA
Marion Jackson Thompson’s parents were from OH and IL. They moved to Iowa about 1849-50. This was during a time of increased White settlement into the region (first lands formally opened in 1833, but sparsely populated until the 1850s).
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/America/United_States/Iowa/_Texts/journals/IaJHP/17/1/American_Occupation_of_Iowa*.html
Frances McQuinn’s parents were from KY and MO. Her paternal grandparents had family roots in eastern NC and VA, but they moved into KY in the 1820, then briefly into NE, finally MO by the 1850s. This researcher has the McQuinn line going back quite a ways. Here is the link:
http://boards.ancestry.co.uk/localities.northam.usa.states.northcarolina.counties.wilkes/3442.2/mb.ashx
These individuals do not appear to have any connection to Cherokee people. What line were you theorizing has Cherokee ancestry?
I only know I have indian heritage. The only history I have is oral and what information i have was given to me on two index cards. No family member has ever claimed to be Cherokee. Ran across this page and thought I would check this avenue. Would be nice to tell my son more if I could find more information. Know my family tried to keep the children from any relocation. Was told my great grandmother was part indian. Whatever the case family kept it within the family.
There is an important caveat here. At this point, you have family lore that says you have Indian blood. This is different than having actual verified ancestry or “knowing you have Indian heritage.” In many cases, these kinds of stories are not quite accurate, or sometimes, they can be totally incorrect.
This is why genealogy is so important. If we are lucky, and a paper trail can be found, we can sometimes shine a light on the origins of formerly vague or unknown ancestors.
In this case, your grandmother’s grandparents and even great-grandparents (and beyond) can be clearly identified and shown in a particular time and place. It is just a matter of assembling documents and verified records and organizing them in a way the demonstrates their social and ethnic reality, and telling the story. They came from a specific lineage or background. There was no forced relocation scenario involved for them, as they were not Cherokee nor subject to that reality. It is really just a matter of looking at the ancestors and seeing where they lived and understanding the historical context.
For example, Florine’s parents lived in a White community, were listed as White and lived as White people. Her paternal grandparents were from MD and OH. They were born around Removal era, but they were not anywhere near Cherokee communities, and they were not a part of the Cherokee tribe. How could they be at risk of removal, in other words? Florine’s maternal lines were White settlers that had moved into Kentucky in the 1820 from eastern colonial settlements in VA and eastern NC. They then moved into Iowa and Nebraska at the height of White settlement there, and then eventually they ended up in Missouri. There were never any Cherokee settlements in eastern NC and VA, and no community ever lived in Kentucky actually. A family moving into KY in 1820s, from Americans settlements to the east, represents a very specific historical context. They were part of American society. They were settlers, in other words. There was no issue about Removal or taking children. That is not what the records show. You can actually trace many of these lines back quite far, if you are interested. Just keep building a tree and go where the records take you. Good luck with your research!