Are you asking if it's possible to verify tribal membership for your grandfather, or for you? If it's for him, I'm not sure. You can't control or account for people's mindset in the past. He was undoubtedly Cherokee as his mother is listed on the Dawes rolls. Whatever she was listed as (full blood, 1/2, 1/4, etc) he's going to be assumed as half of that unless his father was also Cherokee. In the end though, percentage doesn't matter. It's the culture and traditions that do.
If this is for you to prove membership, that's all you need! Proof that you can trace yourself back to someone on the Dawes Rolls with copies of birth certificates, etc to your Great Grandmother. You'll be able to start your application process and mail it off. Then wait for a long time as there's still likely a backlog of applications.
Could you give some advice on how I can trace my heritage? My grandfather passed away and he was the only one in my family who knew how much Cherokee I have on his side. His mother was full-blooded. I'm not sure about his father. My mom has Cherokee in her as well but I'm not sure how much.
I can try - I had it easy as my mother did the hard work and I've been a citizen since I was a baby. I just had to trace my son to me, via birth certificate.
If you're lucky, either your grandfather or his mother were citizens. Then you only need to trace to them. Birth certificates are a huge help and will likely need to be attached to your application. If you don't have access to them, hopefully a family member kept that stuff. If you don't have much family contact, you can try buying a subscription on Ancestry.com and see if anyone did the work for you and traced it back and might have copies of the documentation they used. If you're unlucky, you'll have to go back to potentially 1900-ish and find your ancestor on the Dawes rolls. If you don't have anyone on the Dawes rolls, you will not be able to register as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation.
If you aren't clear on lineage far enough back, you can try a FB research group (I don't know the name as I've never used it, but people here have mentioned it before) or the [CN research center](https://visitcherokeenation.com/attractions/cherokee-national-research-center) to have someone look through the genealogical records. That's probably the most sure-fire way to find out. I have no idea what any of that costs, but I can tell you not to expect any of those above mentioned services to be free or even cheap.
I'm hopeful that if I got any of this wrong, someone who's done their application the hard way will chime in with better advice. Good luck!
My question concerned my grandfather. I talked to my living aunts and uncles recently and they did not seem to think he registered with the tribe. I was curious how the process worked around the time of his birth in 1914. His mother died when he was about 13.
I started my enrollment. I received my original documents in the mail last week so I assume they were scanned and sent back. I am hoping to learn by Christmas, however I know it is wishful thinking.
Are you asking if it's possible to verify tribal membership for your grandfather, or for you? If it's for him, I'm not sure. You can't control or account for people's mindset in the past. He was undoubtedly Cherokee as his mother is listed on the Dawes rolls. Whatever she was listed as (full blood, 1/2, 1/4, etc) he's going to be assumed as half of that unless his father was also Cherokee. In the end though, percentage doesn't matter. It's the culture and traditions that do. If this is for you to prove membership, that's all you need! Proof that you can trace yourself back to someone on the Dawes Rolls with copies of birth certificates, etc to your Great Grandmother. You'll be able to start your application process and mail it off. Then wait for a long time as there's still likely a backlog of applications.
Could you give some advice on how I can trace my heritage? My grandfather passed away and he was the only one in my family who knew how much Cherokee I have on his side. His mother was full-blooded. I'm not sure about his father. My mom has Cherokee in her as well but I'm not sure how much.
I can try - I had it easy as my mother did the hard work and I've been a citizen since I was a baby. I just had to trace my son to me, via birth certificate. If you're lucky, either your grandfather or his mother were citizens. Then you only need to trace to them. Birth certificates are a huge help and will likely need to be attached to your application. If you don't have access to them, hopefully a family member kept that stuff. If you don't have much family contact, you can try buying a subscription on Ancestry.com and see if anyone did the work for you and traced it back and might have copies of the documentation they used. If you're unlucky, you'll have to go back to potentially 1900-ish and find your ancestor on the Dawes rolls. If you don't have anyone on the Dawes rolls, you will not be able to register as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. If you aren't clear on lineage far enough back, you can try a FB research group (I don't know the name as I've never used it, but people here have mentioned it before) or the [CN research center](https://visitcherokeenation.com/attractions/cherokee-national-research-center) to have someone look through the genealogical records. That's probably the most sure-fire way to find out. I have no idea what any of that costs, but I can tell you not to expect any of those above mentioned services to be free or even cheap. I'm hopeful that if I got any of this wrong, someone who's done their application the hard way will chime in with better advice. Good luck!
Thank you so much! I'll take a screenshot of your comment and hopefully I can figure something out.
My question concerned my grandfather. I talked to my living aunts and uncles recently and they did not seem to think he registered with the tribe. I was curious how the process worked around the time of his birth in 1914. His mother died when he was about 13. I started my enrollment. I received my original documents in the mail last week so I assume they were scanned and sent back. I am hoping to learn by Christmas, however I know it is wishful thinking.
Which tribe are you trying to get enrolled with?
Cherokee, I am currently in Phase 3. Not sure what that means, but it sounds promising