I Love It When I Find An Old Record

Some of the Important Documents of My Grandmother Lucinda Miller James

Twelfth Census of the United States, Indian Population, Indian Territory, Cherokee, June 1, 1900

Miller, Lucinda - Wife - Indian - Female - Birth October 1880 - Age 19 - Married for 1 Year - 1 Child -

Place of Birth, Indian Territory - Birth Place of Father - Georgia - Birth Place of Mother - Arkansas - Reads- Write - Speaks English - Lives on a Mortgage-Free Farm

Note 1: The column under Mixed Blood asks Does This Indian Have any White Blood, If So How Much? Lucinda answered 1/16, Albert answered 1/4 and they answered their daughter Cherokee had 1/8. It seems to me they answered the percentage of Indian Blood????

Note 2: The column under Conjugal Condition asks Is Indian, If Married, Living in Polygamy? 

Thirteenth Census of the United State: 1910 - Indian Population, Oklahoma, County Ottawa, Narcissa Township, May 9, 1910 

Miller, Lucinda - Wife - Female -Indian - Age 29 - Married for 11 Years - 7 Children - 6 Living

Place of Birth, Oklahoma - Birth Place of Father - Tennessee - Birth Place of Mother - Arkansas - Reads- Write - Speaks English - Lives on a Mortgage-Free Farm - Percentage of Indian 1/8 - 6 Children Listed on Census

Note: 1 On this Census Lucinda's Father's Birthplace is listed as Tennessee whereas it is listed as Georgia on the 1900 Census

Fourteenth Census of the United States 1920 Population, Maryland, Worcester County, January, 1920

Miller, Lucinda - Wife - White - Female -  - Age 39 - Married for 21 Years - Place of Birth, Oklahoma - Birth Place of Father - North Carolina - Birth Place of Mother - Arkansas - Reads- Write - Speaks English - Mortgaged Farm - 7 Children Listed on Census

Note: Lucinda's Father's Birthplace in this Census is North Carolina, 1910 Tennessee, 1900 Georgia

Fifteenth Census of the United States1930, Pennsylvania, Bucks County, Doylestown Township, April 15, 1930

Miller, Lucinda - Wife - White - Female -  - Age 49 -  Owns a Radio Set- Place of Birth, Oklahoma - Birth Place of Father - Oklahoma - Birth Place of Mother - Arkansas - Reads- Write - Speaks English - Farm - 6 Children Listed on Census

Note: Father's Birthplace Listed on This Census as Oklahoma. So 4 different states listed on 4 census. Wish I knew why.

Roll of the Eastern Cherokees, Also Known as The Guion Miller Roll

The Guion Miller Roll The 1906/09 "Roll of the Eastern Cherokees" is better known as "The Guion Miller Roll". It was created as a result of a successful lawsuit filed by three groups of Cherokees who had not been paid all of the money due them as a result of the 1835 Treaty of New Echota. This is the ILLEGAL "treaty" that resulted in the forcible removal from their homes of those Cherokees who refused to give up their tribal citizenship, and the infamous "Trail of Tears" in 1838/39. Thousands were first herded into "pens" and for weeks/months were given food that was not fit for human consumption, contaminated drinking water, and most were forced to sleep in the open. This was done in order to "break their spirit" so they would agree to go to the western wilderness lands of Indian Territory! It worked-- by the time they were to be transported, they would have agreed to go ANYWHERE in order to get out of the pens! The Guion Miller Roll is the most important source of Cherokee genealogical research of any of the rolls, because the application required extensive information to be supplied by the applicant. Between 27 Aug 1906 and 18 May 1909 there were 45,940 applications filed from the United States, Canada, Mexico and-- Syria! It listed an estimated 90,000 individual applicants. Each qualifying applicant received a warrant worth $133.33 for their share of the one-time payment due to them. In order for an application to be accepted on this roll, the applicant had to prove descent from a person who was shown on the 1835 roll of Eastern Cherokees (also known as The Henderson Roll), which listed the citizenship of the tribe at that time. In order for them to have been listed on that roll as "citizens", they had to have lived in the Eastern Cherokee Nation.

The Application of My Grandmother

Note: In the application Lucinda says she does not know where her mother was born and her father was born in Cherokee Nation. She also gives the Indian name of her Grandmother (Susie Spaniard) as Chew-Wee-Yo- Koh  and that her Mother was white.

Lucinda lists 11 brothers and sisters

Lucinda lists her grandparents at Avery Miller and Susan Miller. She does not know where they were born. She lists the 11 children they had one of whom was her mother, Martha.

Supplemental Application for Minor Children - 5 Children Were On The Affidavit in 1907

Roll Number 15240 - Application Number 1092 - F.T.C. Commission Number 27930 - Address Fairland, OK - Wife - Age in 1906 - 36 (This is incorrect - she was 26).
Five children are listed.

As qualifying applicants they were awarded $133.00 each.  According to an inflation calculation this would be worth about $3,300.00 today. Lucinda and children are on the next to the last line.

For Those Who Also Love These Old Documents This is the Actual Guion Miller Report

Lucinda and Albert James - Their Life Together

• They were married January 1, 1899.
• She was 18 years and 2 months old.
•  He was 21 years and 3 months.
•  Their first baby was born 8 months and 24 days after they married.
•  Their last and 14th child was born 24 years and 11 months after they were married; she was 43 years old and he was 46. 
•  When he died he was 60 years and almost 8 months old. She had turned 79 2 months before she died.
• They were married 39 years and 4 months.
• Since 1959 they have lain side by side  for 52 years in Mechanicsville Cemetery in PA since she died in 1959.
• Albert listed himself as 1/32 Cherokee.
• Lucinda listed herself as 1/8 Cherokee.

Albert Blunt James 1877 - 1938 My Maternal Grandfather



Albert James with his Mom Tennessee, Dad Solon, and bothers and sisters.

My grandfather "Bert" died in 1938, 6 years before I was born. I never heard anyone talk about him. It was wonderful when my cousin Norman sent me this picture. He became a real person.

I have gleaned every bit of information I can about him, but it is still limited. What I have discovered:

He was born Sept 21, 1877 In the Delaware District,Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory, Oklahoma. His mother was Tennessee Almira Lane James, a Cherokee Indian, and his father David Solon James was White. He was one of 11 children, 3 of them dying when young. Of the children who lived to grow up, he had 3 sisters and 4 brothers.

In the Dawes Application which was made in July of 1900, he states he is 22 years old, is living in a house in Miami, OK.where he moved in 1899, a year ago when he got married. Before that he lived his entire life in the house with his parents in Miami. He says he is 1/32 Cherokee and his wife is Cherokee by blood. They had a baby daughter.He was the father of 14 children, 7 girls and 7 boys. Interestingly, of their first 7 children, 5 of them were girls. It did eventaully even out.

He was a jack of many trades:
Over the years Alfred "Bert" James had more than 1 occupation. After graduating from Cherokee Male Seminary on June 29, 1898 at 20 years old , he taught at Mitchell Springs School near Maysville, OK, the following year.

The 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 census all show his occupation as a farmer on a general farm.

The obituary of his wife Lucinda says she was the wife of a general contractor in one newspaper and in another newspaper obit says they owned real estate in Miami, OK, including the James and Arkansas buildings.

The obituary continues to say they left the Miami area during WWI to operate a poultry farm near Philadelphia.

They did live in East Berlin, Maryland before moving to Doyleston (near Philadelphia) Pennsylvania. He died in PA in 1938 where he is buried.

According to the census they always owned their home, even their first one, all mortgage free except for the house in Maryland. 

Index and Final Rolls of Citizens and Freedman of the Cherokee

Albert James and Family are on the top right. Albert shows his "Blood" as 1/32. His older brother on the list above him Lorenzo James shows his blood at 1/16. They just did not know. The Cherokees paid little attention to the percentage of Cherokee they were.



Dawes Roll Index to the Final Rolls of Citizens and Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory (Dawes) 1889-1914
Application of Albert Blunt James

Cherokee Eastern Roll or Guion Miller Index 1906

Albert and Family are on the left hand side of the page about 1/4 of the way down the page. It shows Albert as 28 in 1906 with a wife Lucinda and 5 children ages 7, 6, 4, 3, and 3 months

Cherokee Eastern Roll Application showing 5 children and his father David Solon James at White.

Eastern Cherokee Application Page 2 showing his Grandfather as White and that he didn't remember his first name (Garrett). It also shows they were born in Georgia..It lists brothers and sisters.

Last Page of the Application Showing his Great Grandfather as David M. Harlan 1804-1868.

Pictures of Grandma Lucinda Miller James



Mom (Thelma James Reed) and Grandma Lucinda Miller James

I think they were visiting Jean at Batty State Hospital in Rome Ga where she was recovering from TB - L to R Uncle Tiny, Mom, Aunt Jean, and Grandma Lucinda James



Grandma Lucinda and my Great Grandmother
 Tennessee Almira James



3 Generations Top Row L to R Mom, Aunt Leila, Grandma. Bottom Row Me, Sister Denni and Aunt Jean

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   Grandma Lucinda James and Aunt Leila July 1949 Asheville

   

   Funeral Book for Grandma Lucinda James Services

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Stepping Into the Life Of Lucinda Miller James - My Grandmother

Oh how I wish I had asked more questions when she was living with us. What stories she could have told. That is, if she was willing. I am not sure. I cannot remember asking any questions, but they never did any storytelling on their own. My mom and she just did not share stories about their past. I think Grandma only lived with us for a couple years when I was little, but I do certainly remember her and then my Aunt Jean living with us. Grandma Lucinda then moved to Philadelphia to live with my Aunt Mill.

In looking at any one's Indian ancestry, rolls and Indian census are certainly a part of their lives. When you step into Lucinda's life, you begin the roll search. Listed on the Ancestry.com Native American Rolls there are 16 which are listed as potentials for the Cherokee Nation of the 5 Civilized Tribes

The Rolls for Cherokee are:

Reservation Roll - 1817 History -  Cherokee Indians A listing of those applying for a 640 acre tract in the East in lieu of removing to Arkansas. This was only good during their lifetime and then the property reverted back to the state.      This is only an index of applicants, the people listed here did not in most instances receive the reservation they requested

Emigration Roll 1817~1835 History Cherokee Indians Those who filed to emigrate to Arkansas country, and after treaties in 1828 on to Oklahoma. These Cherokee became known as the Old Settlers after the Eastern Cherokee joined them in 1839

Churchill Roll ~ 1908 History  Cherokee Indians By Inspector Frank C. Churchill to certify members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.  Like the Hester roll it includes a lot of information including degree of blood

Henderson Roll -1835 History - Cherokee Indians A Census of over 16,000 Cherokee residing in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina to be removed to Oklahoma under the terms of the treaty of New Echota in 1835. See Trail of Tears Roll below.


Trail of Tears Roll ~ 1835 History Cherokee Indians This is actually a report from the Secretary of War, in compliance with resolutions of the Senate, statements showing the persons employed, the funds furnished, and the improvements valued under the Cherokee Treaty of December 1835.


Mullay Roll ~ 1848 History Cherokee Indians  A census of 1,517 Cherokee remaining in North Carolina after the removal of 1838. John C. Mullay took the census pursuant to an act of congress in 1848.

Chapman Roll ~ 1851 History Cherokee Indians Prepared by Albert Chapman as a listing of those Cherokee actually receiving payment based on the Siler Census.

Old Settlers Roll ~ 1851 History Cherokee Indians A listing of Cherokee, still living in 1851, who were already residing in Oklahoma when the main body of the Cherokee arrived in the winter of 1839, as a result of the Treaty of New Echota. Approximately one third of the Cherokee people at that time were Old Settlers and two thirds were new arrivals.

Siler Roll ~ 1852 Cherokee Indians A listing of those Eastern Cherokee entitled to a per capita payment pursuant to an act of Congress in 1850.


An Act of Congress Roll of July 31, 1854 (10 Stat 333) Authorized the addition of 88 individuals whose names were omitted by Siler but who were included on the Roll prepared by Mullay.

Drennen Roll ~ 1852 History Cherokee Indians The first census of the new arrivals of 1839. The New Echota Treaty group. The Drennen roll is a per-capita payment made to Cherokees living in the west who removed as a result and after the Treaty of 1835 Article 9. The roll was prepared by John Drennen and contains the payee's name, Cherokee district and then family group.

Swetland Roll ~ 1869 History Cherokee Indians Prepared by S. H. Swetland as a listing of those Eastern Cherokee, and their descendants, who were listed as remaining in North Carolina by Mullay in 1848. Made pursuant to an act of Congress (1868) for a removal payment authorization.

Hester Roll Index ~ 1883 History Cherokee Indians Compiled by Joseph G. Hester as a roll of Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in 1883. This Roll itself provides the Chapman roll number and English and Indian name

Dawes Roll Index to the Final Rolls of Citizens and Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory (Dawes) 1889-1914

Guion Miller Roll ~ 1909 History Cherokee Indians Compiled by Mr. Miller of all Eastern Cherokee, not old Settlers, residing either east or west of the Mississippi. Ordered by the Court of Claims as a result of a law suit won by the Eastern Cherokee for violations of certain treaties.


Baker Roll ~ 1924 History Cherokee Indians This was supposed to be the final roll of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The land was to be allotted and all were to become regular citizens of the United States. Fortunately the Eastern Band of Cherokee avoided the termination procedures, unlike their brothers of the western nation. The Baker Roll "Revised" is the current membership roll of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina.