While working on the Pittman/Adcock portion of my 2GrGP to 2C project I have found applications for the Eastern Cherokee(Baker Roll era) ...not the the Pittman line but through the Dunham line..both were rejected but contained a great deal of detail about their migration. I thought it might be interesting for others to see what a basic rejection letter looked like and the reasons for not recommending the applicant be accepted as a member to the Eastern Cherokee. Items 1-6 were checked on the two applications for the John Sebron Dunham and Margaret "Peggy" Pittman Dunham descendants.
Dear Sir or Madam:
The enrolling committee has examined your application for enrollment with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina, and from the information contained therein it does not feel justified in recommending you for acceptance as an enrolled member of the Band. Your application is therefore rejected for the reasons checked below:
1. The applicant's ancestors have not been enrolled as members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
2. The applicant or parents not in the state of North Carolina at the time of the Award October 23, 1874.
3. The applicant, or parents not enrolled in 1868 or since that date.
4. Proper degree of affiliation and association with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
5. Not recognized by the tribe as a member thereof.
6. No contribution made to the purchase of the Qualla Boundary or other tribal lands.
7. The applicant, or parents enrolled as Western Cherokees.
8. Any right the applicant, or an ancestor, may have acquired by reason of residence in the state of North Carolina in October 1874 or by reason of enrollment with the Eastern Band prior to that date has been lost through non-affiliation.
9. The parents of the applicant, one of them being white, married since June 7, 1897, and the applicant born apart from the Indian community.
Thirty days is allowed in which to appeal to the Secretary of the Interior from this decision. Any appeal taken must be prepared in proper form and filed in this office so that all the paper in the case may be forwarded at the same time. The committee has no forms for use in making appeal and no information as to the method of preparing the same.
Very respectfully,
-------? the enrolling commission
I am not really sure why they didn't apply to the Western Cherokee. Two of the Pittman sisters married two Dunham brothers. Annie's son applied on Guion Miller Roll(using Comfort Hatfield's Mom--his gr grandmother) while Margaret's son William Riley Dunham's bunch applied using Richard Dunham...father of John Sebron Dunham(Margaret Pittman's husband). I do know the families were from the state of North Carolina. Maybe they felt they had to apply to the "home" location since they weren't in the Trail of Tears removal. One of the great things about these documents even if your ancestor is rejected, there is still value information given within them. Applicants had to list families several generations back AND they also have to give names of the places they lived and tell how long they lived in each location. As with any record you still run the chance of the persons giving incorrect information or not understanding questions...or in some cases out right lying...but these are great clues within these records and it's up to us to prove or disprove the validity of the information contained in them.. A lot of things to think about. I have a feeling there will be more posts about the findings in group of records.
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