The U.S. Eastern Cherokee or Guion Miller Roll
United States 
American Indian Research Enrollment Records Guion Miller Roll
See also Eastern Cherokee or Guion Miller Roll.
The Guion Miller Roll is a list of Eastern Cherokees who applied for money awarded in 1905 because of a 1902 lawsuit in which the Eastern Cherokee tribe sued the United States for funds due them under the treaties of 1835, 1836 and 1845. Claimants were asked to prove they were members of the Eastern Cherokee tribe at the time of the treaties, or descended from members who had not been affiliated with any other tribe. Guion Miller, an agent of the Interior Department, was appointed as a commissioner of the Court of Claims to compile a list of claimants. He made an extensive enrollment of the Cherokees in 1907 and 1908.
Documentation included application forms, correspondence and affidavits necessary to prove eligibility for a claim. Each applicant was asked:
- His or her full English and Indian name.
- Place of birth.
- Name of husband or wife.
- Names of children.
- Place of birth and date of death of parents and grandparents.
- Names and ages of brother and sisters.
- Names of uncles and aunts.
The Guion Miller roll may help you find your ancestors if they were:
- Alive on 28 May 1906.
- Members of the Eastern Cherokee tribe at the time of the treaties of 1835, 1836 and 1845.
- Descendants of members of the Eastern Cherokee tribe during the years of the treaties.
- Not affiliated with any Indian tribe other than the Eastern Cherokee.
Claim documents were kept whether they were paid or rejected. Rejected applications fall into five groups.
- Those who left the Cherokee Nation in the East before 1835.
- Those who filed after the final application date of 31 August 1907
- Illegitimate children (rejected even when their brothers and sisters were admitted).
- Those who had dual tribal ancestry.
- Those who failed to prove the required relationship.
Tips for using the Guion Miller Roll
Example
The following site is a step by step guide on how to use the Guion Miller Rolls at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. An example will be used that will show the information that can be found for a Native American by the name of George Guess. Information for George Guess is found in both the Dawes Rolls and the Guion Miller Rolls. Since the information in the Guion Miller Rolls is later than the information in the Dawes Rolls, new information appears in the Guion Miller Rolls that is not in the Dawes Rolls.
http://guionmillerrolls.blogspot.com/
Guion Miller Index On Line
| Record | Record Group | NARA # |
FHL First Film |
Rolls | Other |
|
Eastern Cherokee Application, August 29, 1906-May 26, 1909 General Index on film 378594 |
75 | M1104 | 378594 | 348 rolls | Supplemental rolls Film: 378954 |
|
Records relating to enrollment of Eastern Cherokee, 1908-1910 by Guion Miller For Index see: www.accessgenealogy.com |
75 | M0685 |
Combined index of Eastern Cherokee Rolls A-Z film 830445 |
12 rolls
Application FHL Film 830435-830438 |
Report Film 830439 Miscellaneous Testimony Vol. 1-9 Film 830440-830444 Sizemore Testimonies 1908 Vol. 10 830444 Poindexter and Creek Testimonies Vol. 10 1908 Film 830444 Census or Rolls: Chapman 1851, Hester 1851, and 1884, Old Settler 1851, and Siler 1854, Film 830445 |
| Roll of Eastern Cherokees entitled to participate in the fund arising from the judgement of the court of claims of May 28,1906 as reported by Guion Miller | 547137 | 1 roll |
Additional Sources
- Eastern Cherokee by Blood 1906-1910 Applications. From the U.S. Court of Claims 1906-1910 Cherokee Related Records of Special Commissioner Guion Miller. Transcribed by Jeff Bowen. Vol. 1-12 Printed for Clearfield Co., By Genealogical Publishing Co. Baltimore, Maryland FHL 970.3 C242bje Volumes 1-12.
- Garrett, Sandi. "Only the Names Remain". C. 1993 CWP. These volumes (6) connect the 1851 Drennen Roll with Guion Miller applications 1910.FHL Book 970.3C424gs Vol. 1-6 (Volume 3 includes a 1880 Cherokee Orphanage Census).
See also:
- Eastern Cherokee or Guion Miller Roll
- Dawes Commission Enrollment Records
- American Indian Enrollment Records
- Dawes Commission Enrollment Records for Five U.S. Indian Tribes
