He Was Promised Land in Mississippi

Question: My ancestor was a colonel in the British army at Ft. Pitt. In 1778 he received a Warrant of Survey for 400 acres in Mississippi. Where would I find records pertaining to ancestors who were in the British army prior to the Revolutionary War?

Answer: Consult “American & British Genealogy & Heraldry” by P. William Filby. Several books that will be of interest to you are listed under “England/Professions.”

After 1763, land grants in Mississippi were given to retired British officers, so if your ancestor migrated to that area, check the LDS Family History Library catalogue.

Look under Mississippi/History/Sources/Colonial Period. There are some records for the British provincial period (1763-75) on microfilm.

Q: Do you have a directory of people who do genealogical research? I’d like to hire someone to do research in New Jersey.

A: The Board for Certification of Genealogists, Box 19165, Washington, D.C. 20036-0165 has one for $2.

The Assn. of Professional Genealogists, Box 10611, Salt Lake City, Utah 84147 has a list of its members and their areas of expertise. Send $2 and a business-size (No. 10) self-addressed, stamped envelope.

Lineages Inc., Box 10611, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110 offers many research services.

Q: I want to know more about my Cherokee ancestors and relatives. Their surnames were Youngblood and Vann, and they were officially enrolled in the tribe and received money and land. My father was born in 1899 in what is now Vian, Okla.

A: A 1962 payment was made to living Cherokees whose ancestors appeared on the Dawes Commission Final Rolls (1902-06). If you know of any relative who received this payment, they can identify your ancestor and the application number on this roll.

Or you can search the Guion Miller Payment Roll (1909). It’s on microfilm and available from the LDS Family History Library. The second column from left provides the application number and the third column is the Dawes Commission Roll number. Use these numbers to request information from National Archives, Box 6216, Ft. Worth, Tex. 76115.

This will help you trace your Cherokee family back to 1851, and provide their Indian names, if the applicant knew them.

Once you know where your Cherokee ancestors were living in 1851 you can search the Drennen Roll, Old Settlers Roll, Siler Roll and Chapman Roll.