Hot on the Trail of an Indian Ancestor

Question: In an old family Bible it states my grandmother was born Oct. 20, 1861, and she married Dec. 20, 1880, in Coal Hill, Ark. She was a full-blood Indian, but I need to learn the tribe. Where do I find information about her?

Answer: Coal Hill is in Johnson County, which is located in northeastern Arkansas, and has many records dating back to 1833. Its county seat is Clarksville. A check of the 1860 and 1870 federal censuses of this county possibly will reveal her parents’ name as many American Indians were enumerated as whites. It also is quite likely that your grandmother was not a full-blood and you must consider this possibility while searching records.

Finding our American Indian ancestors is not always easy, but in this case, most likely she was Cherokee. If she was living in 1900, check that census first to see if indeed she was enumerated as Indian.

If she was actually registered with the Cherokees, she should appear on the Dawes Rolls or Guion Miller Roll of 1909. Write to Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, Box 948, Tahlequah, Okla. 74464. Its personnel can help you identify the Dawes Roll Number of your ancestor and then you can search the appropriate microfilm rolls, available at the National Archives Field Branch in Fort Worth, Tex., and at Salt Lake City’s Family History Library.

“How to Search American Indian Bloodlines” by Cecelia S. Carpenter is available from Heritage Quest, Drawer 40, South Prairie, Wash. 98385 for $9.95. I highly recommend this book to aid you in finding your American Indian ancestor.

Q: I would like to correspond with English descendants of the surname Dadisman. They were mentioned in the Family Tree magazine. Also, do you have the address of the Cornwall Family History Society?

A: By joining the International Society for British Genealogy and Family History, Box 20425, Cleveland, Ohio 44120 (membership is $10 per year) you can place queries in its newsletter and greatly increase your chance of finding others working on this family.

Contact M. Martyn, Chimneypots, Sunny Corner, Cusgarne, Truro, TR 4 8SE (England) for information about the Cornwall Family History Society. Be sure to include three International Postal Coupons for a reply. These coupons are available from larger post offices and can be exchanged in foreign countries for the proper postage.

Q: I am trying to establish that a James Flack of Wayne County, Ohio, is the first-born son of John Flack and Jane Gualt of Washington County, Pa. All the children of this couple have been accounted for with the exception of James. In the will of John Flack a son, James, is mentioned, but there is no clue as to where James was living at the time. How do I proceed?

A: Look in the index to Washington County, Pa., deeds and see if there are any deeds between John Flack and James Flack. If so, read the actual deeds. There may be a notation in them that property was deeded “to my son, James.”

Also check the Wayne County, Ohio, deeds and locate the first grantee (buyer) deed for James Flack. If it indicates that he was “of Washington County, Pa.,” it will substantiate your argument that your James is connected to those Pennsylvania Flacks.

In addition, search all of the probate packet of John Flack. There could be a reference as to where his son James was living, even though the will does not say.

Myra Gormley welcomes genealogical questions for her column, but is unable to answer individual letters. For her beginner’s how-to genealogy kit (with charts) send $4 to Kit, Box 64316, Tacoma, Wash. 98464.