TAHLEQUAH, Oklahoma. For much of his life Chief John Ross served and led the Cherokee people. Nearly 133 years after his death he was remembered by the Oklahoma Trail of Tears Association on June 26, 1999.

    The association remembered and honored Ross and 10 other survivors of the forced removal of approximately 15,000 Cherokees to Indian Territory in 1838-39. Bronze plaques were placed on their graves located in Ross Cemetery south of Tahlequah at Park Hill. The 2x4- inch plaques read: "In honor of one who endured the forced removal of the Cherokees in 1838-39." John Ross was chief of the Cherokee from 1828-1866, during some of the most turbulent times of their history. He led the tribe through the removal, rebuilding in Indian Territory, and the American Civil War. He was the son of a Scotsman, Daniel Ross, and a quarter-blood Cherokee, Mary "Mollie" (McDonald) Ross.

    In his younger years he fought in the Creek War of 1813-14 and attained the rank of adjutant under Andrew Jackson, who would later, as president of the United States, sign the act that led to the Cherokee removal. Ross was elected chief in 1828 and would spend the rest of his life as chief. He vigorously fought the U.S. government's attempts to remove the Cherokee from their homelands. His first wife, Quatie, died during the removal near Little Rock, Arkansas. Chief Ross died in Washington City (Washington D.C.) on August 1, 1866, just after finalizing a treaty with the federal government that preserved a Cherokee government that had sided with the Confederacy during the Civil War.

    John Ross's children Jane Ross Nave (1821-1894), and George Washington Ross (1830-1870), also were remembered. Jane Ross Nave was married to Return Jonathan Meigs in 1838. After his death she married Andrew Ross Nave who was killed during the Civil War in 1863 and buried in Ross Cemetery. She moved to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, for the remainder of the Civil War. She managed to raise her seven children plus two orphaned children of her brother James and his wife Sallie, both of whom died in 1864. George Washington Ross served the Cherokee Nation as secretary in 1865 and was clerk of the Tahlequah District Circuit Court in 1866. He served in Co. I of the Third Indian Home Guards during the Civil War.

    Andrew Ross Nave, the second husband of Jane Ross, was born in 1822. He was killed fighting in the Civil War at Park Hill on October 28, 1863. Before the war, he was a merchant in Tahlequah in the 1850s and early 1860s, and sometime partner of Chief John Ross.

    Nannie Otterlifter Ross was the wife of George Washington Ross. She was born December 23, 1833 and was the daughter of Alexander and Elsie (Sleepingrabbit) Otterlifter, who came during the forced removal with her to Indian Territory. She died April 4, 1890.

    Lewis Ross was the brother, business partner, confidant, and closest friend of Chief John Ross. He married Fannie Holt of Virginia. He served the Cherokee government in various capacities including supreme court justice, and executive council (tribal council) member, and treasurer. He was a planter and merchant before and after the removal at Park Hill, and was one of the wealthiest men in the Cherokee Nation, owning numerous stores, mills, and ferries. He died on February 5, 1870.

    Also honored and remembered was John Golden Ross, his wife Elizabeth "Eliza" Ross, and their children, Eliza Jane Ross and Lewis Anderson Ross. Although he carried the same name, John Golden Ross was not related to Chief John Ross except by marriage. He was born in Scotland on December 22, 1787, and married Chief Ross's older sister, Elizabeth, about 1819. He served at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend during the Creek War of 1813-14. He lived in what is now Blount County, Alabama, prior to removal, and settled in Park Hill after the removal. He served as an informal liaison for Chief Ross in his absence. He died on June 2, 1858.

    Elizabeth Ross was born March 25, 1879, and died February 7, 1876. She and her husband John cared for the Chief John Ross home for many years. She not only assisted in the care and raising of Chief Ross's children, but also raised her own six children and the four orphaned Mulkey children of her sister, Maria. One of Elizabeth and John Golden Ross's children, William Potter Ross, served as chief of the Cherokee Nation for a year after Chief Ross's death in 1866 and again from 1872-76.

    Lewis Anderson Ross was born July 2, 1834, in the Cherokee Nation East. He married Nellie Potts in 1868. He served three terms as senator from the Tahlequah District from 1867-71 and 1873-75. He also served as auditor for the Cherokee Nation in 1869 and 1884. He died April 12, 1885.

    After each person was remembered by their descendants and Trail of Tears Association members, "Amazing Grace" was sung in Cherokee for those who endured and survived the removal.

    The rewards of genealogy.

    The people who start their family history soon find themselves on a journey of discovery that takes them to places they never before imagined-including visits to their family's homeland and learning who they really were. In this article we will walk you, step-by-step, through this exciting journey. You will learn how to get started, how to record the information you already know, where to find the information you don't know, who you can talk with to get help when the "digging" gets tough, and even how the home computer can help you with this fulfilling task. So walk with us along this road to discovery, and meet some of your ancestors as we travel.

    Every journey begins with a single step. The first step in doing genealogy is to begin with yourself. Think of your genealogy as a collection of individuals, one of whom is you, and each of whom has had a series of easily identified life events. These events include the obvious such as birth, christening, education, marriage, military service, employment, death, and burial. They are important enough to us that we usually have some record or evidence of their existence. This is the stuff that genealogy is made of. Begin your project by writing down all the information you have on your own life events. This includes recording the important pieces of information: who is the person involved, what was the event, where and when did the event occur, and what evidence is there that the event actually took place (what is the source of the information). In writing this information down, there are some guidelines you should follow.

GATHER THE INFORMATION

~ Who

1. Write the person's full name, including all middle names and any titles that might be relevant (Rev., Capt., Dr.).
   
   
2. Spelling does matter. The name should be spelled exactly as it appears in the source of the information. In doing research, it is possible that you may find a family name spelled two, three, or even more different ways. Make note of any of these variations; this information may prove valuable at a later time.
   
   
3. Always write a female's name using her family or birth name-never her married name, as this is how you will locate information about her prior to, and after, her marriage. If you only know her married name, then write this in parentheses, i.e. Mary (Jones). This will serve as a visual clue that you need to research further into her identity.
   
   
4. Finally, make note of any nicknames that your research may uncover and write these in quotation marks. If your Uncle Billy was really named William, you would write this information as William "Billy" Anders Jones. Sometimes a nickname can serve as a clue to other potential sources of information.

~ What

1. Identify the event as clearly as possible. For example, when listing graduation as an event in a person's life, specify which level of graduation is being documented.
   
   
2. Use standard abbreviations for events such as b for birth or bap for baptism. If you develop your own abbreviations for events, make sure someone reading your work one hundred years from now will understand what you are writing about. Consistency in how you present your work is the important consideration.

~ Where

1. Record as much as you know about the location of a particular event. For example, a birth may have occurred in a hospital. When recording the location of this birth, name the hospital, the town or city, the county, the state, and even the country if necessary. In following this procedure, you will have a trail to follow to locate related sources of information. Remember, in most places in the world, written records or vital records of events might exist at any one of the levels listed above; records might also exist at all levels listed above. Each record might provide a clue to a further piece of information. A marriage found in one county in 1845 might lead to a census record for that county in 1850. The where in genealogical research is one of the most important pieces of information you can discover.
   
   
2. It is important to remember that place names, like family names, might have changed over a period of time. Doing genealogical research requires that you learn as much as you can about the history of a community and where an event might have occurred. For example Turner (town), Androscoggin (county), Maine (state), might have been the sight of a birth in 1822. In 1780, that same place was known as Sylvester (town), Cumberland (county), Massachusetts (state). The records for the latter place might be located in a repository different from records for the former. In researching the marriage record for the parents of the child born in 1822, the researcher would have to look for records in both repositories.

       Nannie Otterlifter Ross was the wife of George Washington Ross. She was born December 23, 1833 and was the daughter of Alexander and Elsie (Sleepingrabbit) Otterlifter, who came during the forced removal with her to Indian Territory. She died April 4, 1890.
   
   

3. Use abbreviations for place names such as ME for Maine or FL for Florida. Again, just be consistent; don't use MA for one event, MASS for a second, Mass. for a third, etc. This can be confusing to the reader.

~ When

1. As you write dates in your family history, adopt the international method of date entry. In this approach, you write the number for the day, then the standard three-letter abbreviation for the month, and conclude with all four digits for the year. Thus October 11, 1884 or 10/11/1884 should be written as 10 OCT 1884. This method eliminates the confusion as to whether it is October 11 or November 10 and lends consistency to your project.

~ Evidence

1. This area is perhaps the most important, yet the most often ignored of a family history project. As you gather information, regardless of its source-from a conversation, a family Bible, a treasured letter, a birth certificate, or a published family history-it is critical that you record this source as thoroughly as possible. This allows you to show where your evidence comes from and could keep you from unnecessarily retracing your steps at a later date. Documentation is also necessary for others to judge the reliability and accuracy of your work. Early in your project you should develop a system whereby you record the source of a particular piece of information as a footnote to that information. You should also maintain a list of your sources that could serve as a bibliography for a finished project such as a book.

RECORD YOUR RESEARCH

Now you are ready to begin writing what you already know, beginning with yourself. In genealogy, there are some forms that are basic to the hobby and it is important that you become familiar with these forms early in your project. It is on these forms that you will record all of the pieces of information you gather.

1. 3 x 5 cards can be a wonderful means of recording the information on the individuals in your project. Refer to the sample below for a suggested method of recording this data. By organizing your data on cards, you will also make the transition to a computer easier if and when you decide to do so.
   
   
2. The pedigree chart (http://www.ancestry.com/download/forms.htm) is one of the most easily recognized forms used by genealogists. On this chart you can show relationships between multiple generations of a family and trace your ancestry by following back in time along a particular family line. The most common pedigree displays five generations of family data on a single page. The first individual named on the left of the page starts the chart. In preparing your own family history, you should place yourself as person number one on your first pedigree chart. The chart then branches in two to show your parents, then in fourths to show your grandparents, and so forth. This chart only shows your ancestors-those people from whom you are descended by blood. You will notice there is no room on a pedigree chart for siblings, multiple marriages, or social family connections. This information appears on the next form.
   
   
3. The family group sheet or family group record (http://www.ancestry.com/download/forms.htm) allows you to enter all the individuals connected to a particular family. At the top there is space for the names and vital information on the husband (or father) and wife (or mother). Included in this area is space for the names of the parents of husband (father) and wife (mother). Below, is space for the names of all the children born to the union of the two people named at the top, their birth and death information, and the name or names of their spouses. Should either of the two individuals named on the top have been married another time, that data would appear on a separate family group sheet. The proper procedure is to complete a family group sheet for every couple you discover in your family history research, and place an asterisk (*) near the name of the child in that family from whom you descend. On the back of the sheet, you can enter a citation for any source materials you used and/or record any anecdotal information you may have discovered in your research.
   
   
4. A research log (http://www.ancestry.com/download/forms.htm) can prove to be the most valuable form you work on. It is here that you record the sources you have consulted and the information you were seeking. By being diligent in working on this form, you will save yourself countless hours retracing your steps. It is wise to keep a log for each person you are researching-one that notes what you were looking for, where you have looked, and what you have found. While it may seem overwhelming at first, it soon becomes second nature. These forms are available in most libraries, local genealogical societies, family history centers, online, or from a genealogy specialty company. Once you have them, find a good pencil (ink is difficult to erase), gather some note cards, a pedigree chart, a family group sheet, and a research log and sit down in a quiet and comfortable place and begin to write. From your own memory, write all of the information you can recall about yourself, your parents, your grandparents, etc.

In the past we have looked at the origins of some surnames. However, given names can also hold a clue as well. And, while not a given name, patronymics give you a little information about the next generation back.

It is important to search for records that might include a middle name. Marriage records and birth and death records will often have the full name of a given ancestor, but might not have the names of the parents, or the maiden name of a mother. In many instances, I have found where a child's middle name was the maiden surname of the mother. This was especially true in the New England states of the United States.

When researching an English immigrant, who left England as Edward NEWTH and arrived in Pennsylvania as George MORRIS, it was with interest that I discovered he had given each of his four sons the middle name of NEWTH. While my mother and aunt were not given middle names, my uncle was named David Bailey AYER. His middle name, Bailey, was the maiden surname for my grandmother.

When I discovered myself researching Scottish lines, I learned that they have a naming pattern for the children:

• 1st son - named for the father's father
• 2nd son - named for the mother's father
• 3rd son - named for the father himself
• 1st daughter - named for the mother's mother
• 2nd daughter - named for the father's mother
• 3rd daughter - named for the mother herself

When locating the children in a familial unit, through census for instance, you will have the order of the children and then can begin to search for certain individuals with your surnames and the given names you have just discovered. While this may not always be the case, it is a valuable clue for you to begin the search for others that may be connected to the family.

As your research progresses you may discover other naming patterns unique to a family line or ethnic region. Always keep these in mind as you progress. Such patterns usually were consistent for a number of generations and can be the turning point for you on a brick wall.

Brick Walls

For a few more tricks on getting past those brick walls we all end up banging our heads against, check out some of these web sites:

How To Get Past Genealogy Road Blocks - http://www.firstct.com/fv/stone.html
First Name Basis - http://www.hypervigilance.com/genlog/firstname.html
Genealogy's Most Wanted - http://www.hypervigilance.com/genlog/firstname.html

Each of these sites offers a different approach to helping you with your end of line ancestor, otherwise known as your brick wall. One suggests various record types for various types of information. Another looks at what to do when all you have is a first name. And the Genealogy's Most Wanted site brings you in contact with many others who have a desperately sought ancestor. You never know what you will find.

*** For translation of the above document to a language other than English refer to the translators found at the top of the Hot Tips Index Page and follow the directions given within each link.

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Subject:

An Update and corrected information concerning holdings and references: WWI DRAFT REGISTRATION CARDS AT NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION, SOUTHEAST REGION (Date Issued: August 23, 1999)

The following information is provided by the National Archives and Records Administration, Southeast Region, in response to recent postings on several list serves concerning World War One (WWI) Draft Registration cards maintained at our facility. Unfortunately, the original posting, and subsequent, altered postings provided incorrect information about these holdings and related reference procedures. To better serve the public and the research community, we provide the following information and guidance concerning the WWI Draft Registration cards

1. The original cards, in excess of 24 million, were received at our facility a number of years ago. Upon their receipt, they were boxed and arranged by NARA employees. The original arrangement was by state, thereunder by county or draft board, and thereunder alphabetically by the registrant's last name. The cause for arrangement by draft board instead of county is due to the size of certain cities. For example, New York City had in excess of 180 boards, Chicago had over 80. As a result, we require a street address when searching for cards in most large cities.

2. The cards were later microfilmed by representatives of the Genealogical Society of Utah in the exact order they were originally arranged; each NARA regional facility has a copy of the microfilm for the states in the region that it serves. Any patron wishing to use microfilm will find the cards arranged exactly as they are in the box. The arrangement of the cards has never been changed.

3. NARA, Southeast Region, has provided a request form for these records for a number of years. The forms can be ordered via e-mail (archives@atlanta.gov), telephone (404-763-7383), or in writing (NARA, Southeast Region, 1557 St. Joseph Avenue, East Point, GA 30344).

4. At a minimum, the following information is required from the requester for NARA staff to conduct a search for draft registration cards:

• Full name of registrant
• Complete home address at the time of registration (to include county)
• Name of nearest relative

5. Additional information, if known, which can improve the thoroughness of a search includes:

• Birth date
• Birthplace
• Occupation of registrant

6. In July, 1997 NARA established an updated fee schedule for services provided to the public. The minimum mail-order fee for photocopies for each WWI Draft card was increased from $6.00 to $10.00, a fee which includes both sides of the card. Patrons need not request that both sides of the card be copied, and patrons need not submit a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) with their request.

Walk-in customers can make self-service photocopies of the original records for $0.10 per side. Please contact individual regions for their policies regarding microfilm copies. These fees are copying fees only; there is no charge for searches when a record is not located. The staff of the NARA, Southeast Region, remains committed to assisting our patrons in anyway possible, including the timely and accurate dissemination of information concerning our holdings and services. The WWI Draft Registration cards represent only one of many significant collections of historical records maintained by the Region that are invaluable for genealogical research. For additional information regarding our holdings and services, visit our home page at .

JAMES J. MCSWEENEY, Regional Administrator National Archives and Records Administration, Southeast Region

PERMISSION TO REPRINT articles from ROOTSWEB REVIEW is granted unless specifically stated otherwise, PROVIDED: (1) the reprint is used for non-commercial, educational purposes; and (2) the following notice appears at the end of the article:

Written by; JAMES J. MCSWEENEY, Regional Administrator National Archives and Records Administration, Southeast Region

A Brief Historical Diagram of Heraldry (Meanings behind the symbols) with A Brief History of Heraldry http://www.fleurdelis.com/coatofarms.htm

Shields: There is some debate as to the meaning of the shape of the shield. Most historians agree that the shape was usually determined by the time period and geographic region. The shape is not a part of the official blazon, so modern heraldry artists choose shapes to suit the design. Some of the most commonly used designs are shown here http://www.fleurdelis.com/meanings.htm

Even the colors can have special meaning in a "family crest" or coat of arms the following descriptions and meanings are gleaned from a variety of sources, some of which disagree on those meanings. The most commonly accepted meanings are given, but scholars vary in the their opinions concerning the reliability of any "commonly held" historic meanings for coats of arms and crests. http://www.personalbyline.com/surnames.html

The Origin of your Surname

The word Surname means additional name and is the last name shared in common with other members of your family. Surnames were introduced in Europe from the 11th to the 15th century. The Normans from France were the first users of surnames and their introduction in England and Scotland followed on from the Norman conquest of 1066.

Not only did the surname act as a means of identification, it was also regarded as a mark of 'gentle blood' and marked out a gentleman from the lower orders of the classes of society. One of the most pressing needs for identification was to ensure that title to land and estates could be accurately recorded and the powerful 'Land Barons' were eager to adopt their unmistakable identity. The practice of using a surname later became common among all classes during the reign of Edward II in England between 1307 and 1327.

In these earlier times the use of first names must have led to much confusion in identifying a person being talked about. The range of first names was very restricted by comparison with today's inventiveness , which has created such a rich variety of first names. It was then common for sons and daughters to be given the same name as their mother or father and in a small village there could be many called William or Emma.

This led to the use of the four most common means of identification

1. The Placename or description
2. The Father's name
3. The Occupation
4. The Physical description

The Placename or description

William, who lived in the dale would have originally be referred to as William by the dale until the extra words were dropped and he simply became William Dale. This "extra name" or surname would be adopted as the family name. Other names would stem from physical features such as streams and springs and the Norman French word would often be used until it too became Anglicized and was adopted as the final form of surname.

The Father's Name

William, the son of John would become William John's Son and, ultimately William Johnson. The Scottish form of son is 'Mc' or 'Mac' and the surname would become e.g. MacWilliam

The Occupation

Typically, the name would be followed by the occupation, for example,"William the cooper" ( a maker of barrels ), "William the Fletcher" ( an arrow maker ) and "William the thatcher". In time the name was shortened and the occupation capitalized to become, for example William Cooper or William Fletcher.

Physical Description

Short or strong are words typically used and so "William the strong" would eventually become William Strong

The Domesday Book

In 1066, Duke William of Normandy, France successfully invaded and conquered England. Known as William the Conqueror he was regarded as one of the most able monarchs to rule England. He was also the only successful invader of England since the Romans 1200 years before. After the Norman invasion a large part of the land and property of the beaten Anglo-Saxons was taken over by the victors. This caused a great deal of administrative muddle, confusion and naturally a great deal of anger and dispute with the former holders. So, here was one compelling reason to undertake a comprehensive survey and registration of the land and property holdings.

The second compelling reason was the need to obtain funds from taxes and to assess whether land and property owners could contribute even more to the Exchequer. The urgency to raise funds was to fight off the threat of invasion from the Danish King, Canute, and to hold down the rebellious North of England, which had never been fully controlled by the Normans.

The King's decision to undertake this great survey of land ownership was taken during the Christmas of 1085. It was an amazing feat to complete the task in only 8 months. Equally amazing was the feat, attributed to just one man, of summarizing and rewriting the whole record of two million words. He was a Royal Chaplain who later became the Bishop of Winchester. The language he employed was medieval Church Latin. He was under great pressure to complete the work and as the record progresses his handwriting becomes less legible and some errors creep in.

This wonderful historic document is completely preserved and can be seen at The Public Record Office, in London. The Ninth Centenary celebration of the Domesday Book took place in 1986. To mark the occasion the U.K. publishers Editions Alecto produced a replica of the Book, together with an accompanying translation of the Latin wording. One such copy is kept at the Oregon State Library, 250 Winter Street, Salem and may be viewed by prior appointment.

Two explanations are needed at this point. Firstly the "Book" was not a handy volume like Chambers Dictionary. It was originally a collection of parchment booklets handwritten by the future Bishop of Winchester and later thought to have been bound into two volumes, if twelfth century accounts are to be believed. It was in the 12th Century that references were made to "the Book". The second explanation is of the use of the word "Domesday" in the description. The record of lands and their ownership, once recorded by the Commissioners at the County Courts, was the final word - or Last Judgment- and there was no appeal against the facts when they were finally written down. So, in popular parlance, it became known as the "doomsday" or Domesday Book.

It is important to note that this was not intended to be a General Census of the whole population, so it does not record the names of everyone alive in 1086. Because it does record the heads of households and the important landowners it is the first record of those of English or Norman descent. It was the first such formal record made in Europe and preceded others by several centuries. This is its importance to those whose interests lie in the origin of surnames and to genealogists.

Large numbers of the names in the Book are first names only. These are thought to be persons of lesser importance, such as the lowlier (and conquered) Anglo-Saxons. In any event, surnames were by no means common at this time and many were simply known by their first name or by an added description e.g. son of John. There had been no hereditary system of surnames before the conquest and it was the Norman's who introduced them. It became fashionable among the higher social classes to adopt French names as the family surname and gradually these became Anglicized into the forms we know today.

There is much information about the Domesday Book, on the Internet. Just enter "Domesday Book" on your favorite search engine and you will have a wealth of links to pursue. You can download sample pages (in Latin!) and have fun tracing the names in today's society. The Domesday Book also lists crops grown, the location and number of beehives, and vineyards. If you can link your name back to a village mentioned in the Book you will be able to reconstruct the type of life your ancestors led.

Although I would be very careful a about purchasing any of these products, the history lessons about crests and English History is wonderful! Take a look and learn.