Tennessee Overhill Experience

Overhill Genealogy

The Tennessee Overhill has a rich and diverse story. Come and find your place in our history. While we can’t actually find your ancestors for you, we are glad to put together this list of resources that may be of help to you in your search.

Cherokee Genealogy
Local Libraries
Organizations
Websites
LDS Family History Centers
Resources near the Tennessee Overhill
Local Newspapers

Cherokee Genealogy

Notes on Cherokee Geneology - View

North Carolina Cherokee Reservation Genealogy/Qualla Boundary
A good source of information and resources for research.
www.rootsweb.com/~ncqualla

The Museum of the Cherokee
While unable to provide research on genealogy, the Museum recommends the following individuals who will conduct research for you for a fee.
Genealogists:
Bob and Pam Blankenship
P.O. Box 265
Cherokee NC 28719
(828) 497-9709

James Paxton Myers, Jr.
P.O. Box 682
Cherokee NC 28719
(828) 497-5662

National Archives and Records Administration/ Archival Research Catalog (ARC)
Useful site for Cherokee Nation genealogy research.
http://www.archives.gov/research_room/arc/arc_info/genealogy_search_hints.html#native

1896 Citizenship Applications: 9,618 applications received by the Dawes Commission have been digitized.

Dawes Commission applications: This includes descriptions of 64,177 Cherokee, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole applications for enrollment to the Five Civilized Tribes Dawes Commission between 1898 and 1914. There is no description in ARC relating to the fifth tribe - Choctaw.) Please note: 10,874 of the 64,177 application descriptions have digital copies attached to them. Many of the descriptions share the same digitized image(s).

Final Rolls of the Citizens and Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory: All 634 pages of the document have been digitized. The document lists the names of the individuals who were allowed on the tribal rolls by the Dawes Commission.

Index to the Final Rolls of Citizens and Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory: All 635 pages of the document have been digitized. The document lists the names of the individuals who were allowed on the tribal rolls by the Dawes Commission.

Index to Applications Submitted for the Eastern Cherokee Roll of 1909 (Guion-Miller Roll): All 343 pages of the index have been digitized. The index includes the names of all persons applying for compensation arising from the judgment of the United States Court of Claims on May 28, 1906, for the Eastern Cherokee tribe.

Wallace Roll of Cherokee Freedmen in Indian Territory, 1890: All 196 pages of the document have been digitized. The document is a schedule of names of Cherokee freedmen created by Special Agent John W. Wallace. Individuals on the schedule were entitled to share with the Shawnee and Delaware in the per capita distribution of $75,000, appropriated by Congress in October 1888, and issued under the supervision of his office.

Kern-Clifton Roll of Cherokee Freedmen, January 16, 1867: All 202 pages of the document have been digitized. The digitized document is a census of freedmen of the Cherokee Nation and their descendants
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Local Libraries

McMinn County

Calhoun City Library
PO Box 115
746 Highway 163
Calhoun, TN 37309
(423) 336-2348

E.G. Fisher Public Library
1289 Ingleside Avenue
Athens, TN 37303
(423) 745-7782

Englewood Public Library
PO Box 834
Englewood, TN 37329
(423) 887-7152

Etowah Carnegie Public Library
723 Ohio Avenue
Etowah, TN 37331
(423) 263-9475
www.etowahlibrary.com

Monroe County

Madisonville Public Library
305 College Street
Madisonville, TN 37354
(423) 442-6617
(423) 442-8142 - Fax
mplib@usit.net
www.madisonvillelibrary.org
Genealogist: Jo Stakely
Hours: Tue-Sat 10-4

Sweetwater Public Library
210 Mayes Avenue
Sweetwater, TN 37874
(423) 337-5274
(423) 337-0552 - Fax
Hours: Mon-Fri 9-5, Sat 9-1, Sun 2-5

Tellico Plains Library
209 Cherohala Skyway
Tellico Plains, TN 37385
(423) 253-7388
tplibrary@tellico.net
Hours: Mon-Fri 12-5, Sat 10-2
Vonore Pubic Library
611 Church Street
Vonore, TN 37885
(423) 884-6729
vonroepl@tellico.net
Hours: Tues, Wed, Fri 10-5, Thurs 10-7, Sat 10-2

Polk County

Benton Public Library
Polk County Courthouse
Benton, TN 37307

Copperhill Public Library
Main Street
Copperhill, TN 37317
(423) 496-3341

Ducktown Public Library
PO Box 369
Ducktown, TN 37326
(423) 496-6022

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Organizations

Daughters of the American Revolution, Rhea-Craig Chapter
Meetings: the second Friday of each month at Denney’s in Sweetwater, TN
Contact: Marcia Connors, Vice Regent
Marciacon@aol.com(please put DAR in the subject line)
http://members.aol.com/_a/rheacraigdar/index.html

Daughters of the American Revolution, Coytee Chapter
Meetings: the first Tuesday of each month at the Greenback community Center
Contact: Shirley Hall
merryac@bellsouth.net
(865) 856-3419

McMinn County Historical Society
Contact: Mabel Boylston
mcminn_history06@comcast.net
McMinn County Courthouse, Room #7
6 W. Madison Ave
Athens, TN 37307
(423) 744-3911
http://www.rootsweb.com/~tnmchsa/index.htm

Monroe County Historical Society, Inc.
Affiliate Chapter of the East Tennessee Historical Society
Meetings: First Thursday of each month except Jan, Feb, July and August at the Ft. Loudoun Electric Co-op building in Madisonville, TN
Contact: Joe Benthall
531 Ballplay Road
Madisonville, TN 37354
joeb@icx.net
(423) 442-2287

Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society
Meetings: fourth Sunday at 2 pm of Feb, May, Nov at the First Baptist Church in Benton 140 Commerce St, Benton, TN 37307
Contact: Marian Presswood
presswood@wingnet.net
Vonore Historical Society
611 Church St.
Vonore, TN 37885
They have published a two-volume set of family genealogy, stories and pictures. Carolyn Clabo Snider will be happy to answer any email questions concerning families found in the books, and also answer any questions you have about the books.

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Websites

TNGenWeb
McMinn, Monore and Polk county records online
www.tngenweb.org

GenLookUps
A directory of genealogy volunteers
www.genlookups.com/tn.htm

Vital Records
www.vitalrec.com/tncounties.html

National Archives and Records Administration Genealogy
http://www.archives.gov/research_room/genealogy/

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LDS Family History Centers

Athens, Tennessee
508 Cedar Springs Rd
Athens, McMinn County, Tennessee, United States
(423) 745-0102
Hours: As needed

Chattanooga, Tennessee
8119 East Brainerd Rd
Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States
(423) 892-7632
Hours: Tues, Thurs 10 am- 9 pm, Wed-Fri 10 am- 2 pm, Sat 9 am-12 noon

Knoxville, Tennessee
400 Kendall Rd
Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee, United States
(423) 892-693-8252
Hours: Tues, Thurs 9 am - 9 pm, Sat 12 pm - 4 pm

Loudoun, Tennessee
1005 Mulberry
Loudoun, Loudoun County, Tennessee, United States
(865) 458-2165
Hours: Tues 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm, Sat 1 pm - 5 pm

Maryville Tennessee
706 Maurine Rd
Maryville, Blount County, Tennessee, United States
(865) 982-9080
Hours: Tues 6:30-9:30 pm, Wed 9am - 12 pm, 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Resources near the Tennessee Overhill

McClung Historical Collection
500 West Church Ave.
Knoxville, TN 37902-2505
(865) 544-5744

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Local Newspapers

Advocate Democrat (Monroe County)
609 Sweetwater-Vonore Rd.
Sweetwater, TN 377874
(423) 337-7101
www.monroextn.net

Daily Post Athenian (McMinn County)
PO Box 340
South Jackson St.
Athens, TN 37303
(423) 745-5664
(423) 745-8295 - Fax
www.mcminnonline.com

Overhill Scout
PO Box 432
Vonore, TN 37885
(423) 261-6605
(865) 856-4868 - Fax

Polk County News
PO Box 129
Benton, TN 37307-0129
(423) 338-2118
(423) 338-4574 - Fax

Tellico Plains Mountain Press (Monroe County)
Online History and Feature Magazine
(423) 253-5509
www.telliquah.com