Exhibit 31.1

                   CERTIFICATE OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER

I,  Dennis  W.  Burnette,  certify  that:

1.   I  have  reviewed  this quarterly report on Form 10-QSB of Cherokee Banking
     Company  (the  "small  business  issuer");

2.   Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of
     a  material  fact  or  omit  to state a material fact necessary to make the
     statements  made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements
     were  made,  not  misleading  with  respect  to  the period covered by this
     report;

3.   Based  on  my  knowledge,  the  financial  statements,  and other financial
     information  included  in  this  report,  fairly  present  in  all material
     respects  the  financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of
     the  small  business  issuer  as of, and for, the periods presented in this
     report;

4.   The  small business issuer's other certifying officer and I are responsible
     for  establishing  and  maintaining  disclosure controls and procedures (as
     defined  in  Exchange  Act  Rules  13a-15(e)  and  15d-15(e)) for the small
     business  issuer  and  have:

          (a)  Designed  such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such
     disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to
     ensure  that  material  information  relating to the small business issuer,
     including its consolidated subsidiary, is made known to us by others within
     that  entity,  particularly during the period in which this report is being
     prepared;

          (b)  Evaluated  the  effectiveness  of  the  small  business  issuer's
     disclosure  controls  and  procedures  and  presented  in  this  report our
     conclusions  about  the  effectiveness  of  the  disclosure  controls  and
     procedures,  as  of  the  end of the period covered by this report based on
     such  evaluation;  and

          (c)  Disclosed  in  this  report  any  change  in  the  small business
     issuer's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the
     small  business  issuer's  most  recent  fiscal quarter (the small business
     issuer's  fourth  fiscal  quarter in the case of an annual report) that has
     materially  affected,  or  is  reasonably  likely to materially affect, the
     small  business  issuer's  internal  control  over financial reporting; and

5.   The  small business issuer's other certifying officer and I have disclosed,
     based  on  our  most  recent  evaluation of internal control over financial
     reporting,  to the small business issuer's auditors and the audit committee
     of  the  small  business issuer's board of directors (or persons performing
     the  equivalent  functions):

          (a)  All  significant  deficiencies  and  material  weaknesses  in the
     design  or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are
     reasonably  likely  to adversely affect the small business issuer's ability
     to  record,  process,  summarize  and  report  financial  information;  and

          (b)  Any  fraud,  whether or not material, that involves management or
     other  employees who have a significant role in the small business issuer's
     internal  control  over  financial  reporting.

Dated this 12th day of May, 2004.


                                         /s/ Dennis W. Burnette
                                         --------------------------------------
                                         Dennis W. Burnette
                                         President and Chief Executive Officer


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