The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-04-10
Gave Up Profession and
Spent 80 Years Gath
ering Data
CHEROKEE GENEAL0GY
Life Story of Nancy Ward
Figures Largely in Chero-
kee History


indians. collecting documents, his
'iorl,al data and parchmcnts, ~.
IGmmct starr. mixed Cherokee and
of white deArcut, has about reached
tho mlflroont ~ his Mes amhi-
tiOn---a goneaiogy of every mixed
blood family In the Cherokee ma
ilun.
A doctor By profession, Dr. Starr
f1rsook hia teachings years ago ana
answered what ne terms the charm
Of tho Cherokee gcnealogy." Pills
plnstCrs poulticcs, splints and
bandagcs. the agents Of mercy which
hc says he know hc might dis
tribute among his brothers. wcro
,iB' aside,
The material Of his years ~ labor
ir compiled and n comprehensive
history Of the Cherokee nation and
its people will soon hc published.
That history viii embrace every
phasc OF tho Cherokee nation from
the time OF itR inception az a tribe
before the white man came 10
America when tho ancient homo
land of the CherOkoce was In the
southern Appalachian region. down
go tho time nf the American Rovolh-
tion and mp until II ceased as a tribe
In Oklahoma In 1907
G)r. Starr gave up his profession
upon bit of Information lc acct
dcntnliy picked up 30 years ago at
the home of Cherokee family
dny's Journey from his own homo,
he relates. lie met IA woman 81
years old. who. after conversation,
claimed knship with him. II
evolved, according TO Dr starr. that
sbo was great Granddaughter of
Nancy ward. whom tho Indians
Worship ~ the "bcloycd woman
of the Cherokee nation.
strange story Of Nancy Ward.
This old Indian woman. the doctor
statcs, said she was reared In home
of Nancy ward and was 90 years
old when Nancy died at tho age of
I2S years. The career Of Nancy ward
as told hy this old woman, inspired
him to dclve into the gcnealogy OF
the Chorokoes, Dr starr says, ana
Co this he attributes his first In
clination to give up his life TO trace
II out.
Nancy ward s "a character to
which Dr. starr gives many pages
In his history. He tells of her
privilege to sit In the councils or
the elders and chicfs OF the nation,
how she was clothed with tho power
of absolute pardon, even after the
solemn council had pronounced the
doom Of death at the stake; how ahe
had sympathizcd with the colonlsts
during the struggle for American
independence, to whose hungry
armies she twice sent herds of beef
cattle and OF the marvellous in
crease OF her progeny through sue
ccssive generations until they were
even then numbered by hundreds
and included many OF tho most
prominent people In the Cherokee
nation.
Being a literary man in the Chero-
kee nation di dnot mean material
prosperity during the accu umulation
OF HIS history, 40 after giving up the
practice OF medicine. Dr. Starr filled
IN n part of his time In educational
and clerical pursuits. lie served his
people az "A member OF the tribal lex
ialative council, thus gaining an In
sight into Cherokee politics which
las aided him In preparing his hia-
tory.
The ancient homeland OF the
Cherokee Indians, DIR. starr writes
even before the coming OF the white
man, was In the southern Ap-
palachian region, embracing por
lions OF the states OF North Carolina
Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Ken
tuoky and Virginia. They were
often at war with the white colon
lists In Georgia and the Carolinas
after the white man inhabited their
colony. AT the close OF the Amer
lean Revolution. many families oi
loyalists or tories" who had beer
expelled from Georgia and the caro-
linas, settled among the Cherokees
and were adopted as members of the
tribe.
Intcrmarriagcs Compllcatr.
Numerous intermarriages have
followed and It Is "a history OF these
marriages that has lead DR.. Sstrr Ia
cover thousands OF miles In the las
80 years In an endeavor TO trace
them to their native source.
Tho Cherokee country, according
to Dr. starr, constantly became more
restricted In area, the encroachmeni
of the white settlements Increasing
In 1895, the United states ncgo-
tiated treaty with representatives
OF n small minority OF the Cherokee
people, by the terms OF which the
whole tribe was ultimately forced to
abide. This lead To the migration
Of the main body OF the Cherokee
people to the new reservation IN. iho
Indian territory, the Cherokees hlg
vanguard 60 the white man as no
pushed farther out into the west.
The story OF this rc.coval as told
by Dr. starr, IL tragic one, hun
dreds OF thu homesick Chcrokces
dying on the way westward, their
graves being made by the roadside.
This occurred In the years 1896 and
So.
A Cherokee republic resulted in
the western Wilderness. The gov
ernment waS based upon a written
constitution and was composed of
legislative, executive and judicial de
partmcnts. 4 well organized educa
tional system was inaugurHted. che
Cherokee language was reduced I,
writing as the result OF the de-
velopment of q cyllabic alphabet b!
Scquoyah.
The Cherokee government ceased
to exist when Oklahoma was ad
tnltted 10 the union In 1907, Sine,
then oklahoma has been Hlmos
continuously represented by
cherokee in the United States sen
ate- and at various times, by thrc,
Cherokees In the lower house o
congress.
m. Hind Tried II