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Position:Home>Genealogy> Someone who subscribes to Ancestry.com or has a lot of family history records?Question:Someone who subscribes to Ancestry.com or really enjoys a challenge in family history, please (please please please) look up this information for me. I'm trying to research my grandmother's Cherokee heritage and I can't go back further than my great-grandfather and I don't know if it was him or wife who had the Cherokee. If not, even information about the surnames or ancestors that aren't Cherokee would still be very helpful. Shirley Ann McKenzie- b. 1933 d. 1978-1979 m. John Lewis Summerlin (prior to that, she married Harry Leonidas Wilson and divorced him) Shirley's mother was Edith Pendarvis: Name: Edith Ella Pendarvis SSN: 247-20-4881 Birthplace: South Carolina Birthdate: July 29, 1904 Death: October 1980 Edith's mother was Minnie Lee Pendarvis: Name: Minnie Lee Pendarvis SSN: 248-90-7847 Birthplace: South Carolina Birthdate: September 22 1880 Death: October 23 1971 Note: Minnie doesn't have Cherokee ancestry to my knowledge. This is for a bit more background. Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Someone who subscribes to Ancestry.com or really enjoys a challenge in family history, please (please please please) look up this information for me. I'm trying to research my grandmother's Cherokee heritage and I can't go back further than my great-grandfather and I don't know if it was him or wife who had the Cherokee. If not, even information about the surnames or ancestors that aren't Cherokee would still be very helpful. Shirley Ann McKenzie- b. 1933 d. 1978-1979 m. John Lewis Summerlin (prior to that, she married Harry Leonidas Wilson and divorced him) Shirley's mother was Edith Pendarvis: Name: Edith Ella Pendarvis SSN: 247-20-4881 Birthplace: South Carolina Birthdate: July 29, 1904 Death: October 1980 Edith's mother was Minnie Lee Pendarvis: Name: Minnie Lee Pendarvis SSN: 248-90-7847 Birthplace: South Carolina Birthdate: September 22 1880 Death: October 23 1971 Note: Minnie doesn't have Cherokee ancestry to my knowledge. This is for a bit more background. http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?o... Heart, you just *had* to throw the word challenge out there, didn't you? lol Based on the above file, I think Minnie's background is going to be filled with surprises. I have to go back, there are NUMEROUS files on rootsweb relating to the Pendarvis family, some of which have some excellent documentation or leads. There are apparently some records of a huge dispute in the late 1700's, which lead to the need for very specific clarification on your end, as to who Minnie's parents were. With her birth date, I was not able to pin her down in the 1880 census. Oral history and/or tradition is notorious for having a grain of truth somewhere, but become mixed up along the line. the little bit I picked up so far... SOME of the Pendarvis descendants will have bi-racial heritage, while their cousins will not. You will definitely want to pull out the teeth on quality documentation, since sometimes Cherokee was used as a more socially acceptable way of sugar coating bi racial (mulatto) lineage. So, I poured myself some more coffee, and will see what else can be located. edit... http://books.google.com/books?id=gZBJAAA... sheesh... an online book, no less. edit again... genealogy works STRANGE STRANGE, since the next google entry ties some of this to the Fillingim family, which has been my key work for over 20 yrs. copy of Joseph;s will http://boards.ancestry.com/surnames.pend... rootsweb also has a message board for Cherokee surnames. Now be aware that there are some Native Americans on that board who are EXTREMELY touchy about they way you word your request and will not hesitate to correct you. I don't know why they are that way but I've lurked that board for years and found it to be true. They will tell you that if the surname your researching wasn't on the original Dawes records (can be found online at the National Archives), then they probably weren't Native American. DNA testing for the Cherokee nation (and other tribes) is underway but it's a long, slow process that's costly. There are a lot of Native American message boards on Yahoo groups that could also help you in your search. Most all tribes have a historian but don't be surprised if they require membership in the tribe before they give over any information. The key to the message boards is to ask with the utmost respect because you have tribal elders who monitor the boards. But they welcome a respectful request and will be willing to help you in any way they can. It also looks like from the information above that Minnie Lee Pendarvis was her married name because the surname was passed on to Edith. What was Minnie Lee's maiden name? This would greatly help in the search for Cherokee ancestry. Yes, and it cost you dearly. Free site to search is: www.familysearch.org 5 Billion names to can through Minnie Lee Pendarvis b. 1880 was married to Charles Asbury Pendarvis. b. 11/20/1860 in Harleyville, Dorchester Cty, S.C.; d. 2/25/1930 in Charleston, SC. Charles Pendarvis' father was Harmon Pendarvis b. 2/17/1833 in Harleyville, SC and died 1/6/1896 in Harleyville, SC He was married to Margaret Knight. Harmons Pendarvis' father was James Pendarvis b. 1808 in Harleyville, SC and died between 1870 and 1880 in Newnansville, Florida. His wife's name was Zebby and she was born in about 1809. I really wasn't sure who you wanted me to trace back. The McKenzie's or the Pendarvis'. The census records that I looked at did not indicated Indian. |