O si yo all... I am researching my family. I was told that I was Cherokee and Northern Cheyenne, but having been raised outside of the family (I was adopted in 1949, born in 1946), it has been difficult to put the pieces together. For instance, I was told that my adoptive mother was my 'birth mother', and I know that her family were known as being 'Black Dutch' and 'Black Irish'. I recently found out that my GGrandfather (Fallin) was a slave in Virginia. My Grandfather Thomas Henry Follin (Fallin) was born 1878 [in Virginia] and d. 1964 [in Maryland]. He was married to my Grandmother, Bessie Ann [Auterback] Follin, b. 1888 and d. 1971. Her parents were Ferdinand Auterback and Susan Boltin. I believe my mother's family are Cherokee (it was better to be 'Black Irish' than Indian...my Aunt related a story about when she lived in NC and that they had to get off the sidewalks when 'the white people were walking by'. My father [who I was told was my 'uncle'] was Charles Spang [this is where the Northern Cheyenne comes in] His parents were Charles Spong (Spang the name was changed to Spong...maybe because Spong is the 'white' side. My Grandmother was Emma Mae Keller and her parents were Franklin Keller and Alice Virginia Jones. As far as I can tell, they were from Shepherdstown, WV/Maryland area. I recently found out that the Spangs are the largest family of the Northern Cheyenne. I contacted someone there and told her my story and she asked me to send her photos of myself. I did and she said she passed my photos to the Elders and they said I definately looked like family and she would try to find out what she could but nothing has come of it and maybe they don't want to look that hard. Hope someone can help me out here... Carol Jean