My Whites and Luther/White descendants thought they were Cherokee, too, one brother even applied for Indian land in 1905. The story is that they had changed the name to white from Van because of bad trouble, which is why all the families named a son Van. They thought Joel White who came to Clay Co by 1840 was full blooded Cherokee. However, they lived in Waggoner Co, OK at the time, where there were Vanns who were cherokee, and as far as I can see we are not connected to the Vanns of Cherokee fame. Even if they were connected to Trader Vann, it would have had to be from a child who broke off from the Cherokees in GA by 1801, which doesn't really seem likely to me. I can show that Joel White was (most likely) the son of Edward White, who was in Pulaski Co, KY, by 1801. Edward is listed as a white person in 1810. There was possibly a James White who was old enough to be the father of Edward and other Whites in 1801 Pulaski Co. As far as I can see, Van is used as a middle name only in the family of Edward. The Kizzias family arrived in Pulaski Co perhaps a couple of years earlier than Edward white. They came to Pulaski Co about the same time as Joel and David White, sons of Edward. A Kizzias son married the dau of George P Luther, her brother James M Luther married Lucinda White. The Kizzias family has been shown to be Tuscarora. I am betting the Van/Whites were, too, but don't know how I will ever prove it, or even find out more about the possibility.