Susan said-- "From what Jerri replied about where marriages were registered -- if ancestors were married in Le Flore Co, IT in 1897, is this a clue that they were there legitimately, that is, of NA ancestry? " Susan- No--- actually, that "clue" would be totally adverse to NA ancestry. The tribes had set up stringent laws to protect tribal members from being roped into a foolish marriage with a non-Indian, because most of the "ropers" were simply trying to get their hands on the land that was going to be distributed by the Dawes Commission in 1902. You might be shocked to know how FEW of these wives survived the first year after the Dawes Roll was finalized, then the husbands were given the land as their heirs (see "And Still The Waters Run"- by Angie Debo). Each tribe had their own requirements, but in the Cherokee Tribe, a tribal marriage license required five Cherokee tribal members filing vouchers attesting to the non-Indian's honesty and respectability. On the other hand, if a NA obtained their license from federal court house, their tribe would not recognize their marriage, the legitimacy of their children, nor the non-Indian spouses rights to inherit. Those old men were pretty wise! Jerri C.