Research would be much simpler if one day in 1838 there were Cherokee in Western North Carolina and the next day there wasn't. To read some history books, that's about the feeling you get. It was much much more complex with the good news being that the Cherokee didn't just go away like they were supposed to. Anyway, I have posted a map showing some of the major US Land Grabs (technically called Treaties) and what areas of WNC they affected. The topic is still much more complex, but at least this will get you started. -- Linda Hoxit Raxter lraxter@citcom.net http://www.geocities.com/~alextreehouse related to at least half the county at least once ; )