I also have an Indian Woods line in my family: was told it was Cherokee but find in research that the area is more populated by Choctaw Indians (in MS.) Woods in this case was of French descent, and related to trapping trade I am told; but he is supposed to have married a woman of "100% Cherokee Indian blood" (by my mother's description) and as yet have very few names to work with (Albert Herbert Woods is all, with a possible connection to "Gean" family(?)) Are Choctaw Indians in MS part of a Cherokee tribe? Woods was in western NC quite a bit, maybe even western TN, but his mother lived in MS along with sibs, then later in Louisiana.. This reference to sources to look is quite helpful. Thank you Roderiques! Mia Roderiques <roderiques@earthlink.net> wrote: you might also try the Cherokee list from Rootsweb for resources. There are some folks on there who have spent a long while beating the paper bushes for information and can tell you where to start looking. If there is Cherokee in your line, you have the advantage in the tradition they had as good record-keepers. Don't overlook the census entries marked "mulatto" on the census. This meant anyone of color - even as little as 1/16th "colored blood" would label one as non-white even into the 1940s. It is a Catch-22 of sorts, though. On one hand, someone with a trace amount of Native blood could be labeled mulatto. On the other hand, many of "mixed blood" who could "pass" as Caucasian, did so -- changed their names, moved to where they were not known and for as far as anyone knew where as "white" as the original Pilgrims from the Mayflower. Some saw it as the only way to improve their lot in life. ==== WOODS Mailing List ==== No part of these messages nor the archives file containing them may be published or redistributed in any form by a "FOR PROFIT" or commercial organization. All publication requires the permission of each message author. --------------------------------- Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos - Share your holiday photos online!

I believe the Choctow were primarily in Mississippi and Alabama. Here is a page that has some good links to information on Native American tribes -- both historical and present-day. http://www.judicare.org/ilolnks.html#H (has many links to many tribes) and of course http://www.cyndislist.com/native.htm