Cherokee Genealogy 101

Anita Finger-Smith, a genealogical and historical researcher, will offer the tools necessary to separate fact from fiction in oral histories of Cherokee ancestry. If your goal is to verify family tradition of a Cherokee ancestor, this is the lecture for you. Anita will guide the researcher to the appropriate federal, state, or tribal records available to document a tribal connection and the eligibility criteria for tribal membership. This lecture will simplify the complex concepts of Cherokee genealogy. 

Anita Finger-Smith has specialized in the records of the Eastern Cherokee, Cherokee manuscript collections, and American Indian genealogy methodology for more than two decades. She is the President and CEO of Cherokee Genealogy Services; a business licensed by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. When she is not attending to genealogical or historical research, she serves as co-owner of Bearmeat's Indian Den, an authentic Native American art gallery located in Cherokee, North Carolina.