Hello! I’d be very grateful if anyone can help me.
I was doing some research on Ancestry.com and ran into a brick wall when trying to identify one of my great grandmothers. I couldn’t find any solid record of her myself, but in other people’s trees she is usually labeled Maggie (Cherokee Mother) Odum (1703-1790)
She was reportedly born in South Carolina and was married to Joshua Odum. In other trees her name is Polly Bowman or Polly Odum, and the spelling of “Odum” ranges from “Odom” to “Oldham.” I can’t find any record of her mother or father.
All the references to her I can find seem to state that she was a Cherokee woman. One other tree states she was possibly Congaree. For the life of me I cannot find the source of this except for a blurb on Geni that states:
“The Bowman family that Polly Bowman was in were AL Cherokee and married Ross Party Sharp. Some joinged in a wagon train from Sharp's Cove, AL McNutty Reservation and left together to go to Rusk TX with Hogg (the Governor's Family) and Thompson familes.
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Joshua Odom in the North Carolina, U.S., Marriage Index, 1741-2004
Name Joshua Odom
Spouse Polly Bowman
Marriage State North Carolina”
Is there any legitimacy to this? My great grandmother told me before she died that I had Native American heritage, but I know this is a common family myth.
I listed a portion of my lineage below that I took from Ancestry. Any and all help you can provide is deeply appreciated. Thank you for your time!
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Maggie (possibly Polly?) Odum (possibly Bowman?) (Cherokee) 1703-1790
Mary Melissa Talivia Odum Brigman Half Cherokee 1720-1790-Daughter of Polly Maggie Odum (Cherokee)
Isaac Brigman Sr 1748-1811 -Son of Mary Melissa Talivia Odum Brigman Half Cherokee
Moses E Brigman Sr 1796-1857- Son of Isaac Brigman Sr
Ann Jane Brigman 1819-1887-Daughter of Moses E Brigman Sr