Possible Welch Cherokee Ancestry

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: North Carolina
Surname/tag: Welch

Most of the material here has been provided by Chad Watson, much of which consists of family letters, speaking of the great lengths various members of the Welch (and related) families went to in order to prove their Cherokee ancestry, and obtain government money they believed was due to them.

In regard to this material, Chad states: "I've been researching this for the past seven years and studied the Cherokee history a lot as well. I've found no rock solid proof, just evidence."

We welcome all who look over the material to decide for themselves, and welcome all points of view and discussion on the family history. -- Kent Creamer

Contents 1 Ephraim Wesley Welch Biography by Chad 2 Welch Family Lineage by descendant Mary Powers 3 Family Letters on Cherokee Ancestry 4 Reddit post from cousin Carey Smith

Ephraim Wesley Welch Biography by Chad

Even though it is shown on record that Ephraim's parents are European, it is claimed by many descendants that he was Cherokee. There is some evidence to support this claim. Welch is a somewhat common Cherokee name. He was born in North Carolina. While looks dont necessarily mean anything, a lot of his descendants look to be mixed natives. It is written in some descendants' family letters that the Welch family is Cherokee. There are theories on what the truth may be. One is that Ephraim may have been a native adopted or taken in by the Welch family. It is know that some Scottish men took Cherokee wives. Some even returned to Scotland but would still send money/goods to take care of their wives. Ephraim's father was Irish but there could have been a similar situation. Ephraim's wife's lineage can be traced to Europe as well. He may have had an unknown native wife at one point. He may have came from a tribe other than the Cherokee. And there is the possibility of no Native American blood whatsoever. Many would claim Cherokee heritage attempting to gain land at one point in time. This is one reason you hear so many people say they have a Cherokee great grandma because it's an old family myth eventually believed to be true.

“I am in possession of several letters and writings claiming that Ephraim was Cherokee. I have spoken to countless descendants and most who I have talked to have said that they were always told the Welch family was Cherokee/Native. I used to see posts on now defunct genealogy forums online with posts about Ephraim or his descendants being Cherokee/Native.” -- Chad Watson

Welch Family Lineage by descendant Mary Powers

• Ephraim Welch family lineage and Cherokee connections written by descendant Mary Powers.; This was written by Ephraim's descendant, Mary Powers. She would never tell how she knew this information and it's a secret she took to her grave.; image on WikiTree

Family Letters on Cherokee Ancestry

On Cherokee ancestry and Welch family attempt to receive government money believed due to them: Family letters originally submitted by Chad Watson, the individual pages of these letters are combined into individual pdf files for each letter, many of them with introductory notes by Chad.:

• 1933 Letter from Alfred Guy to Charles Young; “This is the first letter I have from Alfred Henry Guy to my Great Grandfather Charles Clayton Young. The descendants of William Welch and Delilah Hanes were said to have a claim to a large sum of money having to do with the Native territory in Oklahoma. The family battled for years trying to prove their Cherokee heritage with no luck. The Cherokee named William McKee that you will see mentioned in the letters I send you is said to have been the son of a Nancy Welch we are related to." -- Chad Watson; pdf copy on WikiTree
• 1934 letter from Alfred Guy to Charles Young; pdf copy on WikiTree
• 1933 Letter from Theophilus D Smith to Charles Young; “Theophilus D. Smith is the daughter of Emma Carlton, who was the full sibling of Lucy Carlton. They were Elizabeth Welch and Theophilus C. Carlton's daughters. You will see a mention of another Theophilus in this letter. This is most likely Theophilus Cleveland Young who is Charles' brother. Theo Smith also mentions having a family Bible that belonged to William Welch. I contacted Mary Angelo, who is possibly the oldest living descendant of Theo Smith. She knew nothing of the Bible but did know her great grandmother Emma and grandpa Theo and knew the family stories about them being Cherokee.” -- Chad Watson; pdf copy on WikiTree
• Letters from Lottie Lynn to Tribal Government 1 - 9 Aug 1934; “Lottie Lynn was the daughter of Emma Carlton and sister of Theophilus Smith. She was writing some form of tribal government in another failed attempt to get the money supposedly owed to the family. ” -- Chad Watson; pdf copy on WikiTree
• Lottie Lynn letters 2 - 19 Jan 1938; pdf copy on WikiTree
• Lottie Lynn letter 3 - 25 Jan 1938; pdf copy on WikiTree
• Lottie Lynn letter 4 - 30 June 1940; pdf copy on WikiTree
• Government responses to Lottie Lynn - 14 Aug 1935 to 19 Jul 1940; These are the replies Lottie received. They are mainly about Delilah Hanes.; pdf copy on WikiTree

Reddit post from cousin Carey Smith

• Reddit post from cousin Carey Smith; Tells of incident when Emma Belle (Carlton) Smith (1866-1953) was invited to go to Oklahoma to claim money from oil and gas found on land associated with her. She was accompanied by Albert James Guy (1859-1943). Mentions her husband, John, being born on a reservation in Oklahoma.; "Her second great grandma was Emma Belle Carlton Smith who I've mentioned. We have sent several emails to each other. She also sent me a flash drive with an mp3 of her grandpa, Fred Dale Smith, telling what life was like in the part of Illinois my part of the Welch family migrated to. I need to finish listening to it, however it's too large of a file to email. Carey is also where I obtained Emma and her side of the family's pictures." -- Chad Watson; image on WikiTree