Cherokee Census of 1835

A census of the Eastern Cherokees, sometimes called the Henderson Roll, was taken by the Federal Government in 1835.  In total, it enumerated 16, 542 Cherokees living in the states of North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee.  The following table summarizes the results of that census:

Source:  The Cherokees - A Population History, by Russell Thornton (published 1990)

The census of 1835 also enumerated the Indians as to whether each was a fullblood, halfblood or quarterblood Cherokee.  The Federal Government regarded a person as an Indian only if he/she was of one-quarter Indian blood or more.  Most of the Cherokees were listed as being fullbloods, yet most of the Cherokees who held tribal leadership positions were of mixed blood.  This fact would cause much stress and lead to sporadic outbreaks of internal violence throughout the time period covered by this website (1819-1880).  The family groups selected for analysis at this website were all mixed blood groups and, although above average in socio-economic success, they were also more likely to suffer acts of violence  from other Cherokees.

The breakdown of the Cherokee portion of the census by blood category is as follows:

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