Hanaford of Salisbury, North Carolina, USA, died on January 14, 2004, at age 102.  Always a supporter of the Cathey Reunion Association and its genealogical work, Mary Hanaford, a most gracious lady, was the mother of Elizabeth (Liddy) Dole, the first female United States senator elected in North Carolina and who earlier had been the President of the American Red Cross.

Big plans for Virginia Genealogical Society Conference in October 2004
The Virginia Genealogical Society in partnership with the Wythe County Genealogical and Historical Association will hold its annual fall conference on Saturday, October 30, 2004 at the Holiday Inn, 1800 East Main Street, Wytheville, Virginia.  The conference theme will be Resources for Family History.  The all-day conference will feature topics on Fractur, printed broadsides, Chancery papers, and writing your family history.

The conference registration table opens at 8:15 am (with coffee and pastries), and the main program starts at 9:00 am.  Four veteran speakers will conduct the sessions:  Corrine Earnest, Russell Earnest, Mary B. Kegley, and Dr. Charles A. Brodie.  During the breaks, you may visit vendors of books, software, forms, and other genealogical materials. 

Registration forms with agenda and details are available directly from the Virginia Genealogical Society, Fall Conference, 5001 West Broad Street, Suite 115, Richmond, Virginia 23230-3023.

Am looking for ancestry of RICHARD ROBI(N)SON, 1758-1827, buried Steele Creek Presbyterian Cemetery, Charlotte, North Carolina. Also, who did PATRICK GLAZE, born ca1730, marry?  One source says ESTHER, daughter of DONALD McDONALD; another ANN NANCY MIDDLETON.  PATRICK’s six children mentioned in Will of DONALD McDONALD (McDANIEL) 1723-1795?  Contact Bill Robinson, <neverhome29@hotmail.com>, 40 Sweetwood Court, Roswell, Georgia 30076.

GLORIA KAHLER CHAMPION, please contact LENA JURY BREMER’s family at PO Box 345, Paradise, Utah 84328.

My ancestor, GEORGE McDANIEL, was born in 1770, somewhere in North Carolina.  He came to Big Sandy Creek, Tennessee to settle and raise his family.  He served in the military in 1812 in order to keep the Indians from taking over that part of the country.  I have his records.  My great-great-grandfather came to Illinois about 1865 with his family and changed his name to McDONAL.  I would like to do some more research on GEORGE, but don’t know of anyone by the name of McDANIEL.  William McDonal, 247 East Chestnut Street, Apt. 903, Chicago, IL 60611.

Gas prices affect reunions
The price of gasoline is affecting the cost of all reunions this summer.  Some changes in program may occur, but reunions are not being cancelled.  “Reunions are too important to our family,” says Nancy Everly of Crestline, Ohio, about her Best Family Reunion. 
Cindy Jacoby of Thomasville, Pennsylvania, says, “There’s no stopping the Meyer Family Reunion.”
“We’re too excited to see one another,” says Jeanette Hales of Richmond, Virginia, about her upcoming Lunenberg High School class reunion in Victoria, Virginia. 

Most military reunion organizers are more concerned about their dwindling numbers.
In a survey of summer 2004 reunion organizers, Reunions magazine learned some interesting effects of gas prices on reunion planning.  For example, one reunion branch will rent a cabin along with everyone else, because driving their RV is prohibitive while the cost of driving a car and staying in a cabin will save money.  Another reunion planned a six-hour round trip caravan to historical family sites, but decided to hold that for another year.  Other reunions are looking into the possibility of hiring buses, if a large enough contingent is traveling from one place, so no one drives.  But, of course, bus prices are also rising.

Then, there are reunion organizers like Ruth Thomas of West Fork, Arkansas, who don’t think “it’ll really affect us much.”  But resignedly suggests our universal thought that “it would be nice if gas prices were cheaper though.”

Dassa Carvey of Virginia Beach, Virginia, says, “I’ll cut back elsewhere to participate in the 25th anniversary of WAVES (Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service) national reunion,” later this year.

Over 200,000 families including the fabled Hatfields and McCoys, and Davy Crockett’s descendants, plan reunions this summer.  One hundred fifty thousand classes and 6,000 military groups will also enjoy reunions this year.  Almost half of family reunions span three or more days, averaging 50 people each, and 85 percent of family and class reunions are in June, July or August.  Military reunions concentrate in September, October and early November after school starts and prices go down.
Many travel long distances and sacrifice to be with reunion groups whose significance has increased since September 11, 2001.  They will come from everywhere in the world to reconnect, be nostalgic and enjoy their togetherness.

Reunions magazine, a bi-monthly, and <www.reunionsmag.com> are important resources for planning any kind of reunion.  Sample copies are available for $2 for shipping and handling.  Send to Reunions magazine, PO Box 11727, Milwaukee, WI 53211-0727.  Or free copies are available by completing a survey at <www.reunionsmag.com>.  Subscription information can be found at <www.reunionsmag.com> or by calling 800-373-7933.

Editor’s Note:  Review copies of Reunions magazine and/or Reunions Workbook are available for the asking.  Edith Wagner, Reunions magazine editor, is also author of  The Family Reunion Sourcebook (1999, McGraw-Hill Lowell House, Los Angeles).  Interviews happily accepted.  Stock photos available. 

Dawes Commission enrollment records help in locating Native American ancestry
Bryan L. Mulcahy
The Dawes Commission was created by the United States Congress in 1893 under the Dawes Act with Senator H. L. Dawes as chairman.  The goal of the commission was to exchange Indian tribal lands in the southeastern United States for new land allotments to individuals in Oklahoma.  The Dawes Commission was also known as the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes.  This process was to be accomplished by securing the consent of the various Indian chiefs to the extinguishing of tribal land titles and by allocating lands to individuals.  Between 250,000 and 300,000 people applied to this commission for enrollment and land.  Just over 100,000 applications were approved.

Genealogists would find these records most useful if your ancestor was:
A.  A member of either the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek or Seminole Indian tribes in the southeastern United States.
B.  Alive during the enrollment period between 1896 and 1905.  If your ancestor died prior to 1893, you could search for surviving children or grandchildren using the Dawes Commission records as well.
The content of Dawes Commission records would normally include the following types of information:
A.  Enrollment cards (also known as census cards) include residence, roll numbers, names of family members, relationships, ages, sex, degree of Indian blood, enrollment date, place and number, parents and their enrollment date or place, spouses, divorces, and children or grandchildren.
B.  Applications for enrollment include affidavits, vital records, letters, questionnaires, decisions mentioning relatives, dates, and places.
C.  Letter logs would include the name of applicant, address, date of letter, file number, date received, subject of letter, and action taken.  Letters are normally filed with the applications.
The most useful reference tools for accessing information for Dawes Commission records are the following titles:
United States.  Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes.  Index to the Final Rolls of the Citizens and Freedman of the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory.  Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1907.
United States.  Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes.  Final Rolls of Citizens and Freedman of the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory.  Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1907.
United States.  Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes.  Enrollment Cards for the Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914.  National Archives Microfilm Publications, M1186, Washington, DC: National Archives, 1981.
United States.  Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes.  Applications for Enrollment of the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914.  National Archives Microfilm Publications, M1301.  Washington, DC: National Archives, 1981.
United States.  Bureau of Indian Affairs.  Index to Letters Received by Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes, 1897-1913.  National Archives Microfilm Publications, M1314.  Washington, DC: National Archives, 1983.

If you fail to find your ancestor’s name in the index, you may need to be creative in the spelling of names.  Also, consider looking for your ancestor by his or her English name, Indian name, middle name, nickname, initials, married name, or maiden name.  Consider the possibility that he or she was listed under a different tribe or category than you expected.  Look through each of the 29 sections of the index.

Your ancestor’s application may also have been rejected.  The Dawes Commission ultimately rejected over 60% of the applications.  An index to most rejected applications can be found using the National Archives website for the NARA Archival Research catalog assistance homepage at <www.archives.gov/research_room/arc/arc_info/genealogy_search_hints.html>.  Upon entering this page, scroll down until you reach the Native Americans section and follow the instructions.

Looking for information, material, references, addresses, etc. of or on the name of ABEYTA.  If any information, please contact Mr. Jerry Abeyta, 55000 Highway #112, Hooper, CO 81136.