Lightfoot Cherokee Genealogy

The Lightfoot Family

NFR indicates no further record.

* indicates my ancestor.

Note: The following information is believed to be correct and backed with primary resources. Unfortunately what are considered to be primary resources to people doing genealogy within the Cherokee Nations, are riddled with errors. Most of the information will probably never be completely proven. Our best evidence is family records that are beginning to come forward on many Cherokee families. We owe a debt of gratitude to such people as Dr. Emmet Starr, George Morrison Bell, Grant Foreman, and the many Cherokee Historians who try to keep track of and write of these stories. Alas, those who tried in the early years with no modern facilities had to rely on notes and memory, and thus there were errors. My Cherokee Family History is full of misinformation that must be sorted through and compared with all sources, including the things that my Great Grandmother Maggie wrote down, along with her husband Will, and his family including his brothers, and their Bible records, etc. Please don't contact me with information that is contrary to mine, but based on the writings of these thoughtful men. I have researched this information, not wanting to accept information that could have been wrong. I have spent hours doing this research at the Oklahoma Historical Society , Indian Archives, reading hundreds of books, sorting through mountains of county records, putting together stories written down by the WPA in the 1930's, reading letters, sorting through family pictures, and asking questions of family members who really did not want to converse. And so it goes with family history. My information has been carefully researched, and is written, as closely as I can make it, to these resources. I am lucky enough to have much of the original information on my family that was given to me by my mother who vowed to throw it out if I did not come for it NOW. I have sorted through the pictures, bank statements, bills, phone records, diaries, letters, original alottment papers, stories both unsubstantiated and the ones that were substantiated by my Grandmother Mary. I am also lucky enough to have a cousin who has had a long interest in the Adair/Adair and Rogers/Rogers family history. Working together we have accumulated 45 years of research history of these families. However, when dealing with the Indian Tribes, history is scarce and conflicting. With the Cherokee Tribe of Indians we are somewhat luckier. Please accept this as my disclaimer or any responsibility for errors. I have done my best as has my cousin Jayne. I know that there may be conflicts with the books listed above and I also know that proof of information is still forthcoming. Please keep this in mind. I cannot in good conscience just take information from books or any other secondary resource and use it with blind faith that it is correct. Any questions, corrections or comments are welcome. Email me at the address at the bottom of this page. I try to correct all spelling errors, but please, don't hold me responsible, or criticize my work, just let me know of the error, and I will correct it asap. I know that there are others who have done more research, and are much more knowledgeable than I. One thing I have learned over these many years of research, is how much I don't know. The more I learn the more I see that I have not learned it all, so it is not necessary to state you credentials when making criticisms. I hope you enjoy this labor of love.

On this family I am making a huge assumption. I am assuming that because of the naming system of the Cherokee when they took Christian names, that the name of Dorcas and GaHoGa's father was Lightfoot. As stated before, when the Cherokee women took Christian names, they usually took the name of engish distortion of their fathers Indian name, ie, Kingfisher's daughter was Catherine Kingfisher. Kingfisher's son Fivekiller's children took the surname Fivekiller. There for my conclusion that the Lightfoot sisters were named for their Indian father, since they were both full bloods.

*1. Lightfoot NFR

*2a. GaHoGa Lightfoot, born in the Cherokee Nation East, and m. 1. Mr. Foster, m. *2. John Adair. John and GaHoGa's children are listed under the Adair line. After she died, John married Jennie Kilgore, a white woman.

2b. Dorcas Lightfoot, b. in the Cherokee Nation East, and m. Young (given name not reference to order) Charles Gordon Duncan

This page was created by me, Ann Maloney. If you have questions or comments about my genealogy, please email me

luvcats@ionet.net