W. Brent Burgin Archives: Eastern Cherokee, Southern Iroquois, & United Tribes of SC

In early times, most of the families were farmers, as were many who lived in rural communities throughout the state. Consequently, one clan began gathering the last weekend in September in thanksgiving to the harvest of that season, and in keeping with the Cherokee Fall Festival tradition, which is held the first weekend in October, for the same reason. The genealogical and historic documentation has been completed for many of these families and currently there are approximately 700 Cherokee descendants on the Tribal enrollment.. Most of these Cherokee descendants had ancestors who resided in the numerous Cherokee Lower Villages of history including: Brasstown, Crane Creek, Chatuga, Chauga, Cheowee, Coweeshee, Echay, Esseneca (Seneca), Estanaley, Estatoe, Oustestee, Keowee, Noyowee, Oconee, Socony, Qualhatchie, , Sugartown, Tomassee, Toxaway, and the Tugaloo Village. The Tribal Rolls of the Cherokees of South Carolina are presently open to any Cherokee descendant who can document their Cherokee ancestry and their families genealogical history and who maintains close social and economic ties to their Cherokee ancestry.