I've spent the last month scratching the surface to research the paternal ancestry of my Venegas-Shore nieces and nephews. This post is for you: Andrew, Ashley, Penelope, and Robbie.
The Shore Line
One of the most interesting questions I was able to solve was whether the Shore line has any Cherokee ancestry. I can confirm that, yes, you do. I learned first that in order to be eligible for Cherokee Nation citizenship, a person must have one or more direct ancestors listed on the Dawes Roll, the final federal census taken of of tribal citizens living in the U.S. from 1898-1906 (Source: https://www.cherokee.org/). Clem Shoemake, Ashley & Andrew's great-great grandfather, was listed on the Dawes Roll when he was three years old. The Dawes Roll notes that Clem Shoemake was 1/32 Cherokee, which makes Ashley & Andrew 1/256 Cherokee.
Based on the current application requirements, Ashley & Andrew are able to apply for citizenship in the Cherokee Nation, if they ever desire to do so. Here's a copy of the Dawes Roll that relates to the Shore line.
Venegas - Carroll line
My brother-in-law, Robb Venegas's, mother was Nancy Carroll. Robb grew up in California and met my sister in Arizona. About 10 years ago, Robb and my sister moved to Fort Worth, Texas. One of the things I found fascinating about looking at the Carroll family is how close they landed back in the same place. For example, Robb's great-grandparents, Atticus Carroll and Ethel Beulah Ball are both buried in Eastland, Texas, which is 112 miles away from Robb's current home; Rising Star & Eastland, Texas, are also only 35 miles from where Ashley is attending college.
