Sanders Family

Joel Sanders [my 7th great grandfather] is the earliest ancestor I could find through Quaker Records. He may have been born around 1718 and died 2 February 1782 at Wrightsborough MM, Columbia/McDuffie Co., Georgia. According to these records he arrived from Cane Creek MM in South Carolina.

The only known wife was Charity Hollowell born about 1722 and died between 23 and 27 January 1782 in Wrightsborough.

Thirteen children have been found through Quaker records, and many of them are mentioned in the Wrightsborough minutes. Joel produced a certificate from the Cane Creek MM for himself "Wife and Children" dated 7th day of the 1st month 1775. The only thing not mentioned in these minutes, is the Sanders family nationality.

In the late 1800s, Sibby (Rich) Burnside applied for Cherokee Citizenship from her home in Muscatine Co., Iowa. In her application she states that she was the child of Rebecca (Sanders) Rich daughter of William Sanders a half breed born on the Cherokee Reservation in Georgia.

She goes further to state that William was the son of Joel Sanders born on a Cherokee Reservation east of the Mississippi River. William was also the son of one Sarah Morgan a "half breed" born on Cherokee Reservation east of the Mississippi River. It boggles my mind as to how there could be so many "half-breeds", someone had to be full Cherokee. And just exactly where were they born?

The Wrightsborough Quaker records lists William Sanders as being born there, and in 1776, Joel Sanders produced a few lines condemning his marriage proving that he and wife were at the settlement before William was born. In 1786 he is asking that his two children William and Barbara be given full right of membership and they were "taken under Friends care which Friends finds freedom in and receives them into membership accordingly." 

By Joel having to condemn his "outgoings in marriage" would suggest that he did not marry a woman of the Quaker faith, and she could very well have been Cherokee, or just a Baptist or other denomination. The Quaker records never state why the marriage had to be condemned.

The only explanation would be that Joel Sanders, Jr. traveled to the Quaker Meetings from his home near or at the Cherokee Reservation, which was some distance away at that time. Another mystery, is a third child of Joel and Sarah (Morgan) Sanders, who was mentioned in a letter dated 9 January 1782, stating that Joel Saunders Sr. with wife and 6 children, and Joel Saunders Jr. with wife and three children, were listed as living in Savannah, Chatham Co., Georgia. Who was this third child? Only two have ever been recorded.

UPDATE 19 SEPTEMBER 2020

A recent inquiry into the citizenship application of my 4th great grandaunt, Sibyl (Rich) Burnside, has piqued my interest once again.

I started my genealogical research in 1997, before the internet became a useful tool; and lacking such a resource, my first few years were spent “name gathering”. I used all the family papers I had and put together a tree and then I wrote a letter to the local library in Marion, Grant County, Indiana (where I and several generations were born) and got a TON of documents taking both my maternal and paternal line back several generations.

Then, the internet started this unique website called Ancestry.com and everyone started county websites where volunteers would transcribe records and present them online for free (I still maintain my county website from 2004).

Along my cyber-travels I “met” cousins on message boards who told me of my “Native American Heritage” stating I was part Cherokee. I scoffed because this is THE typical “tall tale” every family has: “We descend from a Cherokee princess”. Even though royal titles do not exist in the American Indian culture and of course, it’s always Cherokee, no other tribe.

Regardless, I was thinking geographically when told I was part Cherokee; my family is from Indiana, wouldn’t I be Miami, for example? How could I be Cherokee?

The majority of my paternal line are of the Quaker faith; therefore, my paternal genealogy was the easiest tree to build; one is VERY lucky if they have Quaker ancestors because these records are largely in tact and available online. I took several branches back to 1650’s America.

One such Quaker line is my 4th great grandmother, Rebecca (Sanders) Rich, who was born 27 November 1812 in Clinton County, Ohio and died 22 April 1846 in Marion County, Indiana. Rebecca’s “claim to fame” is that she is buried under the landing strip at the Indianapolis Airport.

Apparently, one of Rebecca’s daughters applied for Cherokee Citizenship in February 1886 from Muscatine County, Iowa and it is this daughter’s application that has been the “proof” of my so-called Cherokee heritage and the proof for hundreds of other people. It has been waived around like a banner as proof.

But let’s look at this application. First, was it even approved?

Second, how did Sibby prove her Cherokee heritage? Surely, she had to supply more information than just names?

Also, Sibby claims her mother, Rebecca was the daughter of William Sanders “a Half Breed Cherokee Indian who was Born on the Cherokee Indian reservation in the State of Georgia...”

Okay, William is half-Cherokee.

Then Sibby states that William was the son of Joel Sanders “a Half Breed Cherokee Indiana who it is said was Born on the Cherokee Indian Reservation east of the Mississippi River…”

Okay, another person who is half-Cherokee.

How can someone of half-heritage have a son that is also half? Wouldn’t William be one quarter?

Sibby also claims that Joel’s wife, Sarah Morgan is also “a half breed” born in the same place as her husband Joel.

Then, because Sarah is half and Joel is half, is William now determined to also be half since ¼ plus ¼ equals half?

Is this all Sibby had to do to claim Cherokee heritage? If so, stands to reason hundreds, if not thousands of people took advantage of a situation in order to get some sort of assistance. There had to be more than just this document.

Included with this application were return receipts for the registered letter that was sent to the Dawe’s Commission, but, Sibby’s name isn’t on the Dawe’s Rolls; at least, I can’t find her name on the rolls.

And, since this person questioned me earlier today, I also started thinking about DNA results for the descendants of this family; surely, if we are Native American, our DNA results would reflect Native American heritage?

Mine doesn’t.

Neither does my brother’s DNA.

Nor my paternal aunt who descends down the mitochondrial line from Rebecca (Sanders) Rich.

Not only that but these families were of the Quaker faith, their lineage goes back to the 1600’s in America in the Quaker church records. If they were Native American, wouldn’t the paper trail have stopped with Joel Sanders and Sarah Morgan?

Personally, I think someone took a place of birth and turned it into proof of heritage because the Joel Sanders family was living in north Georgia in the mid 1700’s until just after the 1800’s; but, I don’t believe it was because they were Cherokee, I believe they were bringing religion to the Cherokee Territory and as such, they had to settle there, which resulted in children being born there but not necessarily being born Cherokee.

My task for today, 19 September 2020, is to contact all of my DNA matches to find out whether or not their DNA results prove any Native American heritage. I’m sure one or two will be of Native American ancestry, but will it be because of this Sanders family?