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Tahlequah, Oklahoma - Tracing family ancestry can be exciting, but without the proper resources and tools it can be difficult. To make the process simpler, Genealogists Gene Norris and Roy Hamilton of the Cherokee Heritage Center will present an educational conference Saturday, March 27 on the many resources available for tracking family history.

The conference is an introduction to basic genealogical research and is designed to educate participants on the various techniques used to conduct Cherokee genealogy research. The session will discuss general and broad-based genealogy concepts and detailed information about Cherokee rolls and censuses, the availability of records and other data specific to Cherokee genealogy.

Numerous speakers are scheduled at this year’s conference. Bill Welge, archivist from the Oklahoma Historical Society, will discuss the Native American records available at the Oklahoma Historical Society. He will also teach participants the best way to utilize these records.

Diana Curry, genealogy librarian from the Ft. Smith Public Library, will discuss available Cherokee records at the library and the best way to utilize them.

Roy Hamilton, Cherokee Heritage Center genealogist, and Kathleen McCay, Cherokee Heritage Center Web technician, will speak on the demographics of the Cherokee Nation during Dawes enrollment.

Tom Mooney, Cherokee Heritage Center archivist, and Gene Norris, Cherokee Heritage Center genealogist, will discuss the availability of Cherokee research on the Internet.

Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. and the conference sessions will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the O-si-yo Classroom, located behind the Cherokee Nation Gift Shop. Conference fees are $20 for members of the Cherokee National Historical Society, Inc. and $25 for non-members. Pre-registration is recommended as seating is limited.

For more information, contact Gene Norris at the Cherokee Heritage Center’s Cherokee Family Research Center at (918) 456-6007, toll free, phone: 888-999-6007 or send e-mails to Genealogy@CherokeeHeritage.org.

Related contact information:

Mike Miller, Cherokee Nation Director of Communications Phone: 918-456-0671 (ext.2210) Fax: 918-458-5580 E-mail: Communications@cherokee.org Larry Daugherty, Advertising Manager Cherokee Nation - Public Affairs Phone 918-456-0671 (Ex.2324) E-mail: ldaugherty@cherokee.org

Steven Swogger, Agriculture Liaison Natural Resources Department Phone: 918-456-0671 (ext.2546) FAX: 918-458-7673 E-mail: sswogger@cherokee.org Bradley D. Peak, Cherokee Nation Natural Resources Specialist Phone: 918-456-0671 (ex.2843) E-mail: bpeak@cherokee.org