It has been posted over and over again that Elizabeth Warren, the current Democratic senator from Massachusetts, has Native American ancestry. Warren has claimed her native roots multiple times, including a defense of her ancestry after President Donald Trump referred to her as “Pocahontas” during a White House ceremony in November 2017. Warren’s interview with Chuck Todd in March 2018 continued to affirm the stories she was told from her parents regarding her mother’s ancestry. The senator, who is an aspiring and leading figure in the Democratic Party, particularly among young Progressives, has her roots in Oklahoma, a state whose history is steeped in Native American history. The Trail of Tears in the late 1830’s lead directly to the former “Indian Territory” created in 1834, and the later Oklahoma Territory created in 1890. Much of the northeastern part of Oklahoma is still populated with descendants of the Native Americans who were resettled here in a particularly controversial period of American history. It could be possible Warren has some Native American history, so how hard can it be to figure this out?
The native of Oklahoma City was born in 1949 to Donald Jones Herring and his wife Pauline Reed. Her parents had married in Hughes County, Oklahoma, on 2 January 1932, near their hometown of Wetumka, in the town of Holdenville. Today, Wetumka is known as the headquarters of two federally recognized Native American tribes: the Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town and the Kialegee Tribal Town. Warren herself described her family as “teetering on the ragged edge of the middle class” and “kind of hanging on at the edges by our fingernails.” The 1940 Census shows that “Don” Herring had attained at least two years of college education, and was working as a clerk for a hardware business in Wetumka. His salary was moderate at best, but above average for a majority of the local families in the community, particularly for a family living in Oklahoma just after the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl.
Herring’s ancestry would not be confused for Native American: his grandfather, John W. Herring, was a native of England, hailing from the town of Delabole in Cornwall County, England. His wife, Mary Ann Scharann (born Anna Maria Scharann), was a native of Spiez, Canton Bern, Switzerland, arriving in the United States at New York City in April 1877. Donald Herring’s mother, the former Ethel Virginia Jones, was a native of Christian County, Missouri, the daughter of Summerfield Jones and Sarah F. Carr (formerly Kerr, her father’s spelling). Summerfield Jones claimed Virginia ancestry in the 1900 Census (and an age younger than his actual age), but earlier census records trace Jones’ nativity to the Fifteenth Ward of Baltimore city, in Maryland. He went into the mercantile business, establishing himself in Billing, Missouri, by 1880 (note: the 1880 Census shows Summerfield’s parents as being natives of Ireland). The Carr ancestry connects to Maury County, Tennessee, with ancestry connecting to south-side Virginia and central North Carolina. None of this ancestry would have been associated with the Trail of Tears in the 1830s.
Warren, however, claims the Native American roots on her maternal side, particularly her grandmother’s ancestry. In looking on the Reed side of Warren’s ancestry, I find that her mother Pauline was a native of Harris Township, in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, the youngest of eight children. Her father, Harry Gunn Reed, was a carpenter and a sander there at the time of the 1910 Census, with seven children as of that year. In 1920, the Reed’s were renting a farm in Hickory Ridge Township, Okfuskee County, Oklahoma, but by 1930, Pauline and her parents were living in Wetumka. Her father found work as a house and building contractor, a position he maintained through and after the Depression.
Harry G. Reed was a native of Knox County, Missouri, where he was born in October 1872, the son of Joseph H. Reed and wife Charity Gorman. Harry’s trade in carpentry was most likely adopted from his father, who was himself a carpenter for most of his life. However, it does not appear that Joseph found a comfortable living wherever he lived. Prior to his marriage, in the 1860 Census, Joseph was a carpenter in Washington County, Illinois, with only $50 worth of real estate to his name. After his marriage, and at the time of the birth of his firstborn son, Everett Reed, in 1870, the Reed’s resided in Salt River Township in Knox County, Missouri, where they appear to have rented or leased land; Joseph was only assessed as owning a small amount of personal estate. By 1880, the Reed’s resided in Freeburgh, St. Clair County, Illinois. Funeral home records in Sebastian County, Arkansas, indicate that Joseph died a widower in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and was buried in LeFlore County, Oklahoma in February 1898 (which was then Indian Territory).
Despite what appears to be a life on the move across the Mississippi River Valley, Joseph H. Reed’s background does not appear to be too humble. He was a native of Richland County, Ohio, the son of the Reverend Joseph Reed and his wife Elizabeth. The elder Joseph Reed was a native of New Jersey, and moved to Ohio with his wife, children, and his parents, at an early age. He was a War of 1812 veteran, and later served as a representative to the State Legislature. He followed in his father’s footsteps in the Methodist Episcopal Church; his father, Charles reed, was also a New Jersey native (in Cumberland County), a veteran of the American Revolution, and joined the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1785. His 1843 obituary states that he was licensed to preach in the year 1800, and was admitted to the Philadelphia conference in 1808. By 1830, he transferred to the Ohio conference, taking his wife and children with him to Richland County, Ohio. In 1837, Charles Reed transferred one last time to the Illinois conference, where he remained until his death on 5 December 1843 in Wabash County, Illinois. His widow, the former Sarah Nail of Salem County, New Jersey, was also a member of the same church. The elder Joseph Reed’s wife, the former Eliza Bell, was also a native of New Jersey. A tall obelisk headstone was erected for her in Olney, Richland County, Illinois, upon her death in 1869, the tallest tombstone for the family members herewith named. Review of the Reed branch, at the least, fails to show any evidence of Native American roots.
Charity Gorman, the wife of Joseph H. Reed, was a native of Washington County, Illinois, the daughter of Ezekiel Gorman and wife Elizabeth Matthews (found as Matthieus on her marriage record). Both of her parents were born in the first decade of the 19th Century in Missouri, when the territory was still considered part of Orleans Territory and prior to when the Missouri Territory was created. The couple was married in December 1828 in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri. Additional research has not turned up the ancestry of Ezekiel Gorman or Elizabeth Matthews. However, while the area was sparsely populated in the early 1800’s, it was not unusual to find settlers along the Mississippi Valley. The Spanish and French had been established in this area for over a century by that point. By 1800, settlers from the Mid-Atlantic and the southern states had started arriving as well. In Missouri, many settlers from these areas were Catholic, many hailing from Maryland and other areas where the rights of Catholics were restrictive. There is evidence of a James Gorman and Jonathan Gorman in Missouri during this time, with James being found in Ste. Genevieve District (later County), Missouri, in an 1806 memorial (petition) to President Jefferson. It should be identified that at least one John Gorman was found in an 1880 territorial census of the Cherokee Nation (now Oklahoma) in the Saline District; he appears on a list of persons “not recognized as Cherokee Citizens, and who are under permit, either by the Nation or the U.S.” This does not guarantee Cherokee nativity, given the title of the census record, and Gorman does identify himself as “white.” Furthermore, this John Gorman, while possibly a descendant or relative of Ezekiel Gorman, is not an ancestor of Warren.
Out of all of this ancestry, there is only one remaining branch of Warren’s ancestry to examine, and that is the lineage of her grandmother, the wife of Harry Gunn Reed. Census records often show her as “Hannie” (or “Honnie”) Reed, but vital records reveal her full name to be Bethania Elvina “Hannie” Crawford. Harry was a resident of Fayetteville, Arkansas, in June 1893 when he married the 17 year-old Hannie Crawford in Sebastian County, Arkansas; the bride was residing in Indian Territory in that year. She was the daughter of John Houston Crawford and wife Paulina Bowen, a family of farmers with Missouri nativity (John hailed from Laclede County, while Paulina from Ray County). By the time of Bethania’s birth in October 1875, the family was living in Johnson County, Arkansas; by 1900, John was a widower and farmer living in Township 12 in the Cherokee Nation.
Without delving too far into the details (and to make a long story longer), the Crawford line had only been in Missouri one generation when John H. Crawford was born. His parents came from central Tennessee, but not one generation remained in any given area for very long. The Crawford’s were pioneers from Virginia, to western North Carolina, to Bledsoe and then Madison Counties in Tennessee. Other lineages in this line are the Smiths, Marshes, and Pauls, all hailing from around Surry County, North Carolina, and settling in Overton and Bledsoe Counties in Tennessee, and later in Laclede County, Missouri. On the Bowen side of the lineage, Paulina’s father had hailed from Illinois, his ancestry coming from what is now Jefferson County, West Virginia (then in Virginia). Paulina’s mother was a Clark whose ancestry had settled in Floyd County, Kentucky before moving to Ray County Missouri. The lineage stems from eastern and western Virginia (Richmond and Tazewell Counties, to be exact), with some earlier connections into Pennsylvania.
In examination of Warren’s ancestry, if there were to be any Native American ancestry in her blood, it would not have been within the first hand knowledge of anyone living during her time. Some of her southern ancestry could still possibly turn up Native American lineage from the early to mid-18th Century. It was not uncommon for early western settlers and pioneers to intermarry with Native Americans. The problem is, however, that many of these relationships were only known by family lore or legend; that is, however, if it was chosen to be discussed or shared by the family. Furthermore, in study of all of the cited vital and census records, all members of the lineage identified themselves as “white.” There were racial distinctions classified for those who did not appear white during the 19th Century, but this does not appear evident in study of the Reed ancestry.
In the 19th Century, the Cherokee Nation accepted members into the Nation based upon proof of ancestry with the tribe. Members who still qualified as “white” could join, so long as they could still prove a link to a Cherokee within a certain distance (such as grandparents, great-grandparents). These membership applications still exist today, and are vital for anyone with Cherokee ties to learn of their connections to the Cherokee nation. However, no evidence has turned up to show anyone in Warren’s ancestry was a member, or would have had eligibility to join. In fact, there does not appear to be any evidence at all for any member of her lineage born after 1800 to be a Native American. DNA evidence would be the only way to reveal such a link, but given the distance this connection would be from Elizabeth Warren, a simple ancestry or 23andMe DNA test would not reveal it. A mitochondrial DNA test may reveal further details; or, if one of the Reed descendants took a Y-DNA test (since this test must be tested through male carriers only), the exact details may be known.
However, long story short, there is no evidence supporting Elizabeth Warren’s Native American ancestry. If the claim still chooses to remain in the public spotlight, then it must be substantiated by a mitochondrial DNA test (or Y-DNA test from one of her male cousins on her mother’s side).
For the record, I identify myself as a proud Democrat. This research (which has also been pursued by various other persons as well) is not politically motivated, however. A genealogical claim is not partisan, but in an era of “fake news,” the genealogical truth must always be told. Thankfully, as technology continues to improve, the accuracy in the genealogical field also continues to improve. This story only seeks to point out the difference in fact versus family lore or legends. It is a common habit of genealogists today to disprove family stories and lore from fact.
SOURCES:
Interview, Elizabeth Warren with Chuck Todd, “Meet the Press,” Sunday, 11 March 2018, NBC.
https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2010/10/04/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-elizabeth-warren
1932 Marriage Record: OK County Marriage Rec’s, FamilySearch, citing Hughes Co, OK Marriage Records, vol 14, p 425, FHL Film No. 2203792.
1940 US Federal Census, Wetumka, Hughes County, Oklahoma, p 5-B, ED32-28A, hh#87, Don Herring, Roll No. 32098, NARA T627 Series.
US Passport Applications, 1795-1925, #9160, John W. Herring, 28 March 1906, Billings, MO, Certificates 8882-9581, 26 Mar 1906-5 Apr 1906.
New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957, NARA M237 Series, Roll 408, “La Laurent,” 11 April 1877, List #278.
1850 US Federal Census, 15th Ward, Baltimore, Baltimore County, Maryland, p 94-B, hh #1191-1517, Sarah A Jones, NARA M432 Series, Record Group 29, Roll 286.
1880 US Federal Census, Polk Township, Christian County, Missouri, p 25-A, ED8, hh #221-219, Summerfield Jones, NARA T9 Series, Record Group 29, Roll 681.
1900 US Federal Census, Polk Township, Christian County, Missouri, p 5, ED22, hh #107-108, Summerfield Jones, NARA T623 Series.
Missouri State Death Certificate, Sarah Frances Jones, July 1938, MO Digital Heritage, http://www.sos.mo.gov
1910 US Federal Census, Harris Township, Muskogee County, Oklahoma, p 11-A, ED99, hh #142-143, Harry G Reed, FHL Film No. 1375276, NARA T624 Series, Roll 1263.
1920 US Federal Census, Hickory Ridge Township, Okfuskee County, Oklahoma, p 7-B, ED145, hh #119-119, H G Reed, NARA T625 Series, Roll 1478.
1930 US Federal Census, Wetumka, Hughes County, Oklahoma, p 8-B, ED27, hh #174-175, Harry G Reed, NARA T626 Series.
1940 US Federal Census, Wetumka, Hughes County, Oklahoma, p 3-A, ED32-27, hh #59, Harry Reed, NARA T627 Series, Roll 03298.
1860 US Federal Census, Township 1 S, Range 4 W, Washington County, Illinois, p 26, hh #212-212, J Reed, NARA M653 Series, Roll 235.
1870 US Federal Census, Salt River Township, Knox County, Missouri, p 44, hh #368-325, Joseph Reed, NARA M593, Roll 785.
1880 US Federal Census, Freeburgh, St Clair County, Illinois, p 10-B, ED57, hh #94-100, Joseph H Reed, NARA T9, Roll 248.
Birnies Funeral Home Records, Sebastian Co, AR, Joseph H. Reed, buried 14 February 1898.
Findagrave Memorial #44310864, Joseph Reed, Calhoun Cemetery, Richland County, Illinois.
Findagrave Memorial #44309700, Charles Reed, Calhoun Cemetery, Richland County, Illinois – showing his 1843 obituary from the Western Christian Advocate.
Findagrave Memorial #44310472, Sarah Nail Reed, Calhoun Cemetery, Richland County, Illinois – showing her 1850 obituary from the Western Christian Advocate.
Findagrave Memorial #35554115, Eliza Bell Reed, Haven Hill Cemetery, Olney, Richland County, Illinois.
Missouri, Marriage Records 1805-2002, ancestry.com: Ezekiel Gorman to Elizabeth Matthieus, 1828.
1850 US Federal Census, 20th District, Washington County, Illinois, p 159A, hh #888, Ezekiel Gorman, NARA M432 Series, Roll 131.
Oklahoma and Indian Territory Indian Censuses & Rolls, 1851-1959, Schedule 6, Census of Saline District, Cherokee Nation, 1880, line 20, John Gorman.
Arkansas, County Marriages Index, 1837-1957, citing FHL Film No. 1034043, Sebastian Co, AR marriage records.
1880 US Federal Census, Grant Township, Johnson County, Arkansas, p 24-D, ED93, hh #167-178, J H Crawford, NARA T9, Roll 48.
1900 US Federal Census, Township 12, Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory, p 49, ED 46, hh #857-859, John H Crawford, NARA T623.
The Ancestral Clark 