I am an Irish mutt

I am mostly Irish. At least that’s what my mother said. She also told my siblings and me that our great-great-grandmother was a full-blooded Cherokee Indian from the “Crow’s Feet” clan. Through a bit of research, I could not find any evidence of this.  

Mom is likely correct on the Irish heritage, though. Her father’s last name was Lane, her mother’s last name was Leonard, and Mom and her siblings were all red-headed and light-skinned.  

My father told us he was half German and half French. So with Irish, German, French and maybe some Native American bloodlines, I must be… a mutt.  

Most of us have heard that mutts can be some of the best dogs, so I am OK with being a human mutt. If I really cared about my lineage, I could take a DNA test. Truth be told, at 56 years old, I really don’t care that much. At one point I did, and that was when I tried to find information on the Crow’s Feet clan of Cherokee Indians. I didn’t even know the difference in the terms of tribe or clan or any other affiliation, and Mom apparently didn’t either. I found nothing, but record-keeping was not a strength of the Cherokee tribe — or my mother.

I did learn that, about 200 years ago, the Cherokee Indians were one tribe, or “Indian Nation,” that lived in the southeast part of what is now the United States. During the 1830s and 1840s, many Cherokees were moved west to a territory that is now the State of Oklahoma. A number

remained in the southeast and gathered in North Carolina where they purchased land and continued to live. Others went into the Appalachian Mountains to escape being moved west, and many of their descendants may still live there now. Geographically, this could fit with where my Irish ancestors lived. I was fascinated by this and wanted to learn more.

More time passed, and I learned about a free website called findagrave.com. I spent countless hours researching my family history on the site, and I found nothing that tied any of my ancestors to the Cherokee Indians. And, to this day, I can find nothing on Crow’s Feet. I did find much on my Irish heritage, though, with the Lanes and the Leonards.  

Mom may have been a bit confused, but that’s OK. I am good with all of it, and I am more interested in exerting my energy today on finding and celebrating ways we are all alike rather than how we are different.

In the meantime, I enjoy learning about the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, which are times when we can all celebrate the green — whether we are Irish or not.  

Thanks for reading. ♦

Shane Goodman 
Editor and Publisher
CITYVIEW
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.dmcityview.com