Catawba Indian Nation

United States

Indigenous Peoples of the United States

Indigenous People of South Carolina

Catawba Indian Nation

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Guide to Catawba Indian Nation ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records.

Catawba potter. Catawba Indians were well known for their pottery in the Carolinas.

Tribal Headquarters

Catawba Indian Nation
996 Avenue of the Nations
Rock Hill, SC 29730
Phone: 803-366-4792
Website

History

Culture Area: Southern Piedmont

Linguistic Family: Eastern Siouan

Traditional Economy: agriculture, hunting, gathering

Established: 1793, 1841

Population: 1969: enrollment 700 Tribal enrollment 156 1980: 728
The Catawba Indian Nation/Catawba Tribe of South Carolina is the only Federally recognized tribe in South Carolina.

The Catawba Nation is primarily associated with the state of South Carolina.

The Historical Marker database has pictures and inscriptions of the Catawba Indian Memorial in Fort Mill, York County, South Carolina.

Many of the Catawba tribal members living on the Reservation are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons)

The usage of "Mormon" and "LDS" on this page is approved according to current policy.

Brief Timeline

1715: The Catawba tribe participated in the Yamasee War

1738: Smallpox raged in South Carolina and many Catawba died.

1754-1763: The Catawba aided the Colonist in the French and Indian War

1759: Smallpox killed close to 50% of the tribe

1763: A reservation was established by treaty with the British: 15 miles square on both sides of the Catawba river, within the present York and Lancaster counties, South Carolina

1763-1787: The Catawba aided the Colonist in the Revolutionary War

1826: The reservation was leased to non-Indians

1840: Many tribal members move to North Carolina and joined the Cherokee

1841: The Catawba tribe sold all but one square mile of their reservation. The tribal headquarters is located there today.

1850: Catawba tribal members return to South Carolina, the state sold them over 600 acres.

1944: South Carolina Legislature passed an act providing that "All Catawba Indians, otherwise qualified, are hereby declared to be citizens of the State of South Carolina, and shall enjoy and have all the rights and privileges belong other citizens".

1962: Catawba of South Carolina Terminated, Tribal membership 631- Tribal land (Acres) 3,388

1973: The Catawba tribe reorganized

1993: The Catawba receive federal recognition

Additional References to the History of the Tribe

Black, James M. The Catawba Indians of South Carolina: Life of Chief Samuel Blue. FS Library Fiche 6018853

Blumer, Thomas J. Bibliography of the Catawba. Native American Bibliography Series, No. 10. The Scarecrow Press, Inc. Netuchen, N.J. London 1987 ISBN 0-8108-1986-4 FS Library Book 970.3 C281bt

Blumer, Thomas J. Catawba Nation: Treasures in History. Charleston, SC : The History Press, C 2007. FS Library Book 970.3 C281btj

Brown, Douglas Summers. Catawba Indians, The People of the River. Columbia, SC., University of South Carolina. FS Library Book 970.3 C281b

Hudson, Charles M. The Catawba Nation. Athens, University of Georgia Press, 1970. FS Library Book: 970.3 C281h

Martin, Judy Canty. My Father's People : A Complete Genealogy of the Catawba Nation. FS Library Book 970.3 C281mjc

Merrell, James H. The Indians' New World : Catawabas and Their Neighbors from European Contact Through the Era of Removal. Chapel Hill NC : university of North Carolina Press, c1989. FS Library Book 970.3 C281m

Watson, Ian. Catawba Indian Genealogy. Geneseo, NY : Geneseo Foundation. FS Library Book 970.3 C281w

Frederick Webb Hodge, in his Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico, gave a more complete history of the Catawba Nation, with estimations of the population of the tribe at various time periods. Additional details are given in John Swanton's The Indian Tribes of North America and in the Biography and history of the Indians of North America from its first discovery by Samuel G. Drake.

Records

The majority of records of individuals were those created by the agencies. Some records may be available to tribal members through the tribal headquarters.They were (and are) the local office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and were charged with maintaining records of the activities of those under their responsibility. Among these records are:

• Allotment records
• Annuity rolls
• Census records
• Correspondence
• Health records
• Reports
• School census and records
• Vital records

A Census of Catawba Indians residing in South Carolina and Haywood County, North Carolina was taken in 1849:

• Catawba Indian Records: The Second Census of the Catawba Indians and Other Miscellaneous Records. MSS. FS Library

Land Records

• Land Records: Total area of = 3,388 acres

Repositories

Thomas J. Blumer Catawba Archives ( Thomas J. Blumer - Catawba Tribal Historian 1979-1993)

Medford Library

University of South Carolina

Lancaster, South Carolina

Phone: 1-803-313-7063

Email: usclancaster.sc.edu

Important Websites

• Constitution and By-Laws of the Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina, approved 1944.
• Official website of the Catawba Indian Nation of South Carolina.
• Catawba Tribe Wikipedia

For Further Reading

See For Further Reading.