Is there any way to find our Great Grandfather's family line? He never had a tr

Question:

Is there any way to find our Great Grandfather's family line? He never had a true marriage to my?

Great Grandma and the only info we have on him is his name. He was in Protem MO in 1894 and his name was Ernest Savage. I believe he was French/Cherokee. I believe at one time he was in Des Moines Iowa and may have had a print shop called Savage and Wilde...Thank so much...Mmm

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: If he was French-Canadian and had the name "Savage", I can guarantee he was part Native. It's actually called "Meti", which means basically the same as "mixed breed". Catholic priests assigned that as a surname at the time of baptism when one of the parents was a native and didn't have a surname already.

I'll snoop around and see what I can find.

Step 1, Dawes rolls don't have him listed as a Cherokee. That could mean a few things, including he just didn't want to register or they skipped him since he wasn't living on a reservation. But it may also mean he wasn't a Cherokee. He's also not listed as a Choctaw. I'm wondering if the native blood wasn't back a few generations and didn't come from farther north, such as the Potowatomee or Miami or Hurons or Algonquins.