Willaim Harris

William is a Cherokee Indian who resided in the Qualla Boundary

The Qualla Boundary or The Qualla is a territory held as a land trust by the United States government for the federally recognized Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) residing in Western North Carolina. The area is part of the large historic Cherokee territory in the Southeast, which extended into eastern Tennessee, western South Carolina, northern Georgia, and Alabama.

Source: "Compiled and drawn from maps and data from the U.S.G.S., T.V.A., and the National Park Services, by E.H. Coulson, Chief Engineering Draftsman, Forestry Division, Office of Indian Affairs", "U. S. Government Printing Office: 1941--O-405260."
The tribe purchased this land in the 1870s, and it was subsequently placed under federal protective land trust; it is not a reservation created by the government. Individuals can buy, own, and sell the land, provided they are enrolled members of the EBCI tribe. Qualla comes from the Cherokee word kwalli ('old woman'). It refers to Polly, an elderly Cherokee woman who lived in the area.

The Cherokee and their ancestors have long occupied the area, having migrated there centuries before Europeans arrived. The Cherokee were forcibly removed in the late 1830s from much of this area, especially the Black Belt in Georgia and Alabama, under federal authority as authorized by Congress in the 1830 Indian Removal Act. They were relocated to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River, in the present-day state of Oklahoma. Some of the Cherokee were able to evade the initial removal and hide in the Great Smoky Mountains, some were free to stay on their lands because of earlier treaties.

The Qualla Boundary is divided into seven communities, which are similar to townships.
Community Overlapping North Carolina counties
Big Cove[15] Swain County
Birdtown[16] Jackson County, Swain County
Cherokee County[17] Cherokee County
Painttown[18] Jackson County
Snowbird[19] Graham County
Wolftown[20] Haywood County, Jackson County, Swain County
Yellowhill[21] Swain County

Source: Wikipedia contributors. "Qualla Boundary." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 15 Oct. 2024. Web. 23 Dec. 2024.

From the internet archives, we find this set of more detailed maps: https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/TribalTract/r0990_eastern_c...

Biography:
William was born on June 24, 1914, to his father James Garfield Harris, and his mother Rachel Harris (Long). He had one sister Juanita born in 1916. He lived with his mother and sister on the Eastern Cherokee Reservation, Cherokee, North Carolina. James was considered a half-blood Indian, his mother full Cherokee, and his father sometimes identified as Irish (white) and sometimes as an out-tribe Indian.

According to the book Vanished in Hiawatha, author Carla Joinson suggests that William Harris was Cherokee, was admitted to the Canton Asylum on September 10, 1928, diagnosed with dementia praecox, and discharged on June 28, 1930. She refers to a note on the June 15, 1929 report of attendance, that the patient was "about recovered". (Dementia praecox is a term that was previously used to describe a severe mental health disorder that is now known as schizophrenia.

"Recovery" from dementia praecox, now known as schizophrenia, is considered possible in some cases, though it's not guaranteed and often involves significant symptom management and improvement in functioning rather than a complete return to pre-illness life, with many individuals experiencing ongoing challenges and potential relapses; the term "dementia praecox" historically implied a progressive decline with little chance of recovery, but modern research shows a spectrum of outcomes depending on the individual and treatment approach.)

William died on October 20, 1996, in Cherokee, Swain County, North Carolina.

His profile is part of the https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Canton_Asylum.

Research Notes:
-William is NOT indicated in the male Canton Asylum census for 1928 or 1930 which is consistent with the dates above.
-In the April 1 1933 census mother Rachel is shown as 4/4 Indian while William is shown as 1/2, which confirms his father was white (Irish), but according to the 1924 census, Rachel's husband was Garfield Harris, out tribe Indian.
-It is curious but the census reports from 1919 through 1934 do NOT list James Garfield Harris as husband of Rachel Long. It is seen that she lived with her parents until about 1919 and after that lived separately with her children, but her husband is NOT listed.
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Sources:

1919 Jun 30 - “Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940 [Microform].” Internet Archive, Washington : National Archives and Records Service, 1965, https://archive.org/details/indiancensusroll023unit/page/n401/mode/.... Accessed 29 Feb. 2024, pg. 402/774, line 689, census of the Eastern Cherokee Indians, Cherokee N.C. Agency

1920 Jun 30 - “Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940 [Microform].” Internet Archive, Washington : National Archives and Records Service, 1965, https://archive.org/details/indiancensusroll023unit/page/n499/mode/.... Accessed 29 Feb. 2024, pg. 500/774, line 699 (age ?), census of the Eastern Cherokee Indians, Cherokee N.C. Agency

1921 Jun 30 - “Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940 [Microform].” Internet Archive, Washington : National Archives and Records Service, 1965, https://archive.org/details/indiancensusroll023unit/page/n598/mode/.... Accessed 29 Feb. 2024, pg. 599/774, line 721 (age ?), census of the Eastern Cherokee Indians, Cherokee N.C. Agency

1922 Jun 30 - “Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940 [Microform].” Internet Archive, Washington : National Archives and Records Service, 1965, https://archive.org/details/indiancensusroll023unit/page/n700/mode/.... Accessed 29 Feb. 2024, pg. 701/774, line 727 (b=1914), census of the Eastern Cherokee Indians, Cherokee N.C. Agency

1923 Jun 30 - “Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940 [Microform].” Internet Archive, Washington : National Archives and Records Service, 1965, https://archive.org/details/indiancensusroll024unit/page/n34/mode/1.... Accessed 29 Feb. 2024, pg. 35/940, line 731 (b=1914), census of the Eastern Cherokee Indians, Cherokee N.C. Agency

1924 Jun 30 - “Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940 [Microform].” Internet Archive, Washington : National Archives and Records Service, 1965, https://archive.org/details/indiancensusroll024unit/page/n141/mode/.... Accessed 29 Feb. 2024, pg. 142/940, line 746 (b=1914), census of the Eastern Cherokee Indians, Cherokee N.C. Agency

1925 Jun 30 - “Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940 [Microform].” Internet Archive, Washington : National Archives and Records Service, 1965, https://archive.org/details/indiancensusroll024unit/page/n247/mode/.... Accessed 29 Feb. 2024, pg. 248/940, line 762 (b=1914), census of the Eastern Cherokee Indians, Cherokee N.C. Agency

1926 Jun 30 - “Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940 [Microform].” Internet Archive, Washington : National Archives and Records Service, 1965, https://archive.org/details/indiancensusroll024unit/page/n357/mode/.... Accessed 29 Feb. 2024, pg. 358/940, line 762 (b=1914), census of the Eastern Cherokee Indians, Cherokee N.C. Agency

1927 Jun 30 - “Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940 [Microform].” Internet Archive, Washington : National Archives and Records Service, 1965, https://archive.org/details/indiancensusroll024unit/page/n474/mode/.... Accessed 29 Feb. 2024, pg. 475/940, line 818 (b=1914), census of the Eastern Cherokee Indians, Cherokee N.C. Agency

1928 Jun 30 - “Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940 [Microform].” Internet Archive, Washington : National Archives and Records Service, 1965, https://archive.org/details/indiancensusroll024unit/page/n592/mode/.... Accessed 29 Feb. 2024, pg. 593/940, line 824 (b=6.24.1914), census of the Cherokee Indians, Eastern Cherokee Agency

1929 Jun 30 - Canton Insane Asylum: 1923-33; Cantonment School, pg. 370/1140: 1910-27, Series: Superintendents' Annual Narrative and Statistical Reports 1910 – 1935, Record Group 75: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 7th and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20408 @ https://catalog.archives.gov/id/155855298?objectPage=328, line 16, male census of the Canton Asylum

1930 Apr 1 - “Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940 [Microform].” Internet Archive, Washington : National Archives and Records Service, 1965, https://archive.org/details/indiancensusroll025unit/page/n86/mode/1.... Accessed 29 Feb. 2024, pg. 87/880, line 970 (age 15), census of the Eastern Cherokee, Cherokee N.C. jurisdiction

1931 Apr 1 - “Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940 [Microform].” Internet Archive, Washington : National Archives and Records Service, 1965, https://archive.org/details/indiancensusroll025unit/page/n341/mode/.... Accessed 29 Feb. 2024, pg. 342/880, line 974 (age 16), census of the Eastern Cherokee, Cherokee N.C. jurisdiction

1932...

1933 Apr 1 - “Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940 [Microform].” Internet Archive, Washington : National Archives and Records Service, 1965, https://archive.org/details/indiancensusroll026unit/page/n81/mode/1.... Accessed 29 Feb. 2024, pg. 82/1010, line 985 (age 18), census of the Eastern Cherokee, Cherokee N.C. jurisdiction

1934 Apr 1 - “Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940 [Microform].” Internet Archive, Washington : National Archives and Records Service, 1965, https://archive.org/details/indiancensusroll026unit/page/n346/mode/.... Accessed 29 Feb. 2024, pg. 347/1010, line 968 (age 15?), census of the Eastern Cherokee Reservation, Cherokee N.C. jurisdiction

1940 May 17 - "United States, Census, 1940", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KWSX-R7G : Wed Jul 17 12:00:02 UTC 2024), Entry for Rachel Harris and William Harris, 1940, pg. 271/554, line 51 (age 24), census of the Qualla Township, Jackson, North Carolina

1950 Apr 12 - "United States, Census, 1950", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6FM9-DQRF : Tue Mar 19 19:35:49 UTC 2024), Entry for Hartman Hombeckl and Juanita Hombeckl, 12 April 1950, pg. 15/23, line 29 (age 36), census of Jackson County, North Carolina