like a century or so...?

That's amazing
...and so freaking SAD it almost makes me really fucking angry the more I think about it.

I have been researching my family's Cherokee heritage for a while now, it looks as though a couple of my long lost ancestors changed/anglosized their names
on BOTH sides, so I hit dead ends for now... I can't imagine what a whole community must feel about being alienated from their tribe

After much time and work, I found my mother's real family.

As for the people that adopted her (also Cherokee), they had changed their names, dates of birth, etc.

The reason was simple. They were Indian and they were on the run. Can one blame them when the Federal Indian policy was "extermination" at one time? I don't think so.

I've come across some of the strangest names I've ever seen (mostly first names). That tends to be a clue while do this reseach.

Best of luck and don't give up! I cannot tell you how happy I was when my cousin in Indiana that is almost 80 years old called me on the phone and said, "bingo, you found us!" to me on Xmas eve of 2008.

I suppose that'd be difficult, because it would not be good to recognize in-authentic relationships, but I bet this kind of situation isn't that uncommon, so maybe someones should begin the collaborative work of trying to do something about alternative forms of authentication.