Tracing Our Appalachian Hart Roots I have been actively working on the site, (which was long overdue for updates and improvements) If you have material that you would like to see included, now would be a great time to submit it. Documents, pictures, Articles & Information are welcomed and it is the desire of myself and others to put together a complete history of this family . OOPS sorry but got other priorities will not except any more info for now. Tracing Our Roots Most researchers agree that there is Indian blood (Cherokee or Catawba) in the Hart line. In 1906 an Act of Congress approved a fund for the descendants of Cherokee Indians to reimburse them for their losses when they were forced to leave their homes in the 1830's and marched to reservations in Oklahoma along "The Trail of Tears". A claim filed by Catherine Hart of Ashe County, North Carolina stated that she was the daughter of John Hart, and that John was the son of James Hart and Catherine Sizemore, the daughter of Ned Sizemore who was Cherokee. And there is other Hart in the Catawba Indian tribes in the Carolinas. Hart families were in North Carolina as early as 1797 and a John Hart made a land entry on the New River a 50-mile long river in southeastern North Carolina in 1804 and another John Hart signed Catawba Indian petitions in North Carolina in 1844 and 1847 for lands. The Hart family name is found in state records in West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama in the 19th century. What is known is Stephen Cherokee Hart was born in Raleigh, North Carolina he first settled at Big Harts Creek, often shortened to "Harts Creek" or "Big Hart," between the branches of Smoke House fork of Hart's creek. At that time, the creek was located in Kanawha County. Harts Creek was named for Stephen Cherokee Hart and the mouth of Harts Creek is located in present day town of Harts. After 1824, it was located in Logan County. Between 1867/1869, the lower section of Harts Creek became a part of Lincoln County and this info is from various historical societies and the Hart family resided in Boone County, Virginia 1850, this is on the 1850 U. S. Census. It must be remembered that Boone County was a part of Virginia before 1863 and after the Civil War it was a county of West Virginia..... Stephen and Mary was the only Hart family resided in the mountain districts of Roane County Virginia in 1860's and the names are on the 1870's and 1880's Roane census. Here they settled near the mouth of Triplett Run Creek which flows into the West Fork Little Kanawha River, which rises in southern Calhoun County and flows northwestwardly along the boundary of Roane County. There is a great deal of controversy amongst some researchers of the Confederate Spy Nancy Hart descendants of Roane County and there is, as well, a great amount of information concerning the Confederate Spy Nancy Hart descendants on The World Wide Web. The only thing historians ever agree on is that she was the daughter of Stephen and Mary Hart of Roane County VA/WV. Born abt. 1846 and was a Confederate Spy, rode and fought with the Moccasin Rangers and led several raids against Union Troops in Summersville West Virginia. References: Comstock, Jim. Hardesty's Historical and Genealogical Encyclopedia. Richwood, West Virginia, Comstock, 1973.975.4003 H259 V.7. ECA (Eastern Cherokee Application) # 11450 by Catherine Hart of Sturgills, Ashe Co, NC Hart are proud of their Appalachian roots Click for Hart Family Genealogy Page