how to find great grandmother name/records, possible native Cherokee

Question

I want to learn about my paternal grandmother who, story says, was Cherokee and died shortly after childbirth to my grandfather in White County, TN. My grandfather lived with an aunt/uncle (I think it was his father's family/brother) and I found my grandfather on the 1920 census in the household with family of the aunt/uncle. What's my best next step to find out more about my great grandmother?

History Hub Info · Answer

Hello rachelburdon, 
 Thank you for posting your question on History Hub! 
 we suggest that you review the NARA Native American Heritage webpage, the NARA Resources for Genealogists webpage, the History Hub Blog titled Suggestions and Advice for Family History Researchers , the FamilySearch Research wiki pages for Indigenous Peoples of the United States Genealogy and United States Genealogy , the Bureau of Indian Affairs page for Tracing American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Ancestry , the Department of the Interior page on Trace Indian Ancestry , and the Smithsonian page on Native American Genealogy . 
 Also, the Library of Congress pages on We are trying to compile a family history , What free resources can I use for genealogy? , and Local History and Genealogy Reference Services may be useful. 
 Next, use the Final Rolls of the Five Civilized Tribes, 1899&ndash;1914 to locate your ancestors. This series consists of census rolls submitted to the Secretary of the Interior for approval. Entries in the rolls include the name, age, sex, degree of Indian blood, and roll and census card number for each person. Included in this series are approved and disapproved rolls and a supplement to these rolls prepared in 1914 by the Secretary of the Interior. 
 We hope this information has been helpful!