This February the Onöhsagwë: de’ Cultural Center is honored to feature Marilyn Jemison Anderson, 78 as our elder of the month.
Marilyn Jemison Anderson is Genyáhdë:h [Turtle Clan] Onöndowa’ga:’ [Seneca Nation; Lit. People of the big hills]. The daughter of Frances Button Jemison and Carlton Jemison, Marilyn is a direct descendant of Mary Jemison and Cornplanter.
Except for a brief period when she lived in Massachusetts, Marilyn has lived on the Cattaraugus Territory all her life. Like her father before her who was a resident of T.I.S, she attended the Thomas Indian School as a day student until the seventh grade. As a social justice advocate, Marilyn acquired a B.A. in Sociology from D’Youville College. After graduation she worked for the Erie County Department of Social Services as a Child Welfare Case Worker. Due to previously having a personal connection to many of her assigned cases and witnessing poor treatment of the community’s children she needed a break moving away for a year before returning home.
Upon returning home she was contacted by President Robert Hoag requesting her expertise in becoming a social worker to aid the Nation’s youth. It was during this time she became highly involved in the Health Action Group, a grassroots organization established in June 1973. Through the efforts and dedication of the people who were a part of this organization and with support from President Hoag funding from Indian Health Services was secured to establish the Seneca Nation Health System that is still changing lives of our Nation’s community today.
Then about 10 years ago, Jack Erickson along with Teresa VanAernam founded the Iroquois Genealogy Society (IGS) and Marilyn took on a new role as the organizations vice president. The IGS aims to encourage public interest in Hodínöhšö:ni:h genealogy through teaching others the art of research. In the past IGS has taken many field trips to places that hold significant resources such as the Thomas Indian School, the Rochester Museum and Science Center, the NYS Archives, the Letchworth state park, and even here visiting the Seneca Nation Archives. Visiting each place allowed members of the society to become more acquainted with the process of genealogical research through hands on practice with each site’s resources.
In addition to learning and research opportunities the society celebrates and shares Hodínöhšö:ni:h heritage by hosting guest speakers. Each month from March-December, the society alternates meeting between the territories for a potluck dinner, presentation, and conversation. Notably, helping to put together the event calendar of presenters is Marilyn’s favorite part of her work conducted for the society- so you know these monthly meetings must be a hit!
Joining IGS granted Marilyn the ability to craft her own family tree and the opportunity to visualize some of her family’s past. For example, on her visits to the NYS Archives Thomas Indian School records, the availability of some of her father’s records granted her a greater understanding of what her dad was like as a child.
You can craft your own family tree too! The IGS website has hundreds of resources and other members are always happy to assist you on navigating these learning materials. Marilyn recommends gathering any and all documents as the first step. These can include everything from birth and death certificates, church records, etc. Additional records may even be found on the IGS website or at SN Archives.
Speaking of The IGS and SN Archives, they are both resources for the community to use! Marilyn recommends utilizing these resources and learning opportunities in crafting your family tree. Notably, it does take a lot of work and the work won’t be done for you. Having put in the time and effort to trace her own family genealogy, Marilyn ensures that doing the work yourself makes it so much more meaningful.
Speaking of Marilyn’s Genealogy, her’s and many other IGS member’s have published their work to the IGS website for people to view and grasp a greater understanding on how to organize their own family tree. For example, Marilyn was able to trace back 13 generations from her mother to Cornplanter and 7 generations from her father to Mary Jemison. See below to view Marilyn’s family records that demonstrate how Marilyn utilized documents and certifications in crafting the family records along her father’s line.
In conclusion, Marilyn encourages all to endeavor into genealogy and truly see how we are connected. Unity is of great significance to Marilyn. Growing up there was no difference between a Cayuga and a Seneca child, they were just children. Genealogy is the perfect demonstration of this as we are all connected if one goes far enough.
Nya:wëh Marilyn for sharing your story, ancestry, and knowledge with us.
Submitted by the Onöhsagwë: de’ Cultural Center (OCC)
