Ross Family Foundation

09/02/2026

Interesting photograph we came across recently while doing research through the archives at Gilcrease. Several notable individuals in the photo, including Daniel Hicks Ross (Nephew of Chief John Ross) Chief William Potter Ross (Nephew of Chief John Ross) and William D. Ross (Son of Chief William Potter Ross, great Nephew of Chief John Ross).

Chief William Potter Ross and his younger brother Daniel Hicks Ross are sons of Chief John Ross’ sister Elizabeth Ross and her husband John Golden Ross (unrelated Ross family).

Photo credit to the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa Ok.

08/31/2026

**** CALLING ALL DESCENDANTS OF DANIEL AND MOLLIE ROSS!! ****

We are less than a week away from the Cherokee National Holiday and Ross family gathering for reunion!

We are excited and eternally grateful to the Cherokee Nation for their support and collaboration for this years celebration!

Cherokee National Holiday is a time to come home, honor our ancestors and celebrate the family connections that strengthen our Cherokee people.

The descendants of Chief John Ross will gather for the annual Ross Family Reunion, celebrating those who trace their heritage to Daniel Tanili Ross and Mary Mollie McDonald.

Join us Saturday, September 5, from noon to 4 p.m. at the Cherokee Nation Outpatient Health Center for a traditional hog fry, giveaways, historic information and a kid’s fun zone.

For more information, visit:
https://thecherokeeholiday.com/events/entertainment/ross-family-reunion/

08/28/2026

We are officially one week from the 2026 Cherokee National Holiday weekend!

Mark your calendars for this years Ross Family Foundation schedule of family activities!
This is a very special opportunity for all descendants of Daniel and Mollie Ross to celebrate our rich history, and we are excited to see all our fellow cousins!

08/24/2026

Join us Friday, September 4, and Saturday, September 5, for the Inter-Tribal Powwow, celebrating Native American culture and traditions from across the United States.

Enjoy traditional dancing, singing and drumming as Indigenous people gather to honor ancestral traditions. Dancers will also compete for top honors and more than $35,000 in prize money.

Admission is free for competitors and spectators. Please bring your own seating. No pets are allowed.

Learn more below or at the link here: https://thecherokeeholiday.com/events/powwow/inter-tribal/

08/22/2026

We are excited to share our second family activity for Friday September 4th 2026!

Upon conclusion of our family lunch we will continue to celebrate our family history with a visit to the Cherokee National Research Center.
The Ross Family Foundation, in collaboration with the Cherokee National Research Center, have scheduled an exclusive event to host our family for a special viewing of several hand picked collection items related to the Ross and extended Family tree of cousins.
We will take turns in small groups to look at and hear the background of many very special artifacts. This is a great opportunity to see some pieces of our family history. Many which have never been publicly displayed.

Friday, September 4th 2026 (Aprox)
2:00pm - 4:00pm

Cherokee National Research Center
3377 Cherokee Springs Rd.
Tahlequah, OK 74464

Approximate start time will depend on when our lunch concludes but tentatively our start time will be 2:00PM and run until all groups have been able to finish.

Special thanks to Ross Mulcare and all of the staff at the Cherokee National Research Center for their enduring support and commitment to protecting our family history!

08/18/2026

08/18/2026

Every year during the Cherokee National Holiday weekend the blood relatives of Cherokee Chief John Ross come together to celebrate our family heritage and to remember our ancestors who paved the way for us who remain today.

We begin our weekend of family gatherings at Ross Cemetery in Park Hill.
Starting at the final resting place of Chief John Ross and over a hundred other Ross family relatives and close friends to pay respect to the suffering they endured during the Trail of Tears, the horrors of Civil War, the lives they lived in service to the Cherokee Nation and the Legacy they left behind.
We bring history to life by telling informative historical tales of their lives.
This will be a great opportunity to learn about Cherokee History and some of the Ross family interred at the Ross Family Cemetery.

Ross Cemetery -
Located behind (East of) the John Ross Museum 22366 S. 530Rd. Tahlequah, Ok 74464
Friday, September 4th 2026
9:00am to Noon

Bring a lawn chair! Cold water and Coffee provided.

08/15/2026

We are exactly 3 weeks away from the Ross Family Reunion! I hope everyone is as excited as we are to reconnect and visit with family!! This years event will be absolutely fantastic! Mark your calendars.

Cherokee National Holiday is a time to come home, honor our ancestors and celebrate the family connections that strengthen our Cherokee people.

The descendants of Chief John Ross will gather for the annual Ross Family Reunion, celebrating those who trace their heritage to Daniel Tanili Ross and Mary Mollie McDonald.

Join us Saturday, September 5, from noon to 4 p.m. at the Cherokee Nation Outpatient Health Center for a traditional hog fry, giveaways, historic information and a kid’s fun zone.

For more information, visit:
https://thecherokeeholiday.com/events/entertainment/ross-family-reunion/

08/08/2026

Last chance to pick shipping before the Holiday. You can also choose local pick up and I will have it for you on Friday morning of the holiday! Please PM us if you need any additional information on sizes or products you don’t see!

08/07/2026

One of the Ross Family’s most unsung heroes. William Shorey Coodey was the Son of Joseph Coodey and Chief John Ross’ Oldest sister, Jane “Jennie” Ross Coodey. Williams contributions to the Cherokee Nation are immeasurably important.

On August 6, 1846, Cherokee leaders signed the Treaty of Washington. Building on the 1839 Act of Union, it secured federal recognition of a unified Cherokee Nation government. Among the delegates was William Shorey Coodey (pictured), an Old Settler Cherokee who helped draft the Act of Union.

Resolving longstanding disputes among the Old Settlers and Cherokees removed in the 1830s, the 1846 treaty affirmed that Cherokee lands and funds were held for the "common use and benefit" of all Cherokee people. It also ended federal recognition of competing Cherokee governments. Though some political conflict would persist, the treaty acknowledged the Cherokee Nation as the only government of the Cherokee people.

Image courtesy of the Gateway to Oklahoma History and the Oklahoma Historical Society.