The Cherokee were very intermarried to the white's around them before the removal--Trail of Tears. It is certain that more than just the 1000 or so Cherokees in North Carolina stayed behind. Some Indians were passing for white and were mixed into the white community.
There are many with Cherokee heritage throughout the south, and others have migrated out of the south for jobs.
Today, as more info has become available through the net many are now able to trace their roots, and rediscover their Cherokee heritage.
