Looking for Isabelle

My mother always told me we were part Native American- specifically, Cherokee. 

I honestly wasn't sure about that...there are lots of people who say things like that, and she didn't know many specifics. The family member was on my great-grandfather's side, she couldn't remember how far back, but she was pretty sure my great grandparents knew that person, so not very far back. 

Hmmmm.

I started doing research last year on ancestry.com, and as I was discovering the names of family members I had never known, I found my great-grandfather's line. No one had a name that sounded Native American to me. We had Floyds, Flynns, Hudsons, Carmichaels, Fergusons, Bakers, Naughts...they all sounded pretty European to me.

I started to think my family connection might be a myth.

But then I went home for a visit, and made a point of going to my grandmother's house and talking to her about everything she knew first hand. She also had many pictures in an old trunk that I had never seen. One of these, was a picture of Isabelle (Hudson) Carmichael.

"Mary Margaret Floyd's mother- Max's Grandmother Carmichael. Her husband-Riley Carmichael"

This was my Great-Grandfather's Grandmother. So yes, he would have known her. In fact, I have a picture of her with my Great-Grandma, and my Grandma as a toddler.

 G-Grandma Julia, G-G-G-Grandma Isabelle, and baby Janet

Apparently, this is the person who said she was full blood Cherokee. And to look at her, I can't say she's not.
But then, why is her maiden name Hudson?

She appears to have been born to a David and Charlotte Hudson, in Greene County, Indiana. She married Reuben Riley Carmichael in 1879. Her race is listed in the census as "white." She had 7 children, but by the 1900 census, only 3 are listed as living.

Her parents are a complete mystery to me. In the 1880 census, Isabelle lists her parents as being both from North Carolina. The 1900 census states that her father was born in Kentucky. No mention of her mother is in that census. By 1910, her parents are now both born in Indiana. The 1920 census believes that her father was born in Tennessee, and her mother in Missouri. The 1930 census just lists parents' birthplace as "United States." And that is about as much as I actually know- they were born in this country.
David and Charlotte Hudson had a lot of children: Lankston, Mary, Jeremiah, Rachel, Nancy, William, Sarah, Isabelle, Elizabeth, Samuel, and Margaret. These are the ones that show up in census records, anyway.

Charlotte's maiden name may have been Lewis, but only some other family trees point to that. There are no birth records or cemetery records that I have uncovered so far. So I can't be sure of that fact.
There are some folks out there who list David's father as either Richard or William Hudson, his mother could be either: Rebecca Bowling, Ann Spiers, or Martha Fullwood. I have no way currently, to know which is correct.

Everything I am seeing so far does nothing to prove any Native American connection. However, it doesn't necessarily disprove it either. I have found many "Hudsons" searching for Cherokee ancestors online. Maybe this is a name some took? Or does the heritage come through her mother- the woman about whom, I have no records?

So I am hoping maybe someone who KNOWS will see this. I am looking for any information on the Hudson family. Is there a Cherokee connection? Or was that just a story? Either way, I would love to know WHO they were and where they came from. So please leave me a comment here if you have a piece of the puzzle. Or connect with me on Twitter- @SkyRhino.