by Paula Stuart Warren, CG
After my 2 July column on the 1880-1940 U.S.
Indian censuses at Ancestry.com, I received many
questions about tracing elusive American Indian ancestry. While I
can't answer each of you personally, the basic steps and tips below
should get you started.
Perhaps you have a family legend that Great-great-grandma Pearl had
Indian blood. Usually the story doesn't share a clue whether that
blood is from her maternal or paternal side. It's important to note
that a specific tribe will not have a master index of anyone who ever
had that Indian blood. Nor will the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).
There is no "master index." So, how do you go about solving this
mystery?
1. Get back to the basics. Most basic research steps apply to any
ethnic background. Take classes, read a guidebook, and attend
genealogical society educational meetings. Genealogy software
programs such as Family Tree Maker 2008 are a boon to keeping track of family details.
2. Work from the present to the past. Begin by contacting your
immediate and extended family. You never know who might have family
pictures and papers, or know of others who do. You will be linking
each generation back in time and proving the connections. Check
Ancestry, other online sources, and library catalogs to see if
someone has done previous research on parts of your family. Those
Indian censuses that Ancestry has posted should be checked for
ancestral non-Native American surnames in case you find some possible
ties to check further.
3. Place your ancestors in a time and place. Determine this via the
records that all family historians use. Include censuses; obituaries;
military pension, service, and draft records; and records relating to
birth, marriage, and death.
4. When you place your ancestors in specific geographic areas, read a
state, county, or town history. What Indian tribes were in that place
at that time? Histories also tell of the forced removal of Indians,
some to very distant locations. There may be some separate published
histories of those tribes that refer to the place where they migrated
from.
5. Check for church records. A marriage, burial, or christening entry
might yield a special notation that gives a clue to Indian heritage.
For each piece of information or copy of a record you obtain, be sure
to add a notation that tells you where it came from, (e.g., Aunt
Susie Griffin, Ancestry.com, Green County Courthouse, Family History
Library, or some other place/person). Add the book, page, microfilm
#, or other identifying information in case you or others need to
double check that item.
6. Work on the entire family in each generation. You might find that
four sisters and one brother were always listed as white. BUT the
second brother or a cousin is listed as "I," "In," or even as black
or mulatto on the 1900 and 1910 federal censuses. What did that
branch of the family know? Do any family members appear on the
special Indian schedules for these years? Check for all related
surnames in Native American censuses.
7. Did they live within an Irish, Swedish, German, African American,
or other community? They may never be listed as Indian. Perhaps they
hid that heritage because they were frightened or knew that housing
and jobs were more difficult to obtain if their Indian heritage was
known. People that did not live as part of an organized group of
Indians are often more difficult to trace. The BIA has not had
interaction with every group of Indians.
8. There are many records specific to North American Indians that may
apply if you can make some family connections to a tribe that had
interaction with the federal government. Check libraries and
bookstores for guides and online resources. Here are a few places to
start:
- The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy, rev. 3rd edition,
Chapter 19, Native American Research, by Curt B. Witcher, MLS, FUGA,
FIGS, and George J. Nixon (Ancestry, 2006.)
- Guide to Records in the National Archives of the United States Relating to American Indians. (National Archives and Records
Service, 1981.)
- Native American Genealogical Sourcebook. (Gale Research, 1995,
out of print).
- The Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico (Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of Ethnology, out of print.)
- How to Research American Indian Blood Lines: A Manual on Indian Genealogical Research. (Heritage Quest, 1987.)
- Records of the Department of Indian Affairs at Library and
Archives Canada: A Source for Genealogical Research. 2nd edition.
(Ontario Genealogical Society, 2004)
Earlier Records
If you have proof or even a suspicion that your Indian connection is
before many written records exist, the diaries of other area
residents, records of religious missionaries, area histories, and
town records are just some of the possible items to consult. Don't
forget that Indians were the original settlers and later settlers
encroached on their space. Neither the Bureau of Indian Affairs nor
its predecessors were always able to record information about
Indians. A christening or marriage entry in church records might
mention the words "Indian," "Native," or other term. The local
pastor, storekeeper, or other person might have kept a diary and
mentioned the Indians in an area. Determine what missionaries were in
the area, whether they were connected to a specific denomination, and
where possible records such as diaries, christening, marriage, and
correspondence are located today.
One last tip--spelling does not count in genealogy. Stand up and
shout this to the world. You will find many variations in both the
Indian and other name spellings. Indexes and transcriptions of
records may not have been clearly read by the indexer.
Too often genealogists feel stymied by a search for a newly
discovered ethnic heritage. Keep this is mind: Research is research.
Learn the basics, search all records, and learn about the other
records that pertain to that heritage whether it is Indian,
Norwegian, or Polish.
Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, a Minnesota resident is a professional
genealogist, consultant, writer, and lecturer who is frequently on
the road. She coordinates the intermediate course, American Records &
Research, at the annual Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. She writes
for several periodicals including Ancestry Magazine. Comments and
additions to her columns will reach her at
PaulaStuartWarren@gmail.com but she regrets that she is unable to
answer individual genealogical research inquiries due to the volume
of requests. From time to time, comments from readers may be quoted
in her writings. Your name will not be used, but your place of
residence might be listed (i.e., Casa Grande, Arizona).
Upcoming Appearances by Paula Stuart Warren
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