Native American Genealogy – The Basics
Presented by:
Angela Walton-Raji
AngelaW859@aol.com
I.
Introduction & Overview
Many people undertake the task of documenting ties to the many Native American
tribes that are part of and some that were part of what comprises North America. For
many the task will be a challenging one, while for others the process will not be
extremely complicated. Contrary to what is believed there are many records to utilize
to document this heritage, and many are in the public domain and can be easily
accessed.
Understanding the History
a. Pre- Colonial Era
1). Treaties
2) Military Records
3) Local histories
b. 19th and 20th century: Tribal Rolls and Indian Census Records
c. Location of Original Indian Communities
II.
Getting Started – Oral History Questions
Who was the oldest person in the family that you remember?
Who was the specific ancestor that is said to have been of Native American ancestry?
Did you know him or her?
Why was he said to have been of Native Ancestry?
What nation or tribe was he/she a part of?
Was there a community of Indians from that tribe in the area?
Did she/he visit that community? Did others visit her?
Did our ancestor speak a language besides English?
What kind of religion did she/he practice?
Did she ever speak about her elders?
III.
Finding the Resources
It is important that one begins all research the same way, using the same standard
genealogical methodology. The temptation to look first at tribal rolls “to prove” that
an ancestor is Native American can lead to incorrect data. When one gets to the
appropriate era in time, after basic search including vital records, census, local
records, then one should explore specialized records.
IV.
Understand the Limitations
Not all persons will successfully find or document their “Indian heritage”
– Some information is not always accurate
– Some family history conflicts with documented local history
– Some elders are repeating words that they heard as a child, that could have been
misinterpreted.
– Some begin the process basing their ancestors on racial features. (hair length,
cheek bones, etc.)
– Some ancestors are spoken of as “Indian” to avoid association with another racial
group.
V.
Location of specific records:
a. National Archives – Washington DC
b. Library of Congress
c. State Archives
d. Online sites
a. Archives.gov
b. Family Search
c. Fold 3
d. Ancestry
e. Other databases (Access Genealogy, state repositories)
VI.
Explore the Records
a. Census Records – All tribes
b. Guion Miller Rolls – Eastern Cherokee
c. Henderson Rolls - Cherokee
d. 1835 Report – “Trail of Tears” roll (prior to departure)
e. Mullay Roll 1848 Cherokee
f. Old Settler Roll
g. Drennen Roll – Cherokee 1851
h. Cooper Roll 1855 Choctaw Families East of Mississippi River (MS, LA, AL)
i. Emigration Roll 1831-1832 Choctaw
j. Hester Roll – Cherokee 1883
k. Narragansett Tribal List) 1881 (New England)
l. Dawes Roll (Five Civ. Tribes: Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek Seminole)
m. Wallace Roll
n. Kern Clifton Roll
o. Dunn Roll
p. Federal Census – Special Indian Census 1900 & 1910 (Multiple Tribes, Multiple
States)
VII.
Useful Websites:
Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet - Native American
http://www.cyndislist.com/native.htm.
Finding Your Native American Ancestors
http://www.nativeculture.com/lisamitten/indian_genealogy.html.
The Genealogy Page - National Archives and Record Administration (NARA)
http://www.archives.gov/research/genealogy/index.html
Genealogy Today: For What's New in Genealogy
http://www.genealogytoday.com/
Index of Native American Genealogy Resources on the Internet
http://www.hanksville.org/NAresources/indices/NAgenealogy.html
Native American Ancestry
http://www.censusdiggins.com/native_american_ancestry.html
The African-Native American Genealogy Website:
www.african-nativeamerican.com