Post by blackcrowheart on Jan 16, 2006 13:51:30 GMT -5
Tracing Your Ancestry
Getting Started: Be prepared to do a lot of research. For some, it is a
close step to identifying their Indian heritage, for others, it may be a
web of confusing directions, lost records in so-called "courthouse
fires" or sadly enough, dead ends. For those people who believe there is
Indian lineage in their family but aren't sure what tribe, you must
first find out where your family members were living. Most likely,
before 1850, American Indian tribes and their tribal members were near
their original homelands. You would first need to learn the history of
that area, then you will know which direction to go in your search.
Family Records need to be at hand, such as birth, death, marriage
certificates. You may look for those family records at the state level,
not the federal level.
If you find your family was affiliated with a tribe but would like to be
an enrolled tribal member, contact the tribe for their Tribal enrollment
criteria. The criterion varies from tribe to tribe, so uniform
membership requirements do not exist. Two requirements for membership
are lineal decendancy from someone named on the tribe's base roll or
relationship to a tribal member who descended from someone named on the
base roll. Conditions such as tribal blood quantum, tribal residency, or
continued contact with the tribe are common.
Regarding those seeking their Cherokee lineage but can't find
documentation: We would first like to note that not all Indian people
chose to sign on to the Dawes Rolls when the Dawes Commission was
active. Because of a history of persecution and distrust to the U.S.
Government, many had reason not to claim their Indian heritage. Not
because they weren't proud but because they were afraid their children
would be taken away to boarding schools, their livestock or belongings
would be taken away during the Civil War, and numerous other reasons.
The Dawes Commission sign-up was taking place only 50 years after the
end of the Relocation Era which involved unspeakable atrocities put upon
many Indian people such as the Trail of Tears. Hence the reasoning for
the "distrust".
NATIONAL ARCHIVES
Valuable records of federal government agencies, including records from
various field offices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, have been
deposited throughout the United States. National Archives records,
1830-1940, deal chiefly with Indians who maintained their tribal status.
These records include lists relating to Indian removal, annuity pay
rolls, annual tribal census rolls of Indians who were under the Bureau's
jurisdiction (living on reservations), special rolls relating to Eastern
Cherokees, claims relating to Eastern Cherokees, estate files and
Carlise Indian School Files. The Bureau of Indian Affairs census rolls
are separate from and unrelated to the federal decennial census
schedules.
Any American Indian who fought with federal troops may have a record of
veteran's benefits or bounty land. The National Archives military
records section has a separate alphabetical file for each Indian veteran
who served prior to 1870.
The staff of the National Archives and its branches cannot perform
research for individuals. The National Archives branch in Fort Worth, TX
has one of the largest collections of American Indian genealogy
materials, much of which is on microfilm and is available to you through
interlibrary loan to a library in your area. For a complete list of
holdings write: Chief, Archives Branch, Federal Archives and Records
Center, P. O. Box 6216, Fort Worth, TX 76115. Most of these records are
full of family history details such as both Indian and "English" names,
sex, degree of Indian blood, names of family, guardian, tribal and
"band" affiliations, residence and occupation.
INDIANS IN THE CENSUS RECORDS
Early federal census records, 1790-1850, included Indians only if they
lived in settled areas, were taxed, and did not maintain a tribal
affiliation. These censuses did not specify their race. Indians were
indicated as white, if living with white settlers, or black, if living
with African Americans. Indians who lived on reservations or who roamed
as nomads over unsettled tracts of land and were not taxed and were not
counted in these federal censuses.
In the 1860 Federal Census, the category of "Indian (taxed)" was added.
The 1870-1910 censuses included the category of Indian, whether taxed or
not, but no Indians living on reservations were recorded in the federal
censuses until 1890. Because the census of 1890 was destroyed however,
the 1900 federal census is the first census available listing Indians on
reservations. Microfilm of federal censuses is available through
interlibrary loan from the Census Microfilm Rental Program, P. O. Box
30, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701-0030, or by personal rental from
Heritage Quest Genealogical Services, P. O. Box 329, Bountiful, Utah,
84011, phone (800) 760-2455.
OKLAHOMA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The Oklahoma Historical Society, 2100 N. Lincoln, Oklahoma City, OK
73105, has a large collection of Indian tribal records that pertain
mainly to the five Civilized Tribes--Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, Choctaw
and Chickasaw. In addition, they have many printed census rolls and
other secondary source materials on the 65 tribes who made their way to
Oklahoma. The records in the Indian Archives collection are not complete
in every category, and there is no comprehensive index for all
documents. A thorough search requires a great deal of time. Genealogical
questions requiring extensive research cannot be answered by mail. Names
of researchers who search for a fee are available from the Oklahoma
Historical Society.
SUGGESTED WEBSITES:
NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE gives step-by-step instructions on how to
trace your American Indian ancestry. A wide array of benefits accrue to
official members of American Indian tribes...college grants,
healthcare....But the most lasting benefit may be in finally finding
your lost tribe.
Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet A comprehensive
collection of genealogy resources on the Internet, including over 43,550
links in over 100 categories.
Genealogy Homepage, The A well maintained list of genealogy resources
on the Internet, including a link to information on genealogy software.
Gensource.com A free online resource for genealogist, or anyone looking
for family roots.
Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site "The largest and most complete online
genealogy resource"
Ancestry.com "The number one source for family history research online"
PROFESSIONAL RESEARCHERS
Board for Certification of Genealogist - Roster of those
certified with a specialty in Native American Genealogy
The Association of Professional Genealogists- a list of genealogists who
specialize in Native American genealogy (To reach this specific
list of genealogists, do a search on this page by leaving all
fields blank except "Research Specialty" where you will choose
"Native American" and hit "Search".) Genealogy Central Lineage
Service Specializes in Native American, New England and Colonial
American research.
If you are interested in communicating with people of the same interests
in genealogy, check out www.ancestry.com
Getting Started: Be prepared to do a lot of research. For some, it is a
close step to identifying their Indian heritage, for others, it may be a
web of confusing directions, lost records in so-called "courthouse
fires" or sadly enough, dead ends. For those people who believe there is
Indian lineage in their family but aren't sure what tribe, you must
first find out where your family members were living. Most likely,
before 1850, American Indian tribes and their tribal members were near
their original homelands. You would first need to learn the history of
that area, then you will know which direction to go in your search.
Family Records need to be at hand, such as birth, death, marriage
certificates. You may look for those family records at the state level,
not the federal level.
If you find your family was affiliated with a tribe but would like to be
an enrolled tribal member, contact the tribe for their Tribal enrollment
criteria. The criterion varies from tribe to tribe, so uniform
membership requirements do not exist. Two requirements for membership
are lineal decendancy from someone named on the tribe's base roll or
relationship to a tribal member who descended from someone named on the
base roll. Conditions such as tribal blood quantum, tribal residency, or
continued contact with the tribe are common.
Regarding those seeking their Cherokee lineage but can't find
documentation: We would first like to note that not all Indian people
chose to sign on to the Dawes Rolls when the Dawes Commission was
active. Because of a history of persecution and distrust to the U.S.
Government, many had reason not to claim their Indian heritage. Not
because they weren't proud but because they were afraid their children
would be taken away to boarding schools, their livestock or belongings
would be taken away during the Civil War, and numerous other reasons.
The Dawes Commission sign-up was taking place only 50 years after the
end of the Relocation Era which involved unspeakable atrocities put upon
many Indian people such as the Trail of Tears. Hence the reasoning for
the "distrust".
NATIONAL ARCHIVES
Valuable records of federal government agencies, including records from
various field offices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, have been
deposited throughout the United States. National Archives records,
1830-1940, deal chiefly with Indians who maintained their tribal status.
These records include lists relating to Indian removal, annuity pay
rolls, annual tribal census rolls of Indians who were under the Bureau's
jurisdiction (living on reservations), special rolls relating to Eastern
Cherokees, claims relating to Eastern Cherokees, estate files and
Carlise Indian School Files. The Bureau of Indian Affairs census rolls
are separate from and unrelated to the federal decennial census
schedules.
Any American Indian who fought with federal troops may have a record of
veteran's benefits or bounty land. The National Archives military
records section has a separate alphabetical file for each Indian veteran
who served prior to 1870.
The staff of the National Archives and its branches cannot perform
research for individuals. The National Archives branch in Fort Worth, TX
has one of the largest collections of American Indian genealogy
materials, much of which is on microfilm and is available to you through
interlibrary loan to a library in your area. For a complete list of
holdings write: Chief, Archives Branch, Federal Archives and Records
Center, P. O. Box 6216, Fort Worth, TX 76115. Most of these records are
full of family history details such as both Indian and "English" names,
sex, degree of Indian blood, names of family, guardian, tribal and
"band" affiliations, residence and occupation.
INDIANS IN THE CENSUS RECORDS
Early federal census records, 1790-1850, included Indians only if they
lived in settled areas, were taxed, and did not maintain a tribal
affiliation. These censuses did not specify their race. Indians were
indicated as white, if living with white settlers, or black, if living
with African Americans. Indians who lived on reservations or who roamed
as nomads over unsettled tracts of land and were not taxed and were not
counted in these federal censuses.
In the 1860 Federal Census, the category of "Indian (taxed)" was added.
The 1870-1910 censuses included the category of Indian, whether taxed or
not, but no Indians living on reservations were recorded in the federal
censuses until 1890. Because the census of 1890 was destroyed however,
the 1900 federal census is the first census available listing Indians on
reservations. Microfilm of federal censuses is available through
interlibrary loan from the Census Microfilm Rental Program, P. O. Box
30, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701-0030, or by personal rental from
Heritage Quest Genealogical Services, P. O. Box 329, Bountiful, Utah,
84011, phone (800) 760-2455.
OKLAHOMA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The Oklahoma Historical Society, 2100 N. Lincoln, Oklahoma City, OK
73105, has a large collection of Indian tribal records that pertain
mainly to the five Civilized Tribes--Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, Choctaw
and Chickasaw. In addition, they have many printed census rolls and
other secondary source materials on the 65 tribes who made their way to
Oklahoma. The records in the Indian Archives collection are not complete
in every category, and there is no comprehensive index for all
documents. A thorough search requires a great deal of time. Genealogical
questions requiring extensive research cannot be answered by mail. Names
of researchers who search for a fee are available from the Oklahoma
Historical Society.
SUGGESTED WEBSITES:
NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE gives step-by-step instructions on how to
trace your American Indian ancestry. A wide array of benefits accrue to
official members of American Indian tribes...college grants,
healthcare....But the most lasting benefit may be in finally finding
your lost tribe.
Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet A comprehensive
collection of genealogy resources on the Internet, including over 43,550
links in over 100 categories.
Genealogy Homepage, The A well maintained list of genealogy resources
on the Internet, including a link to information on genealogy software.
Gensource.com A free online resource for genealogist, or anyone looking
for family roots.
Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site "The largest and most complete online
genealogy resource"
Ancestry.com "The number one source for family history research online"
PROFESSIONAL RESEARCHERS
Board for Certification of Genealogist - Roster of those
certified with a specialty in Native American Genealogy
The Association of Professional Genealogists- a list of genealogists who
specialize in Native American genealogy (To reach this specific
list of genealogists, do a search on this page by leaving all
fields blank except "Research Specialty" where you will choose
"Native American" and hit "Search".) Genealogy Central Lineage
Service Specializes in Native American, New England and Colonial
American research.
If you are interested in communicating with people of the same interests
in genealogy, check out www.ancestry.com