by
Lisa South, Certified Genealogist
Finding that Cherokee Indian princess
your grandma told you was somewhere in your family
tree is going to be harder than you thought. In
fact, it won't be possible - because the Cherokee
nation did not have princesses!
Erroneous
family traditions and the limited number of
records can make Native American Research
daunting, but there are things you can do to
increase your success.
Start by
understanding that a family story of Indian
heritage is not reason enough to dive right in to
Native American Research. You should continue
traditional research until you can show that your
ancestors were Native American and then find out
to which tribal group they belonged. To jump into
Native American research without the tribal name
would be like jumping into European research
without knowing which country to focus on. There
are several good reference books that can help. A
good one to start with is the eight-volume set,
Biographical and Historical Index of American
Indians and Persons Involved in Indian Affairs
(U.S. Dept. of Interior records, G.K. Hall and
Co., 70 Lincoln Street, Boston, 1966. 8
Volumes).
Also understand that if your
Native American ancestor did not live on a
reservation, you should conduct your research the
same as any other non-Indian research. But if they
did live on a reservation, there are some simple
steps that will increase your chances of finding
your Native American ancestor.
As with any
genealogical research, your first step is to
gather as much information as possible from your
family members. Next, determine tribal affiliation
and study the historical background of that tribe.
Learn about its naming customs, kinship systems,
and migration patterns. Note which agencies were
involved with that particular tribe and which
churches proselyted among them. With this
knowledge, you can then extend your search to
include records kept by those agencies and
churches
So how do you locate the records?
Your best source will usually be the local agency
of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). You will also want to
check the
area office of the BIA. Next,
find out what records are available in
The National
Archives, the largest single holder of Indian
records. And remember to check the National
Archive Regional repositories. Search the records
of the churches that were actively doing
missionary work and check private collections in
Universities and historical societies. Search the
libraries in the areas that the tribes lived.
The
Oklahoma City Library has a large collection
of records for the Five Civilized Tribes (a
confederation of specific Cherokee, Chickasaw,
Choctaw, Creek and Seminole tribes.)
While
searching for your Native American ancestor can be
particularly challenging, finding your place
within this rich heritage will make it well worth
the effort.
Of course, it is possible that
another genealogist has already discovered and
documented your family connection to Native
Americans within
OneGreatFamily.
Put our "Better Way to Search" to work and
discover the work on your family tree already
completed by other genealogy
enthusiasts.
