TRACKING NATIVE AMERICAN FAMILY HISTORY
Curt B. Witcher and George J. NixonExtracted from The Source, a publication of Ancestry.com, Inc. and used by permission. Copyright Ancestry.com, Inc., all rights reserved.
INTRODUCTION
Curt B. WitcherNative American genealogical research is among the most challenging and rewarding of historical research endeavors. Interest in the life patterns, religions, migration and settlement patterns—indeed, in the entire culture of these earliest inhabitants of the North American continent—remains high. There are numerous fundamental differences between the Native American and the European American cultures, and it is these differences that present the greatest challenge to the genealogist.
In beginning Native American genealogical research, it is important to employ a fundamentally sound research methodology—the same methodology that would be used in compiling any family history. Initially, family sources should be consulted for information about previous generations. These sources include all living relatives, family papers and scrapbooks, daybooks, photograph albums, and diaries (see chapter 1, The Foundations of Family History Research). Considering the very strong oral tradition among Native American peoples, special attention should be given to conducting thorough interviews of all relatives.
Sound research methodology mandates that one research from the present into the past, from more recent times to more distant times, building a solid case based on primary and excellent secondary sources. The temptation to begin with the records of a particular tribe and prove forward to a more contemporary ancestor should be avoided. Not only is proving forward more difficult, it does not afford one the opportunity to investigate the widest range of records. Further, it tempts one to make assumptions that are clearly not based on the preponderance of evidence.
Maintaining extensive and accurate records is essential for any genealogical endeavor, but especially so for Native American research. All places, dates, and other data associated with a potential ancestor should be recorded with appropriate documentation even if their relevance is unknown or unclear at the time. No piece of data about a potential ancestor is inconsequential.
Adhering to a defined series of research strategies is the most productive way to engage in Native American genealogical research. The researcher must be willing to employ research strategies in a sequence which gathers useful general material first, tribe-specific data second, and, finally, individual (person-specific) data and records. A successful research strategy could be outlined in a manner similar to the following:
1. Thoroughly investigate the areas where ancestral research is being considered for the identities, histories, and cultural attributes of the native peoples.
2. Employ a carefully constructed and consistently applied methodology for locating the greatest number of research documents and data on the tribe of the potential ancestor.
3. Work through all of the materials relating to a particular tribe or nation to obtain the fullest understanding of its peoples and the most complete individual-specific group of records.
This chapter details a number of sources which the Native American genealogical researcher may want to investigate in the process of establishing and documenting a family history.
General Histories and Records
More so than in any other area of genealogical research, knowledge of general history is a crucial factor for the researcher of Native American family history. A good working knowledge of general history will ground one’s research in the proper time period, identify a more defined geographic area in which to conduct research, maximize all potential record possibilities, greatly assist in establishing tribal affiliations, and lead to a fuller understanding of the Native American culture. Because Native American naming patterns, kinship terms, and intertribal relations typically were quite different from those experienced by European Americans, it is essential to place one’s Native American research in a historical context. Only in the proper historical context, devoid of assumptions and stereotypes, can truly effective Native American genealogical research be conducted.
There are many bibliographies of Native American historical works that should be consulted by the researcher endeavoring to gather general and tribe-specific histories. These bibliographies are useful because they are numerous, rather widely available, and greatly assist the researcher in striving to gather a comprehensive collection of documents. Annotated bibliographies compiled by academic institutions and experts in the fields of Native American history, archaeology, culture, etc., often provide a more complete list of sources and easier methods of accessing the specific information. An example of such a work is one by Katherine M. Weist and Susan R. Sharrock, An Annotated Bibliography of North Plains Ethnohistory (Missoula: University of Montana, 1985). Besides the descriptive annotations provided in this work, many title entries contain a section entitled “other subjects” in which tribes covered by the particular work are listed, as well as major topics and subjects the author(s) encountered.
Establishing tribal affiliation should be a primary objective in the initial stages of Native American research. Determining the tribe of a potential ancestor is essential to continued research because the vast majority of records are grouped, published, and accessed by tribe, clan, or nation. There are several approaches the researcher may need to take in determining tribal affiliation. First, critically evaluate oral traditions and stories preserved and communicated through generations of family members. It is important to remember that recollections of actual events, people, and places tend to fade over time and may be changed or embellished to make individuals appear more favorable than they actually were or to hide less-than-honorable deeds.
Another approach is to engage in a survey of the general histories of a large geographic region or the continent, as well as general histories of the native peoples. Both dated and more recently published histories are useful. These general histories typically provide significant data on village locations and settlement patterns, hunting and gathering areas, and migration patterns. They assist the researcher in beginning to determine the tribe of a potential ancestor.
A remarkable compilation in the realm of general histories which details Native American life at the beginning of the twentieth century in words and photographs is Edward S. Curtis, The North American Indian, Being a Series of Volumes Picturing and Describing the Indians of the United States and Alaska (Cambridge, Mass.: The University Press, 1907–30). The twenty volumes of descriptive text and photographic plates are complemented by twenty folios of additional photographic images. This work has been reprinted and is available in microform formats.
Some of the classic works of Americana pertaining to early travel and the native peoples provide valuable background data that is essential to exploring all of the record possibilities for Native American research. Henry R. Schoolcraft, Historical and Statistical Information Respecting the History, Conditions and Prospects of the Indian Tribes of the United States: Collected and Prepared under the Direction of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, per Act of Congress of March 3, 1847 (Philadelphia: Lippencott, Grambo & Company, 1851), published in six parts, is an excellent general history covering a variety of topics for numerous tribes including national and tribal histories, antiquities, geography, government, languages, biography, and art. This work has been reprinted several times and is available at many university and large public libraries.
A host of general histories published more recently provide the genealogical researcher with good background data. Eleanor Burke Leacock and Nancy Oestreich Lurie, North American Indians in Historical Perspective (Prospect Heights, Ill.: Waveland Press, 1971) is such a work. Its nearly five hundred heavily noted pages detail the history of the major native tribes and clans of North America. Placing the historical past of particular Native American groups into a more general historical context provides a research context more suitable for capitalizing on the record possibilities. General footnote sections, biographical notes, and references all provide the researcher with access to primary and documented secondary source materials. The origins of tribes are traced, with these historical recountings giving the researcher information on the groups who interacted with particular tribes. Most general histories can be located in both automated and traditional library catalogs under terms such as “Native Americans,” “North American Indians,” and “Indians of North America.”
A third approach to establishing tribal affiliation is to engage in a thorough study of maps and atlases that place indigenous peoples in particular geographic areas (figure 14-1). These works are often valuable for determining not only the specific tribe of a potential ancestor but also migration and commerce routes, names and sites of villages, and locations of intertribal confrontations. Helen Hornbeck Tanner, ed., Atlas of Great Lakes Indian History (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1987), is a remarkable example of such a historical atlas. Time lines assist in setting Native American events in context of the encroaching European settlement; narratives complement the detail provided by the numerous maps; and a selected bibliography provides the researcher with hundreds of additional sources of information.
Finally, assistance in determining tribal affiliation can be provided by published local and community histories. Nearly every community has some accounting of its early days, and the compiled histories of cities and towns often contain pages about the earliest inhabitants of the areas. While typically not filled with large amounts of documented data, these works can provide information useful in determining the identity of the native peoples of a specific geographic area.
Tribe-Specific Data
Once a reasonable hypothesis has established the tribe of a potential ancestor, a host of new sources become available for the researcher to gather information about particular Native Americans. Learning as many specific details about the clan or tribe as possible continues to be of paramount importance, and locating and accessing specific records will increasingly become the focus of research endeavors.
The history of a potential ancestor’s tribe is critical to continuing research. It is important to know where and when the tribe existed, the customs of the tribe-especially those customs relating to naming patterns, marriage and burial practices, and other important life events. Emmet Starr, History of the Cherokee Indians and Their Legends and Folk Lore (Oklahoma City, Okla.: The Warden Company, 1921. Reprint. Millwood, N.Y.: Kraus Reprint Company, 1977), is an extraordinary example of a tribe/nation history containing excellent general data and significant genealogical information. Six chapters of more than one hundred and fifty pages are devoted to “Old Families and Their Genealogy.” Other lists include council members and nearly two hundred pages of biographical sketches. Woven through the entire work is a serious treatment of the customs and legends of the Cherokees.
Though customs varied from one tribe to another, scholars have found that Native Americans generally used two types of names: personal names and honorary names. In some tribes, one or the other of these names was considered sacred. Personal names may have been given or changed at birth, adolescence, the first hunting or war expedition, some notable feat, or the attainment of chieftainship. Tracking and documenting these name changes for any given Native American can be a formidable challenge. To these Native American names, Europeans often added a third, English, name. A transitional record is one that indicates both a Native American name and the English name of a potential ancestor. Such records are a great boon to furthering research, but they are somewhat rare.
Kinship terms have varying meanings among many Native Americans. For example, “father” does not always denote the natural parent. Many tribes are organized matriarchally rather than patriarchally, with lines of descent and property being passed down through the mother’s line. The following excerpt is from a classic work of reprinted ethnology reports titled The North American Indian (New York: Garland Publishing, 1985). From “An Iroquois Source Book, Volume 1, Political and Social Organization,” it indicates how complex such an organization can be for the genealogical researcher, describing some of the laws of descent of the Iroquois league, which was comprised of five nations: Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, Mohawk, and Seneca.
In each of the five nations who composed the original league, there were eight tribes, named as follows: Wolf, Bear, Beaver, and Turtle; Deer, Snipe, Heron, and Hawk. . . . In effect, the Wolf tribe was divided into five parts, and one fifth of it placed in each of the five nations. The remaining tribes were subject to the same division and distribution. . . . The Mohawk of the Turtle tribe recognized the Seneca of the Turtle tribe as a relative, and between them existed the bond of kindred blood. . . . A cross-relationship existed between the several tribes of each nation and the tribes of corresponding name in each of the other nations, which bound them together in the league with indissoluble bonds. . . .
Originally, with reference to marriage, the four tribes first named were not allowed to intermarry; neither were the last four. In their own mode of expressing the idea, each four were brother tribes to each other, and cousins to the other four. . . . At no time in the history of the Iroquois could a man marry a woman of his own tribe, even in another nation. . . . Husband and wife, therefore, were in every case of different tribes. The children were of the tribe of the mother. . . . As all titles, as well as property, descended in the female line, and were hereditary in the tribe, the son could never succeed to his father’s title of sachem, nor inherit even his tomahawk. . . .
. . . The mother, her children, and the descendants of her daughters in the female line, would, in perpetuity, be linked with the fortunes of her own tribe; while the father, his brothers and sisters, and the descendants in the female line of his sisters, would be united to another tribe, and held by its affinities.
The next feature of importance in their system of descent was the breaking up of the collateral line. . . . Thus a mother and her sisters stood equally in the relation of mothers to the children of each other; the grandmother and her sisters were equally grandmothers, and so up in the ascending series. . . . Thus the children of two sisters were brothers and sisters to each other; they were all of the same tribe. So also were the children of two brothers, although they might be of different tribes.
Knowledge of the individuals and groups which interacted with Native Americans is important for successful Native American genealogical research because most native peoples had few written records. Indeed, most Native American languages have a written history of only approximately one hundred years, making the researcher dependent almost exclusively upon the records of individuals who interacted directly with the tribes or clans. Understanding the collection development policies and record retention schedules of local, state, and national archives and societies is vital to successfully locating these primary source accounts and documents. Indeed, understanding the basics of what might be called an information hierarchy will greatly assist research endeavors. Figure 14-2 is a record of the Charles Poupart family, created by the Lac Du Flambeau Agency, Wisconsin.
At the local level, city and county historical societies tend to collect the manuscript or primary source documents as well as very early imprints or first editions, while local public libraries tend to collect published accounts and secondary source materials. Local archives tend to collect official governmental papers as well as those records not kept in the local courthouse which deal with sale and transfer of property, tax records, and other locally generated documents. State historical societies tend to collect primary source documents that concern multi-county areas of a state or those primary sources which local historical societies do not or cannot maintain in their collections. State libraries typically attempt to collect all consequential secondary source materials for their particular states. Indeed, special state-named collections can be found in many state libraries. In many areas, these special collections are rather comprehensive. Some larger academic libraries contain substantial historical collections, and in very rare cases even function as the archive for a county.
Combining knowledge of the information hierarchy, the geographic area historically and contemporarily inhabited by a particular tribe or clan, and the various individuals and organizations that interacted with specific native peoples will maximize record possibilities. Local and state historical societies and libraries contain many record possibilities which must be explored when collecting Native American data.
Extraordinary record possibilities may also be explored at federal records centers and National Archives regional archives. Because the federal government interacted frequently with the Native American tribes and nations during the United States’ settlement period, one can expect to find many useful records in repositories that contain federal documents. Edward Hill, comp., Guide to Records in the National Archives of the United States Relating to American Indians (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1981), describes thousands of feet of manuscript collections and many important microform collections. Genealogists can also glean many useful tips from Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, The Archives: A Guide to the National Archives Field Branches (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1988).
There are several fine groups of sources for researchers seeking to obtain more tribe-specific information. These include dictionaries and encyclopedias, guides, detailed histories of tribes, federal government documents, and special transcriptions or methodology publications. The more successful researcher of Native American genealogy will pay attention to the finer details of a particular tribe’s life and culture—details that may provide valuable clues and additional sources of data.
The Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups (Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University, 1980) devotes more than sixty pages to both a general and tribe-specific treatment of the Native American experience. While it might be considered dated, the information provided in it is concise and accurate. The maps indicating Native American tribes circa 1600 and the primary locations of 173 Native American groups in 1970 are particularly useful. The Reference Encyclopedia of the American Indian, 6th ed. (New York: Todd Publications, 1993), contains significant sections devoted to directory data, a bibliography of works accessible by tribe, and biographies of Native Americans. Particularly useful are the lists of reservations, tribal councils, associations, and government agencies.
Important information can be found in many dictionaries and handbooks dealing with the native peoples of North America. Such sources often contain references to other, more detailed, works. The Dictionary of Indian Tribes of the Americas, 2nd ed. (Newport Beach, Calif.: American Indian Publishers, 1993), contains significant tribe-specific historical details, variant spellings of tribal and clan names, and noteworthy individuals belonging to the Native American group. The various maps are useful, as is the subject and title index. Frederick W. Hodge, Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico, Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 302, 2 parts (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1912), is a classic work. Organized in a dictionary format, it has long been recognized for providing useful data about various tribes, clans, and nations of Native Americans. In it can be found significant information about Native American tools, well-known individuals, geographic locations, arts and customs, institutions, and language. Another exemplary work is John R. Swanton, The Indian Tribes of North America, Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 145 (Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1984). Its dictionary format makes the more than seven hundred pages of information readily accessible.
As oral histories and interviews are used to assist in establishing tribal affiliation, they can also be used to gather more specific details about particular Native American groups, bands, or tribes. Commonly called narratives or firsthand narrative accounts, these materials often represent some of the earliest accounts concerning particular groups of Native Americans. These early accounts were typically by European Americans, such as missionaries, trappers, fur traders, and government agents. Firsthand accounts can provide citations to sources that are also narrative or firsthand accounts, well-documented works, or contemporary works that might not be so well known.
Firsthand accounts can also contain the writings of Native Americans as well as those individuals who first interacted with them. A fine example is American Indian Women: Telling Their Lives (Lincoln, Nebr.: University of Nebraska Press, 1984). This work contains more than fifty pages of notes and bibliography—excellent for leading the researcher to additional sources.
Late twentieth-century firsthand accounts can provide much useful historical and cultural information about particular tribes or groups of Native Americans. These sources are frequently overlooked by researchers who are too focused on individual-specific records. Wisdomkeepers: Meetings With Native American Spiritual Elders (Hillsboro, Oreg.: Beyond Words Publishing, 1990) is a collection of eighteen interviews with Native Americans from thirteen different tribes or confederacies. In this work, the careful reader can learn the native names for particular ancestral homelands, locations and identities of sacred places, important historical details pertaining to little-known and non-federally recognized tribes, and rough sketches of family narratives, which easily form the core around which family histories can be developed. John Gattuso, Circle of Nations: Voices and Visions of American Indians (Hillsboro, Oreg.: Beyond Words Publishing, 1993), is another richly illustrated collection of contemporary firsthand accounts that provide documentary assistance to the historical researcher interested in a fuller understanding of particular Native American cultures.
Careful researchers should necessarily be concerned about the objectivity of firsthand narrative accounts. It is significant to note through whose eyes the events were being seen. The usefulness of these accounts, though, in providing geographical data and kinship and cultural information, as well as actual names of some Native Americans, cannot be discounted. Larger academic and public libraries, as well as some special libraries, have such works.
Federal government documents are some of the most potentially useful records for obtaining significant data about particular Native American tribes. Two factors contributing to their significance are the frequency of federal government interactions with the native peoples during the settlement of many areas and the large number of documents produced by the Government Printing Office. Additionally, the availability of federal government documents is quite good because there are numerous repositories in most states.
While federal government documents are plentiful, their use may be challenging for the beginning researcher. The documents have their own classification system, which is designed more for archiving large bodies of material than for accessing those materials. This classification system, commonly known in library circles as the SUDOC system, groups materials by the issuing government agency regardless of subject matter. Native American records may be found filed under “I” for Department of the Interior, “LC” for the Library of Congress, “SI” for Smithsonian Institution, “W” for the Department of War, and “Y” for Congress, etc.
Having access to a good, comprehensive index is important; that one does not exist for federal government documents is problematic. There are a number of keys, though, to unlocking the rich amounts of information in documents published by the Government Printing Office (see figure 14-3). First, always seek the assistance of the government documents librarian or information professional. For almost every document collection there is at least one person who is expert in its use and committed to assisting others in gaining access to the myriad of data contained in it.
Figure 14-3. From The Commission and Commissioner to the Five Civilized Tribes, “Index to the Final Roll of Citizens and Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory” (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1907), 386; FHL 962,366.
Second, make use of the standard indexes available for accessing government documents, particularly the Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1895-). The Monthly Catalog is the official index to published government documents. Having been published since 1895, it is the most comprehensive source for document location. Because federal government documents are cataloged by the authoring federal agencies, knowing the possible government agency of publication is helpful in locating documents more quickly. Access to government documents published after 1976 is enhanced by a number of CD-ROM databases that are currently available in most larger government document repositories.
Other standard indexes are listed below by general time period covered. It is imperative to consult these indexes when endeavoring to use federal government documents for any type of historical research, most especially for those time periods before 1895.
A Descriptive Catalogue of the Government Publications of the United States, September 5, 1774–March 4, 1881. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1885.
Comprehensive Index of Publications of United States Government, 1881–93. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1890.
United States Government Publications, A Monthly Catalog, 10 vols. Washington, D.C.: Lowdermilk & Company, 1885–94. 10 volumes.
Checklist of United States Public Documents, 1789–1909. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1911.
Cumulative Subject Index to the Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications, 1900–1971, 15 vols. Washington, D.C.: Carrollton Press, 1973–75.
Third, continually look for special guides, finding aids, and explanatory publications. As increasing numbers of individuals become aware of the vast amounts of information contained in government documents, new finding aids are developed to complement those which already exist. Documents librarians or local information professionals can assist in locating such guides. A useful contemporary work for the researcher seeking to become more familiar with government documents is the Introduction to United States Government Information Sources, 4th ed. (Englewood, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited, 1993). This work will inform you not only how to access federal documents but also of the existence of such specific titles as the United States Statutes at Large, which contain the text of Native American treaties from 1778 to 1842 in volume 7.
The richness of materials contained in federal government document collections can scarcely be overemphasized. Histories of tribes; laws relating to allotments, patents, alienation, citizenship, and cessation of tribal relations; reports of various territorial governors dealing with Native Americans; and tribal council resolutions can all be found in government documents. The second volume of Charles J. Kappler, Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1904), is devoted entirely to eighteenth- and nineteenth-century treaties with Native American tribes. Thousands of individual names are included in its more than one thousand pages.
Major microform publishers, such as University Publications of America, make significant document collections pertaining to Native Americans available for research. These collections can include copies of major council meetings, documents from the Office of Indian Affairs, and records of the U.S. Indian Claims Commission. Large public libraries and major universities may include such records in their collections.
Almanacs and ethnic-specific encyclopedias are excellent sources of data for tribe-specific information, lists of primary and secondary source materials, supplemental historical data, and addresses of institutions and organizations that researchers may contact for specific information. Duane Champagne, ed., The Native North American Almanac: A Reference Work on Native North Americans in the United States and Canada (Detroit: Gale Research Co., 1994), is an excellent example of such a work. Among its nearly 1,300 pages are a general bibliography coupled with extensive chapter-specific references and maps indicating locations of tribes and bands. This encyclopedic work covers in some depth nearly every aspect of Native American life. The sections devoted to chronology, research centers and organizations, demography, and major culture areas assist the researcher both in determining tribal affiliation and in gathering substantial quantities of significant works pertaining to a particular tribe or nation. Chapters on law and legislation, languages, religion, and non-reservation populations provide vital tribe- or nation-specific details which enable a researcher to find and access a larger body of records.
Individual-Specific Data
As you continue Native American genealogical research, working from general Native American materials and documents into more tribe-specific accounts and information, focus increasingly on obtaining individual (person-specific) details. As with other stages in the research process, there are a number of records at this level that are useful to genealogists. Annual Indian census lists, for example, became required in 1884. An example is figure 14-4, a census card and application of Ephraim Thorne, Talequah District, Cherokee Nation. These census records are contained on several hundred rolls of National Archives microfilm. Transitional census records, which indicate both Native American and English names, are most useful. Be careful in the use of the census materials, however: being listed in the census does not mean that a person was of the particular tribe; there were many mixed-tribe marriages. Only persons on enrollment lists are actually considered tribal members, or enrolled members.
Enrollment records are often called the “official census records” for any given tribe or nation. Typically they contain the name of the Indian tribe and date of validity, roll number, name (including given name, birth name, and married names), sex, date of death (if applicable), probate number (if applicable), blood degree (degree of Native American blood), names of both parents, and blood degree of parents. If a person or family was denied enrollment, a suit was often filed in court. Significant data may be available in court proceedings of the federal district courts.
Allotment records detail the allotment of land parcels among adult Native Americans who were of at least one-half Native American blood. They are often referred to as “heirship records” because ownership of the land would pass to the allottee’s heirs upon death. Will and probate cases carry extra importance for the Native American researcher when they relate to allotted land. Normally, probate material is found in local courthouses. However, when allotted lands on reservation tracts are involved, federal records need to be consulted. Still other property records available for the Native American researcher are land claims. The land claims system enabled native tribes to file claims against the government for monies owed them for lands taken and not adequately paid for during treaty eras.
Many significant census and enrollment lists are being reprinted in indexed or transcribed form, making the information more widely accessible for today’s researchers. A Complete Roll of All Choctaw Claimants and Their Heirs Existing Under the Treaties Between the United States and the Choctaw Nation (Conway, Ark.: Oldbuck Press, n.d.) provides a complete alphabetical list, including aliases and English names (where known). Bob Blankenship’s series Cherokee Roots (Cherokee, N.C.: the compiler, 1992) lists the names from nearly a dozen official lists. These types of publications contribute significantly to the accessibility of Native American historical and genealogical data and should be sought by the family historian.
A number of other works published as monographs contribute substantially to the body of data available to researchers seeking individual-specific records. A more contemporary example, Toni Jollay Prevost, The Delaware & Shawnee Admitted to Cherokee Citizenship and the Related Wyandotte & Moravian Delaware (Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1993), provides many lists, including signers of treaties, property owners, children enrolled in mission schools, and partial citizenship lists. Divided into fourteen sections, it provides many names, dates, and places to assist directly in developing ancestor charts and ancestral proof.
A number of Indian schools were operated as part of the process of attempting to assimilate Native Americans. Records of these schools, which had agricultural, industrial, or missionary focuses, may provide the researcher with plentiful details about a potential ancestor, including such facts as tribal affiliation, degree of Native American blood, names of parents, home address, dates of arrival and departure, attendance records, health cards, and letters to parents and social workers.
An abundance of tribe-specific and individual-specific records can be found in periodical literature. The historical and genealogical periodicals that cover the geographic areas where Native American tribes historically lived, as well as areas of removal and contemporary settlement, should be considered by the serious researcher. Every type of record that can be found in manuscript collections or published in monographs may be available in indexed, abstracted, transcribed, or reprinted form in periodical literature. One of the best subject indexes to these quarterlies and newsletters is the PERiodical Source Index (PERSI) (Fort Wayne, Ind.: Allen County Public Library, 1986–), which indexes more than four thousand periodical titles. Another source of access to this material is the Genealogical Periodical Annual Index (GPAI) (Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1962–). (See chapter 2, Databases, Indexes, and Other Finding Aids.)
Some of the more notable geographically oriented periodicals include the Oklahoma Genealogical Society Quarterly (Oklahoma City: Oklahoma Genealogical Society, 1961–), Stirpes (Cleburne, Tex.: Texas State Genealogical Society, 1961–), and the Topeka Genealogical Society Quarterly (Topeka, Kans.: Topeka Genealogical Society, 1971). These journals contain indexes to and transcriptions of numerous Native American records. They can also provide leads to individuals and institutions that might be contacted for further historical and genealogical data. Other fine periodicals worthy of note cover both general Native American history and tribe- and nation-specific details. The American Indian Quarterly (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1974–) provides excellent information about the many sides of Native American life and assists the researcher in the same manner as do general histories; a recently published cumulative index to this quarterly makes accessing this information quite easy. Donna Williams, Cherokee Family Researcher (Mesa, Ariz.: 1988–) and the Journal of Cherokee Studies (Cherokee, N.C.: Museum of the Cherokee Indian, 1976–) are examples of tribe-specific periodical publications that can provide specific records of genealogical value as well as detailed historical data on particular tribes.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs, its regional offices, and specific tribal offices are rich sources of genealogical information. In fact, they contain the richest collections of individual-specific data for Native Americans. Guides to these collections and offices are available in some major libraries and by contacting the Bureau of Indian Affairs offices in Washington, D.C. Contact the bureau or its organizations directly for both general information and individual-specific requests.
Employment of sound research methodology, fine attention to detail with complete and accurate recording of all relevant and associated data, and a willingness to search for all possible data from a multiplicity of information sources—these are the keys to successful Native American genealogical research. The following sections provide numerous vital details useful for identifying extant records, becoming familiar with the historical and genealogical data included in those records, and accessing the specific materials needed to further research endeavors.
Bibliography
American Indian Women: Telling Their Lives. Lincoln, Nebr.: University of Nebraska Press, 1984.
Blankenship, Bob. Cherokee Roots. Cherokee, N.C.: the compiler, 1992.
Champagne, Duane, ed. The Native North American Almanac: A Reference Work on Native North Americans in the United States and Canada. Detroit: Gale Research Co., 1994.
A Complete Roll of All Choctaw Claimants and Their Heirs Existing Under the Treaties Between the United States and the Choctaw Nation. Conway, Ark.: Oldbuck Press, n.d.
Curtis, Edward S. The North American Indian, Being a Series of Volumes Picturing and Describing the Indians of the United States and Alaska. Cambridge, Mass.: The University Press, 1907–30.
Dictionary of Indian Tribes of the Americas. 2nd ed. Newport Beach, Calif.: American Indian Publishers, 1993.
Gattuso, John. Circle of Nations: Voices and Visions of American Indians. Hillsboro, Oreg.: Beyond Words Publishing, 1993.
Introduction to United States Government Information Sources. 4th ed. Englewood, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited, 1993.
The Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University, 1980.
Hill, Edward, comp. Guide to Records in the National Archives of the United States Relating to American Indians. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1981.
Hodge, Frederick W. Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico. Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 30. 2 parts. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1912.
Kappler, Charles J. Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1904.
Leacock, Eleanor Burke, and Nancy Oestreich Lurie. North American Indians in Historical Perspective. Prospect Heights, Ill.: Waveland Press, 1971.
Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1895–.
The North American Indian. New York: Garland Publishing, 1985.
Prevost, Toni Jollay. The Delaware & Shawnee Admitted to Cherokee Citizenship and the Related Wyandotte & Moravian Delaware. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1993.
The Reference Encyclopedia of the American Indian. 6th ed. New York: Todd Publications, 1993.
Schoolcraft, Henry R. Historical and Statistical Information Respecting the History, Conditions and Prospects of the Indian Tribes of the United States: Collected and Prepared Under the Direction of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, per Act of Congress of March 3, 1847. Philadelphia: Lippencott, Grambo & Company, 1851.
Starr, Emmet. History of the Cherokee Indians and Their Legends and Folk Lore. Oklahoma City, Okla.: The Warden Company, 1921. Reprint. Millwood, N.Y.: Kraus Reprint Company, 1977.
Swanton, John R. The Indian Tribes of North America. Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 145. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1984.
Szucs, Loretto Dennis, and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking. The Archives: A Guide to the National Archives Field Branches. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1988.
Tanner, Helen Hornbeck, ed. Atlas of Great Lakes Indian History. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1987.
Weist, Katherine M., and Susan R. Sharrock. An Annotated Bibliography of North Plains Ethnohistory. Missoula: University of Montana, 1985.
Wisdomkeepers: Meetings With Native American Spiritual Elders. Hillsboro, Oreg: Beyond Words Publishing, 1990.
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