Do
I need to use a computer?
Yes, it cannot be stressed
more that the use of a computer is a valuable tool in your effort to
do genealogical research. There are many organizations and individuals
that have digitized their records, pictures and files and placed them
on the World Wide Web. The ability to gather records, current addresses,
phone numbers and other vital information that you will use, make it
a necessary tool to use. Computers
and the Internet can be accessed at your local public library or local
community college, check in your area.
Once on, there are many sites
dedicated to the work of genealogical research, we do not recommend
or endorse any of them. Also, be aware that these sites are usually private, for-profit
and will charge you for their service.
All the information they have collected is readily available
for you to collect, if you know where to go and your willing to do the
work.
You should be familiar with
the use of a search engine to find web sites that are of interest to
you. Search engines are computer programs that search the Internet for
specific words, that you enter, listed in meta tags of the web site.
Use words such as Native American genealogy or tracing American
Indian Ancestry as search words.
How
do I begn the search for my ancestors?
Start your genealogical research
with yourself. Do not begin genealogical
research in Indian records for this can most often be the wrong approach.
Instead, begin research in current, rather than historic records. If
an individual is not currently a member of a federally recognized tribe,
band or group research should begin in non-Indian records or other public
records such as those records maintained by state and local governments,
churches, and schools.
Individuals
should find all the information they can about their parents, grandparents,
and more distant ancestors and write such information down. The most
important information is vital statistics, including ancestral names,
dates of birth, marriages (or divorces) and death, the places where
ancestors were born, lived, married, and died. During such research,
the goal, especially for tribal membership purposes, is to establish
and document the relationships of Indian ancestors and to identify the
Indian tribe with which their ancestor may have been affiliated.
Where
do I look for information?
At Home
The first place to begin genealogical
research is at home. Valuable information can be found in family Bibles,
newspaper clippings, military certificates, birth and death certificates,
marriage licenses, diaries, letters, scrapbooks, backs of pictures and
baby books.
Relatives,
particularly older ones, are another good source of information. Persons
doing this research should visit or write family members who may have
the genealogical information that they are seeking. Someone else in
your family may also be working on a family history.
On the local and state level
It is often
useful to check school, church, and county courthouse records for information.
Researchers should not limit the scope of their search to birth, death
and marriage records. Historical and genealogical information can be
found in other civil records at the county courthouse such as deeds,
wills, land or other property conveyances.
Write
to the Bureau of Vital Statistics, usually in the state capital to request
copies of birth, death and marriage certificates, or divorce decrees.
Include the name of the individual, date and place of birth and your
relationship to that person. State governments did not keep birth and
death records until the turn of the century, about 1890-1915, so searches
in state records for ancestors who were born or died before that
time may be limited.
In public libraries and other repositories
Visiting
the local library is a good starting point for gathering facts about
Indians and Indian tribes. A wealth of information exists concerning
the history of Indian tribes, tribal cultures, the historic tribal territories,
and the migration patterns. Most libraries also have books on how to
do genealogical research. The genealogical research books give a good
understanding of standard research techniques.
Researchers can also contact
genealogical organizations, historical societies, and other private
institutions. For example, the Family History Centers are "branch
offices" of the Family History Library of the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints (Mormon). This private institution contains a large
collection of genealogical documents relating to Indians that may be
useful in research.
On the federal level
Records Concerning Public
The
National Archives (Archives) in Washington, D.C. has records of genealogical
value. The Federal government took the census every ten years since
1790 and is a very good source of information for individuals who are
trying to identify their ancestors. Census records from 1790-1920 are
available on microfilm in the National Archives' regional branches.
Seventeen branch offices are in major metropolitan areas throughout
the country. A brochure describing the branch offices is available from:
The
Archives at: National Archives and Records Administration, Publication
and Distribution Staff (NECD), Room G-3, Eighth St. and Pennsylvania
Ave., NW
Washington, D.C. 20408-0001.
The National Archives also
has military and service related records, passenger arrival records,
and other records of value to persons involved in genealogical research.
A copy of the free leaflet, Genealogical Records in the National
Archives is available on request.
The National Archives has
various publications for sale. The Archives have microfilmed all censuses.
Individuals can purchase copies of the microfilm rolls and associated
genealogical materials. Various rolls of microfilm are available for
rental at the National Archives. The telephone number for rental and
sales requests is:
1-800-234-8861
The National Archives Internet address is www.nara.gov.
Records Concerning American Indians
At
some point in the research, the researcher will have identified the
tribal affiliation of one's ancestor(s). Now is the time to begin research
in records about American Indians. The Native American collection at
the National Archives includes special censuses, school records, and
allotment records. For more information concerning the special censuses
of various tribes, the National Archives offers:
Microfilm
Publication M1791
American Indian Censuses
The Special Census of Indians, 1880.
BIA Offices
If your ancestors had land
in trust or went through probate, the BIA field offices in selected
areas throughout the United States may have some records concerning
Indian ancestry. However, the BIA field offices do not maintain current
or historic records of all individuals who possess some degree of Indian
blood. The records the BIA holds are current rather than historic tribal
membership enrollment lists. These lists (commonly called "rolls")
do not have supporting documentation (such as birth certificates) for
each tribal member listed. The BIA created these rolls while the BIA
maintained tribal membership rolls.
The
BIA no longer has extensive involvement in tribal membership. Current
Federal policy and case law limits the involvement of the BIA in tribal
membership matters unless mandated by congressional legislation, or
is required by the tribe's governing document or otherwise requested
by the tribe.
When you contact a BIA field
office, be prepared to give the name of the tribe, the name(s) and birth
dates of ancestor(s), and relationships. You must provide specific information
otherwise field offices (and other institutions) probably cannot provide
much useful information.
The Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C.
§552(a) protects the current tribal membership rolls and lists that
the BIA maintains. Submitting a request for genealogical information
under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. §552, is not necessary
for records compiled and published by private institutions or available
in census records declassified by the National Archives.
What
do I do if I was adopted?
The Bureau of Indian Affairs
cannot help you with your pursuit of opening closed adoption papers.
There are organizations that can be found on the Internet that
can assist you with information on what information may be needed.
The BIA does not endorse or recommend any of them. You will need
to obtain legal advice from a lawyer that deals with this area of the
law.
If
you do not want to do the work yourself
If an
individual does not wish to conduct their own research, researchers
are available for a fee. Please write to the Board of Certification
of Genealogists or the Association of Professional Genealogists and
request their listings of genealogical researchers for hire. Their addresses
are:
Board
of Certification of Genealogists
P.O. Box 14291
Washington, D.C. 20044 |
Association
of Professional Genealogists
P.O. Box 40393
Denver, Colorado 80204 |
|