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Native American Genealogy

Native American Genealogy

SHOW NOTES (Video & Audio Podcast) Native American genealogy research follows the same path that all good genealogy research does, but it also includes some unique records along the way. It’s a fascinating journey, and in Elevenses with Lisa episode 76 professional genealogist Judy Nimer Muhn (Lineage Journeys) joins Lisa Louise Cooke to pave the way. Judy will discuss:

  • Tribal and personal naming conventions
  • Tribal-specific resources
  • How geography impacts research
  • Native American genealogical records
  • and more…

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Show Notes 

Native American genealogy research follows the same path that all good genealogy research does, but it also includes some unique records along the way. It’s a fascinating journey, and in Elevenses with Lisa episode 76 professional genealogist Judy Nimer Muhn (Lineage Journeys) joins Lisa Louise Cooke to pave the way. Judy will discuss:

  • Tribal and personal naming conventions
  • Tribal-specific resources
  • How geography impacts research
  • Native American genealogical records
  • and more…

Five Tribes

  • Navaho/Navajo: Diné
  • Cherokee: Tsalagi or Aniyunwiya
  • Sioux: Lakota, Nakota or Dakota
  • Chippewa: Ojibwa
  • Choctaw: Choctah or Chahta

GEOGRAPHY

Native Land Map

 Features:

  • Enter a location
  • Mouse and click around on the map to see the relevant territories in a location.
  • Select or search from a dropdown of territories, treaties, and languages.
  • Click and links will appear with nation names. Click a link to be taken to a page specifically about that nation, language, or treaty.
  • Export the map to a printable image file
  • You can turn map labels on or off to see non-Indigenous borders and towns
  • Mobile apps available for iOS and Android.
Native Map Digital Map

Native Map Digital Map

Census Records at Genealogy Websites:

From the Article: “Native people were largely excluded from the federal census until at least 1860.”

Native American Research at FamilySearch Wiki

Native American Research at FamilySearch Wiki

National Archives

  • Article by James P. Collins called Native Americans in the Census, 1860-1890 which will help you understand what you may be able to find during that time period.

At the National Archives you will find:

  • Links to Native American records
  • Download data collection research sheets for free

Visit the National Archives resource page for Native American Research

The Bureau of Indian Affairs

The Bureau of Indian Affairs was required to take an annual census of Native communities. (ex. Dawes Rolls)

  • Some are available for free at Familysearch.org
  • Compiled into one collection ranging from 1885 to 1940.
  • Not all communities were represented.
  • Collection may not be fully indexed

Free Native American Genealogy Databases

  1. 1817 Cherokee Reservation Roll
  2. 1880 Cherokee Census
  3. 1924 Baker Roll
  4. 1954 Proposed Ute Rolls
  5. Armstrong Rolls
  6. Dawes Commission Case Files
  7. (Dawes Rolls) Final Rolls Index and Search the Final Rolls
  8. Drennen Rolls
  9. Guion Miller Roll
  10. Kern Clifton Rolls
  11. McKennon Roll
  12. Old Settlers Roll
  13. Wallace Roll

Library of Congress

Here you’ll find many resources including newspapers, photos and reports to congress and oral histories.

Judy found materials deep within the Library of Congress website using Googling strategies from my book The Genealogist’s Google Toolbox.

Michigan State University

Native American Studies Research Guide: Introduction

Michigan State University Native American Resources

Michigan State University Native American Resources

Resources

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Beginning Genealogy – 10 Steps to Success!

Beginning Genealogy – 10 Steps to Success!

SHOW NOTES (Video & Audio Podcast): Ever wondered about your family history? Delving into your ancestry can be both exciting and overwhelming. I’m going to break down the basics of genealogy research, offering beginner-friendly tips and tricks to help you get started on your own family tree journey. These tips are also great for getting back to genealogy after taking a break, or if you’ve been at it a while, just making sure that you’ve covered all of the most essential bases.

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10 Steps to Genealogy Success

1. Gather what you know

Start with yourself and work backwards. This provides a foundation for your research.

Compile all the information you already have about your family, including:

  • names, dates, places of life events.
  • Scour your house for records, photo albums, family bibles.
  • Write down stories or anecdotes you’ve heard.

2. Get a genealogy software program

You need a place to put the information. Yes, you can build a family tree online, but it’s critical to have the main tree that you work on be the one on your computer. That way you own the files forever and you’re not reliant on an ongoing subscription or a group tree where others can change it.

There are a wide variety of genealogy software options, but the good news is you only need one.

It’s not a big investment. For less than $40 or $50 you can get a powerful program that can track everything you find, keep it organized, make it easily searchable, and even run reports and connect you to hints on your favorite genealogy websites.

Rootsmagic, Legacy Family Tree, Family Tree Maker and Reunion are some of the most popular and have been around the longest. I use RootsMagic https://rootsmagic.com/store/rootsmagic/

If free is more in your budget, try the Family Tree Builder by MyHeritage.  https://www.myheritage.com/FP/ftb-welcome.php?lang=EN

3. Back up your computer

Make sure your computer is automatically backed up to the cloud.

4. Interview your living relatives

It’s really important to take the time to talk with family members. You’ll want to gather information, uncover stories, and gain insights into your family history. Encourage them to share their memories, photos, and documents. And let’s be practical, it’s best to start with your oldest living relatives first. Prepare your questions ahead of time and record whenever possible.

5. Get familiar with AI tools

  • Embrace AI-powered tools. Even if you don’t use them for anything else, there’s no denying that AI can dramatically speed up your research and do a ton of the heavy lifting.
  • Get comfortable with at least one of the leading AI Chatbots. You can start out with the free version, and if you want more horsepower, subscribe for a low monthly fee.
  • Leading options: ChatGPT, Grok, Google’s Gemini, Perplexity and Claude.
  • Pick one, bookmark it on your web browser, and use it.
  • AI and Genealogy playlist at the Genealogy Gems YouTube channel.

6. Know what you’re looking for

Once you’ve laid this foundation, you’re ready to make your first new discoveries. At first it will be easy to know what to work on because you’re still working backwards. Most of us can fill in most of the blanks on our grandparents. But then it’s time to move to your great grandparents and so on.

You’re going to focus first on finding ancestors. These are the people you are directly descended from: grandparents, great grandparents, and so on.

You’ll also be filling in the tree with your relatives. These are your aunts and uncles, cousins and so on. For each ancestral couple, take the time to find all their children. These people may feel more secondary, but the record of a great aunt might be the key to unlocking information about her parents that you couldn’t find by only researching her brother your grandfather. When it comes to all your relatives, that’s totally up to you. You can invest time on finding them now, or wait until you make more progress on your tree and then come back to them later when you have time.

7. Gather Foundational Records

You’re going to focus on essential milestones for each ancestor in your tree. Think of this information as the backbone of your family tree. You can add flesh to the bones later.

Start with the most recent event for that ancestor, which was probably their death if you’re working on a great grandparent, and then move back to their marriage, and then their birth.

From there, you’ll want to fill in some of the most important items such as:

  • Their children (records: census, obituaries in newspapers, etc.)
  • Where they lived throughout their life (records: census, city directories, voter registrations, etc.)
  • Military service (records: draft cards, service records, pension records, etc.)

8. Leverage the power of search engines

While not everything is online by any stretch of the imagination, here are some of the best online sources to search for the records we just mentioned:

You’ll also need to up your game with Google so that you can find things beyond just the most popular genealogy websites. And these skills will come in really handy with Google Books.

  • Use search operators to target specific resources.
  • Quotes around a word or phrase for exact matches.
  • Use a minus sign in front of words you want to exclude from the results.
  • Place an asterisk between two words within quotes to include a few words or initials between the exact phrase.
  • There are many more search operators and strategies. These are covered in the wide range of Genealogy Gems videos. Visit https://lisalouisecooke.com/videos/ and click the “Google” category.
  • Use Google Alerts to continue the searching for you 24/7. https://www.google.com/alerts

9. Put Flesh on the Bones

It’s time to put some flesh on the bones so to speak. In other words, creating a more comprehensive timeline for your ancestor. Your genealogy software probably has a timeline report feature. Pull it up or print it out and start filling in the gaps.

  • Where they worked (records: census, city directories, industry catalogs, etc.)
  • Land they owned (records: land records, tax records, probate records, etc.)
  • If they immigrated from another country (records: passenger lists, citizenship papers, etc.)
  • Photos (sources: family members, Google search, old photo databases, genealogy websites like Ancestry, MyHeritage, Findmypast and FamilySearch, etc.)
  • Any other interesting life events (records: Newspapers, books, etc.)

10. Mastering the art of record interpretation

It’s not enough to find records. You’ve got to really understand what they are and are not telling you.

  • Take the time to familiarize yourself with the record collection.
    • Why was it created?
    • Who created it?
    • What timeframe does it cover?
    • What doesn’t it include?
  • Use AI tools to help you transcribe or translate records but always check for accuracy!
  • Find out what the abbreviations used in the documents mean. (ex. Census instructions)
  • Use multiple credible sources to verify the information you find.

Resources

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