When Native Americans were put onto reservations, their family names were changed to suit the "White Man". I have Indian heritage from both sides of the family and cannot trace it back to my ancestors. I want to tell my children who our ancestors were so they can be proud of who they are.
2006-10-25 07:06:45 · 4 answers · asked by bgbrwneyes1824 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Genealogy
The radio and television show "Questions and Ancestors" has an episode on Native American Genealogy. You can listen to the episode on your computer, or you can download the episode as an mp3 file.
Also check out Indian Tribal Records at Access Genealogy and Online Native American Indian Records and Databases (see links below).
2006-10-25 10:29:03 · answer #1 · answered by Steven Jay 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The problem I had with tracing my Cherokee and Choctaw ancestry had to do with them being forced to get baptized if they did not live on a reservation. Their names were changed to Miller and Martin and they were given 'new' birth certificates. The Mormon Library was of little help because it had very little information regarding non-Anglo people. Anyway, my mother had success by sending emails and getting family histories from every relative still alive and this helped significantly - even third and fourth cousins. We not only got our Native American ancestry identified, but we also found out who some of our relatives and ancestors were going back to the 1700's. It takes a long time but is so worth it - like a personal jigsaw puzzle. You will come up with some false leads but when you score, it is a great feeling. So, start with all your family members ( get every piece of evidence you can ) and then chase down your inclinations should you run into some stumbling blocks. Good luck! Also, keep organized as this will help when things get tough.
2006-10-25 07:21:02 · answer #2 · answered by commonsense 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My fiance is Mic Mac Indian and his family can only go back two generations before losing the family line because his grandfather on his mother's side did not have a driver's license or birth certificate.
2006-10-26 16:25:07 · answer #3 · answered by Bonnie L 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well there is no blood test even thought some people think there is. Family history is normally passed down through parents and grandparents. My borrowed family name started only from my great grandmother, before that we had no last names. I learned alot from my grandmother about my family history. Older relatives are the best to find out about your ancestry. Then you could check out other ancestry sites.
2006-10-25 11:05:48 · answer #4 · answered by already_enuff_spice_in_this 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋