How do I trace my great great grandmother who was Native American, born in Maine or Nova Scotia?

Question

G.G. grandmother was Native American, born in Maine or Nova Scotia in 1858. Is there a list of tribal members from the mid 1800s in that area? How can I find her? She's not in the U.S. census until 1880s in PA.

Answer 1

Basically what you need to do is have her last name. Call tribes in that area and ask if that last name is on their rolls.
If they say no you can submit articles to the local tribal newspapers. More detailed information is provided below.


Information on how to become enrolled is listed below:

To become enrolled in one's tribe is often a difficult process. Once one is enrolled one will have certain rights as a Native person. It is true that no one needs to prove their ethnic identity but to have full access to rights for Native people one must be enrolled.

To become enrolled one must first should call one's tribe and find out the enrollment requirements. They are different per tribe.
For most tribes you have to prove descendency and have a certain blood quantum. To prove descendency one needs to have some record of her belonging to a member of the tribe that was recognized by the tribe at some point, hopefully an individual that was enrolled at some point. The average blood quantum standard is 1/4. Unless you are Cherokee, their blood quantum standards are much less.

If you don't have contact with your tribal member then you can ask the tribe to look for his last name. They can look this up and see if his family line is registered. If so then your in luck. If they don't immediately find it then you can use the tribal newspaper and submit an article asking if anyone has lineage to your tribal member .

Many Native people can never become enrolled because standards of enrollment are high and were set up by the White government to oppress Native people and Native people have yet to change them.

To become more involved in one'sculture one might want to look up local Native organizations or local tribes. Try going to Pow-wow's (because they are easy to find) and talk to community members there. Many colleges/universities have a Native student union where one can get involved or get more information.

Please remember ancestry is very difficult for many Native people.

By the way, I am Native, so I have some knowledge pertaining to this.

Answer 2

Start forward and work your way back.

First, don't assume she was Native American - perhaps she was, but don't assume any ethnic identity until it has been solidly established.

1. When did she die? Her death certificate may have her maiden name and actually place of birth. You should be able to obtain this from the proper state authorities for a reasonable fee.

2. You mentioned you had her in the 1880 Census? Find her in the 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, etc. (each one until she dies - if she disappears, she may be dead, but it could also be a case where you need to expand your search). Each census has information that can help you trace your ancestor - if she was from Nova Scotia, the different census will give you the year of immigration, year of naturalization, etc. It’s not always fully accurate but it can significantly narrow your range.

3. Get the birth, marriage, and death certificates for each of her Children. The birth, marriage, and death certificates for each one of her children may have her maiden name and place of birth.

4. Her Marriage certificate to your G.G. grandfather will not only give you the date of the marriage, but her age, maiden name, and place of birth.

5. Lastly, you say she’s not in the Census until 1880 - I think more accurately, you can’t find her until 1880 because you don’t know her maiden name. Until you do, you really can’t hope to find her before her marriage. Once you do know her maiden name, did you check the 1860 and 1870 Census for girls with her first name aged about 2 and 12 respectively? Both these census are every name searchable on ancestry.com, so this isn’t nearly as difficult as it used to be.

If she is in fact Canadian, you should be able to find her on the 1861 or 1871 Canadian Census (depending on when she came to the U.S.) - these have been indexed, but are generally not as easy to find as the U.S. Census (major libraries do have them, though) and they should be available via FHC.

If you interested in more specific help, e-mail me privately and I may be able to help you (I have many Nova Scotia and Maine roots myself).

Answer 3

Get a copy of her death certificate which should show who her parents were, birth and death dates, birth and death places.

Answer 4

geneology.com, ancestry.com