How to Research Your Family's Native Heritage for Distant Ancestors

How to Perform Native American Research Going Back Many Generations

If you are looking for Native roots because you want discover that elusive “Indian money” stop right now! Your motives are terrible. You will find nothing. I can’t help you.

There is a lot of information you can discover without any help at all. So many people I have tried to help NEVER provide the EXACT information I ask for, and this can get very frustrating. I ask for ask for names, dates, and locations. Maybe they provide a partial list of one or two of these. So I often have to ask 3 or 4 times before they realize I won’t move on until I have it.

That’s why I am writing a blog entry on the topic. I have never asked for a penny and I never will. There are some basics you HAVE TO FOLLOW.

1. Beginning Genealogical Research

1. Write down family stories you have heard; or better yet, have the person -- if they are still living -- to write it down. Next, go to the census records and find your ancestors back as far as you can. If they are on Native rolls, you are done! But I have always had to go further. I am writing this paper for person’s who left the tribe and became assimilated at an early date in history. 2. If your ancestors can’t be found on tribal rolls or tribal census records, find out where your relatives and ancestors lived (city, state or territory, and county); find out when they lived there, and discover the surnames associated with them. These are the three variables I am always harping on – names, dates, and locations.

Search through tribal records of relevant tribes living in the regions where your ancestors were living. Contact tribal authorities who deal with such matters. Always speak with humility, as though you were talking with your grandparents. -- with respect and kindness. Were your known surnames amongst known surnames of that tribal Nation? If not, continue to look for outlying family members that had dealings with that tribe or Nation. You might NEVER find the results you are hoping to discover. DNA evidence might be all you can find. DNA evidence is PROOF of a Native ancestor. I mention DNA evidence assuming you have already quit researching if you found no Native DNA present. It is NOT proof of any tribal affiliation of your ancestors. Tribes mixed with each other constantly. You have EVIDENCE, not proof for tribal identity. The more evidence you find, the more reliable your findings will be. I do not know the point at which “an abundance of circumstantial evidence” becomes “proof” as would be the case in a court of law. In mathematics only PROOF is PROOF. I suspect the same is true in genealogy. Know the difference between evidence and proof. Always remember to keep the two separate.

If you discover an ancestor who was a member of a certain Tribal Nation, know that does NOT give you tribal citizenship. I am an American citizen because of the laws defining American Citizenship. I might claim ancestors who were German or English or Scots-Irish, but I can’t claim citizenship in England, Germany, Scotland or Ireland. I might discover an ancestor who was Cherokee, Saponi Band of Catawba or Chickasaw, but I am NOT nor will I ever be able to claim citizenship of any of those Nations unless they change citizenship requirements, and that is VERY unlikely.

Here is small sample of where I took my own advice.

Taking My Own Advice; 1. Starting Genealogical Research (vhawkins2591.wixsite.com)

2. Research Local History of Your Family

Read up on the history of that/those city/cities, state/states, and county/counties. Read up on the history of relevant surnames associated with your family. 1. Search from the present backwards. Search birth records, census records, marriage, divorce and death records. Here is an example of me taking my own advice;

Taking My Own Advice; 2. Researching the Counties and Surnames of Related Family Members (vhawkins2591.wixsite.com)

3. Study Local Tribal Histories

Learning about the history of your regions MUST INCLUDE the history of any Native tribes who might have lived there throughout the timeframes during which your family was in that location.. Search more than genealogical records. Read up on local history. in books nd newspapers. You might find information that you didn't know existed. I researched many, many tribes and nations. But here is just a small sample. You NEED to do far more that what I show in this short file.

Look for reports mentioning your family history throughout the timeframe your family was in a certain location. Were there newspaper clippings mentioning your family? Did you have ancestors in the military? There are military records. Were any Clergy? Many churches have written records of their pastors in church archives that you can search.

If you consult a genealogist, remember to NEVER insult the genealogist helping you. NEVER insult the tribe or Nation you are looking into. Always be respectful, sincere, and courteous.

Consider them as your older brother. Always disclose the results – the COMPLETE results, of your findings in steps one through four, above. Leave out NOTHING – it should be a report several pages long if you have done it correctly and taken no short cuts. Now the genealogist can help you. I say this if you want MY help. Others might have other criteria.

Here is an example;

Taking My Own Advice; 3. Learn Tribal Histories (vhawkins2591.wixsite.com)

4. DNA Testing

Have a DNA test taken and take the results to www.gedmatch.com. If you have not registered there yet, do so. They will tell you how to upload your DNA results to their database. Go to “admixture heritage” and click on it. Select “MDLP project”. Then select “chromosome painting”. You should now be on a page asking for the “kit number” of the files that you uploaded to their data base. Then click on “calculator model”. Select “MDLP world-22”. This is the best model that is set to report results of small amounts of Native American genealogy results. Mine came up with Native American bits on each of the 22 chromosomes, but most if it was in small amounts. If you have any questions contact me at vhawkins2591@gmail.com.

You should complete all four of these steps before contacting any genealogist. If the “fourth” point above provides NO Native results, you should consider pursuing other avenues. You are wasting time. But this appears to be the only way to discover small amounts of Native ancestry at present. In the future I hope newer avenues of research become available as time passes.

For more information on what www.gedmatch.com can provide, go here

https://vhawkins2591.wixsite.com/catawbaresearch/post/taking-my-own-advice-for-dna-distribution

DNA companies and What They Can Provide.

There are several companies that will analyze your DNA, Choose one. They might have several choices and when you find one that you like at a reasonable price, have it done. They might over you one that tells you of all your ancestors. However some will say Native American results are simply “noise” and ignore it. But it is that “noise” that will tell you of your ancestors! That is why I download my material to at www.gedmatch.com. Say you have family stories of a great-great-great-grandma who was Native American. Some genealogists will laugh at you and say, “Sure, you are a Native!” They do it all over the internet.

They might send you a sheet telling you of all their results of your ancestors. Maybe you will have Native ancestry, and maybe you won’t. Or you can go to www.gedmatch.com once you have downloaded your material. Play with the options they offer. The one at MDLP world-22 will analyze your DNA and offers South, North, Meso, and Arctic American DNA as well as several options from Siberia in small quantities. If you can find someone who can perform “DNA Mapping” they can pinpoint where your native DNA is located on each chromosome. I was lucky enough to have this performed for me. The results were as follows;

DNA Mapping of Native American Components on Each Chromosome

DNA companies can do wonderful things today. They can determine the origins of most DNA strands today. Few make any effort to discover Native American DNA in small quantities. Many just shrug if off as nothing but "statistical noise". But since one man's "statistical noise" is proof of another's great-great grandpa, this is VERY IMPORTANT information.

The www.gedmatch.com website will let you download your DNA results into their servers and analyze them on their website.

Beware of genealogical and DNA websites that provide you with values you never expected to find. If you have no history of Gypsy or Portuguese, then consider this.. Which is more likely to be wrong -- i.] your old census and documented family history or ii.] a badly researched pager suggesting the Melungeons ere Portuguese? Which is more likely to be correct, i.] Old family documents or ii.] a DNA tests saying you are 12.5% Persian or from the Indian sub-Continent? Remember 12.5% is one great-grandparent.. For more understanding of this, go here;

https://vhawkins2591.wixsite.com/catawbaresearch/post/their-math-doesn-t-work

One to One Comparison

Another feature you can perform at www.gedmatch.com is to compare your DNA with that of another person. I have discovered several people who I am related to with known Catawba and Cherokee ancestry that I am related to. Use your own discretion. Know that two mixed blood people can have a common ancestor with that common ancestor being White or Black,, and not Native. You have EVIDENCE, not PROOF of any tribal of Native ancestry.

Here is an example of me taking my own advice concerning empirical DNA evidence,

Occam’s Razor

There is one other item I always like to cover – Occam’s Razor, also called “The Law of Parsimony”. Google has the following definition for Occam’s Razor –

Oc·cam's ra·zor

/ˌäkəmz ˈrāzər/

noun

the principle (attributed to William of Occam) that in explaining a thing no more assumptions should be made than are necessary. The principle is often invoked to defend reductionism or nominalism.

I cover Occam's razor (and many other research concepts that some 'researchers" neglect) here ;

https://vhawkins2591.wixsite.com/catawbaresearch/post/fundamental-research-techniques

I am now 70 years old and hope to leave a legacy of good will.