15-point guide for FIRST TRIBE individuals seeking to trace their Indian Tribal ancestry, complete with detailed steps and references
1. Start with Family Oral History
Speak to elder family members about any Indigenous ancestry.
Ask about specific tribal names, locations, and cultural practices.
Record oral traditions and stories.
2. Gather Family Documents
Collect birth, death, and marriage certificates.
Look at old family Bibles, letters, or legal documents.
Search military records and land deeds.
3. Research Census Records
Check U.S. Federal Census (1870–1940) for racial classifications such as "Indian," "Mulatto," or "Black."
The 1900 and 1910 censuses include "Indian schedules" listing tribal affiliations.
4. Review Dawes Rolls and Other Tribal Records
The Dawes Rolls (1898–1914) documented members of the Five Civilized Tribes (Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole).
Search the Guion Miller Roll (for Eastern Cherokee ancestry).
Access records via the National Archives (NARA) or Access Genealogy.
5. Explore Freedmen Rolls
The Dawes Rolls include Freedmen (formerly enslaved Black people of the Five Tribes).
Other records include the Black Seminole Freedmen Census.
6. Check Tribal Enrollment Criteria
Each tribe has specific membership rules.
Some tribes require documented ancestry from Dawes Rolls or other tribal censuses.
7. Search Land and Allotment Records
The General Allotment Act (Dawes Act) assigned land to Native Americans.
Freedmen and tribal members were sometimes given land allotments.
8. Investigate Military Records
Black and American Indian soldiers served in the U.S. Colored Troops and Indian regiments.
The National Archives holds records of Black Native military service.
9. Use DNA Testing Carefully
Autosomal DNA tests (e.g., AncestryDNA, 23andMe, MyHeritage) can suggest Indigenous ancestry.
Y-DNA and mtDNA can trace direct paternal and maternal lines.
DNA alone does not confer tribal membership.
10. Check Slave Narratives and Oral Histories
The Federal Writers’ Project (1936-1938) recorded interviews with formerly enslaved people, some of whom had Indigenous ancestry.
Available via the Library of Congress (LOC).
11. Search Church and Missionary Records
Black and Indigenous people were often recorded in church registries.
Missions such as Moravian and Quaker groups documented converts.
12. Look at Local County and State Records
County probate and court records may list Indigenous ancestry.
Some states kept separate records of Native and Black populations.
13. Utilize Online Databases
FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org)
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Records
14. Contact Tribal Enrollment Offices
Reach out to the tribe directly for application processes.
Some tribes have historical societies that assist with research.
15. Connect with Genealogical and Historical Groups
Organizations like the Afro-Indigenous Alliance and AfriGeneas specialize in Black and Indigenous genealogy.
State Historical Societies can provide additional records.
Examples :
1. Understand Creek and Southeastern Tribal History
The Muscogee (Creek) Nation is one of the Five Civilized Tribes.
Many Creek people, including Black Creek (Creek Freedmen), were forcibly removed to Oklahoma during the Trail of Tears (1830s) under the Indian Removal Act.
Some Creek people remained in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.
2. Oral History and Family Traditions
Talk to elders about Creek, Seminole, or other tribal connections.
Listen for mentions of Muscogee words, practices, or locations tied to ancestors.
Note any references to Indian Territory (Oklahoma), Alabama, Georgia, or Florida.
3. Search Creek and Southeastern Tribal Rolls
Several historical records document Creek and Southeastern tribes:
A. Dawes Rolls (1898–1914)
Lists tribal citizens and Freedmen (formerly enslaved Creek people).
Available on Access Genealogy and National Archives.
Categories include "Creek by Blood" and "Creek Freedmen".
B. Creek Freedmen Records
Enslaved Black people held by Creek citizens were later granted citizenship in the Muscogee Nation.
The Creek Freedmen Roll (Dawes Roll) includes names and family details.
Look for “Negro” or “Freedman” designation on rolls.
C. McKennon Roll (1880s)
Pre-Dawes listing of Creek citizens and Freedmen.
D. Old Settler Rolls (1850s)
Documents Creek and Cherokee people who moved to Oklahoma before the Trail of Tears.
E. Seminole, Cherokee, Choctaw, and Chickasaw Rolls
Seminole Freedmen Rolls list Black Seminoles who lived among the Creek and Seminole Nations.
Cherokee Freedmen Rolls document Cherokee tribal members of African descent.
Choctaw-Chickasaw Freedmen Rolls provide similar details for those two tribes.
4. Search Military and Land Records
Creek and Seminole people fought in the Seminole Wars (1817–1858) and Civil War (1861–1865).
Check Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for land allotments granted to tribal citizens.
Freedmen and Creek by Blood were given Dawes Allotments in Oklahoma. 5. Investigate Southeastern State Records
Alabama: Creek descendants may be found in state censuses and probate records.
Georgia: The Creek Confederacy had significant landholdings before forced removal.
Florida: The Seminole tribe included a mix of Creek and African-descended people.
6. DNA Testing for Creek and Southeastern Heritage
Autosomal DNA Tests (AncestryDNA, 23andMe, MyHeritage) may show Indigenous ancestry but do not prove tribal citizenship.
Y-DNA and mtDNA tests can trace direct Creek paternal/maternal lines.
7. Contact Creek and Southeastern Tribal Offices
Muscogee (Creek) Nation Enrollment Office: www.muscogeenation.com
Seminole Nation of Oklahoma: www.sno-nsn.gov
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma: www.choctawnation.com
Cherokee Nation: www.cherokee.org
8. Use Online Databases
FamilySearch.org (Free Native American records)
Ancestry.com (Dawes Rolls and Census records)
National Archives (NARA) (Freedmen and tribal records)
URBAN INDIAN HERITAGE SOCIETY
FIRST TRIBE
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