New package pricing takes effect January 1, 2027.
Researched with care and documented with evidence
Native American Ancestry
Many families carry a story of Native ancestry. I research that story the way it
deserves: in tribal rolls, federal records, and family papers that name real people, places,
and relationships, with every source cited.
Turning a family story into a research question
Native American research is its own specialty. Each Nation has its own history, its own records, and its own rolls, created by different agencies at different times. The first step is always the same: identify which Nation, which people, and which place and time the story points to, then find the records that fit.
I follow the paper trail wherever it honestly leads. Sometimes the records confirm the story, sometimes they point to a different Nation or a different branch of the family, and sometimes they show the connection isn't there. Every result is documented, so you know exactly what was found and why.
Records I work with
- Dawes Rolls and enrollment application packets for the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw,
- Muscogee (Creek), and Seminole Nations, including Freedmen
- Eastern Cherokee applications (Guion Miller Roll, 1906–1909) and earlier Cherokee rolls
- Indian Census Rolls, 1885–1940
- Bureau of Indian Affairs agency records: allotment, annuity, land, and school records
- Federal and state census records, land and probate records, church records, and family papers
- Freedmen records connected to the Five Tribes
This research may be right for you if…
- Your family has a story of Native ancestry, and you want to know what the records actually show
- You know which Nation, but not how your family connects to it
- You have an ancestor on a roll or in an application and want the full family documented
- You have Freedmen ancestors connected to the Five Tribes
- A DNA result mentioned Indigenous ancestry, and you want to find the documented connection
What every package includes
· A written report of findings, with every source cited
· A research log showing everything searched, including searches that found nothing
· Copies or links for the records found, where permitted
· Updates when about 75% of your hours have been used, so there are no surprises
You will also receive a GEDCOM file of your research tree that can be uploaded to genealogy software or online.
Personal Note
Absence from a Native American census or tribal roll does not, by itself, disprove Native ancestry. These records covered specific tribes and eligibility requirements—not everyone of Native descent. The Dawes Rolls generally required residence in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), excluding many families living elsewhere, including Texas; the Baker Roll concerned the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and its membership requirements. Ancestry, tribal citizenship, and inclusion on a particular roll are distinct matters.
My own great grandmother claimed she was mixed Cherokee through her mother's family. Her daughter, my paternal grandmother who was born in 1915, just after the Dawes Roll era, denied what her mother said. She said she was "Black Dutch" which is a term used to hide being from a darker skinned mixed-race. She even went so far as to forbid me from tracing her ancestry while she was still living.
This family originated in the counties of Georgia and North Carolina where Native Americans were forced out via the Trail of Tears. And they were in Texas prior to 1880. The Dawes Commission was 1898-about 1906 only in Oklahoma. And the Baker Roll wasn't until 1924, in North Carolina.
Native American women who intermarried with another race often assimilated into that race. They often were never seen in a record as being Native American afterwards.
And using the DNA Admixture tools at Gedmatch, I have verified that I do have Amerindian genetics despite none being shown by the other major testing companies.
Despite the lack of a "paper trail" I am satisfied that I have proven my Cherokee heritage.
Photo note: My great aunt Marie b.1929 with my great Grandmother Ollie b. 1886. And the 2nd photo is my grandmother Juanita b. 1915.