Native American genealogy

There are many unique problems encountered when researching Native American genealogy. The traditions, naming customs and kinship systems varied widely among different nations; and so, it is usually necessary that the researcher become familiar with those that pertain to a particular nation.

Our reference library has a splendid Native American collection for the historian but our published sources are incomplete for tracing Native American genealogy. The Society does not have lists of rolls of Native Americans in Missouri.

Some agencies you might find helpful in your research:

U. S. Bureau of Indian Affairs

The BIA maintains a list of tribal leaders and contacts (pdf 1.5Mb). The list includes the following Cherokee nations:
Department of Interior
Kansas State Historical Society

The Kansas State Historical Society maintains a database of correspondence from William Clark's tenure as the Superintendent, U.S. Office of Indian Affairs, Central Superintendency, St. Louis, and the tenures of others thereafter.
While the database is in Kansas, the records themselves are on microfilm and copies of the film are available through inter-library loan at the Western Historical Manuscript Collection-Columbia.

This correspondence can be used for historical context of the United States Indian (Native American) policy during the 1800s. Includes the disposition of Indian land; administrating Indian-related claims; providing a system for dealing with crimes by Indians and non-Indians alike; regulating Indian trade including liquor; and “civilizing” Native Americans.
National Archives

Valuable records of federal government agencies, including records from various field offices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, have been deposited throughout the United States. National Archives records, 1830-1940, deal chiefly with Native Americans who maintained their tribal status. These records include lists relating to Native American removal, annuity pay rolls, annual tribal census rolls of Native Americans who were under the Bureau's jurisdiction (living on reservations), special rolls relating to Eastern Cherokees, claims relating to Eastern Cherokees, estate files and Carlise Indian School Files. The Bureau of Indian Affairs census rolls are separate from and unrelated to the federal decennial census schedules.
Oklahoma Historical Society

The Oklahoma Historical Society has a large collection of Native American records which pertain mainly to the five Civilized Tribes--Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, Choctaw and Chickasaw. In addition, they have many printed census rolls and other secondary source materials on the 65 tribes which made their way to Oklahoma.

Additional information and Assistance

Information may be gained from the sources listed below. In some cases there may be a fee involved. In all cases you should enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) for the reply:

Southwest Missouri Indian Center, 543 S. Scenic Ave., Springfield, MO 65802. 417-869-9550, Fax 417-869-0922

Heart of America Indian Center, 600 West 39th Street, Kansas City, MO 64111. 816-421-7608, Fax 816-421-6493

American Indian Center, 4115 Conneticut Street, Saint Louis, MO 63116. 314-773-3316

Books and Reference Sources

Look for these guides and others in your local libraries

Klein, A. Reference Encyclopedia of the American Indian. New York, 1967.

Eakle, Arlene and Johni Cerny. The Source: a guidebook of American Genealogy. Salt Lake City, 1984.
Has a bibliography suggesting many sources for tribes, pages 551-557.

Carpenter, Cecelia S. How to research American bloodlines: a manual on Indian Genealogical Research. c1987.
110pp., $10.00 from Heritage Quest, P. O. Box 40, Orting, WA 98360, or Cecelia S. Carpenter, P. O. Box 44306, Tacoma, WA 98444.