Many Americans have at some point a Native American in their family tree. Whether this fact is uncovered by research or it’s derived from verbal family history, finding the proof of the relation is often easier said than done.

Tracing Native American family ties can seem like searching for a needle in a haystack. After all, for many years this group of indigenous people was not subjected to the rules Americans endured. Add to that the forced relocations they suffered and it can become very complicated to prove a tie.

The first step in tracking a relation and proving it is of course to prove the person you’re related to existed. Although records are spotty at best, there are places to turn.

The Dawes Final Rolls, for example, have more than 100,000 names within their pages. These include tribal listings, which can be very helpful to a researcher who doesn’t even know what tribe their ancestor was from. The roll includes Choctaw, Chickasaw, Cherokee, Creek and Seminole names and closed in 1907. It was updated in 1914 with another 312 names.

Local rolls: You’ll find that different government agencies in different parts of the country created their own rolls for tribes in their general area. Look at local libraries and ask other researchers for direction here or check online.

Henderson Rolls: This is a census of Cherokee Indians living in the east during 1835.

Other possibilities for research include the Guion Miller Rolls, which include Eastern Cherokees and U.S. Federal Census records. Again, these records are spotty, but they might just provide the vital link you require to prove your ancestry.

Some of the best places to turn to find information about reported Native American ancestors include the Internet, libraries, archives centers and more. Be patient and diligent. Follow each lead and keep an eye out for new ones.

Since Native Americans were not fully included in Census rolls until 1900, information prior to that may or may not be present, but don’t count these documents out for clues.

Proving you have a Native American ancestor in your family tree does involve more than simply finding a name. Once the name is located, try to prove the “connection.” Look for birth, death or marriage records and search for other obvious links. Once the tribe has been identified, you can even check with their historians for assistance.

A family historian is also a detective of sorts, connecting the links with documentation when possible. Patience and persistence might pay off with a direct tie or the search might be thwarted by a lack of recorded records. In either case, the journey is half the fun , so don’t allow yourself to become discouraged.

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