How to Research Native American Ancestors

My great grandfather Bob Brown married an Indian. Who was she? I encounter this type of question almost daily. My name is Nancy and I am the Research Director for Ne-Do-Ba

You research your Native ancestors the same way you do any other ancestor - start with yourself and work your way back one generation at a time using normal public genealogy resources. If your ancestor was a member of an organized tribe after 1850 or lived an "Indian" lifestyle after 1850, you will most likely find them referred to as "Indian" in public records such as census. When working with families before 1850 it is very difficult to prove Native ancestry in Northern New England due to an almost complete lack of records that contain genealogical information. The major exception is Catholic Church records which do often go back much further but have a number of other limitations due to naming practices.

Sorry folks - no magic lists to give us the name of the woman Bob Brown married. No short cuts only good old fashion research.

I just started a Research Journal Blog which you may find helpful (start with the first post rather than the most recent to see the research process unfold) and I have a page of genealogy tips here.