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Subject: [NYSTLAWR] Ibndian Genealogy/Mohawk Information
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2003 01:27:48 EDT

To Search for Indian Ancestors:

First of all contact the Tribal Government (tribe) to which they may belong.
I believe every Federally recognized tribe maintains tribal enrollment
records for their tribe that records the person and their degree of Indian blood
(1/2, 1/4, 1/64th, etc.) and who the Indian parents were. Many tribes also
recorded mixed parentage and any off-reservation adoptions that occurred.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) can help you locate the name of the tribe
and their address if you know where your ancestor came from or where they were
born.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (a Dept. of Interior Federal agency) have many
offices (agencies) located on almost every Indian reservation in the US..
Canada also has records for tribes that share borders. The agency and employees
used to keep land records (land was allotted to individuals when the reservations
were established) and when the landowners died the decedents estate (usually
their land ownership) was probated according to state law. The BIA ran
schools, social services, and even the
hospitals (at one time) so there are records on every aspect of an
individual's life if they lived on an Indian reservation. Many of the functions that the
BIA performed in the past have now been contracted out to the individual
tribes so you will have to check to see who has the records now.

Olivetree.com has some info on the Mohawk Tribe and the Mohawk Territory of
Akwasasne in Hogansburg, NY (St. Regis reservation) should have information
that will help you find your ancestors. The Mohawks have maintained written
records for a long time and many people living off the reservation are still
registered so they can receive the few benefits alloted to them through treaties
made long ago with the federal government. The URL for the Mohawk genealogy on
Olivetree.com is:
<http://www.genealogybranches.com/nativeamericans.html>;

The following website will allow you to check the records held by the NARA on
Indians who were reimbursed for their services during the War of 1812. There
is a listing for those who were from NYS.

<http://www.genealogybranches.com/nativeamericans.html>;

I do hope this information is useful.

Judy Neu
Springwater, NY

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