Discover Your Native American Ancestry

“This is truly amazing as it is difficult to trace Native American and African American ancestry. Your site, literally, was the ONLY place that has usable information to prove my ancestors’ existence, including marriages, divorces, previous addresses and where they’re buried. The completeness and accuracy is overwhelming.” – S.F. Rich

Trace your Native American genealogy online and discover your family's stories.

Discover your Native American genealogy and complete your Native American family tree with new details and stories found in popular newspapers and publications from all across the United States. Our historical archives contain a wealth of information about our early Native American ancestors. Search thousands of newspapers including tribal publications, the world’s largest obituary collection online as well as historical records, including birth and marriage announcements, and historical books dating from the 1600s to today.

Find news articles and government documents that cover key events that affected your ancestors’ lives from the American Indian Wars, the Trail of Tears, and the establishment of reservations, up to Native American life today. Or learn more about your Native American heritage in the Bureau of American Ethnology publications, a rich resource for American Indian ancestry research.

Search by Name
Your family name is a great starting point, however keep in mind the following aspects when searching for Native American ancestors by name.

• The annual Federal Indian Census list began in the 1880s, but the same person may be listed under two names, an Indian and English name, or even as “Refused to Answer” as many people did not want to provide their family names.
• Also keep in mind that names used in newspaper articles may be nicknames. This may explain why you’ve reached a dead end in your research.
• Note: An Indian census list is not enough to prove tribal affiliation. These lists are a good starting point but you will also need the tribal enrollment lists.

Search by Tribe
Use GenealogyBank’s keyword include (and exclude) feature to find newspaper articles about a specific tribe and/or person.

• Pro tip: Use the location (state) feature to narrow your search.

Search Birth and Marriage Announcements in newspapers to add details beyond names and dates to your family tree and discover unknown ancestors.

Search by Tribe Specific Newspapers
If you know the tribe of your American Indian ancestors, you can search newspapers specific to that tribe such as the Cherokee Advocate or Navajo Times.