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Research..

Where does one start when looking into the family to see if there is any Native American heritage, or if you know there is some but not sure what tribe where do you start?

My grandfather was French Canadian and there might be some Native American blood there. How do I find out what tribes where in Canada and what parts of Canada?

On my husbands side, his grandmother is at least part Native American but she was taken or given up to the state and was a foster child all her childhood. Where would I go to start to find out any of that info?

Thank you
CE

posted by CryingEarth

I would suggest you start in the present and work back. What part of Canada were your ancestors from and if they emigrated to the US what state/states. Follow the trail from your self back then check for marriage, birth, baptism, and census records.
Does you husbands grandmother have any knowledge what state she was born in? Talk to her and see if she has anything that can help you in your search.

posted by ramblinrose3
3 months ago

Ramblinrose is correct. You start with your parents and work your way back. Find out names, dates and places. Many records are online. Ancestry.com charges a fee but their records are extensive. Family Search is run by the LDS church and is free. They also have extensive records. Genforum is another good place to look, under family names and places where they lived. Keep in mind that names aren't always spelled correctly in these records. Your own version of a family name may not be the original spelling, so do not discount names that might only sound a little like you names. Also keep in mind that it was a life or death matter to be an Indian so many, many Indians hid their identity. Some just adopted the name of someone they knew or admired. There are also tribal rolls in some areas. I don't know anything about Canada but the US has some tribal rolls.
I started researching in genforum. Just browse around these places and familiarize yourself with how they work and what they have to offer. Ancestry.com offers a 14 day for free trial but you want to know a little more about what you are doing before trying their free trial if you want to make the most out of it.
I've been doing genealogy for several years. I will say it is difficult to find what was purposely hidden. Just don't be disappointed when that census record, etc. says "white". People had to lie to save their lives and their homes. Happy Hunting........: )