Begin with someone you know. A grandparent. An elder. The person whose name comes up every time the family gathers. Start small enough to follow the evidence.
One person. One question. One next step.
- Listen first. Ask what they remember about places, relatives and family names. Ask permission before recording or sharing a story. Note who told it and when.
- Follow the household. The National Archives recommends working backward through census years, using names and locations. Compare relatives, ages and places across records rather than relying on a name match alone.
- Read the whole page. Look at the headings and the instructions used that year. Preserve the original wording in your private notes, even when it is painful or unfamiliar.
- Keep evidence and interpretation apart. Record what you can see, then list your questions separately. Add the archive, record title, year and page so someone else can retrace your steps.
- Protect living people. Keep original documents private. Before sharing an example, remove sensitive names, dates, addresses and document numbers, and obtain permission where appropriate.
Use the National Archives’ census research guide ↗
Your first research page
Use initials for living people. This worksheet is for your own private notes.
Person or family branch
Place and approximate period
Question I want to answer
Source, date, page and archive
What the record actually says
What remains uncertain
The next record I will look for
What if I want to explore Tribal citizenship?
First research the specific family and Nation involved. Each Tribe determines its own enrollment requirements and maintains its own enrollment records. Contact that Nation’s enrollment office for its guidance.
Read the BIA’s ancestry and enrollment guide ↗