American Indian Genealogy Research

This guide highlights American Indian genealogy research at TSLAC and resources for tribal and federal records. 

General materials that can help with your family history research are described on our Genealogy Resources webpage.

American Indian women, undated. Richard Niles Graham Collection, 1964/306-301. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

A note about terminology: on this page and throughout our website, you may see the terms Native American, American Indian, Indian, and Indigenous peoples used interchangeably as terms change over time. For more information, visit the National Museum of the American Indian website .

TSLAC has a wealth of material relating to indigenous peoples in Texas. The holdings, which range from the colonial era of Spanish rule through the years of the Republic and to the present day, depict the cultures and histories of those tribes which once resided, and in some instances still live, in Texas. For details, visit our Subject Guide to Native American Holdings at the Texas State Archives .

It’s important to note that most of our holdings relating to American Indians of Texas are administrative government records and, as such, tell the story from the point of view of predominantly white Texans. These documents often convey and recount harsh feelings and brutal events.

The Indian Papers of Texas and the Southwest, also known as the Texas Indian Papers, is a compilation of transcribed documents from the Texas State Archives focusing on Native American tribes and affairs in Texas during the nineteenth century, including many documents exchanged between federal and state officials. These writings, chronologically arranged, were transcribed, and compiled into the Indian Papers of Texas and the Southwest, 1825-1916 (5 volumes). More information about the collection is in the finding aid above, see Series 2 .

A reprint of the five-volume Indian Papers of Texas and the Southwest  is available to view online through the Portal to Texas History, hosted by the University of North Texas. You might find it helpful to begin your research of our collections by searching this transcribed collection. You can use the search bar on this page to search the contents of all volumes for your key names or terms.

There are many online resources that provide starting points to research your lineage, such as:

• US Department of the Interior: Trace Indian Ancestry  and A Guide to Tracing American Indian and Alaska Native Ancestry  (PDF file).
• FamilySearch: Beginning Research of United States Indigenous Peoples  and Indigenous Peoples of the United States Genealogy 
• National Archives and Records Administration (NARA): American Indian and Alaska Native Records in the National Archives 
• Cyndi’s List: Native American Genealogy 
• Oklahoma Historical Society: Indian Archives Collections and More 

The Bureau of Indian Affairs does not maintain a national registry or database of American Indian or Alaskan Native individuals. Tribal enrollment and eligibility is governed by each Federally recognized tribe, so you will want to determine your lineage and contact the Tribal Leader . For more information, please visit the Bureau of Indian Affairs  website.

You might also find it helpful to identify tribes from present-day Texas:

• FamilySearch has a guide titled Indigenous Peoples of Texas .
• The Bullock Museum has a page of information about American Indians  in Texas.
• The Texas Almanac article American Indians in Texas  provides an overview of changes over time.

General resources on identifying tribes by geographic location are listed in the Other Resources section below.

Indian Census Rolls

Agents and superintendents at American Indian reservations annually submitted census rolls starting in 1885. These rolls include individuals and families who maintained a formal connection with Federally recognized tribes. To research these records, you will need the name of the individual or family.

For more information about these records, visit NARA’s webpage Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940 . 

The Indian Census Rolls are available online through Ancestry, Ancestry Library Edition, and Fold3. Check with your local library about access to these resources.

Dawes Rolls

The Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes was appointed by President Grover Cleveland in 1893 to negotiate land with the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw and Seminole tribes who resided in the Indian Territory, which later became the eastern portion of Oklahoma. It is commonly called the Dawes Commission, after its chairman, Henry L. Dawes.

Tribe members were entitled to an allotment of land in return for abolishing their tribal governments and recognizing Federal laws. To receive the land, individual tribal members first had to apply and be deemed eligible by the Commission. The first application process for enrollment began in 1896 but was declared invalid. When the Dawes Commission restarted enrollment in 1898, individuals had to re-apply to be considered, even if they had already applied in 1896. 

These enrollment records are officially known as the “Final Rolls of the Citizens and Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory”. Commonly called the "Dawes Rolls," these records can help individuals trace ancestry to one of the Five Tribes. 

• The NARA Dawes Rolls  guide has information about searching the Dawes Rolls online.
• Search the Dawes Final Rolls, 1898–1914  through the Oklahoma Historical Society website.

Federal Decennial Census

The US Federal Census is another good place to search for the names of your American Indian ancestors. For more information, visit the NARA guide to American Indians in the Federal Decennial Census, 1790-1930 .

Census records have been digitized and are available online from a variety of resources such as Ancestry and FamilySearch, as described on the NARA webpage Search Census Records Online and Other Resources .

Removal/Concentration Policy

The federal government’s goal was to remove all American Indians living in existing states and territories and force them to unsettled land in the west. The Indian Removal Act  became law in 1830 and was pursued into the mid-1850s. From this period there are two valuable sets of records:

1. Census Records. The listing of individuals by tribe was needed for settlement of claims.
2. Emigration Rolls. Lists of individuals removed to the West. They list the names of the individuals who emigrated, and sometimes the number of persons in each family by age group and sex. In some cases the original residence of each head of family is recorded. An example is the 1817-1835 Cherokee Emigration Roll. These types of rolls are listed on NARA’s webpage, Bureau of Indian Affairs Rolls .

Reservation Policy

The modern federal Indian Reservation system began with the passage of the Indian Appropriations Act in 1851 , when the US government forced American Indians to move to and live on reservations. According to the National Library of Medicine timeline of Native peoples' health , this policy was enacted to better subdue American Indians and one of the results was that tribes were severely restricted in their ability to hunt, fish, and gather their traditional foods. This policy was used by the federal government between 1851 and 1887. Records kept during this period include:

1. Annuity Rolls. The federal government guaranteed regular payments of certain amounts of money or goods. When these payments were made, the Indian heads of families had to identify themselves to the government agent and have their names recorded. Often the age and sex of each family member are given. An example is the 1852 Chapman Roll, part of the Eastern Cherokee Census Rolls, 1836-1884. These types of rolls are listed on NARA’s webpage, Bureau of Indian Affairs Rolls .
2. Indian Census Rolls. In 1884 Congress passed an act authorizing the taking of an annual Indian census. These census records began in 1885 and continued on most reservations until 1940. The rolls usually give both the Indian and English names of the individual, sex, age, and relationship to the head of household.
3. School Census Records. The Bureau of Indian Affairs concerned itself with educating American Indian children. This generated school records which lists the child’s name, age, where the child was born, and in some cases the names of the parents. These records date from the mid-1870s through 1887. See the NARA School Records  guide for more information.

There are currently three American Indian Reservations in Texas:

• The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas reservation  is located near Livingston, Texas.
• The Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas reservation  is located near Eagle Pass, Texas.
• The Tigua Ysleta del Sur Pueblo reservation  is in El Paso, Texas.

Allotment Policy

The federal government began providing allotments of land to individuals in 1887 and the practice ended around 1930. The land was held in trust until the individuals were considered capable of handling their own affairs, then they were issued a government patent giving them sole title. Allotments are still honored today. See the NARA Allotment Records  guide for more information.

Locations of Records

• Tribal offices . Contact tribal offices directly about available records.
• Bureau of Indian Affairs . ​​The local office is usually the best source of genealogical and historical information. Most of the agency’s records are at the National Archives .
• National Archives at Fort Worth, Texas . The regional branches of the National Archives are the largest collective holders of written records documenting American Indians. Their collections consist primarily of the Bureau of Indian Affairs records for that region. The regional branch for Texas and Oklahoma is located in Fort Worth.
• Private collections. Private collections include historical societies, universities, and genealogical libraries. Some of the best Indian collections are at the University of Oklahoma in Norman and the Oklahoma Historical Society .

Library books that may be helpful to you include:

• The Indian Tribes of North America  by John R. Swanton
• The Indians of Texas  by W.W. Newcomb, Jr.
• A Guide to the Indian Tribes of Oklahoma  by Muriel H. Wright
• The Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico  by Frederick Webb Hodge
• Biographical and Historical Index of American Indians and Persons Involved in Indian Affairs  by the US Department of the Interior

Contact your local library about finding these titles online or through the interlibrary loan (ILL) program.

TSLAC online exhibits with information about American Indians in Texas include: 

• Texans' Struggle for Freedom and Equality
• Texas Moves Toward Statehood: Stories Behind the Mural