8 Tips: Puerto Rican Research

Hispanic Heritage Month (Sep 15 - Oct 15, 2024

Let's feature Puerto Rican Family Research for Hispanic Heritage Month. In our latest Under the Umbrella genealogy newsletter, we touched on Mexican research. Other Hispanic countires are Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru,  Spain, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

 

World War II Era 

In 1918, the U.S. A. government began recruiting its new Puerto Rican citizens (as of March 1917) as mainland laborers. The idea was to place workers in New York and other states to assist with the shortage of war time in manufacturing, railroad, agriculture, construction, etc. Initially the goal was to register approximately ten thousand people, but that increased to over seventy-five thousand registered Puerto Ricans agreeing to the .35¢ per hour plus military housing/boarding and transportation via military vessels. Your ancestors may have been one of these registered laborers.

What is Puerto Rican DNA
Take a listen to this podcast highlight on Hittin' the Bricks with Kathleen as she explains in 48 seconds the DNA when conducting Puerto Rican and other Hispanic DNA. and you will learn there's really no DNA that designates Puerto Rican!

Must Use Record Collections

1.  New York National Archives (NARA). The Guide to Puerto Rican Records in the National Archives, New York City, is a great place to begin your Puerto Rican ancestor research. 

2.  Newspapers. The New York Puerto Rican newspapers reported news of its community. Although much was in Spanish, these OCR digitized copies are easily available with the New York Public Library database resources, or other comprehensive historical/genealogical libraries that hold newspaper database subscriptions (i.e. Midwest Genealogy Center, MO. -  library card will get you home access).

- La Democracia

- La Correspondencia de Puerto Rico

- El Tiempo y Union Obera

3.  Passenger Lists.
--Puerto Rico, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1901 – 1962, ancestry.com
--National Archives Record Group (RG85) Manifests of Ship Passengers Arriving at San Juan, PR in Transit to Other Destinations, 07/01/1921 – 06/30/1947 (microfilm only)
--RG 85.3.1 Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at San Juan PR 10/7/1901 – 6/30/1948

4.  Military Records. Selective Service System draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 are digitally available on FamilySearch.org or ancestry.com.

5.  Passports. Many Puerto Ricans worked in neighboring countries, (i.e. Dominican Republic).  For easier entry and exist many applied for their U. S. passports. Visit U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925 on ancestry.com. For Puerto Rico, this collection holds records from 1907-1925. This is a good place to begin your passport research.

6.  Consular Records. 

Did your ancestor travel overseas for work, missionary work, U.S. government work? Was a child of an American citizen born overseas? This occurred frequently with customary long overseas visits. The Department of State records, various records of death notices of US citizens abroad should be scoured for your elusive ancestor. Don’t dismiss these records as only for those who were naturalized USA citizens and returned to their native land to visit family. Vacationers fell sick, were victims of violence, automobile accidents, or were imprisoned, etc. These records also included deaths that occurred in Canada and the Americas.

7.  Guide to Puerto Rican Records in the National Archives NYC, (these records may be transplanted to Pennsylvania 

8. Puerto Rico Civil Registration, familysearch Wiki

Be sure to review our Sept - Oct Under the Umbrella genealogy newsletter.

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Kathleen Brandt, a3Genealogy

Southern Militia Ancestors Hiding in the Bush

 

The Militia - A Forgotten Resource to Solving Brickwalls
How can we forget the center? In the Bush Family episode of Hittin' the Bricks with Kathleen we cover with our guest Bonnie the importance of tying land deeds to the Cherokee Removal Act military service in Indiana and Missouri. If you are overlooking these records in researching your ancestors from Ohio, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin, you may be overlooking exactly what you need. 

I mean really, was there ever a time when the military or militia did not exist in America's history? Wars, conflicts, or "Indian Removal" (1795-1846) records, such as the Cherokee Removal efforts, often undertaken by the military or the state militia, hold the ties needed to break through our brickwall. Remember, even in the midwestern states of Indiana, Illinois and Missouri, land grants were issued to those who served in the militia.

We know the state militias joined the federal troops in efforts to remove the Cherokee from their ancestral lands. Militias were not granted land explicitly as payment for their services, but the broader context of land redistribution and economic gain was a significant motivating factor the removal of the Cherokee people. Just know, it’s possible that the state or federal government offered lands as part of a larger strategy to populate and develop the western territories following the removal of the Cherokee and other tribes. This would align with the broader goals of westward expansion and consolidation of U.S. territory during the 19th century.

Brickwall? Where Else to Look?

Keep in mind that early guard units merged with the states' milita. These records can be located at the State level. 

Yes, he was in the North Carolina Militia,
but the land granted for the military warrant was in Missouri.

Land Applications

National Archives Catalog: Land Patents, 1789 - 2012
Eastern States Land Patents

Although the land patents 1789 - 2012 Eastern States are not yet avaialable online, they are located in RG 49:Records of the Bureau of Land Management. Here is a great place to start Indian Bounty Land Applications

Land Lotteries and Distribution
In states like Georgia, land that was formerly occupied by the Cherokee was redistributed through land lotteries. These lotteries allowed citizens, including militia members, to acquire parcels of land at little or no cost. This redistribution of land served as an indirect reward for those who supported or participated in the removal process.

New Jersey National Guard records

If all else fails, contact the Adjutant Generals' office. They can guide researchers to the archived records.

Kathleen Brandt

a3Genealogy

a3Genealogy@gmail.com

Must Love: Rejected Native American Tribal Applications

The Basics

As with all ancestral research, the largest benefit is uncovering your ancestors.  The Federal government does not hold a comprehensive list of Cherokee Indian persons. So you must do the legwork to uncover your heritage. A paper trail of birth certificates, death and marriage certificates, and other documents may be found linking yourself to an enrolled ancestor. But for enrollment, each tribe has specific rules, and regulations that must be met. 

1. not all Tribes or Nations are Federally recognized.  The Bureau of Indian Affairs lists all 574 federally recognized American Indian Tribes and Alaska Natives. 
2. Prove your relationship to the tribe. So you will want to have sketched your pedigree to determine your possible blood quantum. Again, required amounts are determined by the enrolling tribe. This is not a qualifier for all Tribes. 
3. Your ancestor could not have already been rejected.

Some Native American ancestors were accepted in a tribe, they may have even received benefits (i.e. land) but due to a breach later lost their enrollment in the tribe. 

Accepted and Enrolled 1880 and 1896; Rejected 1900 

Rejections may have occurred if your ancestor did the following

• gave up their Native American enrollment to become an USA citizen (i.e. citizen of Oklahoma)
• failed to remain in the territory when it may have been a requirement
• non-Natives, or failure to prove. Sometimes ancestors were already noted as "Doubtful"!
• unable to speak the Native language

Even settlers families may have lost their tribal rights.

Obit of Robert Lee Jordan, 1941

Know Tribal Requirements

Tribal benefits, rights, and finances, vary from tribe to tribe. Contrary to common belief, a Dawes Roll number is not a requirement for all Native American Tribes. Although many require at least 1/16th Native "blood" which could be gained from a great-great grandparent, the NY Native American Mohawks only recognize through a mother's enrollment. Then a 1/4 (25%) blood quantum must be proven. 

50% Parents

25% Grandparents

12.5% Great-Grandparents

6.25% Great-Great-Grandparents

3.125% Great-Great-Great-Grandparents

1.5625% Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandparents

To Say You are Cherokee is Not Enough

1874 Georgia rolls: archives.gov

Even the following three Federally Recognized Cherokee tribes do not have the same requirements for enrollment:

• Yes, the Cherokee Nation of Oklahomans must prove to be a descendent from a person on the Dawes Commission Roll. No blood quantum requirement. Your family may be on a rejected roll, but your ancestors shared quite a bit of ancestral information on these applications.  

• United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee must prove to be descendent from a person on the Dawes Roll AND have minimum of 1/4 blood quantum.

• Eastern Band of Cherokees of North Carolina must prove to be descendant from a person on the Baker Roll AND have a minimum of 1/16 blood quantum. Be sure to listen in on the podcast above.  These records are not only on the common database sites like ancestry.com, but researchers will find additional information on the National Archives digitized site: archive.gov.

A Few Reminders

1. Verify that the tribe of interest, ancestral connection - is Federally recognized.  The Bureau of Indian Affairs website will assist with this research.
2. Can DNA Help Prove My Native American Ancestry? Although there are markers that may indicate Native American bloodline, DNA testing does not verify specific tribes. And even though DNA spawns great genealogical interests, it alone isn't a tool for proving ancestral relationships. Not all tribes use a blood quantum Requirement: 

SOURCES: Thornton (1987b); U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs 

Rejected Applications Are A Goldmine

There are benefits of reviewing all the relevant applications. It is here that researchers can uncover a full family since many used the same ancestor to make their claim. By cross refencing applicants you may be able to discover inconsistencies between applicants. These inconsistencies often hold additional hints about your ancestors.  

Never overlook the full information once you find a rejected applicant.  It is through the text that their hometown may be discovered, as well as names of additional generations and names of spouses.

Eastern Cherokee by Guion Miller, 1908-1910, Noah Jordan

Other Vocabulary and Contacts

• AIHEC = American Indian Higher Education Consortium: http://www.aihec.org/
• BIA = US Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Education, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, DC 20240-0001 You may also reach the bureau of Indian affairs at 1-800-332-9186)
• BIE = Bureau of Indian Education; http://www.bie.edu/ Bureau of Indian Education
• CIB = certificate of Indian blood is or proof of membership with federally recognized tribes

Kathleen Brandt 
Be Historically Correct

a3genealogy.com
Accurate Accessible Answers
a3genealogy@gmail.com

Were Ancestors Native American?

Can You Prove it Using DNA?

If you were told your great-grandpa or great-grandma were Native Americans raise your hand. 

Although all the data on applications were not correct, the applicants told their story. Again, often based on folklore, they may have failed to get their information collaborated within the required timeframe, but even then, we can extract as much form a rejected application as that of an accepted admittance.  Know that sometimes, the applicant and family were rejected on a technicality. Such was the case on the Tyesky project.  

Cherokee Connection?

Before you claim Native American ancestry, let's do some Fact Checking. Sometimes with DNA, we can prove or disprove our the family lore. Not sure what the Freedmen Applications are? Read here: Dawes Rolls and Enslaved Practices.

Years ago I penned this Preface for my own family book that uncovers the fact that 2^nd Great Grandpa Tobe was not Native American after all:

For as long as I can remember, I would boast, to any victim who would listen,…[about] the Indian blood I possessed…  To me, these stories were a necessary reality of unproven truths that defined the “me” of me.  I willingly accepted the twisted family stories, spinned them and massaged them into epoch size fairy tales that defied logic. Perhaps under microscopic review, one could find 20% reality but the other 80% was clearly muddied by the storyteller’s liberty.                                                             

I continued to explain that in less than two months of research, I came to some “mouth-dropped-open realities.  Tobe wasn’t Tobe,[and] we had no Indian blood…”  This scene was repeated with Dina on the Hittin' the Bricks with Kathleen podcast (S2: Ep11). As Kathleen walked  through her DNA and her presumed Tyeskey Native American bloodline, you could feel it everytime she exclaimed "WHAT?" "WAIT A MINUTE."

DNA and Native American

If your 100 percent Native America was 6 generations back, your inheritance from that Mative American will be less than 2%.  This is not to say "4th Great-Grandpa" was not Native American, but that you are so removed that your inheritance can't be detected. In Dina's case though, even with abt 2% reported in her mother's DNA test results, we could prove it wasn't from the expected line (a Tyeskey Native) as she thought. She did, however,  carry detectable amounts of Native American inherited through the Harnage line. 

The family historically claimed both names. 

DNA Inheritance

Native American Bloodline	Expect
Tyeskey (first name unknown)	100%	Mother of Jeff Tyeskey born 1816, was Cynthia Harnage	4g-gp
Jeff Tyeskey, 1816	50%	Jeff Tyeskey and Alzie Harnage were the parents of Joshua	3g-gp
Joshua Tyeskey, 1843	25%	Joshua was father of Jeff B Tyeskey 1843-1897. Wife of Joshua was Sealy Chariton (Harnage).	2g-gp
Jeff B. Tyeskey, 1874	12.5%	Parents of Stanford were Jeff B husband of Mary Thompson (as per 1910; Rusk, Tx Marriage	g-gp
Stanford B Tyeskey, 1895	6.25%	Son of Jeff B Tyeskey. Stanford & Rose Moore are the parents of Mary B Tyeskey	g-parent
Mary Bernice Tyeskey,1918	3.125%	Married to Edward Austin	par
Dina's Mother, 1938	1.56%	2% reported

5 Pointers
So before any others suffer from the embarrassment of a genealogical morass, know that there are a few key points to remember when searching your Native American Connection: 

1. Just because your ancestor lived in the Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) does not make them an “Indian”
2. Facial features and hair texture are not valid arguments for Native American heritage.
3. Not all Cherokee ancestors were properly listed on the various rolls. Others were rejected.
4. As many Freedmen Indians already know: just because you aren’t officially a member of the Cherokee Nation, doesn’t speak of your bloodline. We’ve proven a few DNA connections to Native American bloodline, but more data is needed to claim tribal status.  
5. And finally, don’t confuse family lore with fact.

For more information be sure to reference the Native American tab on the a3Genealogy blog.

Kathleen Brandt

a3Genealogy@gmail.com

Accurate, accessible, answers

10 on the Checklist: Looking for Her Maiden Name?

Our Female Ancestors

Our goal is to identify documents and record groups that often provide a mother’s maiden name or family name.

1. Obituaries. Obituaries should be scour.

Obituaries should be scoured

2. Church Records. Marriage records often name parents, and family members as witnesses. Local preachers may have kept records. You may uncover your female ancestor through her family connections.

3.    Vital Records.

Muskogee Times Democrat, 28 Apr 1906, pg2

Birth certificates, delayed birth certificates, and death certificates may name mother’s maiden name. These may also assist with #1: separating family units.

4. Social Security Application ($$). This may not be fruitful as the children may not have known their mother’s maiden name. But, be sure to re-evaluate the cost/risk-benefit.

5. Marriage Records. Marriage applications often name the mother’s maiden name. Review the marriage records for all children.

6. Midwife Records / Family Bibles.

Muskogee Times-Democrat, 28 Apr 1906, Pg2

Midwives typically know the community families and may have recorded a maiden name. Don’t forget to research the area midwife(s). And remember, the family's midwife may have been a relative.

7. Newspapers (Local and Online). Obituaries and even the court recorder's published announcements may proffer names and relationships. 

8. Land Records. Did they own land. How did they acquire it? Land deeds may provide hints to the female's family, parents, or names of a  first husband, if applicable.

9. Native American Records / Applications (NARA).
 

Don’t forget the rejected Native American applications.

10. Local Records. School census and enrollment documents will provide birthdates and parentage hints, and possible extended families. Review school records for all children.   

Kathleen Brandt
Be Historically Correct

a3genealogy.com
Accurate Accessible Answers
a3genealogy@gmail.com

5 Underutilized Native American Research Resources

It's Not Just About the Oklahoma 5 Tribes!
When your grandparents claimed they were of Native American heritage, that does not mean they were from one of the well-known 5 Oklahoma tribes. A recent client had ancestors who settled in Nebraska, received land in Nebraska, served in the military, and yet descendants were rejected from their Nemaha tribe of Nebraska on land records just a few years earlier.

Where to look for a Hint of Native American Ancestry?

1.  Military Veteran Records. If you are looking your Native American in the 20th century, military records are a great place to start. During World War I approximately 12,000 Native American soldiers served in the U.S. Check out these resources:

• National WWI Museum, Smithsonian, Kansas City, MO, Native Americans in WWI. Be sure to review the video "How WWI Changed America.
• National Archives: American Indian Records in the National Archive

2. Indian Scouts and Code Talkers
It was due to their recognized efforts in WWI, that all Indigenous peoples in the US, were given citizenship in 1924.

A squad of Choctaw Code Talkers in Camp Merritt, New Jersey. From left: Cpl. Solomon Bond
Louis, Pvt. Mitchell Bobb, Cpl. James Edwards, Cpl. Calvin Wilson, Pvt. George (James) Davenport, Cpt. Elijah W. Horner. Photographer: Joseph K. Dixon | The Indiana University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

3.  National Archives: American Indian Records in the National Archives

• Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs: The originals are held at Regional NARA facilities. 
• Native American Land Allotments and Patent

Half Breeds and Mixed Bloods of Omahas, Iowas, Ottoes, Yancton & Santie Bands of Sioux

1861 Land Patent, Nemaha 

4.  Court Record, BIA, NARA-KC

Omaha Nation, Nebraska, Land, KC-NARA, BIA

African Descent

Descendant was of "Affrican [?] Blood, Omaha mother, KC, NARA

Records created by the BIA can be found at many NARA research facilities throughout the country. There is no comprehensive index to these records. It is important to know the tribe and/or BIA agency to locate potentially relevant records.

5. Indian Census Rolls. Be sure to read Indian Census Rolls, 1885 - 1940, on the archives.gov website. These are the censuses of all the tribes except the Five Civilized Tribes, from about 1885 to 1940. They do not include everyone who was an Indian, only those living on the reservations.

Familysearch, Native American Census Rolls, Wyoming, 1938 

November is Native American Heritage Month. We also hear it referred to as American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month.

Other Resources

• History Hub

Kathleen Brandt

Be Historically Correct
a3genealogy.com

Accurate Accessible Answers
a3genealogy@gmail.com

Native American DNA

Ancient to Contemporary and Tribal Maps and Communities

At RootsTech this week Roberta Estes spoke on Native American DNA Ancient and Contemporary Maps. It must be stressed that where records are not extant, the ancient DNA still exits. It tells us the story of our ancestors prior to the records.  But I digress.

At a3Genealogy we recently did a large Native American job. We were able to learn much through both the Y-DNA and the Mitrochodrial DNA haplogroups.  At least we learned of the migratory path as supported in academic and scientific papers.

 a3Genealogy Question Bag
        Am I Native American?
        What is the significance of the haplogroup?

Where to Begin
When the a3Genealogy Question Bag receives this line of questioning, we direct the family researcher to the FamilySearch wiki article, Finding Your US Indigenous Ancestor.  And then, we share with them articles, videos and presentations that may assist in their DNA discoveries.

Native American Y-DNA
Let’s start with your Y-DNA haplogroup. You recognize it was an O - the newest of the Y-DNA Native American haplogroup.  What’s interesting is that Native Americans are a subset of haplogroup C and Q, also, which also represent European heritage. But some charts are just befuddling. How can I be “Q Not Native?”  And why would my Y-DNA results have the option of “Possible Native on Autosomal.”

Might I warn you that DNA is not static. New discoveries are shaping haplogroups and out applications to recreating our ancestors’ migration patterns and makeup. 

According to FamilyTreeDNA, here are known Native American Y-DNA Haplogroups.
(Click links below to learn more of each.)

Haplogroup Q-M3 
Haplogroup Q-M346 
Haplogroup Q-P89.1 
Haplogroup Q-MEH2 
Haplogroup Q-NWT01 
Haplogroup Q-SA01 
Haplogroup C-P39 
Haplogroup C-M217 

Without disrupting belief systems, did you know the Q subclade’s earliest haplogroup is identified have existed about 12.5K years in Montana?  Hmmm. Now, we are only talking the Native American subclades here, not Scandanian Q.  The main message we get from some of these maps and haplogroups is that we must be cautious when working with haplogroups for Native Americans, as these same haplogroups may represent European That opens up so many more questions. 

Native mtDNA
Known Native American haplogroups are the following with mitochondrial (mtDNA): Haplogroups A, B, C, D and X. But like his Y-DNA “counterpart” not all subgroups in each main haplogroup are Native -American Indian” (FamilytreeDNA). For example: the pie chart below Pie chart hows the proportions of Indigenous American haplogroups & other contributions to the Mexican mtDNA pool. 

See text for details. Image: The Mitochondrial DNA Landscape of Modern Mexico.

Many find it also particularly interesting that an "F" mtDNA has not yet been uncovered;  but yet there F1a1 and F1a1a  haplogroups have been identified.  This new haplogroup is tagged as Native in Asia and Polynesia.

How to Use This Information
This blog post was inspired by Roberta Estes’s RootTech presentation of 3 Mar 2022 where she shared migratory ancient Native American migration related maps. For example,  Mitochondrial (mtDNA) Haplogroup B2 was found in Alaska.  but it migrated to Brazil and Peru. What’s of keen interest is the comparing of these ancient maps to contemporary maps in the New World. 

Here are the major points.  To sum it up how analyze your DNA ancestry comparing ancient haplogroup discoveries and maps to our contemporary DNA results and settlements on maps.

1. test, test, test, to include cousins on the line . If it’s Y-DNA you will want the Y-DNA Big 700 2) you identify your haplogroup of interest
2. reference the ancient and contemporary maps as offered
3. using Estes’ book look up the associated maps.
4. review the RootsTech presentation given by Roberta Estes,  Native American DNA - Ancient and Contemporary Maps as a reference to the associated Native American tribes, tribal association, and communities (both ancient and contemporary) for your Haplogroups of interest.

More Reading?
Here is an article, 16 Jan 2022, about Este’s newly published book: DNA for Native American Genealogy Book Published

At a3Genealogy, our In-Genes DNA Team try to stay abreast with the work of Jennifer Raff who studies ancient DNA. Read ‘Origin’ explores the controversial science of the first Americans, published in ScienceNews. 

As we say at a3Genealogy… “Dig Deep!”

 Be Historically Correct

Kathleen Brandt
a3genealogy.com
Accurate Accessible Answers
a3genealogy@gmail.com

5 Great Tips for Western Missouri Research - aka Kansas City Metro

 Why Western Missouri?
Because that's where Kansas City is!

As we celebrate the bicentennial of Missouri, let's take a look at a few great researching tips.  See below for where to look for 1. local history; 2. journals, diaries and manuscript;
3. Civil War records in Missouri; 4. Native American Removal Records; and 5. African American Resources. 

1.  Newspapers: Learn the history.  Why not start with a hundred years from today?  Of course there are local history books and an abundance of articles on your ancestors' counties and communities. 

100 Years Ago: 1921- 2021. 

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83135975/st-louis-post-dispatch/

2.   Journals, Diaries and Original Manuscripts 

 

Your ancestors may have kept a record as they crossed the overland trails to the west, or their stop in Westport, MO, or Independence MO for a wagon train.  Be sure to visit the Merrill J. Mattes Research Library.  

3. Civil War Provost Marshal Records. 

Your Missouri (and Kansas, No. & So Dakota, and Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota) Civil War veterans' register, descriptions, arrests for desertion, and medical records are held at the National Archives (NARA)- Kansas City.  This is a perfect reason to visit Kansas City. Yes, it's closed to the public for now due to the Covid19 Delta Variant spread, but keep an eye on the website for reopening: National Archives (NARA)- Kansas City

4.  Native American Removal Records

On my first Native American research job, I hit the jackpot. I needed to verify the Native American names of Enrollee's.  This allowed me to trace the correct ancestors.  Voila! The books were waiting for me in the Kansas City National Archives Records Administration (NARA).    

5. African American Resources

"Where to begin with African American Research?" is a common question we get in the Midwest. Why not start at the nation's largest stand-alone public genealogy research library in America - the Midwest Genealogy Center (MGC).  MGC also has a very impressive online presence not just for African American Research. Be sure to check out the  Genealogy Quick Look, too.

Celebrate Missouri!

Kathleen Brandt

a3Genealogy@gmail.com

Accurate, accessible answers