Native Americans Hidden in Our Family Trees

Secret Genealogy #4

by Suellen Ocean

Suellen Ocean found the history of Indian removals, rolls, lists, censuses and enumerations complicated and confusing while searching for her allusive Native American ancestry. In the fourth book of her Secret Genealogy series, Ocean thoughtfully gives the reader the guidance they need to search for their own Native ancestry. After reading this book you'll have both the keys and a better understanding of what's required for the amateur to navigate bureaucracies and websites that hold the answers to their questions. Read "Secret Genealogy IV, Native Americans Hidden in Our Family Trees," before you begin your search.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Indigenous, Native Americans, Native American, Historical

87 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 5, 2014

About the author

With a Bachelor of Arts degree from Sonoma State University, Suellen Ocean does her writing from the hills of Northern California. She began writing professionally for print and radio broadcasting in the late 1980's. Her first self-published book led to her becoming "officially" published, when in 1998 she was asked to participate in the anthology, "The Simple Life" through Berkley Books, New York. She is the author of sixteen books on diverse subjects.

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very happy when I won this book. Genealogy is an interesting subject and I was interested in what the author would have to say about this subject. There were some hints on how to search for our Native ancestors, the main one being persistence, but it was mixed in with some ideas that were far-reaching. There were many links to web pages which might be helpful to someone who wants to research their family line. Unfortunately, I found the writing very fragmented and it was hard for me to focus on what I should have gleaned from the writing. Often paragraphs were jumbled together in an illogical order.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Native American Ancestry?

Perhaps one of your ancestors is actually Native American. This book may help you piece together clues from the past that will reveal that connection. My oral family history includes stories of a Scottish ancestor lost at sea, or fighting in the Seminole conflicts in Florida but never returning home. Sketchy details of coming from New England, but no solid family connections. This book may give you clues that will uncover some secrets in your genealogy.

[Mary Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am glad I chose Ms. Ocean's book. I did because her journey into her ancestry is exactly what my brothers, sisters and I are doing. Learning your Geneology can be fascinating and frustrating!
Thank you, Ms. Ocean, for your helpful insights and experiences of your journey.
I found your website links to be wonderful!
The stories our mother told us as children of the stories she heard as she was growing up give us hope. Our problems are time...no written down facts...older family who have passed away...even a flood that destroyed records in the courthouse.
I still feel that we have indian ancestors...
Mother told us Cherokee and maybe Blackfoot. Our GGrandfather, she said, was called Black John. Our people settled in Eastern Kentucky. Kentucky Mountains are in my soul. Blue Ridge Mountains and the Cherokee Reservation there is one of my favorite places and I feel the spirits of ancestors there. Maybe not mine but I feel them...

[Jan Bond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gives very general information. Not very useful for those of us who have solid genealogy research on our Indian heritage. Some of the web links are helpful. There were tidbits, such as the history of various states names and how they related to various tribes, that were interesting but not particularly helpful for genealogy research.

[Debby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as much search info etc., as I was expecting.

[H. Chené · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful

There was a lot of helpful information and links to internet search options that will help most people find ancestors if they are on government lists from the Cherokee agency. History of other tribes was useful as well. But my people were too early for it to apply to them.

[J. A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good place to start. Resources.

Most of my research is from oral history. This covers written records for some tribes. & Sources, such as rolls & internet. Most information is lost, because ancestors may not have lived on Indian lands. Other places to look are suggested.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good resource for anyone doing genealogy. Many of us “think” we have Native American bloodlines. Trying to find and/or prove that lineage is difficult. This book lists many links for our research.

[Athena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not knowing anything about researching American Indian ancestry and never having read a book on the topic, I have nothing to compare this to. The writing is a little vague at times, but the suggestions and links seem pretty helpful.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suellen offers a lot of information that can be used as a springboard for researching Native American heritage. It has given me hope that I can find more records of my Cherokee ancestors.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good starting point if you are researching Native American Heritage

The author has provided good starting points for people trying to research Native American heritage. Unfortunately, many of the links in the e-book do not work.