NARA Regional Fellowship research project winners

he National Archives announced the recipients and research topics for the 2013 Regional Fellowship Program. The winners will research at specific National Archives locations. The topics include several that intrigue me due to the connection to American Indian research which is one of my specialties.

• The Northern Cheyenne Homesteaders of Southeast Montana's Tongue River and Otter Creek Valleys

• Dislocated Removals, Institutions, and Community Lives in America History. This is about the Hiawatha Indian Asylum in Canton, South Dakota. I have worked in the records of this and of St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington, DC where Canton residents were sent when that institution closed.

• Moving Towards the Mainstream: Native America, 1890-1940

The researchers will complete a research project for publication. They will also write a report about the research experience that the archives will publish.

Read the full press release on the NARA website.

Virgnia: Black or Indian?

Some Virginia researchers may already be aware of this, but for others this information may explain some difficulties as you research vital records of Native Americans and African Americans in that state.

Walter Ashby Plecker was the first head of the Virginia Bureau of Vital Statistics and served from 1912-1946. He did some beneficial things such as "great strides in educating midwives, inventing a home incubator, and prescribing home remedies for infants. His efforts are credited with an almost 50 percent decline in birthing deaths for black mothers."

Unfortunately, he also believed that American Indians and African Americans had no separate ethnic identity and set about to reclassify Indians as colored. He actually changed the designation on some vital records from Indian to black. He also decided that anyone with even a little bit of black ancestry would not be allowed to pass as white and brought about changes on their vital records based on information that he said his office had gathered.You can read more about Walter Plecker at the Library of Virginia's Virginia Memory project. That page lists some article for further reading. Also check out this link for a disturbing 1942 letter from Plecker to local vital records registrars.

Thanks to Brenda Hudson of Florida for telling me about this during last week's NGS Conference. It does affect some researchers trying to do a good job of researching and documenting their forebears.

Upcoming Appearances

I am frequently on the road speaking at genealogy events. I will periodically post the dates and the links so you can find more details. My columns for Ancestry.com carry the invitation to introduce yourselves to me at these events. Please do that and let me know if you are a reader of my blog.

If your historical, genealogical or other type of group is interest in my lecture services, just e-mail me at PaulaStuartWarren@gmail.com.

2008
February 23 So. St. Paul MN, Minnesota Genealogical Society: How to Research American Indian Ancestors. Details

April 12, St. Louis, MO: St. Louis Genealogical Society, Annual Family History Fair Details

April 18-19, Cincinnati, OH: Ohio Genealogical Society Annual Conference Details

May 14-17, Kansas City, MO: National Genealogical Society Conference in the States Details

May 30-31, Chicago, IL: Newberry Library Seminar. Details available soon.

September 3-6, Phildadelphia, PA: Federation of Genealogical Societies Annual Conference Details. More details coming throughout February.

September 13, Tampa, FL: Florida Genealogical Society Seminar. Details to appear soon.

September 19-20, St. Paul, MN: Minnesota Genealogical Society Annual Seminar. Details to appear soon.

October 25-November 1: The Atlantic Ocean; Genealogy Seminar at Sea upon a glorious cruise ship. Details

November 8: San Mateo, CA: Genealogy Seminar. Details to appear soon

Researching American Indian Ancestors

On Saturday, February 23d, 2008, I will be teaching a 2-hour class on American Indian Research. The class is being offered at the new location of the Minnesota Genealogical Society, 1185 Concord St. N, South St. Paul, MN.

The class fee is $12.00 for MGS members and $15.00 for non-members. The fee includes an extensive handout.

Check the MGS website for both online and mail reservation instructions. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged to assist with space planning and handout duplication. Visit the MGS website for more details.

Columbus Day? Warning: Soapbox Ahead

What day did you celebrate yesterday? More than likely it was Columbus Day. I celebrated Native American Day, too. I am thrilled that my ancestors immigrated to the United States, but we must not forget that the ancestors of many other people were already here! Indian tribes spanned the country and kept being forced further westward by the later arrivals to this land. I have always groaned when reading histories that expound on how the Indians were given land for their reservation two or even eight states away. Much of this land was theirs to begin with and more importantly the land "given" to them by the U.S. government was often not farmable. I read one bit of official correspondence that discussed how some land was being eroded by the river and basically the Indian family was told "tough."

South Dakota has declared a specific Native American Day the last week in September. Other areas celebrate Native American Day on various dates, but some do observe it on what others call Columbus Day. Let's not forget the original settlers of what was to become the United States, Canada, and other areas.