How Would One Prove Six Nations Haudenosaunee Ancestry?

There is no better way of linking one generation to the next to trace ancestry into the distant past than "traditional" genealogy.  This approach is universal, and is applicable in all areas of the world and all ethnic groups - although in some instances all that is available is oral tradition, which is fraught with difficulties (e.g., tendency to embellish).

Therefore the usual approach is to start with yourself, and using records such as birth, marriage or death certificates which list parents names, proceed backwards in time using census records and even merchant account books, spanning sufficient generations to link up with an ancestor who can be proved as Haudenosaunee.  This is making it all sound easier than the task is likely to be.  There may be gaps in the record that will need to be filled with circumstantial evidence that meets the litmus test of being highly convincing (e.g., burial beside the couple of the same surname who are presumed to be the parents).

An example includes James Dochstader who attempted to obtain "status" by inclusion on the Six Nations Band List under Delaware Tribe.  First his marriage certificate stating the names of his parents and residence:

The Census of 1881 for Oneida Township, Six Nations Indian Reserve, shows (click on image to view the document in a larger format):

Here, 15 years after his marriage, James is residing a few miles west of his birthplace at Mt. Healy in Oneida Township, within the Oneida Township portion of the Six Nations Reserve, and was in the process of attempting to secure "status" for himself and family.  The other names on this page including surnames Moses and Anthony were status members of the Delaware Tribe of the Six Nations Band.  The ethnicity of James is noted as "Canadian" but the census checker overwrote "Eng" for English as he did for all others who gave "Canadian" as their ancestry.  All his neighbours are denominated as "Indian".  Ultimately, despite the testimonials from neighbours attesting to the fact that the mother of James, Hannah Dochstader, was the daughter of Captain Thom a Delaware Chief and Sarah (Anderson) Dennis, an Indian captive and adopted daughter of an Onondaga Chief, James' petition and those of his brothers were turned down (despite the fact that their mother had been on the Delaware Pay List for years).  The descendants of the 5 children of James and wife Ellen (born in England) shown here, and any born later, would be considered eligible for registration with the HSNGRA.





The exact procedures and methods of genealogy are well established and it is not necessary to delve into the subject here.  There are some aspects which apply more to First Nations peoples (e.g., Government paylists by tribe and band) that will likely be required to "find" some ancestors who are more "elusive" than others.  Unfortunately First Nations genealogy is not a topic that seems to have fired the imaginations, and books on this subject do not fly off the shelves.  One is hard pressed to find anything with an "aboriginal" focus.  One exception as a resource for exploring First Nations ancestry, happens to have a particular focus on Six Nations ancestors.  This is the book by David K. Faux, "Understanding Ontario First Nations Genealogical Records: Sources and Case Studies", Ontario Genealogical Society, Toronto, 2002.

 

 

The above book may now be in short supply.  It was at one time sold at Kanata before the said museum was taken over by one of the factions at Six Nations.  There does not appear to be any other local store where the book can be purchased.  The publisher, the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS), has confirmed that there are still books for sale via their website (see here).  They confirmed that the author has turned over all rights and profits to them, but at the moment it is unclear whether the OGS will issue a second printing when available supplies run out.

 

An earlier source contains much of the above information, and may be more readily available.  It is, David Faux, "Documenting Six Nations Indian Ancestry", Families, Vol. 20, No. 1 (1981), pp. 31-42.

 

A few years ago there was an active branch of the "Ontario Genealogical Society" (OGS) at Ohsweken, however it is unknown to the present author whether the branch is still operative.  It does not appear in the following branch finder here.  However, those who were members of the Ohsweken Branch of the OGS would doubtless be in an excellent position to provide help to prospective members of the HSNGRA meet eligibility requirements, and provide information as to whether the claimed ancestor was in fact a member of Six Nations of the Grand River.

Over the course of time resource lists will be published so that prospective members can contact those most likely to be in a position to offer meaningful assistance.

What is NOT considered to be evidence of Six Nations of the Grand River ancestry is:

1)  Oral traditions:  If an individual's family maintains that for example their grandmother said repeatedly that her great grandmother was a "full blooded Indian" - anything of this nature is not evidence and its relevance cannot be assessed unless further information is forthcoming.  An oral history which maintains that great great grandfather Smith was a Mohawk from Ohsweken is somewhat more credible in terms of face validity, but none the less it is only a story until supported by genealogical evidence.

2)  Privately published genealogies:  As a rule these are unacceptable as evidence.  There are some notorious cases out there, for example involving individuals from the USA who had an ancestor with the surname BRANT who somehow was linked to the "famous" Captain Joseph Brant Thayendanagea via his eldest son Isaac.  The evidence did not make any coherent sense and even on the basis of time and place the entire work could be ruled out.  The Brant family genealogy is very well known here in the Grand River Territory, and there have been many detailed and accurate publications in for example the Ontario Historical Society publications that offer correct information.  So published genealogies, especially those published privately (without anything resembling peer review) must be taken with a grain of salt until confirmed with standard current genealogical practices.

3)  DNA findings:  It is universally accepted that Haudenosaunee membership is based on family, not on biology.  Insisting on a "blood quantum" (e.g., 50%) criteria has often been suggested and even put into effect (e.g., at Kahnawake in 1981), it has only served to create serious social problems as factions squared off against each other.  Intermarriage can be shown by genealogical records to have been a fact since the 1600s in what is today Upstate NY.  There are NO "full blooded" Mohawk, there are varying degrees of admixture.  One could obtain an estimate of admixture by taking an autosomal DNA test (which scans each chromosome for segments that can be shown to be from one or another population group).  Often the number of reference samples (e.g., two groups from South America) used to make the comparison is woefully small and clearly unrepresentative of ancestry from the Great Lakes regions.  An exact fix on "blood quantum" is elusive.  Furthermore, someone who has taken one of the DNA ancestry tests and the findings show that say the mtDNA direct female line haplogroup is A2 or for example the Y chromosome direct male line is haplogroup Q or C3, this finding is certainly a clue that more in depth genealogical effort is needed.  However the source will be unknown without a clear genealogical trail.  It could be Mayan or any of a number of possibilities having nothing to do with the Six Nations. 

Haudenosaunee does not mean having a few hints of Native American DNA that could be from anywhere (if even valid in the first place).  Only a clear (with no gaps or inconsistencies) documented link to a specific Six Nations of the Grand River individual and family is of any relevance.