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Exploring & Sharing the Wabanaki History of
Interior New England
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Wabanaki Genealogy Tip
Vital Records
Last Updated Sep-2008
There are Wabanaki records but they are not all in one place. Ne-Do-Ba is working to collect everything we can find and get it organized. Many records are in French and need to be translated.
In general:
- Few documents exist prior to 1750 which are of any assistance in genealogy research - the use of names is the problem here, not the records themselves.
- Scattered documents exist between 1750 and 1825 which are helpful - this is where we need to concentrate our efforts.
- From 1825 to present, enough documents exist to piece together many Abenaki families.
- Canadian documents are more likely to list "indian", a tribal affiliation, or "sauvage" after a persons name than New England documents.
- Canadian records are very useful and transcripts are easy to find - Maine State Library, Canadian/French Genealogy Societies, & World Vital Records. In addition to transcripts, Ancestry.com has scans of actual church registers available to subscribers.
- Census Records (US & Canadian) include Native People - often listed as black, colored, mulatto, and very often white. Native populations sometimes show up in U.S. Census on special forms which are often found at the end of the County.
- Tribal Registration Rolls & Tribal Genealogies are generally NOT available to the general public.
Ne-Do-Ba has provided you with some of these records on the following page of our web site Wabanaki / Abenaki Records
