Thank you for posting your question on History Hub!
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the repository of the historical, non-current records of the U.S. Government. We provide information about our records, make them available in our research rooms, and provide copies of records for a fee. We are not staffed to provide general research or genealogical services. We also do not have prepared family histories in our holdings.
We suggest that you consult the Baker Rolls to research if your grandmother's maiden name of Crenshaw is located. The 1928 Baker Roll—also known as the Final Roll of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina under the Act of June 4, 1924—has been reproduced on Roll 1 of NARA Microfilm Publication M2104. For more information concerning this microfilm publication, please see our website: https://www.archives.gov/research/native-americans/rolls/baker-roll.html.
If you would like to order a digitized copy of this roll, please see our “How to Order Digitized Microfilm” page (https://www.archives.gov/research/order/microfilm-pubs). The current cost to order copies of our microfilm is $125.00 per microfilm roll.
Another avenue to search is to use our catalog. When using the catalog, you could search further by using the “Advanced Search” feature and search for “75” in the Record Group Number/Collection ID field (which signifies the records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs). Please be mindful that there is no simple way to begin nor is there a single list of everyone of Native American Heritage. Records of Native Americans maintained and housed by NARA are generally records of those that live on reservations or are being administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. These records are scattered throughout multiple series, record groups, and even NARA facilities. It is possible that records may not exist if your ancestors left the reservation or did not have any interaction with the federal government.
Consequently, tracing Native American ancestry can be very difficult. Please keep in mind that there are well over 500 tribes today, and those are only the ones that are recognized by the Federal government. The only Federal records that exist are for those people who were part of a recognized tribe, lived together with their tribe, and were under the supervision of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).
For additional information about Native American genealogy at Archives I please email us atarchives1reference@nara.gov
Hello there Angila, I looked upon the Cherokee Baker Roll and could not find the last name of Crenshaw, but if you would ever like, if I could get possibly her first name, I could see if her name exists on any of the other Native trbe rolls and records if you would so like....
