When History and DNA Don’t Match–Judy Nimer Muhn

SESSION: W126  TRACK: Native American      TITLE: When History and DNA Don’t Match:  Am I Native American?

SESSION: S403  TRACK:  Native American     TITLE:  Indigenous California: History and Records of Native Californians

Judy Nimer Muhn is a professional genealogist with Lakota/Metisse Native American roots. She specializes in Native American, French Canadian, and Acadian research as well as Scottish, Polish, and several other areas related to her own personal family history.

In Sacramento she will give two talks. On Wednesday, she will discuss what to do when DNA does not confirm those cherished family stories of Native American ancestry, but you are still convinced that the story may well be true. On Saturday, Muhn will cover the history and culture of the native peoples of California and the impact of the Spanish Missions, European settlers, and the California Gold rush on them.

Wednesday’s Native American track includes three other talks. Jean Wilcox Hibben will give an overview of the repositories,  records, and research methods on Southern California Mission Indians. Michael Strauss will discuss the military service and records of the five civilized tribes [Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek (Muscogee), and Seminole] who fought in the American military from the war of 1812 through the Second World War. Finally, Jewell Lorenz Dunn will review the tribal, state, and federal records available for the Klamath Indians of southern Oregon and northern California and how to conduct research into those records.

Remember that online registration for the NGS 2022 Family History Conference ends May 13. Onsite registration opens May 23 in Sacramento for those who choose to register upon arrival.