Uploaded February 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Oklahoma Historical Society presents guest speaker Nicka Smith. A citizen of the Cherokee Nation, Smith shares resources for researching your ancestors using tribal records (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee, and Seminole), federal records, newspapers, college/university collections, historical society records, and more!
Oklahoma Historical Society Resources
Black History is Oklahoma History: okhistory.org/blackhistory
Genealogy Resources: okhistory.org/research/genealogy
Freedmen History: okhistory.org/learn/freedmen
Dawes Rolls Index: okhistory.org/research/dawes
1933 Unemployment Census: okhistory.org/research/reliefcensus
The Gateway to Oklahoma History: gateway.okhistory.org
The “Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture,” okhistory.org/encyclopedia
Nicka Smith's Website
Who is Nicka Smith?: whoisnickasmith.com
More Websites and Blogs
Oklahoma Department of Libraries, Digital Prairie: digitalprairieok.net
University of Oklahoma, Western History Collections: https://libraries.ou.edu/content/western-history-collections-0
University of Oklahoma, Indian Pioneer Papers: https://digital.libraries.ou.edu/whc/pioneer/
Family Search: familysearch.org
Gilcrease Museum: gilcrease.org
Oklahoma Freedmen collective: OKFreedmen.org
African-Native American Genealogy Blog, Angela Walton-Raji, african-nativeamerican.blogspot.com
Black and Red Journal blog, Terry Ligon, blackandredjournal.blogspot.com
Books
"Black Indians and Freedmen: The African Methodist Episcopal Church and Indigenous Americans from 1816 to 1916," by Christina Dickerson
"I've Been Here All the While: Black Freedom on Native Land," Alaina E. Roberts
"Ties That Bind: The Story of an Afro-Cherokee Family in Slavery and Freedom," by Tiya Miles
"The House on Diamond Hill: A Cherokee Plantation Story," also by Tiya Miles
"Freedom of the Frontier," volume one and two by Angela Walton-Raji
"Black Indian Genealogy Research,” by Angela Walton-Raji
"Black Indians: A Hidden Heritage," by William Loren Katz
"Red Over Black: Black Slavery Among Cherokee Indians," by R. Halliburton, Jr.
Oklahoma Historical Society presents guest speaker Nicka Smith. A citizen of the Cherokee Nation, Smith shares resources for researching your ancestors using tribal records (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee, and Seminole), federal records, newspapers, college/university collections, historical society records, and more!
Oklahoma Historical Society Resources
Black History is Oklahoma History: okhistory.org/blackhistory
Genealogy Resources: okhistory.org/research/genealogy
Freedmen History: okhistory.org/learn/freedmen
Dawes Rolls Index: okhistory.org/research/dawes
1933 Unemployment Census: okhistory.org/research/reliefcensus
The Gateway to Oklahoma History: gateway.okhistory.org
The “Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture,” okhistory.org/encyclopedia
Nicka Smith's Website
Who is Nicka Smith?: whoisnickasmith.com
More Websites and Blogs
Oklahoma Department of Libraries, Digital Prairie: digitalprairieok.net
University of Oklahoma, Western History Collections: https://libraries.ou.edu/content/western-history-collections-0
University of Oklahoma, Indian Pioneer Papers: https://digital.libraries.ou.edu/whc/pioneer/
Family Search: familysearch.org
Gilcrease Museum: gilcrease.org
Oklahoma Freedmen collective: OKFreedmen.org
African-Native American Genealogy Blog, Angela Walton-Raji, african-nativeamerican.blogspot.com
Black and Red Journal blog, Terry Ligon, blackandredjournal.blogspot.com
Books
"Black Indians and Freedmen: The African Methodist Episcopal Church and Indigenous Americans from 1816 to 1916," by Christina Dickerson
"I've Been Here All the While: Black Freedom on Native Land," Alaina E. Roberts
"Ties That Bind: The Story of an Afro-Cherokee Family in Slavery and Freedom," by Tiya Miles
"The House on Diamond Hill: A Cherokee Plantation Story," also by Tiya Miles
"Freedom of the Frontier," volume one and two by Angela Walton-Raji
"Black Indian Genealogy Research,” by Angela Walton-Raji
"Black Indians: A Hidden Heritage," by William Loren Katz
"Red Over Black: Black Slavery Among Cherokee Indians," by R. Halliburton, Jr.
