Genealogy Success: Finding the Right Photos

By November 3, 2016
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I was doing some Native American research in GenealogyBank’s Historical Documents and Records collection recently, and made this great find: photos of Watt Sam, his wife Mary (Proctor) Sam and their child.

Watt Sam (1876-1944) was one of the last two native speakers of the Natchez language, along with his cousin Nancy Raven (1872-1957).

Here is the photo of Watt Sam, shown holding a bow and arrow. The photograph was taken by anthropologist John R. Swanton in 1908 in Braggs, Oklahoma, where Swanton was working with Watt Sam.

Photo: Watt Sam
Photo: Watt Sam. Source: GenealogyBank.com, Swanton, John R. Indian Tribes of the Lower Mississippi Valley and Adjacent Coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin Number 43. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, 1910.

Here is the photo of his wife Mary (Proctor) Sam and their child.

Photo: Mary (Proctor) Sam and her child
Photo: Mary (Proctor) Sam and her child. Source: GenealogyBank.com, Swanton, John R. Indian Tribes of the Lower Mississippi Valley and Adjacent Coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin Number 43. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, 1910.

In that same old document, I found this map showing where the Natchez Tribe had historically been located.

Map: historical location of Native American tribes of the lower Mississippi River and adjacent Gulf Coast
Map: historical location of Native American tribes of the lower Mississippi River and adjacent Gulf Coast. Source: GenealogyBank.com, Swanton, John R. Indian Tribes of the Lower Mississippi Valley and Adjacent Coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin Number 43. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, 1910.

GenealogyBank.com is your best source for millions of old photos and stunning graphics.

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