DAVIS Julia

DAVIS, PERRINE

Posted By: Caitlin (email)
Date: 4/15/2015 at 18:25:15

I am hoping, even though it's very long odds, that someone can help me. I'm looking for my husband's great grandmother. I don't know what tribe she belonged to. If I could find out, I would love to raise our son with the language and culture, just like I'm raising my adopted Korean son with his language and food and cultural events.

Her name was Julia E Davis (maybe Emaline). She was born around 1886-7. She was probably born in Iowa, although I'm not sure I can trust her answers on the censuses. I don't know her parents names. I don't have a marriage certificate for her. I do have a photo.

She just appears one day, around 33 years old, in the 1920 census in Colorado. She is passing as white and is married to a white shoemaker named Frank Leslie Perrine.

I have searched censuses, school rolls, BIA rolls, etc. I am stumped. I have found a couple of Julia Davises, but have no idea how to tell if it's her. My guess would be she was taken away to an Indian school and after that moved and started passing as white. I can't blame her at all. But I feel bad her culture was stolen from her and her great-grandchildren should get it back.

I _know_ she is Native American, based on family stories, and backed up by DNA results of my husband. It's not anyone else in his family, they all have lots of records, and the family says it's her. I just don't know how to proceed, or if I should give up.

I'm hoping somehow to find a native Davis family that might have a missing branch.