How can I document a Native American gg-grandparent?

Question:

How can I document a Native American gg-grandparent?

I have minimal information about my grandmother's mother. Family memories suggest she was half Native American (unsure which tribe), but on my g-mother's delayed birth certificate this was not documented. We only have names and birth states for my great- and gg-grandparents. The dates we have are only approximate. I'm new to genealogy research and not sure where to start looking.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: First things first, don't start with your gg-grandparent, start with yourself and work back. Each generation must be fully documented before moving back - birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, census, children's birth certificates, etc.

From your post, it sounds like you've already started by talking with your relatives. This is a great start. Next, you want to confirm stories, names, and dates with documents.

Once you've made it to your gg-grandmother, first find her in every census she should appear in. Get her death certificate, her marriage certificate, the birth certificates of each of her children, and her birth certificate. Note her race/ethnicity in each of these documents. Her birth, marriage, and death certificates should have her parents names on them as well - go through the same process with them,

Be advised that stories of native American ancestry are very common, but more often then not, are simply untrue. From my experience, it seems like any ancestry who was a bit swarthy became "Indian"

This answer is a bit rambling... I'd be happy to check ancestry, etc. for you if you provide what you know about your gg-grandmother.