Most rolls give the name, age, sex, degree of indian blood, and roll and census card number of each person. The dawes commission and stidhams in indian territory. The final rolls, also known as the dawes rolls, of the citizens and freedmen. Whether tracing your heritage or learning about native american history, original records shed new light on the people and events of the past. I found i have a suspected creek grandmother named mahala long watson, a choctaw grandmother sibbel barnes odom, and then a cherokee grandmother kesiah musick listed in a published book by a local author on my mothers maiden name musick. These free online digital books known as the final dawes rolls include detailed information for each person accepted between 1898 and 1914 by the dawes commission as members of these five indian tribes. The five civilized tribes include the cherokee, choctaw, chickasaw, creek and the seminole.
If your ancestor was not living in indian territory during 18981914 they will not be listed on the dawes roll. How do you look up the roll numbers for cherokee indians. The rolls also include freedmen or emancipated slaves and their descendants. Census cards list the enrollees name, age, sex, blood quantum, tribe, place of residence, and roll number. The american dawes commission, named for its first chairman henry l. How to look up the roll numbers for cherokee indians our. Each record includes the individuals name tribe, and case number.
The dawes commission enrolled choctaws under nine different categories including choctaw by blood, choctaws by marriage and newborn choctaws by blood. Dawes commission enrollment records genealogy familysearch. Mississippi choctaw are the exception, as they did not remove to indian territory but could apply. Access genealogy index to the dawes final rolls shows page, roll number, name. About the dawes rolls the commission to the five civilized tribes was appointed by. Oklahoma and indian territory, dawes census cards for five civilized tribes, 18981914. Records of the eastern cherokee enrolling commission, 1924 1929.
In each issue of origins, an academic expert will analyze a particular current issue political, cultural, or social in a larger, deeper context. The commission was authorized by united states congress in 1893 to execute the general allotment act of 1887 traditionally, the land in these tribal communities had been held communally. Guide to using the final rolls 11 comments census, native american these pages can be searched to discover the enrollees name, age, sex, blood degree, type, census card number and roll number. Us between 18171924 eastern 1817 reservations families wanting a 640 acre tract.
Chickasaw native americans the usgenweb census project. Only those indians who received land under the provisions of the dawes act are listed. Most of the white people on the dawes roll are noted as included due to marrying a. Dawes act enrichment activities students will assume the role of a united states congressman and use the text of the dawes act, the following quotes and other sources to debate the necessity of the dawes act. The dawes rolls of citizens and freedom of the five civilized tribes in indian territory. Dawes records five civilized tribescherokee, chickasaw, choctaw, creek, and seminole tribes in oklahoma the final rolls the commission prepared these rolls and submitted them to the secretary of the interior for approval.
Enrollment cards also called census cards include residence, roll numbers, names of. This is perhaps the most misunderstood part to the dawes rolls and why many argue what the dawes commission was doing. The dawes rolls or final rolls of citizens and freedmen of the five civilized tribes, or dawes commission of final rolls were created by the dawes commission. And the allotment of the five civilized tribes, 18931914 kent carter on. A comprehensive every name index that includes reference to all the records created as a result of the allotment process, beginning with the seminole census cards of 1897 land allotment records and continuing through 1905. Finally, they will vote on the passage of the bill. The final rolls can be searched to discover the enrollees name, sex, blood degree, and census card number. Dawes commission, commission to the five civilized tribes, created by the u.
Dawes, was authorized under a rider to an indian office appropriation bill, march 3, 1893. Between 1898 and 1914, every living member of the cherokee, choctaw, seminole, chickasaw and creek tribes was compulsorily registered by the dawes commission. Its purpose was to convince the five civilized tribes to agree to cede tribal title of indian lands, and adopt the policy of dividing tribal lands into individual allotments that was enacted for other tribes as the dawes act of 1887. United states american indian research enrollment records dawes rolls.
In addition to providing for allotment of lands to tribal members, it authorized the dawes commission to make determination of members when registering tribal members. The dawes rolls final rolls of the citizens and freedmen. In addition to the analysis provided by each months feature, origins will also include images, maps, graphs and other material to complement the essay. The commission to the five civilized tribes was appointed by president grover cleveland in 1893 to negotiate land with the cherokee, creek, choctaw, chickasaw and seminole tribes. You can do this at the research center or use subscription websites such as and. Message boards topics ethnic race native american intertribal dawes roll book. This collection includes the allotment records for people on the final membership rolls. Five civilized tribes dawes commission ancestry paths. The five civilized tribes consist of the cherokee, choctaw. The dawes roll final rolls is a list of those members of the five civilized tribes who removed to indian territory oklahoma during the 1800s and were living there during the above dates. Inspire a love of reading with prime book box for kids. Records of the eastern cherokee enrolling commission, 19241929.
This database contains the native american citizenship enrollment cards, sometimes referred to as census cards, that were prepared by the dawes commission. The curtis act of 1898 extended the provisions of the dawes act to the five civilized tribes in indian territory. In reality, the dawes commission was merely double checking the following information from the cherokee nation. Applications for the dawes roll were accepted between 1898 and 1906 from tribal members living with the tribe in indian territory now southeastern oklahoma. Commonly called the commission to the five civilized tribes, it was appointed by president grover cleveland in 1893 to negotiate with the cherokees, creeks, choctaws, chickasaws, and seminoles. The dawes commision attemped, to check these lists by. The commission, which would spend the next fourteen years trying to fulfill its mission, came to be commonly known as the dawes commission after its first chairman, henry laurens dawes, the recently retired u.
Use the dawes commission enrollment records if your ancestor was a member of one of the five tribes in the southeastern united states and was alive during the enrollment period between 1896 and 1905. Dawes was widely regarded as a friend of the tribes and an expert on indian affairs. Aylesworth secretary department of the interior, commisssion to the five civilized tribes muskogee, indian territory, june 5th, 1901 the commission of indian affairs. Bob blankenship this interesting book is a combination of the dawes and miller roll including information on the 1906 surname changes brought about by marriages. This is an index to over 14,000 records of individuals in the five civilized tribes that applied for citizenship under the act of 1896. In the words of historian ellen fitzpatrick, debos book advanced a crushing analysis of. The dawes rolls were created by the united states dawes commission. N2 this paper explores the role of race in the construction of tribal rolls for the choctaw nation of indian territory under the dawes act. The rolls include both approved and rejected names. People often had mixed ancestry from several tribes. In 1893, the dawes commission was tasked with transitioning the nativeamerican groups collectively known as the five civilized tribes from a communally owned land system to a privately parceled plan. The rules governing both enrollment and allotment were unique to each tribe and. Commission number, name, address, relation, and age in 1906. Important new resource for native american research from of special interest to researchers of the cherokee.
According to the dawes commission rules, a person who was 14 cherokee and 14 creek had to choose. It is not easy to find any document at all for indian ancestors before the dawes rolls. In 1893 the dawes commission became responsible for negotiating agreements with the five civilized tribes to dissolve tribal governments and allot land to each tribal member. Enrollment for the dawes rolls began in 1898 and ended in 1906.
In general, the age shown on the census card is the age of the individual around 1902. List the names of your ancestors and the correct roll number s from the final rolls of citizens and freedmen of the five civilized tribes. Rolls and census were kept by the tribe, but carelessly done. The resulting list, which contains the names of over 100,000 people, is used by many as a jumping. Registration in the national registry known as the dawes rolls has come to be critical in issues of indian citizenship and land claims. Oklahoma and indian territory, indian censuses and rolls, 18511959. Cherokee nation dawes commission roll book for the ancestors to whom you are tracing. Dawes to negotiate land with the cherokee, creek, choctaw, chickasaw and seminole tribes.
If your family did not live with the tribe during that specific time period, they would not have been enrolled by the dawes commission. This was done by destroying the tribal governments, and destroying their system. A very good book which explains alot about the dawes commission is angie debos and still the waters run the betrayal of the five civilized tribes. The dawes commission and the enrollment of the creeks. The dawes rolls, also known as the final rolls, are the lists of. Guion miller roll for eastern cherokee familysearch wiki. The dawes rolls final rolls of the citizens and freedmen of the five civilized tribes in indian territory whats online in this section. M11861 enrollment census cards of the five civilized tribes. The final rolls, also known as the dawes rolls, of the citizens and freedmen of the five civilized tribes in indian territory. The commission, authorized by united states congress in 1893, was required to negotiate with the five civilized tribes to convince them to agree to an allotment plan and dissolution of the reservation system. Its purpose was to convince the five civilized tribes to agree to cede tribal title of indian lands, and adopt the policy of dividing tribal lands into individual.
In general, the dawes rolls list individuals who lived with their tribe in indian territory, who chose to apply, and were approved by the dawes commission. How to use the dawes rolls to trace your indian ancestry. The dawes commission and stidhams in indian territory the dawes commission was established in 1893 by president grover cleveland to assimilate the five civilized tribesthe cherokee, choctaw, chickasaw, creek, and seminoleinto the general white population. Members of the same household are typically listed on the same card. Tribe members were entitled to an allotment of land, in return for abolishing their tribal governments and recognizing federal laws. How to find choctaw indians on indian rolls our everyday. This database lists individuals who applied for the dawes roll and membership in the five tribes. Dawes commission article about dawes commission by the. The commission helped pave the way for the creation of the state of oklahoma from what had been indian territory. The dawes commission established its headquarters in muskogee, indian.
The commission denied power to amend the membership roles. Once you have located your ancestor on the roll, look up their census card and enrollment packet. The dawes rolls of citizens and freedom of the five civilized tribes in indian territory by u. The dawes rolls or final rolls of citizens and freedmen of the five civilized tribes, or dawes commission of final rolls were created by the united states dawes commission.
Dawes commission the encyclopedia of oklahoma history and. National archives the dawes rolls online instructions. The information given for each applicant includes name, roll number individuals number if enrolled, age, sex, degree of indian blood, relationship to the head of the family group, parents names, and references to enrollment on earlier rolls used by the commission. Lists of people accepted between 1898 and 1914 by the dawes commission as members of these. If your ancestor died prior to 1893, you could search for surviving children or grandchildren in the dawes commission records. The dawes commission required that individuals claim membership in only one tribe, although many people had more than one line of ancestry. Includes information about the dawes commission records, the guionmiller roll and other items digitized index to the final rolls of citizens and freedmen of the five civilized tribes in indian territory dawes native americans in the military. After you browse through the pages to find the tribe you are looking for, you can find the person listed in numerical order, using the roll. It is commonly called the dawes commission, after its chairman, henry l. Cherokee, creek, choctaw, chickasaw and seminole steps on how to search for someone in the dawes rolls online ideas for further steps you can take in your native american research. The dawes rolls final rolls of the citizens and freedmen of the five civilized tribes in. Lists of people accepted between 1898 and 1914 by the dawes commission as members of these five indian tribes.
299 532 167 1010 1294 236 979 444 286 1124 255 174 113 620 1402 1275 908 1084 1230 76 9 1338 1439 1166 321 57 372 1168 1371 466 1007 175