Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

you should try the messageboards for tribe, location, surname. they have those with genealogy.com and http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/

there are a couple of other messageboards too.
so this is a good start.

http://digital.library.okstate.edu/Chronicles/v019/v019p213.html
http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=amakerney&id=I30977
i think this person is a genealogist in oklahoma.

Benjamin Franklin Smallwood a son of William Smallwood and Mary Le Flore, his wife was born in the old Greenwood Le Flore District in the Choctaw country in Mississippi in 1829 and as a mere child came with his parents to the old Indian Territory. He attended school at Shawneetown on the Red River and later at Spencer Academy. After leaving school he aided his father in his farming operations and in 1847 embarked in farming and stockraising for himself. Young Smallwood opened a mercantile store in Kiamichi County in 1862 but in the following year removed to the vicinity of Lehigh where he entered more extensively into the cattle business and enlarged his store. It was quite a uniform practice among the Indian cattle men during those days to operate a trading post where they assembled their herds by conveniently exchanging their merchandise for cattle. Money was a rare medium

1The writer is indebted to Lee F. Harkins of Tulsa, a great grandson of Chief Smallwood, for much valuable assistance.

Indian Territory Chiefs, Legislators and Leading Men by O’Beirne, p. 146.
http://www.bransoncook.systemaxonline.com/gedcoms/wm_smallwood/pafg09.htm

did you try this name on google? i’d put a wife’s name or a child’s name or chief as part of the search. or choctaw. or oklahoma.

most genealogists are very interested in family and would love to hear from you.

genealogists use names, dates, locations, children and spouses to match records. if you have a common surname, you need to give more information rather than less. if you post about women, it is helpful to include the maiden name and the married name and designate which one is the maiden name.

first of all, heritage and tribal enrollment are two different things. many times natives didn’t apply for enrollment because 1) they didn’t qualify, 2) they were philosophically opposed to enrollment, 3) they didn’t have documentation, or 4) they were mississippi choctaw and their ancestor had accepted land or benefits in lieu of tribal enrollment.

the dawes roll was taken 1896-1906, so you should trace your ancestors down to that time period. mostly, they had to be living in oklahoma by that time and agree to live there permanently.

2 ways to search: http://www.okhistory.org/research/dawes/index.php
this will give you card# (family group) and enrollment #. they have some native marriage records too. other oklahoma records listed at left.

http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/finalroll.php
this will let you enter partial names to get card#
other resources on the left and at the bottom of this webpage. native census records and databases are especially useful.

if the name is common, you may find too many possible records.

the tribe has an excellent information to help you. it is found under genealogy advocacy.
http://choctawnation.com/services/departments/community-services/

mississippi choctaw and choctaw tribe explained here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choctaw_Trail_of_Tears

i have collected many resources over the years. if you want to write to me, shamlet76@gmail.com and request the choctaw resource list, i will be glad to send it to you.

i am just a volunteer that wants to empower people to learn how to do genealogy.

suzanne hamlet shatto

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no, i don’t think i misunderstood you. but leaving messages on messageboards with your family line is a good way to meet people.

looking for family trees is a good way to find people who are interested in your line.

this is one of the reason that people put family trees on the internet.