the dawes roll was taken 1896-1906 and it gives the names of applicants. this is a very common surname, common name. you didn’t give the names of your family. but tribal rolls after that period of time do not include names of family that were born later.
did you find your family on the 1900 census? there are 74 john hills living in indian territory/oklahoma in 1900 and i cannot guess which one might be your family. there are 33 john hill records on the dawes roll.
i would suggest that you find your family on the census so that you know the family members that were alive at that time, where they lived. and then compare your family to the john hills on the dawes roll.
use this link:
http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/finalroll.php
if you have a family member that has a less common name in 1900, you might want to search for that name on the dawes roll. still, if you look at the john hill records, click on the # in the card column and see the family group. pay attention to the things like MCR, which might indicate that the family applied but were rejected. if the oklahoma historical society doesn’t list them, they were probably not accepted as tribal members.
there is more than one tribe in oklahoma too. the dawes roll gives the applicants names to the five major tribes. but there are several tribes in indian territory at that time. location will be important.
MCR=mississippi choctaw rejected. mississippi choctaw is a separate tribe, links in this post.
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.
start with what you know, gather documentation, then you can go backward in time. so get your birth certificate,
your parents’ birth certificates and marriage license and then you can start on your grandparents. if someone
passed away after 1/1/1937, they probably have a social security application on file. if you ask a government for
a birth certificate, and they were born before 1929, they might have sumitted a delayed birth certificate. death
certificates, cemetery information and obituaries are helpful. you can usually get a copy of an obituary,
newspaper mentions such as birth of a child or marriage, through the interlibrary loan program – see your local
public library for this. i usually start with the death and work toward the person’s birth. military records and
pension records can be helpful. census records can tell you where they were at particular times. the census
records up to 1930 are available, although the 1890 census was largely destroyed. the 1940 census will be public
information in 2012.
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.accessgenealogy.com/native/finalroll.php
this will let you enter partial names to get card#. click on the card# in the card column and you can see other
names in that family.
other resources on the left and at the bottom of this webpage. native census records and databases are especially
useful.
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.
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/
NARA http://www.archives.gov/ federal records repository. the fort worth, TX office has archives for oklahoma and
texas tribes. atlanta/morrow office has archives for the southwest tribes. many offices have microfilmed records
for several tribes. note that this web address has changed recently from nara.gov.
mississippi choctaw and choctaw tribe explained here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choctaw_Trail_of_Tears
http://www.choctaw.org/
jena choctaw tribe in louisiana:
http://www.jenachoctaw.org/
MOWA tribe
http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1368
http://www.uab.edu/uabmagazine/2009/july/losttribe
http://www.native-american-online.org/MOWA-Choctaw.htm
MOWA Band Of Choctaws Wilford Taylor 1080 Red Fox Road Mount Vernon, AL 36560 (251) 829-5500. E-Mail:
chieftaylor@mowachoctaw.com
other choctaw tribes: http://www.aaanativearts.com/choctaw-indians/index.html
chickasaw historical society 22
Historic Preservation and
Repatriation Office
Phone: (580) 272-5325
Fax: (580) 272-5327
2020 E. Arlington, Suite 4, Ada, OK 74820
send mail to: P.O. Box 1548, Ada, OK 74821
chickasaw tribe
Chickasaw Nation Headquarters
520 East Arlington, Ada, OK 74820
Phone (580) 436-2603
Mailing address: P.O. Box 1548, Ada, OK 74821
http://www.chickasaw.net/index.htm
chickasaw genealogy archive center 23
Tribal Library
Phone: (580) 310-6477
Fax: (580) 559-0773
1003 Chamber Loop, Ada, OK 74820
send mail to: P.O. Box 1548, Ada, OK 74821
http://www.okhistory.org/
oklahoma historical society
texas tribes
http://www.native-languages.org/texas.htm
http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/texas/index.htm
http://www.texasindians.com/
http://www.texasindians.com/
http://www.lsjunction.com/places/indians.htm
oklahoma tribes:
http://500nations.com/Oklahoma_Tribes.asp
http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/oklahoma/index.htm
http://www.cowboy.net/native/tribes.html
some links for the choctaw.
http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/tribes/choctaw/index.htm
i looked at the land records and those need a lot of work. i have no information about whether or when they will
improve some of these categories.
types of records available for native americans:
pages 366-369 in particular although the entire native american chapter is helpful.
The Genealogist’s Companion and Sourcebook:
Guide to the Resources You Need for Unpuzzling Your Past
Emily Anne Croom
you can ask for these particular pages from your local public library. if they don’t have the book, you can get
the pages through the interlibrary loan program.
native american records are discussed in pages 352-386.
Tracing ancestors among the Five Civilized Tribes: Southeastern Indians …
By Rachal Mills Lennon
this book could be accessed through the interlibary loan program also.
always find the state archives. some records are online, some records are not. but many times you can find a
record not found in other places. you want to see also about newspaper mentions for obituaries, births, marriages
in particular.
check courts for probate, civil and criminal cases, marriage records.
if your ancestors lived on a reservation, they might not appear on a federal census because they were not taxed.
http://www.okgenweb.org/~okgarvin/kinard/1860index.htm
1860 census, indian territory.
this book is a good read about the dawes roll and how they implemented it.
The Dawes Commission and the allotment of the Five Civilized Tribes, 1893-1914
By Kent Carter
good advice about native research:
http://jenniferhsrn2.homestead.com/research2.html
if your relatives came from a different geographic location or belonged to a different tribe, try searching google
for the state and tribes. you might find a contact for a state-recognized tribe or a federal recognized tribe.
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
shawn acker
suzanne hamlet shatto