Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

i’m not sure sure of martha’s maiden name. do you have a copy of her obituary or death certificate?

1930 United States Federal Census
about Granville Trotter
Name: Granville Trotter
Home in 1930: Chicago, Cook, Illinois
View Map
Age: 34
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1896
Birthplace: Mississippi
Relation to Head of House: Husband
Spouse’s Name: Martha Trotter
Race: Negro (Black)
Occupation:

Education:

Military Service:

Rent/home value:

Age at first marriage:

Parents’ birthplace:

View image
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
Granville Trotter 34
Martha Trotter 33
Essie Trotter 14
Aurelia Trotter 11
Bernice Trotter 9
Willa Trotter 7
Fay Trotter 5
Thomas Trotter 3 4/12
Source Citation: Year: 1930; Census Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Roll: 424; Page: 11B; Enumeration District: 250; Image: 560.0.
essie, aurelia, bernice and wills were b. OK, but willa and fay were b. IL.
martha was b. ~1897 OK.
they got married 14 years previous.
granville was b. ~1896 MS.
granville is a chauffeur for a truck firm.

1920 United States Federal Census
about Martha Trotter
Name: Martha Trotter
Home in 1920: Hickory Ridge, Okfuskee, Oklahoma
Age: 21
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1899
Birthplace: Oklahoma
Relation to Head of House: Wife
Spouse’s Name: Grandvill Trotter
Father’s Birth Place: Louisiana
Mother’s Birth Place: Texas
Marital Status: Married
Race: Mulatto
Sex: Female
Able to read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
Grandvill Trotter 23
Martha Trotter 21
Esa Mae Trotter 3
? P Trotter 1
[1 0/12]
Source Citation: Year: 1920;Census Place: Hickory Ridge, Okfuskee, Oklahoma; Roll: T625_1478; Page: 11B; Enumeration District: 145; Image: 748.
granville is a farmer.

i am not sure what the goal of your research is.
if you want to see about tribal enrollment, you must be directly related to an original settler on the dawes roll, taken 1896-1906. the dawes roll shows applicants to the tribe.
the birthplaces of martha’s parents indicate they lived off-reservation, and did not go on the trail of tears in the late 1830’s. there were many unofficial migrations from the reservations in the southeast west. you should look at the jena choctaw tribe in louisiana, the mississippi choctaw in mississippi, and maybe some of the locations where her parents lived had associated tribes.

Social Security Death Index
about Martha Trotter
Name: Martha Trotter
SSN: 337-20-0756
Last Residence: 60619 Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States of America
Born: 24 Jun 1897
Died: Dec 1980
State (Year) SSN issued: Illinois (Before 1951)

it might be helpful to find her obituary. see your local public library/interlibrary loan program for that.

Cook County, Illinois Death Index, 1908-1988
about Martha Trotter
Name: Martha Trotter
Death Date: 8 Dec 1980
Death Location: Cook County, IL
File Number: 71138
Archive collection name: Cook County Genealogy Records (Deaths)
Archive repository location: Chicago, IL
Archive repository name: Cook County Clerk
http://www.cookcountyclerk.com/vitalrecords/Pages/default.aspx

your public library probably has a subscription to ancestry.com and you can also look up that record and order online.

Cook County, Illinois Death Index, 1908-1988
about Granville Trotter
Name: Granville Trotter
Death Date: 4 Aug 1968
Death Location: Cook County, IL
File Number: 623602
Archive collection name: Cook County Genealogy Records (Deaths)
Archive repository location: Chicago, IL
Archive repository name: Cook County Clerk

World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
about Tommie Granville Trotter
Name: Tommie Granville Trotter
County: Okfuskee
State: Oklahoma
Birthplace: Mississippi
Birth Date: 8 Oct 1896
FHL Roll Number: 1851893
DraftBoard: 0
you can get a copy of this world war I draft card on ancestry, to download or print.

granville was b. walthall, MS.
martha and granville live in clearview, OK.

1910 United States Federal Census
about Granville Trotter
Name: Granville Trotter
[Granville Tratter]
Age in 1910: 13
Estimated Birth Year: 1897
Birthplace: Mississippi
Relation to Head of House: Son
Father’s name: Wm Trotter
Father’s Birth Place: Mississippi
Mother’s name: Cannie Trotter
Mother’s Birth Place: Mississippi
Home in 1910: Bearden, Okfuskee, Oklahoma
Marital Status: Single
Race: Black
Gender: Male
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
Wm Trotter 39
Cannie Trotter 29
Granville Trotter 13
Walter Trotter 11
Booker Trotter 16
¹⁰
Marie Trotter 8
Ilamay Trotter 5
Novella Trotter 3
Gladdis Trotter 4/12
⁰
Brown Somisa 70
Source Citation: Year: 1910; Census Place: Bearden, Okfuskee, Oklahoma; Roll: T624_1265; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 0135; Image: 186; FHL Number: 1375278.

1900 United States Federal Census
about Granville Tratter
Name: Granville Tratter
[Granville Trotter]
[Granville Tretter]
Home in 1900: Beat 1, Webster, Mississippi
[Eupora, Webster, Mississippi]
Age: 3
Birth Date: Oct 1896
Birthplace: Mississippi
Race: Black
Gender: Male
Relationship to head-of-house: Son
Father’s name: William Tratter
Father’s Birthplace: Mississippi
Mother’s name: Cannie Tratter
Mother’s Birthplace: Mississippi
Marital Status: Single
Occupation: View on Image
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
William Tratter 27
Cannie Tratter 20
Granville Tratter 3
Walter C Tratter 1
Willie Tratter 5/12
Source Citation: Year: 1900; Census Place: Beat 1, Webster, Mississippi; Roll: T623_833; Page: 17A; Enumeration District: 96.

since this process has not yet discovered her maiden name, i would say that the death certificate, obituary might be helpful. they were probably married in Okfuskee, Oklahoma, so you could contact the clerk for a copy of the marriage license. and if you get stuck on anyone who passed away after 1/1/1937, you can ask for a copy of their social security application, which would give parents and maiden name, and significant dates/locations.

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.
http://okhistory.cuadra.com/star/public.html

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

is there any record of a “Princess rain in the face” in tribal records or possibly a Martha Brown listed. That may be Marthe Trotter’s family name.

looking over these records I see the name Somisa Brown aged 70 in the 1910 cencus records I beleive my grandmother’s maiden name may have been Brown.

they don’t really have names like “princess rain in the face” on the dawes roll.

native genealogy is like regular genealogy. you have to gather your documents, birth, death, marriage. these documents often give you clues.

her death certificate would have her maiden name. so would her social security application. and her marriage license. and possibly her obituary. some of those documents name her parents.

brown is a very common surname. you will need documents and then you can try to find native records.

the dawes roll was taken in 1896-1906 and has the names of the people who applied for tribal membership to the five major tribes in oklahoma. there were 63 tribes in oklahoma and you should look at the location as most important.

I’m getting bits and pieces from family members the Martha Trotter’s maiden name was Martha Horn any help?

if that is her maiden name, then she is not on the dawes roll. the only martha horne on the dawes roll is a parent, which would have been impossible, given her birthdate.

many natives didn’t apply for enrollment because they didn’t qualify. this might have happened to your family.

you would be able to show tribal affiliation if you traced your family genealogy back to the 1830-1870 time period and found a choctaw scrip land grant. the federal government gave these in lieu of tribal enrollment. they usually called these natives mississippi choctaw.

you should rely on documents, such as birth, death, marriage.
childrens’ records point to the parents and fix the family to a location and date.

in my previous post, i have given you the sources of records that i use.

@Suzanne, you’ve provided ALOT of helpful information but saying that many natives didnt apply for enrollment because they didnt qualify doesnt make sense.. Why wouldnt they qualify if they’re native? And regarding Choctaw script: very few Choctaws who remained in Mississippi received Choctaw script (if any) and most of those names listed are in Choctaw, it’s very difficult trying to prove Choctaw blood via Choctaw script, the best way is from enrollment applications… And saying that the gov’t gave Choctaw script in lieu of tribal enrollment wasn’t true in Mississippi..

many natives didn’t apply for enrollment because they didn’t qualify. this might have happened to your family.

you would be able to show tribal affiliation if you traced your family genealogy back to the 1830-1870 time period and found a choctaw scrip land grant. the federal government gave these in lieu of tribal enrollment. they usually called these natives mississippi choctaw.

.