Dawes Commission Enrollment Records

United States Oklahoma  American Indian Research  Indians of Oklahoma  Dawes Commission Enrollment Records

Use these records to prove and ancestor was a member of the Five Civilized Tribes.

Finding an ancestor's name on the Dawes Commission Final Rolls is the best way to prove he or she was accepted in one of these five American Indian tribes: Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, or Seminole in Indian Territory, also known as Oklahoma Territory, between 1898 to 1906. More were added by an act of Congress in 1914. People who lived outside of Oklahoma were unlikely to be on the Dawes Rolls even if they were in one of these five tribes.

The "Final Rolls" included both the approved (to receive land) and the disapproved. Only about 40 percent of those who applied were accepted on the final rolls. The application packets of the other 60 percent who were rejected may still contain useful genealogical information.

Use these records if your ancestor was:


 * A member of either the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, or Seminole Indian tribe in the southeastern United States.
 * Applicants were required to be living in Indian Territory (Oklahoma) to qualify for tribal enrollment. (The 1900 Federal census will help you determine if they were living and where).
 * Alive during the enrollment period between 1896 and 1905.
 * If your ancestor died prior to 1893, you could search for surviving children or grandchildren in the Dawes Commission records.

Origin of the Records. In 1893 Congress established a commission to exchange Indian tribal lands in the southeastern United States for new land allotments to Indian individuals, and open the remainder of land in Oklahoma for settlement by non-Indians. The Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes was also called the Dawes Commission after its chairman, Senator Dawes. More than 250,000 people applied to this commission for enrollment and land. Just over 101,000 were eventually approved from 883,772 application packets.

Content of the Records.


 * Enrollment cards (also called census cards) include residence, roll numbers, names of family members, relationships, ages, sex, degree of Indian blood, enrollment date, place and number, parents and their enrollment date or place, spouses, divorces, children or grandchildren.


 * Applications for enrollment include affidavits, vital records, letters, questionnaires, and decisions mentioning relatives, dates, and places.


 * Letter logs include name, address, date of letter, file number, date received, subject, and action taken. Letters are with the applications.

Step 1. Use the Indexes to Find an Ancestor’s Roll Number
Search Online Indexes. There are five sets of online indexes to the Dawes Commission papers. Search each and note the differences, if any, between them.


 * fold3 883,772 Dawes application packets, and 76,270 Dawes enrollment cards
 * National Archives 101,000 Dawes Final Rolls names
 * Ancestry Dawes Index 1898-1914 52,631 names; and Overturned 1896 13,980 names
 * Oklahoma Historical Society Dawes Final Rolls
 * Access Genealogy Dawes Final Rolls, and Dawes Final Rolls Index


 * If you find it, copy all the information from each entry, and skip to Step 2.
 * If not, then you can try the following book-on-microfilm index as well.


 * United States. Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes. Index to the Final Rolls of the Citizens and Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory. (1907. Reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing, 2007). . . The book edition is in the Family History Library reference area. The film and fiche are in cabinets on the 2nd floor. The fiche is clearer.
 * Images of this book are on the Internet at www.accessgenealogy.com/native/finalrolls/.


 * Search for an ancestor’s name in the index. The index is arranged in tribal groups. You may need to search for the name in roughly alphabetical order by each tribe and all tribal groups listed (By Blood, Newborn, Minor, By Marriage,Freedmen and .....) in the following table of contents:

Definitions

 * By Blood were people who were born members of the tribe.
 * New Borns were children born after 1902.
 * Minors were children who were added to the rolls in 1906.
 * By Marriage were non-citizens or whites who married into the tribe.
 * Freedmen, Freedmen Minors, and Freedmen New Borns were former slaves of tribal members, or descendants of former slaves.

Copy the tribal group, and roll number
When you find your ancestor’s name, look at the age. Does it match (with in 2-3 years) copy the age your ancestor was in 1902? If so, write down: (a) the name of his or her tribal group, and (b) the roll number in the right column of the index.

Step 2. Use the Final Rolls to find and copy the census card number
You already may have found the census card number on one or more of the Internet indexes, but if not—

Find the final rolls in microfilm or book format.


 * United States, Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes, Final Rolls of Citizens and Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory (1907. Reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publ., 2007). . The film is in the FHL 2nd floor cabinets. This book is in the FHL 2nd floor reference area.

Search the Final Rolls and copy the census card number.


 * Look for the tribal group and roll number you copied during Step 1.
 * When you find the roll number and your ancestor’s name, write down the census card number.

Step 3. Find the Census Card on Film and Copy It
You already may have found the census card on one or more of the Internet indexes, but if not—

Find the microfilm number of the census card.

Find the following entry in the Family History Library Catalog:


 * United States, Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes, Enrollment Cards for the Five Civilized Tribes, 1898–1914. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M1186. (Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1981). ..

Look up the tribal group and census card number to find which of the 93 films has the census card (also known as the enrollment card).

Write down the film number of the census card and on your research log.

Retrieve the film, search for the census card in numerical order, and photocopy the card.

Step 4. Find the Application for Enrollment on Film and Copy It
You already may have found the application for enrollment on one or more of the Internet indexes, but if not—

Find the film number of the application for enrollment.

Look at the catalog to find the following entry:


 * United States, Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes, Applications for Enrollment of the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes, 1898–1914, National Archives Microfilm Publications, M1301. (Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1981). ..


 * Scroll through until you find the film number of the application papers for your ancestor’s tribal group and census card number.
 * Write the film number of the application papers on your research log.

Retrieve the film, find, and copy the application papers.

Step 5. Look for Your Ancestor’s Name in the Letter Logs
Look for and copy your ancestor’s name in letter logs.

There are 21 letter logs which are in order first chronologically by 17 sets of years, and then alphabetically by the first two letters of the surname. Look for spill-over names at the end of each letter of the alphabet. Your ancestor’s name probably appears in only a few of them, but take a few minutes to search each log anyway. Logs list name, address, date of letter, file no., date received, subject, and action taken:


 * United States, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Index to Letters Received by Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes, 1897–1913, National Archives Microfilm Publications, M1314. (Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1983). ..

For other Indian records look in the Family History Library Catalog Place Search under [STATE]—NATIVE RACES. Also look in the Subject Search under the name of the tribe.

See also:


 * American Indian Enrollment Records
 * Dawes Commission Enrollment Records for Five U.S. Indian Tribes