Choctaw Nation



To get started in American Indian Research

Various Spellings: Choctaw, Chactaw, Chaktaw

The Choctaw Tribe is primarily associated with the states of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Oklahoma. See below for at least a partial lists of groups of Choctaw Indians and the reservations associated with each.

The Choctaw Tribe is one of the Five Civilized Tribes

Tribal Headquarters
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma P.O. Box 1210 Durant, OK 74702-1210 Phone: 1.800.522.6170


 * Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Official Website

History
Early allies with the French

Inter tribal conflict with the Creek and Chickasaw.

Brief Timeline
1540: De Soto first recorded non Indian to encounter the tribe

1763: with the French surrendered to the British many moved west of Mississippi

1786: Treatyof Hopewell

1801: Treaty of Fort Adams

1802: Treaty of Fort Confederation

1803: Treaty of Hoe Buckintoupa

1805: Treaty of Mount Dexter

1816: Treaty of Fort St. Stephens

1820: Treaty of Doak's Stand; ceded some land

1825: Treaty of Washington City

1825: Tribal population: 21,000 (Mississippi and Alabamaa) reported by T. C. Mc Kenny- Indian Office

1830: Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, * (Article 14 - removal)

1831-1833: First of Five Civilized Tribes forced from their homeland. Removed to Indian Territory

1853: Tribal population: 17,000; (about 1,000 living in Mississippi) prepared by Commissioner of Indian Affairs

1867: Tribal population: 22,500; reported by Commissioner of Indian Affairs.

1910: Tribal population: 14,551 in Oklahoma, and 15,917 in other states

1918: Choctaw Indian Agency in Philadelphia, Mississippi established

1945: Mississippi Band of Choctaw Federaly recognized

World War I and II: the U.S. government used members of the Choctaw Nation for secure communications. They became the first code-talkers

Additional References to the History of the Tribe
Frederick Webb Hodge, in his Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico, gave a more complete history of the Choctaw tribe, with estimations of the population of the tribe at various time periods. Additional details are given in John Swanton's The Indian Tribes of North America.

Reservations
Oklahoma: Latimer and Pushmataha counties

Mississippi: Neshoba, Newton, Leake, Scott, Jones, Attala, Kemper, Winston counties

Groups or Parts of the Choctaw Tribe and Their Reservations
Choctaw Nation (Oklahoma)

Jena Band (Louisiana)

Mississippi Band

Records
Records From the Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory, Oklahoma. (census, Cemetery Records, Church Records, Military and other records). (first of 90 microfilm reels)

Joe R. Goss. A Complete Roll of all Choctaw Claimants and their Heirs. Reprint. Originally published: St. Louis, MO : Robt. D. patterson Stationary Co., 1889.

Census Records

 * 1830 Armstrong Roll www.accessgenealogy.com
 * 1855 Cooper Roll of Easter Choctaw www.accessgenealogy.com Families living East of the Mississippi River in the states of Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama.  (roll contains: names of heads of families, place of residence, and numbers of men, women, and children in families)
 * 1896 Census (cemetery, church, and marriage1897-1901, 1907-1910) second filming
 * The Census of Atoka County, 1885, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory. by James P. Cummings. Mesquite, Texas, 1976. FHL Book 970.1 Al#86

Enrollment Records

 * Dawes Commission Enrollment Records

Land Records
Choctaw certificates of ownership in Boone County, Arkansas. item 33

Periodicals
Choctaw Community News, 1969-1973. item 5 and item 9

Removal Records

 * 1847 Muster Roll of Big Black River Band (arrived at Fort Coffee)www.accessgenealogy.com
 * 1847 Ha Cubbees Band Muster Roll (arrived at Fort Coffee) www.accessgenealogy.com

Trade
Superintendent of Indian Trade. Records of the Choctaw Trading house 1803-1824.

Treaties

 * 1783 January 3, at Hopewell
 * 1796 June 29, with Creek &amp;
 * December 17, 1801, at Fort Adams
 * 1802 October 17, at Fort Confederation
 * 1803
 * 1805 November 16, at Mount Dexter
 * October 27, 1805, Chickasaw
 * August 9, 1814,
 * 1816October 24,
 * 1820 October 18 near Doaks Stand
 * 1825 January 20, at Washington
 * February 12,1825, Creek
 * May 6, 1828, - Cherokee
 * 1830 September 27, at Dancing Rabbit Creek
 * February 14, 1833,
 * 1835 August 24, at Camp Holmes, with Comanche
 * 1835 January 17, at Doaksville
 * 1837- Chickasaw
 * 1854 November 4, at Doaksville, with Chicksaw
 * 1855 June 22, at Washington, with Chickasaw
 * September 13, 1855, at Fort Smith-unratified
 * 1865 Cherokee and other Tribes in Indian Territory with Comanche and Kowa
 * 1865
 * July 4, 1866, with Delaware
 * 1866
 * August 28, 1866, at Washington

Indian Pioneer Papers
In 1936, the Oklahoma Historical Society and University of Oklahoma requested a writer's project grant from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in which interviews would be conducted with early settlers in Oklahoma who had lived on Indian land. More than 100 writers conducted over 11,000 interviews and were asked to "call upon early settlers and (record) the story of the migration to Oklahoma and their early life here." The University of Oklahoma Western History Collection has digitized the Indian Pioneer Papers which consists of approximately 80,000 indexed entries arranged alphabetically by personal name, place name, or subject. An index to the Indian Pioneer Papers may also be found at OkGenWeb Oklahoma Genealogy. A separate index of Indians interviewed, including the Choctaw, may be viewed at: “Indians in the Indian Pioneer Papers” Some of the surnames from the Choctaw tribe found in the collection are: Anderson, Baker, Beam (Stevens), Bond, Homer/Homma (Latimer), Jones (Choate), Kemp, Labor (Airington), Moore, Miashintubbee.

Important Web Sites

 * Constitution and By-laws of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
 * Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Official Website
 * Choctaw Native Americans http://choctawnativeamericans.blogspot.com
 * Native American Research http://nativeamericanresearch.blogspot.com
 * Indian Research http://researchindians.blogspot.com