Oklahoma Applications for Allotment, Five Civilized Tribes - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States Oklahoma 

What is in the Collection?
Under the terms of the 1887 Dawes Act, Indian reservations were surveyed and lands held in common by the tribes were allotted in smaller parcels to individual members of the tribe. Individuals had to be enrolled tribal members to apply for an allotment. The lands were usually granted as homesteads. These records were created to provide a final list of those individuals who were approved to receive an allotment of land in Indian Territory (Oklahoma). The records cover the years 1899 to 1907. Index courtesy of Fold3.

The collection consists of a name index and images of land allotment records for the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory. These records describe the parcels of land and name the tribal member to whom each parcel was allotted. Records are arranged by name of tribe (Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole), by membership designation (member by blood, by intermarriage or freedmen), application number and according to age group -- newborn and minor children are listed separately. The pages may be:


 * Handwritten in narrative style
 * Handwritten on pre-printed forms
 * Typed
 * Printed plot maps

For a list of tribal membership rolls currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

Note:These records are related to two collections indexed by Footnote: RG 75, NARA publication M1301 [Applications for enrollment of the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914--468 rolls]; and M1186 [Enrollment Cards for the Five Civilized Tribes--93 rolls].

What Can this Collection Tell Me?
The information usually included in the papers includes the following:


 * Tribal roll name
 * Membership category of the individual -- member by blood, by intermarriage or freedmen (newborn and minor children are listed on separate rolls)
 * Age
 * Degree of Indian Blood
 * Tribe or Nation
 * Application number
 * Indian census card number
 * Names of individual’s representative and their relationship to the individual
 * Guardianship and relationship information
 * Number of acres allotted
 * Legal description of the land
 * Date and place of application
 * Details of any improvements to the land parcel

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor.
 * The tribe which your ancestor was affiliated.
 * The membership category -- member by blood, by intermarriage or freedmen.

Search by Name by visiting the Collection Page: Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the "Tribal membership roll" ⇒Select the "Application number" which takes you to the images.

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor in the applications for allotment, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Make a photocopy of the record, or extract the genealogical information needed. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. The information may also lead you to other records about your ancestors.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Use the names and relationships as a basis for compiling family groups.
 * Use the name, tribe, and the census number to locate the individual on the census.
 * Use the name, tribe, and membership category to locate the individual in the enrollment records.
 * Use the age listed to determine an approximate birth date.
 * You may need to compare the information of more than one family or person to make this determination.
 * You may need to search for both their Indian name and their English name.
 * Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may occur.
 * Individuals had to enrolled tribal members to apply for an allotment.
 * These allotment records do not include applications that were not approved.
 * Newborn and minor children are listed on separate rolls.
 * The records are usually reliable.

I Can’t Find Who I’m Looking for, What Now?

 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * Search the records of other tribes.
 * Search for records of other membership categories.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Image citation: