Oklahoma, Applications for Enrollment to the Five Civilized Tribes - FamilySearch Historical Records

Collection Time Period
These records cover the years 1898 to 1914.

Record Description
These records list the individuals who were accepted as eligible for tribal membership in the "Five Civilized Tribes": Cherokees, Creeks, Choctaws, Chickasaws, and Seminoles. This record set is also known as the "Final Rolls of Citizens and Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes." The records include 101,000 names from 1898-1914 (primarily from 1899-1906). The actual enrollment papers are usually handwritten on pre-printed forms.

Record Content
The information usually included in the index includes the following:


 * Name of individual applying for enrollment
 * Tribe or Nation
 * Sex
 * Blood degree
 * Census card number
 * Case number
 * Film number
 * Image number

How to Use the Record
Begin your search by finding your ancestors in the index. Use the locator information in the index (such as the case number and film or image number) to locate your ancestor’s packet. Compare the information in the packet to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person.

Tips:


 * You may need to compare the information of more than one family or person to make this determination.
 * You may also need to search for both their Indian name and their English name.
 * Be aware that as with any index, transcription errors may occur.

When you have located your ancestor’s enrollment, carefully evaluate each piece of information about them. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. For example:


 * Use the age listed to determine an approximate birth date.
 * Use the Indian census card number to help you locate your ancestor in the Indian census.
 * Any relationships listed may help you to establish family groups.

Remember that these enrollment records do not include applications that were not approved.

Record History
A Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes: Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole, also called the Dawes Commission after its chairman, Senator Dawes, was established by Congress in 1893. Its purpose was to exchange Indian tribal lands in the southeastern United States for new land allotments to individuals in Oklahoma. More than 250,000 people applied to this commission for enrollment and land. Just over 100,000 were approved. The rolls do not include the applications that were rejected, stricken, or judged to be doubtful. Those found eligible for the final rolls were entitled to an allotment of land, usually as a homestead.

Why This Record Was Created
These records were created to provide a final list of those individuals who were enrolled as members of the Five Civilized Tribes (Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole.

Record Reliability
The records are usually reliable.

Related Web Sites
National Archives -- Commision to the Five Civilized Tribes (The Dawes Commission)

About.com -- The Dawes Rolls

Southwest Branch of the National Archives in Forth Worth

Related Wiki Articles
Dawes Commission Enrollment Records for Five U.S. Indian Tribes Oklahoma Applications for Allotment, Five Civilized Tribes (FamilySearch Historical Records) Five Civilized Tribes Indian Agency (Oklahoma)

Sources of Information for This Collection
“Oklahoma, Applications for Enrollment of the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914,” database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org/); from National Archives and Record Administration (M1301), Fort Worth, Texas. FHL microfilm. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should also list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the Wiki Article: How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Examples of citations
"Oklahoma, Applications for Enrollment of the Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914." database and images, FamilySearch: accessed April 1,, 2011. entry for Andrew Smith, Choctaw Tribe;  NARA publication number M1301, nara number 145;National Archives and Record Administration, Fort Worth, Texas.