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

Collection Time Period
These records cover the years 1899 to 1907.

Record History
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. These records name tribal members to whom parcels of land (allotments) were allotted. The records include degree of Indian blood, description of the land, guardianship and relationship information. Records are arranged by name of tribe (Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek and Seminole), by tribal roll name, application number. The name of the tribal roll indicates the membership category of the individual, i.e., member by blood, by intermarriage or freedmen. Newborn and minor children are listed on separate rolls.

Record Description
This collection consists of individual packets with multiple pages per packet. The pages may be:


 * Handwritten
 * Handwritten on pre-printed forms
 * Typed
 * Printed plot maps

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


 * Name of individual applying for the allotment
 * Age
 * Tribe or Nation
 * Application number
 * Indian census card number
 * Names of individual’s representative and their relationship to the individual
 * Number of acres allotted
 * Legal description of the land
 * Date and place of application
 * Details of any improvements to the land parcel

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

About.com -- The Dawes Rolls

National Archives Forth Worth Branch

Related Wiki Articles
Dawes Commission Enrollment Records for Five U.S. Indian Tribes

Five Civilized Tribes Indian Agency (Oklahoma)

Sources of This Collection
“Oklahoma, Applications for Allotment, Five Civilized Tribes, 1899-1907”, database, FamilySearch Historical Records from the United States Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes. Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Five Civilized Indian Tribes Land Allotment Records. National Archives and Record Administration, Fort Worth, Texas. FHL microfilm. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

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Sample Citations:

United States. Bureau of Indian Affairs. Oklahoma, Applications for Allotment, Five Civilized Tribes, 1899-1907, digital images, From FamilySearch Internet (www.familysearch.org: June 7, 2010), Oklahoma, Creek Nation, Roll No. 5694, Daisy Gouge, Digital Image No. 4120904 pages 33 to 44

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