For Choctaw Freedmen, like the records of the Freedmen of the other tribes that once practiced Black chattel slavery, there are three primary records for the genealogical process to be undertaken. The records are 1) Enrollment Cards, 2) Application Jackets, and 3) The Final Rolls.
When one speaks of the Dawes Roll, or of one's ancestor having had a "roll number" it is from these records that the number is taken.
When one speaks of the Dawes Roll, or of one's ancestor having had a "roll number" it is from these records that the number is taken.
Dawes Enrollment Cards
One hears of the Dawes records all the time, in fact many times one hears reference to the Dawes Roll. However, the roll is a list of names. It was a list of names of people eligible to receive land allotments.
But to qualify to have one's name placed on the final roll a lengthy interview process was required. Data was first collected on a card--referred to often as an Enrollment Card. On some cards a Field card number was recorded and in other cases not. In the image below is the enrollment card of my family, my great grand parents Samuel and Sallie, my grandfather Sam Jr., my great uncle Houston, and my great aunt, Louisa.
Choctaw Freedman Card #777
The National Archives at Ft. Worth, Ft. Worth
Texas 1868-1914
NAI Number: 251747
Record Group Title: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Record Group 75
(Microfilm publicaton M1186)
(Microfilm publicaton M1186)
Because my great grandparents had been enslaved, their names were placed on a card reflecting "Freedmen" or former slaves. One can note on the card above, that Samuel's slave holder was a man called Jim Davis, and Sallie had once been enslaved by Emeline Perry.
On the reverse side of the card, as reflected in the image below, Samuel's father and mother were listed as were the parents of Sallie. In addition, where noted, the slave holder was listed. With Sallie, her father was not enslaved and he was clearly identified as having been a Choctaw Indian from the Skullyville community.
Application Jackets/Applications for Enrollment
The application jackets reflect the actual interview taken when the applicants appeared. The Choctaw Nation does have a good number of interviews that were microfilmed fortunately their interview was preserved. The application jackets contain quite often, memos, letters and the final decision that was made on the application.
Below is the first page of a 3 page interview of the for the Walton family enrollment.
National Archives Publication M1301
Applications for Enrollment
(Also accessed from Fold3.com, Native American Collection, Choctaw Freedmen)
Final Dawes Roll
Many people often miss this record. It is this record that is actually the Dawes Roll. There are over 680 pages to the roll itself and it is divided by category. The categories are citizens "by blood"
"freedmen" "newborns" "minors" and "inter-married whites".
If one made it through the lengthy process, and if their names were placed upon this roll, then the applicant was eligible to apply for their designated land allotment. Every person whose name is on the roll received a land allotment.
National Archives Publication T529
Document accessed on National Archives Website
Land Allotment Records
When the rolls closed and it was time to officially apply for one's land allotment another process unfolded. For many this process was far less complicated than it was several years earlier for the Dawes application process.
The process was actually treated as a homestead application, and it should be understood that everyone in the family received land, even children and infants. As a result, a complete file for each family member consisted of the application, a plat map with the legal description of the land, and if the interview was lengthy, it too was in the file.
Note that in order to find an ancestor's file, one will have to use the actual roll number instead of the enrollment card number.
Below is a sample page from the land allotment for Samuel as he applied for his own land.
Ancestry.com. Oklahoma and Indian Territory, Land Allotment
Jackets for Five Civilized Tribes, 1884-1934[database on-line]. Provo, UT,
USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, 2014.
Samuel also applied for his wife and children, and it was also good to note that he signed the applications himself, so an original signature was visible on the record. Below is a page from the application of his son, Sam Jr., my grandfather.
There are other resources for the researcher to explore but these are the basic records that will connect the beginning genealogy researcher to explore the basic records for descendants of Choctaw Freedmen.
Great introductory course on researching Indian Territory Freedmen and the three basic records required for that research.
ReplyDeleteI would like to add one thing that becomes essential once you have discovered the names of your ancestors on the Dawes Cards/Roll.
The majority of the cards/rolls were performed in 1898/1899 which means it becomes the first census before the US census in 1900. In that short span of time some ancestors may have died, children were born, a marriage may have occurred and it will be reflected in the 1900 census. This makes the 1898/99 Dawes card/census a good point of origin when it comes to genealogical research.
When you take into account the 1898 Dawes Cards the 1900 census you now have the initial documents to research your ancestors those living and deceased when the "Twin Territories" (Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory) became the state of Oklahoma in 1907.
This becomes another pivotal point of origin for the families of formerly enslaved people of the Five Slave Holding Tribes and is a very good foundation for researching Indian Territory Freedmen
Thanks for the additional insights, Terry. Also it should be pointed out that many Choctaw Freedmen lived in the Chickasaw Nation, and many Chickasaw Freedmen lived in the Choctaw Nation. One might note that on the enrollment cards.
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