Welcome!

If you are new to genealogy, this page is for you!

We’ll be offering some of the basic tips and tricks you’ll need to locate your ancestors.

And don’t forget…if you visit the library a volunteer will be happy to help you get started.



How to Use the Dawes Rolls

The Dawes Rolls, also known as the "Final Rolls", are the lists of individuals who were accepted as eligible for tribal membership in the "Five Civilized Tribes": Cherokees, Creeks, Choctaws, Chickasaws, and Seminoles. Those found eligible for the Final Rolls were entitled to an allotment of land, usually as a homestead.

Tribal association will be listed as "By Blood," "Intermarriage," or "Freedmen." Intermarriage indicates the person was married to a citizen of the tribe. You may also see the letters "I W" for Intermarried White. Freedmen were the former slaves of the Five Civilized Tribes and their descendants.

The Rolls contain more than 101,000 names from 1898-1914 (primarily from 1899-1906). They typically list the enrollee's name, sex, blood degree, and census card number. The census card may provide additional genealogical information, and may also contain references to earlier rolls, such as the 1880 Cherokee census. A census card was generally accompanied by an "application jacket". The jackets then sometimes contain valuable supporting documentation, such as birth and death affidavits, marriage licenses, and correspondence. These can be a gold mine of family information!

Before you search for your ancestors on the Dawes Roll look for them on the 1900 Census for Indian Territory. (If they did not live in the area, it is unlikely that you will find them on the rolls.) Then make sure you have their full name. It’s also helpful to know their birth date in order to distinguish between people who have the same name.

If you know that your ancestor lived in the area during the correct time period, but cannot find them on the rolls, check the records for another tribe, use alternate spellings for their name, use a nickname, or look for parents or siblings.

These examples show some of the information you can expect to find. Alfred Wright Folsom’s enrollment was approved December 12, 1902. He was 58 and a full-blood. His card also lists his parents, his wife, and an alternate name for him- A. W. Folsom.

The enrollment packet of Emily Fields is over 100+ pages long and contains information about her, friends, family, etc. It includes correspondence and documents.  This small portion is part of a statement from one of her daughters.

You can access the rolls through many online sources, including the National Archives, the Oklahoma Historical Society, Ancestry, and Fold3. Of course the best way to research is with a personal guide. If you visit the Bryan County Genealogy Library one of the volunteers will be happy to help you locate your ancestor on the Dawes Rolls. They are available at the library online as well as on microfilm. And if you need more information they will help you locate and use many other resources. 

 Don't forget to check the Genealogy links page for more helpful hints.