The African-Native American Genealogy Blog: New Collection of Dawes Allotment Records Open Doors for Researchers

An exciting new record set has recently been digitized that will enhance the research of all interested in Indian Territory and early Oklahoma history! And even better news---all of the more than 1 million pages are online and can be accessed without cost. They are free!

This new record set is known as the Applications for Allottments, Five Civilized Tribes 1899 - 1907.

For those who research the Dawes Records of the Five Civilized tribes, the recently digitized collection at Family Search will open doors for new sources of information for family historians. In addition, these records should be considered a companion data set to the Dawes Records, because the files found within this record set, correspond to the Dawes files.

Now for clarification the most commonly used Dawes Records primarily consist of Enrollment Cards, Application Jackets and the Final Rolls. Of course, all of these records were part of the process that lead to the allotment of land. Those lands once held in common were allotted to individual members of the tribe. Those who were deemed eligible, received their parcels of land as part of this process.

There are thousands of people who descend from those who were allotted land. Many researchers who find their ancestors among the Dawes records often ask the question: "I wonder where their land was, and how I can trace what happened to it."

Of course, to trace any parcel of land one has to have the legal description of that land. Many researchers have never had this information were never sure how to find it. Well now, one can find not only the legal description of the land, but one can now find the plat maps, of each and every person who was allotted land.

Sample Case.

Samuel Walton was a Choctaw Freedmen whose family data was put on Enrollment Cards #777 of Choctaw Freedmen. Along with Samuel was his wife Sallie, his son Sam Jr., his son Houston, and a step-daughter Louisa. To show how every person has an allotment record, the case shown below is that of Samuel Walton Jr. (Sam Jr. as he was often called, was the son of the elder Samuel, who made the application for every person in the household.)

Allotment File of Sam Walton Jr.

Samuel Walton Jr.'s information is found on Choctaw Freedman Enrollment Cards #777. But his allotment file is found under his Dawes Roll number 3750. Inside of that file is a form with some basic data, that was provided by his own father Samuel Walton Sr.