Searching the Dawes Roll

 

Many have expressed the fact that they have been seeking the actual roll number of their ancestor on the Dawes Roll. For some it is a quick look-up with an Ancestry Account, or a quick click on the Oklahoma Historical Society database. But for some the search can be a challenge. Perhaps the ancestor had a common name---or a unique name that was possibly spelled in a unique way. And for some, there is the cousin who has the number, but who won't share it. But if the cousin won't share it,  you can still find it. Just dive into the database (the one from OHS is free) and you should find it. In many cases the cousin who won't share actually does not  have the number.  So, the solution is simple---examine the roll yourself! 

There are two published images of the Final Roll with slight differences. One is the Index to the Final Roll and the other is the Final Roll itself.

The Index

The Final Roll

 The Final Roll is the base roll used by the Five Tribes to process applications for citizenship, today. Those Five Tribes are Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek and Seminole Nations. Both are useful and access to both can be found freely online. The Final Roll itself is a document that consists of over 600 pages of names of those who were identified as members of those respective nations.

Note - the Dawes Roll was not a roll reflecting people admitted to citizenship in the nations. The purpose of the Dawes Roll was to reflect the names of individuals who were eligible to receive land allotments.

The National Archives had digitized the Final Roll, and it would be worthwhile to take a look by page number for the nation and the category that interests  you. A indexed list of the categories found on the Dawes Roll is listed on Family Search.org, and it has been copied here for you.

Tribe	Pg.
Choctaws By Blood New Born Choctaws by Blood Minor Choctaws by Blood Choctaws by Marriage Choctaw Freedmen Minor Choctaw Freedmen Mississippi Choctaws New Born Miss. Choctaws Minor Mississippi Choctaws	1 91 101 107 117 151 155 164 165
Chickasaws By Blood New Born Chickasaws by Blood Minor Chickasaws by Blood Chickasaws by Marriage Chickasaw Freedmen	167 197 201 204 209
Cherokees By Blood Minor Cherokees by Blood Delaware Cherokees Cherokees by Marriage Cherokee Freedmen Minor Cherokee Freedmen	238 428 460 462 464 492
Creeks By Blood New Born Creeks by Blood Minor Creeks by Blood Creek Freedmen New Born Creek Freedmen Minor Creek Freedmen	497 559 568 572 607 613
Seminoles By Blood and Freedmen New Born Seminoles by Blood New Born Seminole Freedmen	616 633 635

It is wise to examine the data from the actual records that accompany the roll: Enrollment Cards, Application Jackets, and the Land Allotment Records.