The Dawes Rolls

The Dawes Rolls are a very important genealogy resource for anyone with Native American history or ancestry in their family tree. These documents are also called the "Final Rolls of the Citizens and Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory". Calling them the Dawes Rolls is much simpler.

The purpose of the Rolls was to document those people who had been determined as eligible for membership in any of the "five civilized tribes", which were Cherokees, Creeks, Choctaws, Chickasaws and Seminoles. Everyone whose application was accepted, and included in the Rolls were given a plot of land to homestead. This specifically was for those living on Indian lands, so any relatives who had left would not be included.

In return for this land, the tribe members each had to relinquish their tribal laws and accept the rule of the Federal government. The Commission in charge of the process was chaired by Henry Dawes (where the shorter name for the Rolls comes from). There are more than 100,000 names included in this document.

The Rolls were recorded between 1898 and 1914, though most of the records date from 1899 to 1906. Each person is recorded with name, gender, blood association to the tribe and a census card number. That census card then may contain more information about the individual and other family members, and usually has an application form with it, that also holds more facts such as birth and death details, marriage licenses and more.

So researching a Native ancestor can be a multi-step process, but the first step is usually the Dawes Rolls.

The Rolls are used to find the more valuable census card. You can search the Dawes Rolls online at the National Archives. First search the Rolls index, and then use the Roll number to find the entry in the Dawes Rolls themselves.

But be aware that only a portion of the census cards are viewable online, which means that you can't directly access the census cards. You can order copies from the Archives (for a fee, of course). This is why you need to find the number from the Rolls.

The Rolls are organized by tribe, so its very helpful to have that information before you begin. The 1900 census is a good place to check if you don't know the tribe. There were special schedules for Indians during that census, and that included the name of their tribe. Failing that, there are several historical guidebooks on the various tribes that can help you identify which tribes were living in which areas, that may narrow down your search.