Native American Heritage

Dawes Rolls: Additional Resources

Step 5: What You Can Do Next

Step 5: What You Can Do Next

If you did not find your ancestor in the Dawes Rolls online, but you feel sure they were in one of the "Five Civilized Tribes", here are some ideas for where you can look further:

  • Check the Census of Intruders. For example, the Cherokees compiled a list of intruders in 1893. See the listing of microfilm rolls pertaining to Non-Indians in Indian Territory available from NARA's Fort Worth facility.
     
  • See the page of links to Indian/Native American web sites, compiled by the National Archives librarians.
     
  • See the Department of Interior's How Do I Trace Indian Ancestry? page.
     
  • Ask yourself why do you think your ancestor was Indian? Just because they may have lived in Indian Territory does not make them Indian. There were many non-Indians living in these areas.

If you found your ancestor online in the Dawes Rolls, you can:
Continue Native American Research Online

 


Order Copies

  • To order copies of the census cards, application jackets, and land allotment jackets please include in your request the name of the tribe, enrollment category, roll number, and census card number (from the Census card number you found in the Final Rolls).

    Cost: The cost is $20 for up to 25 pages of the census card/enrollment jacket or land allotment jacket.

    Send your request to:
    National Archives at Kansas City
    400 West Pershing Road
    Kansas City, MO 64108
     
  • For copies of other records, see the Obtain Reproductions page.

Hire a Researcher

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) staff is available to provide reference assistance to you. However, if you find that you require extensive research assistance at NARA facilities, we offer you this list of researchers who are available for hire. Note: Researchers for hire are not NARA employees.

The Oklahoma Historical Society also has staff available to assist you in your research. See also their page on fees.

 


Access the Dawes Rolls and other Native American Records Online

Visit NARA in Washington, D.C., or check with the 13 Regional Archives around the country. Many of these facilities have these records on microfilm for use in person. Microfilm can also be purchased.

Some of the available microfilm publications include:

  • M1186 - "Enrollment Cards of the Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914." - Available via Ancestry.com
     
  • M1301 - "Applications for Enrollment of the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914." Find the application jacket associated with your ancestor's Dawes Roll application. (See also the order copies section above.) - Available via Ancestry.com
     
  • M1650 - "Applications from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Muskogee Area Office, Relating to Enrollment in the Five Civilized Tribes Under the Act of 1896." - Available via Ancestry.com
     
  • M1104 - Check the Guion Miller Rolls. These include 45,847 applications by Eastern Cherokees to share in an award granted by the U.S. Court of Claims on May 28, 1906. See Guion Miller Roll, 1906–1911 for more information.

    You may then also want to pursue earlier records in NARA:
  • Review Cherokee census and payment rolls from 1867-1896. They are available from NARA's Fort Worth facility on microfilm 7RA25.- Available via Ancestry.com
     
  • Search for possible military service.

For more comprehensive microfilm lists:

You can buy rolls of microfilm from NARA once you have used the indexes and roll list for the census card number, so you know what you need: call 1-866-272-6272.

You can also buy the Dawes Rolls and other American Indian records on CD from the Oklahoma Historical Society. The "Native American Collection" CD, for example, includes searchable databases. You can view these records at no cost at a National Archives research facility.

 


Contact the National Archives
 

  • Contact Us Online Form
     
  • Mail: Please mail your inquiry to:
    The National Archives and Records Administration
    8601 Adelphi Road
    College Park, MD 20740-6001
     
  • For specific questions about the Dawes Rolls, you can contact:
    National Archives at Fort Worth, Texas
    (817) 831-5620
     
  • For general NARA inquiries, call (toll-free):
    1-86-NARA-NARA (1-866-272-6272), 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. EST
     
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