Roblin Rolls of Non-Reservation Indians in Western Washington
Thomas G. Bishop, president of the Northwestern Federation of American Indians, claimed that thousands of Indians in western Washington had not received benefits derived from 19th century treaties. Believing these Indians were entitled to Federal recognition and payments, Bishop traveled to Washington DC, on their behalf, only to learn that no records of their identity existed.
Bishop petitioned the Office of Indian Affairs (OIA) to carry out an enrollment of these Washington Indians. The OIA agreed, and assigned the work to special allotting agent Charles E. Roblin.
Beginning in 1916, Roblin began compiling a list of claimants. Roblin only included Indians not already appearing on tribal censuses for western Washington. He submitted his final report to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs on January 31, 1919, and included the following:
- Applications for Enrollment and Allotment of Washington Indians, 1911–1919, known as the Roblin Roll (National Archives Microfilm M1343)
- Roblin's handwritten notes of testimonies
- Signed affidavits
- Additional documentation collected during the enrollment process
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Applications for Adoption by the Quinaielt Indians, 1910–1919 (National Archives Microfilm M1344)
Information contained in the Roblin Roll, the affidavits, and other documents may include some or all of the following:
- Name
- Tribe
- Gender
- Age
- Birthdate
- Birthplace
- Blood quantum
- Residence
- Date of death
Online Access
- From NARA computers, you can access a digitized version of M1344 directly on Ancestry.com.
- From computers outside the National Archives, go to Ancestry.com and look for the "Washington, Enrollment and Allotment Applications of Washington Indians, 1911-1919."
- FamilySearch.org has digitized the original records in color, and the National Archives at Seattle has provided indexing.
- Visit the National Archives Catalog for the full archival records description and contact information: National Archives Identifier 2124205 and National Archives Identifier 2124207.
- For more information on these records, contact the National Archives at Seattle.
