Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!
The National Archives (NARA) only has custody of records created by the federal government that document tribal nations during American nationhood, and even then records are sparse until the mid 19th century. Since the Cherokee were an Eastern tribal nation and part of the early removals, the NARA only has custody of records for the tribe that date back to the 1830s when the first removal rolls were compiled.
The Dawes records are only from a very specific point in time, 1898-1914, and were of individuals living in what was called the Indian Territory in present day Oklahoma. If an individual was not there, then he or she would not be captured in those records. If an individual was listed on the Dawes final rolls, they should have an enrollment packet. Please see the National Archives Dawes Records: Enrollment and Land Allotment Jackets website for more information.
We suggest that you begin by assembling as much of your family tree as possible, as far back as you can go, and then search for relations during the time frame that you seek.
In addition to the information from the previous poster, we suggest that you search other nationwide Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) censuses indicated here in Free US Indian Census Rolls 1885-1940. Please see the History Hub response Seeking names of Cherokee relatives for a previous response to another post that may be useful.
We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your family research!
Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!
The National Archives (NARA) only has custody of records created by the federal government that document tribal nations during American nationhood, and even then records are sparse until the mid 19th century. Since the Cherokee were an Eastern tribal nation and part of the early removals, the NARA only has custody of records for the tribe that date back to the 1830s when the first removal rolls were compiled.
The Dawes records are only from a very specific point in time, 1898-1914, and were of individuals living in what was called the Indian Territory in present day Oklahoma. If an individual was not there, then he or she would not be captured in those records. If an individual was listed on the Dawes final rolls, they should have an enrollment packet. Please see the National Archives Dawes Records: Enrollment and Land Allotment Jackets website for more information.
We suggest that you begin by assembling as much of your family tree as possible, as far back as you can go, and then search for relations during the time frame that you seek.
In addition to the information from the previous poster, we suggest that you search other nationwide Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) censuses indicated here in Free US Indian Census Rolls 1885-1940. Please see the History Hub response Seeking names of Cherokee relatives for a previous response to another post that may be useful.
We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your family research!
