Native American Heritage?

Dear Ms. Fowler,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

For Cherokee rolls of that era, we suggest searching the Index to the Final Rolls of Citizens and Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory (Dawes Rolls) to ensure they were recognized as such and move from there. Please keep in mind that an individual was only approved if they were living on tribal land in Oklahoma. Others may have applied but would have been determined doubtful, denied, or rejected. Even so, those applications are in the custody of the National Archives at Fort Worth (RM-FW). Please contact RM-FW via email at ftworth.archives@nara.gov.

More information on the Dawes rolls, process, and locations is available on NARA’s website at https://www.archives.gov/research/native-americans/dawes/background.html.

We hope this information is helpful. Best of luck with your family research!

[Information provided by Cody White, Subject Matter Expert]