RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 14, 2016
KINSEARCHING
by
Marleta Childs
P. O. Box 6825
LUBBOCK, TX 79493-6825
[email protected]
As many genealogists know, Native American lineage can be quite hard to trace. The difficulty is compounded by the fact that searching through records like the well-known Dawes rolls is a lengthy process. To make such valuable information from that federal source accessible to more researchers, Jeff Bowen continues his series, CHOCTAW BY BLOOD ENROLLMENT CARDS, 1898 - 1914. His most recent additions are VOLUME VI and VOLUME VII.
Bowen bases this multi-volume set on the more than 6,100 Choctaw enrollment cards (sometimes referred to as "census cards") that were prepared by the Dawes Commission between the years 1898 and 1914. Information was gathered by the commission to help in the decision to accept or reject the thousands of applications for citizenship submitted by tribal members. Data in these latest volumes were taken in 1896.
The author’s introduction provides a brief general history of the enrollment cards, including the political struggles between the tribes and the U. S. government. Also explained in the essay is the actual process of Choctaw enrollment.
He reproduces the cards in the numerical order of the Dawes Commission card/field number on the Choctaw roll. For each individual listed in the household on an application, the enrollment card furnishes such facts as the county of residence, post office, relationship to the head of the family group, age, gender, degree of Indian blood, and tribal enrollment (year, place, and roll number). When applicable, the material indicates if a spouse was an “I. W.” (meaning “intermarried white”). Additional notes about some or all of the individuals in a family may give details such as an alternate name, references to different cards; dates of birth, death, marriage, and divorce; name of a spouse from another tribe; and whether the application was accepted, refused, or cancelled later.
Together, these two new works furnish information about approximately 23,000 individuals. A sampling of surnames includes ANDERSON, BACON, BATTIEST/BATTIESTE, BEN, BILLY, BOHANAN, BRYANT, CAMP, COLBERT, COLE, COLEMAN, DAVENPORT/DEVENPORT, DURANT, EDWARD/EDWARDS, EVEREDGE/EVERIDGE, FOBB, FRAZIER, GARLAND, GIBSON, GOODING, HAMPTON, HARDY, HARRIS, HOMMA, HUDSON, HYBARGER, IMPSON, JAMES, JONES, LEWIS, MCCURTAIN, MCGEE, MORRIS, NELSON, NOAH, PETER, PUSH, REYNOLDS, ROEBUCK, SAMUEL, SPRING, TAYLOR, UNDERWOOD, WADE, WALL, WARD, WESLEY, WHALE, WHITE, WILLIAMS, WOODS, and WRIGHT.
Bowen is to be commended for making the material from the Dawes rolls readily available to all researchers. CHOCTAW BY BLOOD ENROLLMENT CARDS, 1898 - 1914, VOLUMES VI and VII will be welcomed additions to library genealogical collections pertaining to Native American forebears.
Both volumes have soft covers, an introduction, illustrations, and a full name index. VOLUME VI (item order 8606) has 328 pages, while VOLUME VII (item order 8607) has 327 pages. Each volume costs $35.00. To the books’ price, buyers should add the cost for postage and handling charges. For U. S. postal mail, the cost is $5.50 for one book and $2.50 for each additional book; for FedEx ground service, the cost is $7.50 for one book and $2.50 for each additional book. The volumes may be purchased by check, money order, MasterCard, or Visa from Clearfield Company, 3600 Clipper Mill Rd., Suite 260, Baltimore, Maryland 21211 (For phone orders, call toll free 1-800-296-6687; fax 1-410-752-8492; website www.genealogical.com ).