[From "American Indians, A select list of National Archives Microfilm Publications"]

Enrollment Cards of the Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914.
Microfilm series M1186, rolls 1-93.

This microfilm publication reproduces the enrollment cards prepared by the staff of the [Dawes] Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole) between 1898 and 1914. These records are part of the Records of the Office of Indian Affairs, Record Group 75, and are housed in the National Archives-Southwest Region in Fort Worth, TX.   [A database of the Dawes rolls can be searched online at Access Genealogy.]

The commission enrolled individuals as "citizens" of a tribe under the following categories: Citizens by Blood, Citizens by Marriage, New Born Citizens by Blood (enrolled under an act of Congress approved March 3, 1905, 33 Stat. 1071), Minor Citizens by Blood (enrolled under an act of Congress approved April 28, 1906, 34 Stat. 137), Freedmen (former black slaves of Indians, later freed and admitted to tribal citizenship), New Born Freedmen, and Minor Freedmen. Delaware Indians adopted by the Cherokee tribe were enrolled as a separate group within the Cherokee. Within each enrollment category, the commission generally maintained three types of cards: "Straight" cards for persons whose applications were approved, "D" cards for persons whose applications were considered doubtful and subject to question, and "R" cards for persons whose applications were rejected. Persons listed on "D" cards were subsequently transferred to either "Straight" or "R" cards depending on the commission's decisions. All decisions of the commission were sent to the Secretary of the Interior for final approval.   [For more information on the Dawes enrollment process see "The Dawes Commission and the Allotment of the Five Civilized Tribes, 1893-1914" by Kent Carter.]

An enrollment card, sometimes referred to by the commission as a "census card," records the information provided by individual applications submitted by members of the same family group or household and includes notation of the actions taken. The information given for each applicant includes name, roll number (individual's number if enrolled), age, sex, degree of Indian blood, relationship to the head of the family group, parents' names, and references to enrollment on earlier rolls used by the commission for verification of eligibility. The card often includes references to kin-related enrollment cards and notations about births, deaths, changes in marital status, and actions taken by the commission and the Secretary of the Interior. Within each enrollment category, the cards are arranged numerically by a "field" or "census card" number which is separate from the roll number. The index to the final rolls, which is reproduced on roll 1 of this publication, provides the roll number for each person, while the final rolls themselves provide the census card numbers for each enrollee. No indexes have been located for the majority of the "D" and "R" cards. There are a few Mississippi Choctaw "Identified" and "Field Cards" as well as some Chickasaw "Cancelled" that refer to persons never finally enrolled.   [A Dawes enrollment card example.]

Applications for Enrollment of the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914.
Microfilm series M1301, rolls 1-468.

This microfilm publication reproduces the application forms filled out by persons seeking to claim official enrollment in the Five Civilized Tribes under the Dawes Commission. The applications contain additional information not abstracted to the census cards, filmed in M1186, Enrollment Cards of the Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914, and are numbered according to a different set of numbers. The application number may be obtained from the census card in M1186. The applications are grouped first according to tribe, and relationships such as "by blood" or "minor," and finally numerical order. The originals of these applications are in the National Archives-Southwest Region in Fort Worth, TX. If the application is not found filmed here, write to the regional archives for further information.

Applications from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Muskogee Area Office,
Relating to Enrollment in the Five Civilized Tribes Under the Act of 1896.
Microfilm series M1650, rolls 1-54.

This microfilm publication comprises the applications for enrollment of Cherokees, Chickasaws, Choctaws, and Creeks, as well as those of former slaves (freedmen) of the Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes. The National Archives has not located any Seminole applications. Applicants included Indians by blood; spouses of Indians, although the spouses themselves were not Indians by blood; and freedmen who had formerly belonged to members of the Five Civilized Tribes.

On the last roll of microfilm are miscellaneous files and applications that were received too late for consideration. These records are not included in the index on roll 1. The original records are housed in the National Archives-Southwest Region, Fort Worth, TX.

Final Rolls of Citizens and Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory, 1907, 1914
Microfilm series T529, rolls 1-3.

The rolls were prepared by the Commission and the Commissioner to the Five Civilized Tribes and submitted to the Secretary of the Interior for approval as provided by several acts of Congress. Both approved and disapproved names are included. Most rolls give name, age, sex, degree of Indian blood, and roll and census card number of each individual. This series is arranged by name of tribe and thereunder divided into rolls for citizens by blood, citizens by marriage, and freedmen. There are also rolls for the Mississippi Choctaw and the Delaware Cherokee. In many of the groups there are separate rolls for minor children and newborn babies. The names on the rolls are arranged numerically by roll numbers.

Microfilm Roll, Contents
1   Choctaw and Chickasaw rolls
2   Cherokee rolls
3   Creek and Seminole rolls