To better understand your Choctaw ancestor’s history, it’s essential to explore the Armstrong Rolls and their significance. The Armstrong Rolls document the provisions made for Choctaw individuals and families who chose to remain in their ancestral lands rather than relocate. According to the terms of the treaty, any Choctaw head of a family who wished to stay and become a citizen of the United States had six months to declare this intention to the Agent. Upon doing so, they were entitled to a reservation of 640 acres of land, marked by sectional survey lines. Additionally, unmarried children living with them were eligible for portions of land—half of that amount for those over ten years old and a quarter for those under ten, adjoining their parent’s location.
If the family resided on the land for five years after the treaty’s ratification, intending to become U.S. citizens, they would receive a grant in fee simple. This reservation was to include any existing improvements made by the head of the family. Importantly, those who claimed land under this treaty did not forfeit their Choctaw citizenship. However, if they chose to relocate, they would lose their entitlement to any portion of the Choctaw annuity. Understanding these details can provide valuable insight into your ancestor’s decisions and the historical context in which they lived.
Additional information:
- Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek
- Letters and Correspondence Concerning the Armstrong Roll
- Understanding the Armstrong Rolls
Search the Armstrong Roll
Legend
Name = Name of Indians owning farm
Cult = Number of acres cultivated
Number = Entire number of the family
Over = Males over 16 years
Under = Males and females under 10 years
Locality = Locality of farms
Acres = Number of acres of farm
Remarks = General Remarks
District = District
From Bonnie’s messsage from above: I believe there may be a couple of reasons for it. I found, for my ancestor Jack Jenkins, that one of the listings was under his Indian name Ona-Lubbee.
How do you find your ancestor and then the Indian name? I am having difficulty finding how to cross reference this. I know my grandmother was Cherokee Indian ” I was told” – but could have been another tribe. Vuncannon is on several rolls as Von Cannon / Vun / and Cannon. Can anyone help with this? Thank you so much in advance,
Start with what you know definitively. Start with your parent, grandparents, and great grandparents (if you know about them); then work backward. What are your immediate ancestors whose name you know, where they lived, and the year when they were born/died.
Hi. I am trying to search for some relatives on the Armstrong Roll but the search bar is not working:
It would be either William H. Stewart (Stuart) and Sarah
Or William Marshall Stewart?
Can you help?
Try typing a known entity into the search. I did “Milton” (without quotations) for the name and it returned 3 matches. I also suggest you use a computer when attempting database searches on most genealogy websites, the cache can make it difficult on mobile devices to search (it’s where I’ve encountered a search not working).
There is no one you’ve listed on the rolls. Note The below Stewart family members moved from South Carolina to Mississippi and died there
William Stewart
Gender M (Male)
Birth Date 5 June 1771 (5 Jun 1771)
Birth Place Edgefield, South Carolina, USA
Marriage Date 1802
Marriage Place Edgefield South Carolina (Edgefield South), South Carolina, USA
Death Date 23 août 1849 (23 Aug 1849)
Death Place Raymond, Hinds (Raymond), Mississippi, USA
Father
James Stewart
Mother
Janet Caldwell
Spouse
Sarah Mc Kibben
Hi Richard.
That is the wrong one unfortunately. I have traced him back to Kemper MS and it looks like he got some land there after the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek- I found the documents. I was just looking to tie him back to the tribe (Choctaw). I’ve found him in the 1850 and 1860 Kemper MS Census. His name is sometimes spelled Stuart (instead of Stewart depending on the surveyor/document). From what I’ve read, Native Americans who owned land and paid taxes during 1850 and 1860 Census were marked as Caucasians since they didn’t have a separate category yet (that was the instructions given to the surveyors). Those Native Americans who did not own own land and did not pay taxes, were counted on a separate Native American Census. You seem to be good at finding information. Any other suggestions of how to tie them back to the tribe or via the land grant resulting from the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek. I guess this would be pre-1830s and I don’t know his Native American name. Let me know and thanks. PS- happy to send you the documents I found if you could send me your email. 🙂 Thanks in advance.
How does the search work? I entered my relatives name “Clay Armstrong” but nothing returned
There is no Armstrong on these rolls, which is why you received no results. The roll is named after the man who was responsible for creating it, Benjamin Armstrong. Armstrong was an agent working on behalf of the United States government during the period of Indian removals. His role involved documenting the members of the Choctaw tribe who were entitled to land grants under the terms of the treaty.
How does this search work? I type in a name, which is the only data I know, but there is no Enter/Submit button to select to get results.
The search results populate after you’ve entered more than 3 letters into one of the search fields. I suggest you search using a computer and not a mobile device such as a phone. The search requires a large amount of data to be stored in memory and that may be too much for some mobile devices.
Great, so “Nukatacha is my 24th great grandmother” should be ” Nukatacha is my 4th great grandmother”.
Where can I find a description of exactly what the following means on the Armstrong Roll:
Arm ID, cult (I thought the tribe used names), number, over and under. I never found an answer to the question about why the same person could be listed under two
districts i.e. Leflore and Mushulatubbe. Can someone answer that. Researching Jeremiah Gardner, Arm ID 487 and 1282. Thank you. Doug Frizzell dfrizzell@jaeubanks.com
Linda,
Yes, I was seeing quite a few extra records when I just tried entering names for Moshulatubbe claims.
A search on my relative Lewis White returned a Moshulatubbe and a Laflore record, also.
Figures were mostly the same, but the Moshulatubbe record for my relative had less-complete data; his Laflore record had more, but since he settled in Moshulatubbe I’m not sure he really ever had a Laflore claim.
Armstrong Rolls content may be reviewed at
books.google.com/books?id=G49HAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA63&lpg=PA63&dq=lewis+white+oxnoxeby&source=bl&ots=kMGE6z5GBJ&sig=VHGM-EuAFWgiBN_l32eduHs4tiE&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjAh5fd8czbAhUkx1kKHQNpAasQ6AEIRDAE#v=onepage&q=lewis%20white&f=false
My ancestors are listed twice in the Armstrong Rolls. Once in the Leflore district and once in the Mushulatubbe District. The family information is the same. My 4th great-grandfather Cornelius McCann, my 3rd great-grandfather, Henry Pebworth (spelled numerous ways) and Nukatacha, Henry’s wife and Cornelius’ daughter. They each have two roll numbers. In addition, Henry is also listed in the Col. William Ward rolls. Did this happen to a lot of people?
Nukatacha is my 24th great grandmother
Sueleta, 24th great grandmother is not possible since the Armstrong rolls were taken in 1830 which is less than 200 years ago. 20 years = one primitive generations times 24th great grandmother = 480 years ago.
Linda,
John Hardaway is my ancestor he married Sara Ann Hall. When John died, Sara married Simpson McCann and they had twins. I would much like to share stories with you!
Linda, I have been researching a “possible ancestor” Lewis Robinson/Robertson who lived next door to your ancestors Henry Pebworth and Cornelius McCann. I have located a map that shows their property on the Tombigbee River if you are interested. Lewis is listed just above your ancestors on the Armstrong Roll. I am curious if you have come across his name in any of your research?
Thanks
Patricia Moore Taylor
Grand Daughter of Loranza D Robinson
Kentucky
Patricia Taylor…… I don’t know who you descend from under Lewis Robinson but I do now that 2 lines married children of Isaac Watson I refer to below.
Isaac Watson my 4xgreat grandparent is also listed twice. Once in the Leflore district and once in the Mushulatubbe District. Both pretty much have the same information as well. I’m not sure I completely understand what this roll signifies, these are the Choctaw’s who stayed in MS? I know if that was the case then Issac Watson decided to relocate to the new country after the Armstrong Rolls since he was in now Oklahoma. I dont know when but I believe he & his wife died previous to 1885 in or near Nashoba. Does that mean his Armstrong claim would of been void? The two children meantime where followed by several others. In 1830 he & his wife were probably not married longer than 5-8 years & just starting their family. They actually have children with a wide range between them. Probably a few of the oldest being Elizabeth Watson Robinson (abt 1831) & William Watson whom married Betsy “Elizabeth” Robinson. They where still having children until about 1860 when Sophia Watson Williams was born which is the youngest child I could find on Dawes rolls still alive. They also had Joseph Watson born about 1841 & Amanda Watson Gibson aka Whale/Tikbattabe/Wilkins born abt 1850. I’m sure in the separated years many other children filled the holes but none I could prove at this time, mostly because they were already dead before the Dawes rolls. I have several suspisions. The 3 whom list Isaac Watson & wife Melvina/Lavina/Viny (whom I assume due to name is the same women) as parents on Dawes Rolls were, Elizabeth Robinson, Amanda Gibson & Sophia Williams, only still living at the time. So this couple had children spanning abt 32 years, the wife had to be very young when she started having children, probably 13-16.
I believe there may be a couple of reasons for it. I found, for my ancestor Jack Jenkins, that one of the listings was under his Indian name Ona-Lubbee. and it seems it was changed to Jack Jenkins later. Another reason may be that one of the parcels was for his children since they were entitled to a parcel thru him.
I meant to say my 4th great grandmother