Understanding the Final Rolls

When starting your search of the Final Rolls (Dawes Rolls) it can and will be confusing.  To make this process simpler for the researcher who visits our pages I suggest you look at the information provided on the Final Rolls like a book, Index, Content, and Bibliography.

The Index tells you what and where you will find the information in the book.  In this case the name, tribe and roll number.  On our pages you will find this listed as Final Roll Index.  This search produced the following:

Page Roll Surname First Blood 397 26758 Swift Frank T. Cherokee by Blood 397 26760 Swift Frank B. Jr. Cherokee by Blood

From the index you now have the information you need to search the Contents of the book, Frank T. Swift, Cherokee, Roll 26758.  On our pages this is the Dawes Final Rolls.  This search produced the following:

Tribe Last First Middle Age Sex Blood Card Roll Misc Type Cherokee Swift Frank B 0 M D228 P Cherokee Swift Frank B Jr 6 M 1/8 10078 26760 MUSKOGEE BB Cherokee Swift Frank B Jr 6 M 1/8 D228 MUSKOGEE D Cherokee Swift Frank R 0 M 10078 P Cherokee Swift Frank T 33 M 1/4 10078 26758 MUSKOGEE BB Cherokee Swift Frank T 33 M 1/4 D228 MUSKOGEE D

Our search provided us with 2 Frank T. Swift’s, same age, degree of blood. With this information we can now check the Bibliography which in this case is the Census Card. I can’t tell you which card to order, you will have to decide that on your own.  Census Card D228 shows the following:

Click for larger image

Here is where the reading comes in.  If you look at the bottom of the card you will find the hand written note:

Feb. 3, 1909 in accordance with the decision of the Commission of Jan. 15, 1903, No’s 1-5 incl. are transferred to Cherokee card #10078

Now look up Frank T. Swift #10078, click on his  card number you now have a list of Frank and his family. This search produced the following:

Tribe Last First Middle Age Sex Blood Card Roll Misc Type Cherokee Butler Benjamin 0 M 10078 P Cherokee Butler Callie 0 F 10078 P Cherokee Swift Crystie 8 F 1/8 10078 26759 MUSKOGEE BB Cherokee Swift Frank B Jr 6 M 1/8 10078 26760 MUSKOGEE BB Cherokee Swift Frank R 0 M 10078 P Cherokee Swift Frank T 33 M 1/4 10078 26758 MUSKOGEE BB Cherokee Swift Mabel 3 F 1/8 10078 26761 MUSKOGEE BB Cherokee Swift Martha 0 F 10078 P Cherokee Swift Nettie 30 F IW 10078 NR MUSKOGEE BB

You also know they were not denied or doubtful. Without the census card the search is a little more difficult, but if you just follow through with the census card numbers, you will find that some that were doubtful, denied, or rejected can change.

You must have your ancestors name and tribe, before you can make any kind of search that will be useful to your research.  Indian Genealogy may be helpful in obtaining this information.

The following chart also provides information on the Type and Roll number:

A – Adopted AD – Adopted Delaware BB – By Blood D – Doubtful or denied F – Freedman FD – Freedman, doubtful or denied FM – Freedman, minor FRR – Freedman, rejected IW – Intermarried White MCR – Mississippi Choctaw Rejected NR – Not Registered, Non Resident O – Owner* OS – Old Series** Old Settler P – Parent

Additional Final Roll Research

• General Allotment Act or Dawes Act
• 1891 Amendment to General Allotment Act or Dawes Act
• Burke Act
• Final Rolls – Database
• Final Rolls Index – Index

 

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