Thank you, thank you, thank you! I will forward this to someone petitioning the BIA to explain why a family member was rejected: "Dawes couldn't just say 'You're rejected' without giving a reason FOR the rejection". This will be very helpful to this family. Angelyn ---- Sharon Morgan <[email protected]> wrote: > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected] > Sent: Tuesday, September 12, 2006 13:59 > To: [email protected] > Subject: [CHOCTAW-SOUTHEAST] MCR list > > Is there an online web site where you can view the MCR list? > > ------------------------------- > > > > > Go to www.archives.gov. Search "Dawes Final Rolls". There is an alphabetical > list. I used it & then sent off for the related folders, which had > transcripts of testimonies. > > > Dawes Rolls > More than 95% of the letters received by the Fort Worth Branch of the > National Archives relate to the Five Civilized Tribes and most of those > pertain to the Cherokee. If you are tracing a Cherokee ancestor, the place > to begin is with the Final Rolls of the Five Civilized Tribes (commonly > called the Dawes rolls). They contain the names of more than 101,000 people > enrolled under an act of Congress of June 27, 1898 (30 Stat. 459) which > authorized a Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes (under the chairmanship > of Senator Henry L. Dawes) to determine who was eligible for tribal > membership and thus entitled to an allotment of land. In 1887 the Federal > government embarked on the policy of extinguishing tribal title to land and > allotting it to individual Indians so there is generally a similar "final > roll" or allotment roll for most tribes. Tracing your ancestry to someone on > a "final roll" is usually the key to recognition by the Bureau of Indian > Affairs. > > The Dawes rolls only include people who were alive during the 1898-1907 > enrollment period. The index to the Dawes roll has been reproduced on roll 1 > of National Archives Microfilm Publication M1186 and many libraries in > Oklahoma have copies of the index printed by the BIA. If you find your > ancestor' s name, their Dawes roll number is the key to various other > records. Unlike most other "roll numbers", it was used by the BIA as a means > of positive identification (thus it is something like a social security > number). > Census Cards and Application Jackets > The Dawes roll number will lead you to a "census card" which contains > information about other family members who might have been enrolled, > references to earlier rolls used to verify eligibility (such as the 1880 > Cherokee census), and the names of the enrollee's parents (which will take > you one generation farther back, but no farther). The cards were prepared by > the Dawes Commission to enable the staff to keep track of the status of > enrollment applications and the originals were hauled around Indian > Territory in wagons as the staff gathered applications and took testimony. > The cards have also been reproduced on M1186. > For each card there is usually an application jacket which contains > transcripts of any testimony taken by the Commission, birth and death > affidavits, marriage licenses (sometimes), and correspondence between the > Commission and the applicants, their attorneys, and tribal officials. These > application jackets are microfilmed as M1301. In general, the more > controversial the applicant's claim the thicker the jacket. The jackets for > many full-bloods whose claim to membership was not disputed by the tribal > government usually contain very little genealogical information. > > Land Allotment Jackets > Once a person was enrolled they were eligible to select the land they wanted > as their allotment. The amount of land each person received varied from > tribe to tribe but generally consisted of a "homestead" which was > inalienable for a period of time and "surplus" which was often quickly sold > or leased. For each person enrolled, there is an "allotment jacket" which > contains an application giving the legal description of the land selected > and information about improvements on it and related documents such as plat > maps showing the location. The allotment jackets seldom contain much > genealogical information. In many cases, the Indian agency supervised the > subsequent sale or lease of allotted land but the records relating to these > transactions have very little genealogical value. > The fact that an ancestor "got land" in Oklahoma does not prove they were an > Indian because many non-Indians bought lots in townsites or purchased > "surplus" land from allotted Indians or "unallotted land" directly from the > Federal government. > The Dawes Commission rejected the applications of almost two out of every > three persons who applied so don't be surprised if your ancestor is not > listed in the "final roll". There is no comprehensive index to all the > rejected applicants but there are partial indexes to persons rejected as > Cherokee or Choctaw. For each rejected applicant there is a "census card" > and an "application jacket" but the catch here is that you have to know (or > find out) the census card number to find the records. > The best source of information about the allotment of the Five Civilized > Tribes is And Still the Waters Run by Angie Debo. For information about > allotment of other tribes see The Dawes Act and the Allotment of Indian > Lands by D. S. Otis. Most tribal histories also contain a chapter or two > about allotment. > > SOURCE: www.archives.gov > > > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Halito Angelyn: The group of people I have were turned down because the ancestor they enrolled under was turned down by the corrupt alcoholic William Ward. As you are aware, there were investigations into his conduct and many wrongdoings were found, such as being in league with corrupt attorneys who were speculating in Indian land. Ward would deny Choctaw he believed to be full bloods, because he thought it was easier to cheat full bloods. He would then give their land scrip to these attorneys who would sell it to whites. This is why there were whites settled on Choctaw land before the Choctaw even arrived in Oklahoma. So there could possibly be whites in Oklahoma who have inherited through the years, land that should have gone to my ancestors. Unfortunately, my ancestors were full bloods so they got the shaft. Although, the investigations found these wrongdoings they never allowed the victims any redress and the matter is closed for all time. In the microfilm of the Dawes' applications I have seen considerable evidence for the Choctaw heritage of my people. There were witnesses, other than family, who were of advanced age and knew John and Mary Ann Harper personally.They indicated they were full blood Choctaw, spoke the Choctaw language and that all of their children spoke the Choctaw language. They further indicated that they always spoke Choctaw when speaking amongst themselves or when speaking to Choctaw friends. They also indicated that John Harper was also known as Johnny Hopiah. The interviewers basically called them liars. I believe this is the case, because after the investigations of William Ward were closed and despite the overwhelming evidence of wrongdoing, the congress decided not to give the victims any redress. The results of the Dawes' commission then could not conflict with this, so they denied everyone who was a descendant of anyone denied by William Ward. In effect having to make up reasons to deny them, even if it meant essentially calling them liars or saying that they didn't look Indian, etc. I found further evidence of their heritage in my researches. For example, on the Kentucky tax lists, they are the only couple who had all of their property, including land and livestock listed in the wife's name, which we know to be Choctaw Custom. This would be very unusual at that time, as we know the Southeastern people came under tremendous criticism for having the females own all of the property. I am certain that old John Harper received great criticism for allowing his wife to own all of the property. Imafo [email protected] wrote: Thank you, thank you, thank you! I will forward this to someone petitioning the BIA to explain why a family member was rejected: "Dawes couldn't just say 'You're rejected' without giving a reason FOR the rejection". This will be very helpful to this family. Angelyn ---- Sharon Morgan wrote: > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected] > Sent: Tuesday, September 12, 2006 13:59 > To: [email protected] > Subject: [CHOCTAW-SOUTHEAST] MCR list > > Is there an online web site where you can view the MCR list? > > ------------------------------- > > > > > Go to www.archives.gov. Search "Dawes Final Rolls". There is an alphabetical > list. I used it & then sent off for the related folders, which had > transcripts of testimonies. > > > Dawes Rolls > More than 95% of the letters received by the Fort Worth Branch of the > National Archives relate to the Five Civilized Tribes and most of those > pertain to the Cherokee. If you are tracing a Cherokee ancestor, the place > to begin is with the Final Rolls of the Five Civilized Tribes (commonly > called the Dawes rolls). They contain the names of more than 101,000 people > enrolled under an act of Congress of June 27, 1898 (30 Stat. 459) which > authorized a Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes (under the chairmanship > of Senator Henry L. Dawes) to determine who was eligible for tribal > membership and thus entitled to an allotment of land. In 1887 the Federal > government embarked on the policy of extinguishing tribal title to land and > allotting it to individual Indians so there is generally a similar "final > roll" or allotment roll for most tribes. Tracing your ancestry to someone on > a "final roll" is usually the key to recognition by the Bureau of Indian > Affairs. > > The Dawes rolls only include people who were alive during the 1898-1907 > enrollment period. The index to the Dawes roll has been reproduced on roll 1 > of National Archives Microfilm Publication M1186 and many libraries in > Oklahoma have copies of the index printed by the BIA. If you find your > ancestor' s name, their Dawes roll number is the key to various other > records. Unlike most other "roll numbers", it was used by the BIA as a means > of positive identification (thus it is something like a social security > number). > Census Cards and Application Jackets > The Dawes roll number will lead you to a "census card" which contains > information about other family members who might have been enrolled, > references to earlier rolls used to verify eligibility (such as the 1880 > Cherokee census), and the names of the enrollee's parents (which will take > you one generation farther back, but no farther). The cards were prepared by > the Dawes Commission to enable the staff to keep track of the status of > enrollment applications and the originals were hauled around Indian > Territory in wagons as the staff gathered applications and took testimony. > The cards have also been reproduced on M1186. > For each card there is usually an application jacket which contains > transcripts of any testimony taken by the Commission, birth and death > affidavits, marriage licenses (sometimes), and correspondence between the > Commission and the applicants, their attorneys, and tribal officials. These > application jackets are microfilmed as M1301. In general, the more > controversial the applicant's claim the thicker the jacket. The jackets for > many full-bloods whose claim to membership was not disputed by the tribal > government usually contain very little genealogical information. > > Land Allotment Jackets > Once a person was enrolled they were eligible to select the land they wanted > as their allotment. The amount of land each person received varied from > tribe to tribe but generally consisted of a "homestead" which was > inalienable for a period of time and "surplus" which was often quickly sold > or leased. For each person enrolled, there is an "allotment jacket" which > contains an application giving the legal description of the land selected > and information about improvements on it and related documents such as plat > maps showing the location. The allotment jackets seldom contain much > genealogical information. In many cases, the Indian agency supervised the > subsequent sale or lease of allotted land but the records relating to these > transactions have very little genealogical value. > The fact that an ancestor "got land" in Oklahoma does not prove they were an > Indian because many non-Indians bought lots in townsites or purchased > "surplus" land from allotted Indians or "unallotted land" directly from the > Federal government. > The Dawes Commission rejected the applications of almost two out of every > three persons who applied so don't be surprised if your ancestor is not > listed in the "final roll". There is no comprehensive index to all the > rejected applicants but there are partial indexes to persons rejected as > Cherokee or Choctaw. For each rejected applicant there is a "census card" > and an "application jacket" but the catch here is that you have to know (or > find out) the census card number to find the records. > The best source of information about the allotment of the Five Civilized > Tribes is And Still the Waters Run by Angie Debo. For information about > allotment of other tribes see The Dawes Act and the Allotment of Indian > Lands by D. S. Otis. Most tribal histories also contain a chapter or two > about allotment. > > SOURCE: www.archives.gov > > > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message --------------------------------- Get your own web address for just $1.99/1st yr. We'll help. Yahoo! Small Business.