Native American Ancestors: Dawes Rolls, Indian Census Rolls and Tribal Records
How to research Native American ancestors using federal records such as the Dawes Rolls and Indian Census Rolls, tribal records and other sources, and how to approach this research with care.
Researching Native American ancestors uses many of the same records as any other American research, plus a large body of records created by the federal government in its dealings with tribal nations. Those records are rich, but they reflect a history of displacement and government control, and they work differently from other records. Here's where to start, and how to approach it respectfully.
Start with your family, not a tribe
As with any research, start with yourself and work back one generation at a time, using census, vital, land, church and court records. Note how your ancestors were described in each record, where they lived, and who their neighbors were. You need to know which nation and which community your ancestors belonged to before you can use tribal records, and that comes from the family's own records.
If your research starts from a family story of Native ancestry that hasn't been documented, read How to Test a Family Story first.
Key federal records
Indian Census Rolls (1885–1940)
Federal Indian agents were required to take annual censuses of people living on reservations under their jurisdiction. The rolls list names (sometimes both a Native name and an English name), ages or birth dates, sex, and relationship to the head of household; later rolls add more details. They're on microfilm at the National Archives and online at FamilySearch, Ancestry and the National Archives Catalog. Not every tribe or year is included.
The Dawes Rolls (1898–1914)
The Final Rolls of the Five Civilized Tribes, known as the Dawes Rolls, list people accepted as citizens of the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek (Muscogee) and Seminole nations in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), along with Freedmen (people formerly enslaved by those nations, and their descendants). The rolls were the basis for dividing tribal land into individual allotments. Enrollment application packets, which can include testimony about family and ancestry, are at the National Archives and online. Many applications were rejected; those files also survive and can be just as informative.
Eastern Cherokee records
- The Guion Miller Roll (1906–1909) was created to distribute funds to Eastern Cherokees under a court judgment. Tens of thousands of people applied, and most applications were rejected, but every application includes family information that can be valuable for genealogy.
- The Baker Roll (1924–1929) lists members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
- Earlier Cherokee rolls include the Henderson Roll (1835) and others related to removal.
Other federal records
- Bureau of Indian Affairs agency records: allotment records, annuity payment rolls, school records, correspondence and probate of allotted land. Many are held by National Archives regional facilities.
- Federal census records: Native people living outside reservations were enumerated in the regular census. The 1900 and 1910 censuses had special Indian population schedules with additional questions.
- Boarding and day school records from schools such as Carlisle Indian Industrial School, some of which are digitized.
- Land records, including allotments and treaty reserves.
Tribal records and enrollment
Each federally recognized tribal nation maintains its own enrollment records and sets its own membership requirements, often based on descent from someone on a particular base roll, and sometimes on a minimum blood quantum. The tribe, not a DNA test or a genealogist, decides who is a citizen. Contact the tribe's enrollment office for its requirements, and respect its procedures and privacy rules.
Some tribes also have their own archives, cultural centers and historians who may help with genealogical research, especially for their own citizens.
What DNA can and can't do
DNA ethnicity estimates may show Indigenous American ancestry, but they can't identify a specific tribe, and most tribes don't accept DNA tests for enrollment. DNA matching to known relatives can still help confirm specific family connections. See Which DNA Test Should You Take?
Approach this research with care
- The records were created in a context of removal, land loss and assimilation policy. Names, ages and relationships may have been recorded by agents who didn't speak the language or understand kinship systems.
- Names changed, sometimes several times, as people took or were given English names.
- Living communities are connected to these records. Treat tribal information, ceremonies and sacred knowledge with respect, and don't claim tribal identity on the basis of genealogy alone.