How do I trace my Choctaw heritage?

Question

My grandmother.. on my mothers' side was a full blood Choctaw Indian... I have tried to trace her but apparently they did not "log" her in back then..or something like that.................. I believe she came from Oklahoma but I think she was born Oswatome..sp.. Kansas... every time I come to a dead end..... no one is still living on that side except for a few of us grandchildren and we can't find anything out.....

Help Please....... Thannk You....

Answer 1

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/choctaw/me...

http://www.nanations.com/choctaw/index.h...

http://www.archives.gov/southwest/findin...

Answer 2

trace Grandma just the same as any other ancestor, using vital statistics (birth/death records), and more important, census records, which are open for research from 1930 and before. Once you find her parents/ grandparents/ their siblings, etc.. you will find evidence of what race they show in historical terms.

http://rwguide.rootsweb.ancestry.com/

A very high percentage of persons 'claiming' Native ancestry, wind up being oral history only.. and without any facts to back it up.  Keep an open mind in searching.. instead of limiting this to assuming a fact that is not proven.

If the family IS Choctaw.. it will show up, in the normal process.

Answer 3

If your grandmother was full Choctaw she may have been enrolled in the tribe. I would contact the tribal offices in Oklahoma and see if they have search services. I know from my own experience with my wife and kids (they are Creek). The tribe just required, along withe their application to enroll in the tribe, us to fill out a pedigree chart and provide birth certificate for each person.  It helped that we had my wife's father's enrollment number but it wasnt' required.

You should try looking at the Dawes Rolls. The Dawes Rolls (or Final Rolls of Citizens and Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes, or Dawes Commission of Final Rolls) were created by the Dawes Commission. The Commission, authorized by United States Congress in 1893, was required to negotiate with the Five Civilized Tribes to convince them to agree to an allotment plan and dissolution of the reservation system. One of the consequences was the creation of rolls of the members of the five tribes (Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw, and Seminole). The rolls were needed to assign the allotments and to provide an equitable division of all monies obtained. These rolls became known as the Dawes Rolls. The Dawes Commission was quickly flooded by applicants from all over the country trying to get on the rolls. The Commission went to the individual tribes to obtain the membership lists but the first attempts were inadequate. Finally Congress passed the Curtis Act in 1898 which had a provision that a new roll would be taken and supersede all previous rolls. More that 250,000 people applied for membership, and the Dawes Commission enrolled just over 100,000. An act of Congress on April 26, 1906, closed the rolls on March 5, 1907. An additional 312 persons were enrolled under an act approved August 1, 1914.

Have you tried census?

Osawatomie, KS?

When did your grandmother live?

Answer 4

There is a western history collection at Oklahoma University. My daughter browsed around there during summer vacation and found the names of some of her Choctaw ancestors, don't know what she was reading but she told me about it. One of the Native American History majors living at OU told me that the family was well-respected in Southeastern Oklahoma and had many musicians and preachers.  Apparently that is where she got her ability for orchestra.   Maybe the family name was spelled differently then too. Hope you can find the information you need. The Western History Collection is very interesting if you have time to search.

Answer 5

Alot of people, back then, never kept records of anything, So thats gonna make it somewhat harder! Ok i'd say, if you know your gram's parents names, and the reservation name, then to go there if you want to know that bad! Set up a date or whatnot to talk with an elder, you'd be surprised at what they know and what they can tell you! If your gram was  full blooded, someone would definitely know her name, lastname even, parents names, etc.. Good Luck with your search!