East Texas Family Records, Volume 7, Number 2, Summer 1983 Page: 3
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EAST TEXAS FAMILY RECORDS VOL. 7, NO. 2, SUER 1983
SOME INDIAN NOTES FROM THE NGS-FW6S ANNUAL CONFERENCE
- By Sally Harper, Librarian
Tyler Public Library
First, a personal note - the Third Annual Conference of the National Genealogical
Society was marvelous. It was the first such conference that I have ever attended
and I loved every minute of it. The people I met were warm and friendly. The
conference facilities and rooms at the Americana Hotel in Fort Worth were terrific.
Fort Worth is charming and so are its citizens. The conference itself was
very well organized and the classes very informative. I would like to go again
someday.
The following paragraphs will briefly describe some genealogical sources available
to those searching for American Indian ancestors. However, before beginning
indian genealogy, it is necessary to know from what tribe the indian ancestor came
and/or in what geographical location he or she was living.
The Federal Archives and Records Branch in Fort Worth, is a very valuable resource
for indian records. Records kept there are those that were created in a five
state area - Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas. These include the
correspondence files of Indian Agents (mostly unindexed), Tribal enrollment (census)
records, land allotment records, land sales record (no index), and school records
including those of the Chilocco Indian Schools - second largest indian
school in the United States. The Archives has a copy of the "Dawes Commission of
the Five Civilized Tribes, Henry L. Dawes, chairman. Approximately 100,000 indian
claims for land were accepted by the Commission and these are indexed. This index
is on microfilm and a copy is on order for the Tyler Public Library. There are
also records of 200,000 claims that were rejected, however these are not indexed.
These claims were filed with the Commission beginning in 1894 and ending in 1907.
There are six main sources for indian records in Washington, D. C. These are the
National Archives, the library of the Department of the Interior, the Smithsonian
Institution, the Library of Congress, the library of the National Society of the
Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), and the library of the National Genealogical
Society. Addresses and phone numbers for these institutions should be
available from any public library.
-Three other excellent sources for indian records are located in the state of Oklahoma.
They are the library and archives of the Oklahoma Historical Society in
Oklahoma City; the library at the University of Oklahoma in Norman; and the Bureau
of Indian Affairs in Muskogee.
Three suggestions were made to those researching indian ancestors: (1) know from
which tribe your indian ancestor came; (2) determine if the tribal affiliation
was maintained; (3) determine if the tribe was recognized by the United States
Government. Records will be available only from those tribes recognized by the
government.
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East Texas Genealogical Society. East Texas Family Records, Volume 7, Number 2, Summer 1983, periodical, Summer 1983; Tyler, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth38045/m1/5/?rotate=90: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting East Texas Genealogical Society.