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How to Find Out Who My Choctaw Ancestors Are?

by Mark Saga

Overview

Finding out your Choctaw ancestry is a process similar to other genealogical searches, with a few research tools available that are specific to the Choctaw tribe. It is not quite as easy as contacting the tribe to get an immediate answer, though the Choctaw Nation does provide some assistance in your search. As with every genealogical project, this one starts by consulting your family for information on Choctaw ancestors.

Step 1

Contact relatives to find out exactly what the family knows about possible Choctaw ancestors. Compare the different stories and write down all details, like names of parents, grandparents and earlier relatives, birth dates, deaths, residences, marriages--and maiden names, a very important detail.
Step 2

Search for family documents relating to divorce, marriage, death, and birth, and visit the courthouse and consult your state for available documents. Ancestry.com has census records and military records and offers a free trial period. Choctaw men enlisted in Confederate and Union armies during the Civil War, and since then have often enlisted in the armed services.
Step 3

Consult the Final Dawes Roll, once you have the name of an ancestor who might have been a Native American. The Dawes Roll was a census of Native Americans taken in the late 1800s. The Choctaw tribe was included. The National Archives gives access to the Dawes Rolls and instructions on how to use them (see References). Your goal is to find the ancestor's roll number, because it can lead you to more information from the Choctaw Nation.
Step 4

Send an inquiry, using the roll number and name, to genealogy@choctawnation.com. The Choctaw Nation will do research, free of charge, and send you the person's application materials and census card, which may have information on family members, family legal documents, and transcripts of interviews or copies of correspondence with the Dawes Commission.
Step 5

Hire a professional genealogist who specializes in tracing Native American ancestry, if you need more help. Two genealogical organizations can assist you in finding the right researcher Board of Certification of Genealogists P.O. Box 14291 Washington, D.C. 20044 bcgcertification.org Association of Professional Genealogists P.O. Box 40393 Denver, Colorado 80204 apgen.org