Cherokee Rolls: Kern-Clifton Roll
On July 19, 1866, the Cherokee Nation signed a Reconstruction treaty with the United States, which granted Cherokee citizenship to Freedmen (former slaves of Cherokee Nation citizens) and their descendants. This was part of the overall post-Civil War Reconstruction process.
In the 1890s, the Cherokee Nation challenged the citizenship status claims of several Freedmen, as well as some Shawnee and Delaware Indians claiming to be Cherokee citizens. The Wallace Rolls was a census of Cherokee Freedmen compiled by John W. Wallace for the Commissioners of Indian Affairs.
There were some omissions and discrepancies in the original Wallace Rolls, so in 1896-97 Commissioners William Clifton, William Thompson, and Robert H. Kern compiled the Kern-Clifton Roll listing Cherokee Freedmen.
Finding your ancestor on this Cherokee roll indicates that they were Cherokee, however this is not a final roll so cannot be used as proof for tribal enrollment in the Cherokee Nation, United Keetoowah Band (UKB), or the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Find original images of this and many other Cherokee rolls and tribal records at Fold3.
Elements of the Kern-Clifton Roll:
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First Name
Last Name
Relation
Sex
Age
Status – This field indicates if the individuals application was accepted or rejected from the roll.
District – The name of the Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory district where the individual was living at the time of enrollment.
Number – Each individual’s roll number. In cases where the applicant was rejected, this field says “N/R” for not registered.
Family Number – This is an All Things Cherokee generated number. This helps to links the individuals of one family who were listed together.
Search
Please enter at least three characters of the persons first or last name to search the roll.