I seem to have hit a dead end. I traced my lineage to my great great grandfather, but can’t find his father’s name or a birth record for him. Do Cherokee babies born on the reservation get a birth certificate issued?
*My grandfather was Larry Gene Hill (1937 – 2001) Born in (Beckham County) Sayre, Oklahoma Died in Council Bluffs Iowa.
*Larry’s father (my great grandfather) was Adrian Hill (1913 – 1974) Born in Oklahoma Died in (Beckham County) Delhi, Oklahoma.
*Adrian’s father (my great great grandfather) was Archie L. Hill (1889 – 1974) Born in Oklahoma (possibly on the Tahlequah Reservation ) in Oklahoma. Spouse Annie J Hill (1891 – 1974) both died in (Beckham County) Delhi, Oklahoma.
I was unable to locate Archie’s name on the 1900 Dawes Roll. (He would have only been a baby/toddler.) I can’t seem to find a link to his father’s name. That is the one that would most likely be on the roll. Being in the Oklahoma territory, I would think that the possibility of his name being on the roll is pretty high.
Any help is appreciated. Thank you!
Archie Leonard Hill wasn’t born in Indian Territory/Oklahoma. He was born in Texas. According to his WWI draft card he was born in Greenwood, Texas.
He can be found in the 1910 Census, living in Beckham County, Oklahoma. His father, Charlie, was listed as a widower at that time and living with his son. Charlie was born in Indiana (and his parents were born in Ohio and Indiana). Archie’s mother was listed as having been born in Texas also, but her identity is still unknown. The family is listed as White and not associated with the Cherokee tribe.
You have to take into account the historical context and the demography of the time period.
This county had been leased by Texas cattlemen (from the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes) in the 1880s, and it was formally opened to White settlement in 1892. At that time period, Indians were enumerated on specialized census forms, or “schedules.” From the 1870s onward, Indians were a minority in Indian Territory. And by the 1880s and 90s, they were a TINY minority. White settlers came flooding into this territory (both Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory, which have different histories), so having ancestors showing up in this general location prior to statehood does not necessarily mean they were tribal members or born on “the reservation.” Tribes were losing their territory at this time, and Whites were engaging in one of the last great land rushes in the contiguous US. You basically have to rely on the Indian Schedule records, tribal rolls and tribal records prior to final enumeration. If the record trail doesn’t align with this historical reality, then the claims of tribal affiliation have to be re-evaluated. They are often not accurate, in other words.
If you look at the specific historical timeline, all tribal members alive during Dawes Enumeration would be betting enrolled according to their status (e.g. By Blood, Minors, Intermarried Whites, Freedmen/descendants). A person born in 1889 would be about 11-12 years old during the point at which the Dawes Commission really started to get the enumeration process going. This was circa 1900 and a few years into the 20th century. The rolls were closed in early 1907. He would not have been a baby or toddler at this time period, and his father at least was alive and well after the Final Rolls were closed.
What can be shown in the records is that he was born in Greenwood, Texas in the late 1880s. His dad was a White man from Indiana, and his mother was born in Texas. They don’t show up on the rolls even though they were alive at the time, and living in the state of Oklahoma. They resided in an area that was predominantly White and had no connection to the Cherokee people.
The records would seem to indicate that this family did not have tribal affiliation.
Looking for information on Margaret Lucille Mullins Short.from the Jenkins Kentucky area. Her parents were Allie and Trigg Mullins.
Any help is appreciated. Thank you!