Census Rolls on Microfilm

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Jul 19, 2000

As we discussed in a prior article, annual census rolls were taken of individual tribes by government agents, usually under the auspices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Last week's article addressed searching some of those census rolls online through the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) office. Although all rolls are not yet online, the NARA does maintain the original records for all the government rolls. They are available on microfilm and many large libraries make their copies of these rolls available through inter-library loans. You can also obtain a copy on loan through many Family History Centers throughout nation.

The census data was gathered each year and the quantity of information will vary with each record. All include names, either English, Native American or both; age and/or date of birht, sex, the person's relationship to the head of household, and a roll number. Beginning in 1930, (and in some cases even earlier), many censuses also designate the person's degree of aboriginal blood, their marital status, and often the place of residence.

The key to using these microfilm rolls is to know which one you want to look at. The best method I've found is to identify the geographical area you are searching which should also help you identify the name of the agency that made the original record. Using historical records as a resource, as described in prior articles, will also help identify the tribe you are researching. The census rolls of the Cherokee Nation are described in detail in the article on searching NARA records online. A list of microfilm rolls for the tribes named below may be found at http://www.angelfire.com/tx/carolynegene...