Someone gave you a NUMBER to go with your ancestor's name!!

WOW! How exciting. Now, WHAT do you do with it?

Well, first, do you know what the number is? It could be ANYTHING, but it is important to know EXACTLY WHAT IT IS!

IS IT?

YOU DON'T KNOW?

Did they forget to tell you that?

Or did you forget to ask?

A Native American's "official" identity is made up of NUMBERS. Those numbers are their places on a given roll or any of its components. If you don't know what roll, you REALLY DO NOT KNOW ANYTHING!

Don't go rushing off to order material from the National Archives, the Tribal office, or anyplace else you may be able to get the information until you know what you are really looking for.

Many people ask for "lookups" for their particular ancestor's name. The person who is kind enough to look up this information may think you know what you are getting.

DON'T be afraid or embarrassed to ask what they have given you.

And when they tell you that it is a "Dawes" Roll number (or whatever) and you don't understand what that means, BE SURE TO ASK THEM!

By their willingness to help in looking up the name, they are apparently willing to explain to you what the source is and what it means. If they don't know, and sometimes they don't, they can then tell you and together you can seek out someone who will know.

We will be exploring the various rolls and their components throughout these pages. You will learn what each number is and it's significance. Please pass the information on to the next new person you come across. We all learn by sharing and experience.

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This Page updated created by Jerry Wright Jordan