The Five Tribes Bill approved on
April 26, 1906
provided an opportunity for the Choctaw and Chickasaw Freedmen to enroll their
children for land allotments.
The bill contained provisions for children living as of
March 4, 1906 to be enrolled but the Secretary of the Interior Hitchcock ruled
on November 3, that the children of Choctaw freedmen could be enrolled, but on
November 15, he ruled that the children of Chickasaw freedmen were not entitled
for enrollment and land allotment.
It wasn’t until December (1st through 31st) that
the Dawes Commission heard testimony and received “applications for 1,545
Choctaw “Minors”; of which 489 were denied.”
That list of Choctaw Minors is being published for the Choctaw Freedmen
researcher who has come across notations on their ancestors Dawes Enrollment
(allotment) card and would like to add the children who were enumerated during
this period.
Carter points out the commission “The commission enrolled 472 out of 719
Choctaw freedmen, and all 754 applications from Chickasaw freedmen were
dismissed “for want of jurisdiction” under Hitchcock’s November 15th
ruling.
