If You Have These Creek Freedmen Surnames — The Rolls May Trace Your Family in Indian Territory

If your family carries surnames like McIntosh, Perryman, Grayson, Barnett, Kernel, Jefferson, Island, Jim Boy, or Redmouth, the Creek Freedmen rolls may help you trace your family in Indian Territory. I explore the federal records created between 1867 and 1914 that documented Black citizens of the Creek Nation in what is now Oklahoma. For many families, these rolls can provide names, relationships, and—on later enrollment cards—the names of ancestors’ mothers, fathers, and former enslavers. If your family ever said “we came out of Oklahoma,” “we were Creek,” or “our people had land down there,” these records may offer a path beyond the 1870 brick wall and toward the people who came before you. #CreekFreedmen #BlackGenealogy #NativeAmericanGenealogy #IndianTerritory #FamilyHistory #GenealogyResearch