The Choctaw people originally lived in the area that became the states of Mississippi and Alabama and gradually ceded their territories to the U. S. government. The last cession was made in 1830, following the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek. The most extensive record of Choctaw people and lands in the east was generated as a result of this treaty.

The Indian agent William Armstrong took a roll of the Choctaw who were entitled to land under the treaty. This roll, commonly called the Armstrong Roll, has been published in several forms, the most readily available being that which was published in American State Papers: Volume7, part II, Index to Public Lands. American State Papers contain a very good surname index to this volume.

The American State Papers series can be found in many public libraries and can serve as an important first step in locating an ancestor if you can identify the name of a male progenitor during the removal period (1830-46).

You can also find the Armstrong Roll online for free at Access Genealogy. (Scroll down below the text at the top).

The removal records also contain lists of emigrants and muster rolls created upon arrival in Oklahoma. These are found in the archives in Washington D.C. but some can be found in the Ft. Worth branch, as well. Almost all U.S. records for all American Indians are found in Record Group 75.

Preservation microfilm of some of the emigrant and muster rolls has been made and is available from the National Archives. Other emigration rolls are found in association with the record of an attempt to remove the Choctaws remaining in Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi during 1855-56. This microfilm can be purchased as Microfilm A20, titled Cooper Census and Emigration Roll.

Some of the emigration registers and names of Choctaws who remained in Mississippi are also available on preservation microfilm 7RA – 116A. Choctaws Who Remained in Mississippi: 1830.

No scholarly reference library is complete without a copy of Ancestry’s Red Book. In it, you will find both general and specific information essential to researchers of American records. This revised 3rd edition provides updated county and town listings within the same overall state-by-state organization.

Whether you are looking for your ancestors in the northeastern states, the South, the West, or somewhere in the middle, “”Ancestry’s Red Book has information on records and holdings for every county in the United States, as well as excellent maps from renowned mapmaker William Dollarhide. In short, the “”Red Book is simply the book that no genealogist can afford not to have.

The availability of census records such as federal, state, and territorial census reports is covered in detail. Unlike the federal census, state and territorial census were taken at different times and different questions were asked. Vital records are also discussed, including when and where they were kept and how.