Kern-Clifton Roll and Additional Resources

Roll of Cherokee Freedmen (Kern-Clifton Roll, 01/16/1897)

To fill in omissions and correct discrepancies in the Wallace Rolls, Commissioners William Clifton, William Thompson, and Robert H. Kern compiled a roll listing Cherokee Freedmen’s name, position in family, age, sex, district of residence, and other information. The roll is divided into sections for authenticated and contesting (admitted) Freedmen and their descendants. Family groups are generally listed to­gether.

Access digitized copies of these records for free through the National Archives. Visit the National Archives Catalog for a full records description: National Archives Identifier 300322. Please note: the Access Genealogy website provides a searchable database.

Additional Resources

The following records supplement the Wallace and Kern-Clifton Rolls. These records are housed at the National Archives in Washington, DC (Archives 1). For more information, please contact the Archives 1 Reference Branch at archives1reference@nara.gov.

• "Affidavits Relating to Cherokee Citizenship, 1889–1890" (National Archives Identifier 2123881)
   
• "Letters Received Relating to Cherokee Citizenship, 1875–1889" (National Archives Identifier 2123873)
   
• "Drafts of Census Rolls Relating to Cherokee Citizenship, 1889–1890" (National Archives Identifier 2123893)
   
• "Supplementary Census Rolls, 1891–1892" (National Archives Identifier 2123938)
   
• "Rolls of Shawnee Cherokee, 1889–1896" (also known as the Dickson Roll; National Archives Identifier 2123954)
   
• "Index to the Cherokee Freedmen Payment Roll, 1897" (National Archives Identifier 1949698)
   
• "Cherokee Freedmen Payment Roll, 1897" (National Archives Identifier 1949712)
   
• "Supplemental Payment Roll for Cherokee Freedmen, 1897" (National Archives Identifier 1949732)
   
• "Exhibits for Cherokee Freedmen Payment Rolls, 1897" (National Archives Identifier 1950093)

Related Records

The following records are housed at the National Archives at Fort Worth. For more information, please contact ftworth.archives@nara.gov.

• "List of Applicants as Freedmen, 1897–1897" (National Archives Identifier 649621)

If you are unable to locate your ancestor in the Kern-Clifton Roll, consider searching the Wallace Roll of Cherokee Freedmen.