CENSUS RECORDS

Those who were not Native American but who were residing in Indian Territory were enumerated in the federal census of 1860. These schedules are found under "Indian Lands" and follow the enumeration for Yell County, Arkansas, in the microfilm editions. The first federal census for Oklahoma was in 1890, though the census was destroyed. The censuses were taken every ten years thereafter, and are currently available through 1920. All are indexed in at least one format.
In the 1900 census, the present-day state was divided into Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory. These enumerations for both Oklahoma and Indian territories are on separate microfilm reels. Reel numbers for the area called "Oklahoma" follow those for Ohio but include only schedules for Oklahoma Territory counties, Oklahoma Territory Indian Reservation, and military and naval jurisdictions. The 1900 census for Indian Territory is grouped separately in microfilm reels following the territories. A special territory-sponsored census was taken in June 1890 for the seven territorial counties. Finding aids include a card index at the Oklahoma Historical Society and James W. Smith, Smith's First Directory of Oklahoma Territory: For the Year Commencing August 1st, 1890 (Guthrie, Okla.: the author, 1890). The Cherokee Nation took its own censuses in 1880 and 1890. Originals are at the Indian Archives, where microfilm copies are available for sale but not for interlibrary loan.

Oklahoma Research Sources

Gibson, Arrell Morgan. Oklahoma: A History of Five Centuries. 2nd ed. Norman: Harlow Publishing, 1981.
Gittinger, Roy. The Formation of the State of Oklahoma, 1803–1906. 1917. Reprint. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1939.
Smith, Jane, and Robert Kvasnicka, eds. "Major Indian Record Collections in Oklahoma." In Indian-White Relations: A Persistent Paradox. Washington, D.C.: Howard University Press, 1976.

Archives, Libraries and Societies
Oklahoma State Archives, Office of Archives and Records, Oklahoma Department of Libraries, 200 NE 18th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73105-3298

Oklahoma Historical Society/Library and Archives, 2100 N.Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73105-4997