Search Applications (Various)
About This Database
This database includes names from various collections at the Oklahoma Historical Society. It will be expanded as more applications are donated or found in collections.
Cherokee Freedmen Collection, 1901
The Cherokee Freedmen Collection (1981.111) includes photocopies of interviews and other documents concerning 15 Freedmen who applied to the Dawes Commission for enrollment in the Cherokee Nation. Included are their applications for enrollment as Cherokee Freedmen. The database also includes names of individuals referenced in the interviews and documents.
Wichita and Kiowa, Comanche, and Apache Ceded Lands Homestead Applications, 1901
The Wichita, Kiowa, Comanche, and Apache Ceded Lands Homestead Applications Collection (1982.039) contains more than one thousand applications for homestead entry within the Wichita-Caddo and Kiowa-Comanche-Apache ceded lands. The applications include names, dates, and towns.
In 1900–01 the Kiowa-Comanche-Apache and Wichita-Caddo lands were allotted to tribal members. President McKinley issued Proclamation 460 on July 4, 1901, which ordered the remaining lands be opened by lottery. The lands were divided into two districts: El Reno and Lawton. Individuals seeking land registered for the lottery, and drawings were held in July and August of 1901.
Oklahoma Commission for the Adult Blind Collection
The Oklahoma Commission for the Adult Blind was established in 1919 by House Bills 210 and 328. In 1947 its functions were moved to the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. House Bill 210 provided for a trained teacher to go into the client’s home to teach braille, typing, sewing, and various crafts. House Bill 328 provided funds for assistance for blind or partially blind people most in need. To qualify, a person had to have lived in the state five continuous years during the last nine years. An investigator was sent to the home of the applicant to determine the need, and assistance was based on their report and number of dependents.
The Oklahoma Commission for the Blind Collection (2008.061) includes commission files for 1935–1937 including applications for assistance and correspondence. Application files include family and medical information, court orders, case reports for the applicant. The files also have data on the living conditions and government assistance. Each file lists the applicants by county, and includes a date of birth. The general correspondence deals with letters from clients, craft money-making projects, general business of the commission, and various matters. The Talking Book Machine letters relate to the program of providing machines and recorded books to the blind.
Sorosis Club of Oklahoma City Collection
Author and journalist Jane Cunningham Croly founded the Sorosis club in 1868. The women’s association was created in response to females being barred from many professional organizations. Founded on a principle of “municipal housekeeping,” this organization was involved in many community activities. The name, Sorosis, is from a Greek term that refers to a fleshy fruit, such as the pineapple.
The Sorosis club of Oklahoma City was founded in 1909, and was at its height in the 1940s. The group disbanded in 2001. The Sorosis Club of Oklahoma City Collection (1980.012) contains applications for 1925–1980. Included on the applications are names, dates, and the person's area of activity.
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