[From "American Indians, A Select Catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications"]
(Mostly Creek Indian related rolls listed.)


Records of the Superintendent of Indian Trade, 1806-1823
(Predecessor to Bureau of Indian Affairs created 1824)

By 1795 the United States government had begun operat­ing factories, or posts, to trade with the Indians, and in 1806, the Office of Indian Trade was formally established.

Letters Sent, 1807-1823
M16. 6 rolls.

This publication includes handwritten copies of the outgoing correspondence of the Superintendents of Indian Trade with the Secretary of War, factors and other representatives of the Office of Indian Trade, Indian agents, the Secretary of the Treasury and other Treasury officials, the President, merchants, manufacturers, bankers, and others. The letters relate to the purchase of goods for the factories, the disposal of furs and other commodities received from the factories, the operation of the factories, annuity payments, accounts, and appointments as well as to Indian trade and Indian affairs in general. Each volume is arranged chronologically, but there is some overlapping between volumes. Each volume is indexed by name of addressee.

RollContents
1Oct. 31, 1807-May 27, 1809
2June l, 1809-June 20, 1812
3June 26, 1812-Apr. 18, 1816
4Apr. 12. 1816-Apr. 11, 1818
5Mar. 31, 1818-July 20, 1820
6July 11, 1820-Apr. 18, 1823

Letters Received, 1800-1824
T58. 1 roll.

This series consists mainly of correspondence received by the Superintendents of Indian Trade. Included are incoming correspondence of the transportation agent and, after the closing of the Office of Indian Trade, of the principal agent for the liquidation of the factories. There are letters from factors, purchasing and transportation agents, the Secretary of War, the Secretary of the Treasury, merchants, members of missionary societies, and others interested in Indian trade or Indians generally. Also included are some drafts of outgoing correspondence, memorandums, and accounting records. For the most part, the letters are arranged chronologically, although sometimes letters received from one person during a calendar year are grouped together.

Letterbook, Arkansas Trading House, 1805-1810
M142. 1 roll.

Records of the Creek Trading House, 1795-1816
M4. 1 roll

Records of the Creek Factory of the Office of Indian Trade of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1795-1821
M1334. 13 rolls

The factory for the Creek Indians was one of the two original fac­tories established in November 1795. It was not usually called the Creek factory. Sometimes it was referred to as the Georgia factory, but it was better known by the names of its successive locations: Colerain on the St. Mary's River, 1795-97; Fort Wilkinson, 1797­1806; Ocmulgee Old Fields, 1806-09; Fort Hawkins, 1809-16; and Fort Mitchell, 1816-20.

The records have been filmed in the same order as they have been described in the preliminary inventory of the Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs as entries 42 through 53, with the excep­tion of one series of records (entry 43), which has been previously microfilmed by the National Archives as M4, Letters Sent, Records of the Creek Trading House, 1795-1816, and has not been refilmed in this publication. See the BIA Inventory, entry 42, for more information about the Creek Factory.

RollContents
1, 2Correspondence, 1795-1814
3-5Daybooks, 1799-1820;
13 volumes and unbound papers
6Journal and Ledger, 1796-97;
1 volume Ledger and Journal, 1796-1802;
1 volume
7,8 Journals, 1801-20;
5 volumes and unbound papers
9, 10Ledgers, 1798-1820;
5 volumes and unbound papers
11Journal of Transactions with Benjamin Hawkins, 1808-14;
1 volume Ledger of Hawkins's Accounts, 1808-14;
1 volume Vouchers, 1796-1821
12Miscellaneous Accounts, 1795-1803
13Miscellaneous Accounts, 1803-1816
Records of the Fort Wilkinson Garrison, 1795-1802;
1 volume and unbound papers

Records of the Choctaw Trading House, 1803-1824
T500. 6 rolls.

RollContents
1Indent Book, 1805-20; miscellaneous 1803-10
2Miscellaneous accounts 1811-15
3Miscellaneous accounts 1816-24
4Daybooks 1808-13
5Daybooks 1814-16
6Daybooks 1817-19

Letterbook of the Natchitoches-Sulphur Fork Factory
1809-1821. T1029. 1 roll.




Office of the Secretary of War

Letters Received by the Secretary of War Relating to Indian Affairs, 1800-1823.
M271. 4 rolls.

This series primarily concerns Indians in the southern United States and the Seneca in New York. It represents only a small part of the original incoming correspondence relating to Indian affairs. The series contains correspondence from Indian superintendents and agents, factors of trading posts, territorial and state governors, military commanders, Indians, and missionaries. Some drafts of letters sent, vouchers, receipts, requisitions, abstracts and statements, certificates of deposit, depositions, and newspapers are included. The records relate to the negotiation of Indian treaties, land reserves of individual Indians, mission schools, government trading posts, issuance of licenses to private traders, distribution of annuities, slaves in Indian country, liquor control, investment of Indian moneys, accounts, and other subjects. The correspondence is arranged by year, thereunder alphabetically by the name of the writer, and thereunder chronologically by the date of the letter. See the BIA Inventory, entry 79, for more information about "Letters Received".

RollDates
11800-16
21817-19
31820-21
41822-23

Letters Sent by the Secretary of War Relating to Indian Affairs, 1800-1824
M15. 6 rolls.

This series includes handwritten copies of letters to territorial governors, Indian superintendents, Indian agents and subagents, the Superintendent of Indian Trade, factors of trading posts, military commanders, private traders, bankers, persons having commercial dealings with the department, missionaries, Indians, and others. Some of the letters are noted as signed by clerks in the Department rather than by the Secretary, and a few are noted as signed by the President. Included are copies of addresses to Indian delegations, appointments, passports issued for travel in Indian country, and instructions to treaty commissioners. This series is arranged chronologically. Each volume is indexed alphabetically, primarily by name of addressee but sometimes by name of tribe or other principal subject. See the BIA Inventory, entry 84, for more information about "Letters Sent" .

RollDates
1Nov. 17, 1800-Apr. 20, 1804
2Apr. 23, 1804-July 5, 1809
3July 8, 1809-Dec. 31, 1816
4Jan. 8, 1818-July 31, 1820
5Aug. 3, 1820-Oct. 5, 1823
6Oct. 28, 1823-Apr. 26, 1824



Office of Indian Affairs (Central Office)
(Bureau of Indian Affairs created 1824)


Registers of Letters Received, 1824-1880
M18. 126 rolls.

These are registers for the records filmed as microfilm publication M234. Each letter includes the name of the writer; the date the letter was written; the date it was received, beginning in April 1834; the place where it was written; a summary of its contents; the jurisdiction or other heading under which the letter was filed; and beginning in July 1838, the file number assigned to each letter upon its receipt.

Each volume is divided into alphabetical sections; the letters "i" and "j" were combined for registering and filing purposes. The registers contain some cross-references to enclosures and to letters registered under a name different from the expected one.

RollDates
1Jan. 1, 1824-Dec. 31, 1826
2Jan. 1, 1827-Dec. 31, 1830
3Jan. 1, 1831-Dec. 31, 1832
4Jan. 1, 1833-Mar. 31, 1834
5Apr. 1, 1834-Jan. 31, 1835
6Feb. 1, 1835-Mar. 28, 1836
7Mar. 29-Dec. 8, 1836
8Dec. 9, 1836-June 2, 1837
9June 3-Sept. 19, 1837
10Sept. 20-Dec. 31, 1837
11Jan. 1-Mar. 31, 1838
12Apr. 1-June 12, 1838
13June 12-Sept. 24, 1838
14Sept. 25-Dec. 31, 1838
15Jan. 1-Mar. 72, 1839
16Mar. 13-July 31, 1839
17Aug. 1, 1839-Jan. 31, 1840
18Feb. 1-July 2, 1840
19July 3, 1840-Feb. 27, 1841
20Mar. I-July 31, 1841
21Aug. 1, 1841-Jan. 31, 1842
22Feb. 1-June 30, 1842
23July 1-Dec. 31, 1842
24Jan. 1-May 31, 1843
25June 1-Oct. 31, 1843
26Nov. 1, 1843-Mar. 3, 1844
27Mar. 4-June 26, 1844
28June 25-Oct. 31, 1844
29Nov. 1, 1844-Apr. 1, 1845
30Apr. 1-Sept. 1, 1845
31Sept. 1, 1845-Feb. 1, 1846
32Feb. 1-Dec. 1, 1846
33Dec. 1, 1846-June 30, 1847
34July 1, 1847-Mar. 31, 1848
35Apr. 1-Dec. 31, 1848
36Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 1849
37Jan. 1-Oct. 11, 1850
38Oct. 12, 1850-Apr. 30, 1851
39May I-Dec. 31, 1851
40Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 1852
41Jan. 1-Oct. 4, 1853
42Oct. 5, 1853-May 14, 1854
RollDates
43May 15, 1854-Jan. 3, 1855
44Jan. 4-July 31, 1855
45Aug. 1-Dec. 31, 1855
46Jan. 1-June 30, 1856
47July 1-Dec. 31, 1856
48Jan. 1-June 30, 1857
49July 1-Dec. 31, 1857
50Jan. 1-June 30, 1858
51July 1-Dec. 31, 1858
52Jan. 1-June 30, 1859
53July 1-Dec. 31, 1859
54Jan. 1-May 31, 2860
55June 1-Dec. 31, 1860
56Jan. 1-June 30, 1861
57July 1-Dec. 31, 1861
58Jan. 1-June 30, 1862
59July 1-Dec. 31, 1862
60Jan. 1-June 30, 1863
61July 1-Dec. 31, 1863
62Jan. 1-May 31, 1864
63June 1-Dec. 31, 1864
64Jan. 1-June 30, 1865
65July I-Dec. 31, 1865
66Jan. 1-Apr. 30, 1866
67May 1-Aug. 31, 1866
68Sept. 1-Dec. 31, 1866
69Jan. 2-Mar. 31, 1867
70Apr. 1-June 30, 1867
71July 1-Sept. 30, 1867
72Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 1867
73Jan. 1-Mar. 31, 1868
74Apr. 1-June 30, 1868
75July 1-Sept. 30, 1868
76Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 1868
77Jan. 1-Mar. 31, 1869
78Apr. 1-June 30, 1869
79July 1-Sept. 20, 1869
80Sept. 22-Dec. 31, 1869
81Jan. 1-Mar. 30, 1870
82Apr. 1-June 30, 1870
83July 1-Sept. 3, 1870
84Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 1870
RollDates
85Jan. 1-Mar. 31, 1871
86Apr. 1-June 30, 1871
87July 1-Sept. 30, 1871
88Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 1871
89Jan. 1-Mar. 31, 1872
90Apr. 1-June 30, 1872
91July 1-Sept. 30, 1872
92Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 1872
93Jan. 1-Mar. 31, 1873
94Apr. 1-June 30, 1873
95July 1-Sept 30, 1873
96Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 1873
97Jan. 1-Mar 31, 1874
98Feb. 26-June 30, 1874
99July 1-Sept. 30, 1874
100Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 1874
101Jan. 1-Mar. 31, 1875
102Apr. 1-June 30, 1875
103July 1-Sept. 30, 1875
104Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 1875
105Jan. 1-Mar. 31, 1876
106Apr. 1-June 30, 1876
107July 1-Sept. 30, 1876
108Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 1876
109Jan. 1-Mar, 31, 1877
110Apr. 1-June 30, 1877
111July 1-Sept. 30, 1877
112Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 1877
113Jan. 1-Mar. 31, 1878
114Apr. 1-June 30, 1878
115July 1-Sept. 30, 1878
116Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 1878
117Jan. 1-Apr. 30, 1879, A-M
118Jan. 1-June 30, 1879, N-Z
119May 1-Aug. 31, 1879, A-M
120Sept. 1-Dec. 31, 1879, A-M
121July 1-Dec. 31, 1879, N-Z
122Jan. 1-May 31, 1880, A-M
123June 1-Oct. 31, 1880, A-M
124Nov. 1-Dec. 31, 1880, A-M
125Jan. 1-May 31, 1880, N-Z
126June 1-Dec. 31, 1880, N-Z



Letters Received, 1824-1881
M234. 962 rolls (partial list)

[Listing only the "Five Civilised Tribes" related rolls]

This series contains incoming correspondence from all sources concerning Indian lands, emigration, treaty negotiations, subsistence, annuity payments, conflicts, depredations, claims, traders and licenses, population, education, progress in agriculture, health, employees, buildings, supplies, accounts, other administrative matters, and many other subjects relating to Indians and to the operations of the bureau. The letters are arranged alphabetically by name of field jurisdiction (superintendency or agency) or other subject heading, thereunder by year, and thereunder in registry order (alphabetically by initial letter of surname or other designation of writer and thereunder chronologically by date of receipt). Letters relating to an agency for all or part of its existence may be filed under the agency's own name or under the name of the superintendency to which it was or had been responsible. The registers for these records have been filmed as microfilm publication M18.

Cherokee Agency, Letters Received, 1824-80
M234 rolls 71-118

See the BIA Inventory, entries 1041-1057, for more information about the Cherokee Agency.

RollSubject and Dates
71(East) 1824-25
72(East) 1826-28
73(East) 1829
74(East) 1830-31
75(East) 1832-33
76(East) 1834-36
77(West) 1824-31
78(West) 1832-33
79(West) 1834-36
801836
811837
821838
831839
841840
851841
861842
RollSubject and Dates
871843
881844
891845
901846
911847
921848
931849
941850
951851-52
961853-54
971855
981856-58
991859-64
1001865-66
1011867-68
1021869
RollSubject and Dates
1031870
1041871
1051872
1061873
1071874
1081875 (173-M929)
1091875 (M930-W1846)
1101876-77
1111878-79
1121880
113Emigration, 1828-36
114Emigration, 1837
115Emigration, 1838
116Emigration, 1839-54
117Reserves, 1828-40
118Reserves, 1841-50

Chickasaw Agency, Letters Received, 1824-70
M234 rolls 135-148

See the BIA Inventory, entry 1058, for more information about the Chickasaw Agency.

RollSubject and Dates
1351824-29
1361830-35
1371836-39
1381840-43
1391844-49
RollSubject and Dates
1401850-52
1411853-55
1421856-61,1867-70
143Emigration 1837-38
144Emigration 1839-50
RollSubject and Dates
145Reserves 1836-37
146Reserves 1838-39
147Reserves 1840-42
148Reserves 1843-50

Choctaw Agency, Letters Received, 1824-78
M234 rolls 169-196

See the BIA Inventory, entry 1059, for more information about the Choctaw Agency.

RollSubject and Dates
1691824-31
1701832-38
1711839-51
1721852-53
1731854
1741855-56
1751857-59
1761860-66
1771867-68
1781869
RollSubject and Dates
1791870-71
1801872-73
1811874
1821875
1831876
184(West) 1825-38
185Emigration 1826-45
186Emigration 1846-49
187Emigration 1850-59
188Reserves 1833-35
RollSubject and Dates
189Reserves 1836-37
190Reserves 1838-40
191Reserves 1841-42
192Reserves 1843
193Reserves 1844
194Reserves 1845
195Reserves 1846-50
196Reserves 1851-60

Creek Agency, Letters Received, 1824-76
M234 rolls 219-248

See the BIA Inventory, entry 1065, for more information about the Creek Agency.

RollSubject and Dates
2191824-25 (O)
2201825 (P)-1826
2211827-28
2221829-31
2231832-33
2241834-35
2251836-38
2261839-42
2271843-47
2281848-52
RollSubject and Dates
2291853-56
2301857-63
2311864-68
2321869-70
2331871-72
2341873
2351874-76
236(West) 1826-36
237Emigration, 1826-36
238Emigration, 1837
RollSubject and Dates
239Emigration, 1838-39
240Emigration, 1840-49
241Reserves, 1832-34
242Reserves, 1835
243Reserves, 1836
244Reserves, 1837
245Reserves, 1838
246Reserves, 1839
247Reserves, 1840-41
248Reserves, 1842-50


Florida Superintendency, Letters Received, 1824-53
M234 rolls 186-291

RollSubject and Dates
2861824-26
2871827-31
2881832-37
2891838-50
290Emigration, 1828-38
291Emigration, 1839-53
Reserves, 1839-47

Seminole Agency, Letters Received, 1824-76
M234 rolls 800-807

RollSubject and Dates
8001824-45
8011846-55
8021856-58
8031859-67
8041868-71
8051872-76
806Emigration, 1827-46
807Emigration, 1848-59


Southern Superintendency, Letters Received, 1851-71
M234 rolls 833-839

RollDates
8331851-56
8341857-62
8351863-64
8361865
8371866-67
8381868-69
8391870-71

Union Agency, Letters Received, 1875-80
M234 rolls 865-877

RollDates
8651875-76 (M1008)
8661876 (M1025-W1364)
8671877 (A54-P557)
8681877 (R6-W1268)
8691878 (A13-M168)
8701878 (M196-Z1)
8711879 (A7-L377)
8721879 (L419-W 1381)
8731879 (W1415)-1880 (H647)
8741880 (H665-L956)
8751880 (L1113-53875)
8761880 (T5-899)
8771880 (T902-Y62)

Western Superintendency, Letters Received, 1832-51
M234 rolls 921-924

RollDates
9211832-36
9221837-39
9231840-46
9241847-51
"Emigration, 1836-42

See the BIA Inventory for more information about the Southern, Union and Western Superintendencies .




Special Files
M574, rolls 1-85

See the BIA Inventory, Entry 98, for information about "Special Files", and see the list of Special Files




Letters Sent, 1824-1881
M21. 166 rolls. DP.

This series consists of handwritten copies of the general outgoing correspondence of the Office of Indian Affairs. Included are instructions to superintendents, agents, and other employees and acknowledgments of and replies to incoming correspondence.  Reports to the Secretary of War (or to the Secretary of the Interior after 1849) and to certain other officials, including chairmen of congressional committees, were copied in a separate series of volumes called "Report Books" (see M348).

Until 1869 the letters were copied in chronological order.  Beginning in that year, two or more books were used simultanously. Letters relating to certain broad subjects (such as land, finance, and civilization) were copied into separate books, but with in each book the arrangement continued to be chronological. Most of the volumes are indexed by name of addressee and, to some extent, by subject. There are also marginal notations of the page numbers for other letters to the same person.

[Too many rolls to list.]


Field Office Records

By the time the Office of Indian Affairs was established in 1824, the system of superintendencies and agencies was well organized, Superintendents had general responsibility for Indian affairs in a geographical area, usually a Territory, but sometimes a larger area. Their duties included the supervision of intertribal relationships in their jurisdiction and between the tribes and citizens of the United States or other persons, and the supervision of the conduct and accounts of agents responsible to them. Agents were immediately responsible for the affairs of one or more tribes. They attempted to preserve or restore peace and often tried to induce Indians to cede their lands and to move to areas less threatened by white encroachment. They also distributed money and goods and carried out other provisions of treaties with the Indians. Gradually, as the Indians were confined on reservations, the agents became more concerned with educating and "civilizing" them.

The records maintained by field offices relate to almost all aspects of Indian administration in the field. Records of a superintendency include those of the agencies over which it had jurisdiction. Sometimes records of reservation schools and other field units are included with the agency records. The kinds of records maintained did not vary much from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, although there are great differences in the quantities that have survived. Most of the correspondence of superintendents and independent agents was conducted with the central office of the bureau, but considerable correspondence was exchanged between superintendents and agents within the superintendency. Also found is correspondence with other field officials and employees, Army officers, businessmen, and Indians.


Records of the Cherokee Indian Agency in Tennessee, 1801-1835
M208. 14 rolls. DP.

See the BIA Inventory for more information about the Cherokee Indian Agency in Tennessee.


Records of the Southern Superintendency, 1832-1870 and Western Superintendency, 1832-1851.
M640. 22 rolls.

See the BIA Inventory for more information about the Southern and Western Superintendencies.

RollDates
Western Superintendency, letters received:
11832, 1834-37
21838-39
31840-41
41842-43
51844-45
61846-48
71849-51
Southern Superintendency, letters received:
81851-52
91853
101854
111855
121856
RollDates
131857
141858
151859
161860-61
Letters sent:
17June 1, 1853-June 1, 1854
18June 3, 1854-May 7, 1855
19May 26, 1855-Dec. 31, 1856
20Jan. 5, 1857-May 3, 1860
21June 27, 1860-June 12, 1661;
correspondence, Oct. 12, 1869-Aug. 18, 1870
22(Letters sent) Agency records, 1860-70;
Confederate records, 1861-62





This page last updated April 7, 2004.