GUIDE TO CATHOLIC RECORDS ABOUT NATIVE AMERICANS IN THE U.S.
Volume 1: Eastern United States
District of Columbia: DC-10
United States. National Archives and Records Administration. Archives I
700 Pennsylvania Avenue, Northwest
Washington, DC 20408
Phone: 202-501-5400
Hours: See website
Access: See website
Copying: Yes
Holdings of Catholic-related records about Native Americans:
Inclusive dates: 1685-1993
Volume: Small amount
Records about Catholic mission and schools serving Native Americans are found in 7 series of Record Group 75, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and other series within 7 other record groups. Such records comprise a small amount of each series, consisting of correspondence, quarterly school reports, school contracts, and correspondence with the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions, members of the church hierarchy, individual missionaries [e.g. Benedictines, Franciscans, Jesuits], Native American leaders, Indian agents, and others who dealt with church personnel. Primary subjects include mission lands, related claims, and financial matters. The dates and volumes for the series listed below are for the entire series and not for only Catholic-related records.
/1 “Record Group 48, Office of the Secretary of the Interior””
Inclusive dates: 1849-1880
Volume: Quantity and proportion of Indian and Catholic related records unknown
Description: Contains correspondence with missionaries, which is included in microfilm publications M825 and M606
/2 Record Group 49, Bureau of Land Management”
Inclusive dates: 1685-1993
Volume: Small amount
Description: Includes records on Indian mission lands and related private claims, particularly those pertaining to the Spanish Franciscan missions in California
/3 “Record Group 75, Bureau of Indian Affairs”
Inclusive dates: 1793-1989
Volume: Small amount
Description:
A. Records of the Office of the Secretary of War relating to Indian Affairs; contains correspondence with missionaries, which is included in microfilm publication M22
B. Records of the Office of Indian Trade, 1805-1822; contains correspondence with missionaries, which is included in microfilm publications T58 and M16
C. General Records, 1824-1907; contains correspondence with missionaries regarding the government Civilization Fund for mission schools, mission land disputes, and other concerns, most of which are included in microfilm publications M18, M-21, M-234, M348, and M574
D. General Records, 1907-1939, regarding religious training for Indians mission, mission churches, and other concerns
E. Audiovisual Records, includes photographs
F. Records of the Education Division; contains correspondence with the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions and missionaries primarily concerned with Indian schools
G. Field Office Records; contains records of the superintendencies, which are included in microfilm publications Arizona M734, Central M856, Dakota M1016, Idaho M832, Montana M833, Nevada M837, New Mexico T21, Oregon M2, Southern M860, Utah M834, Washington M5, and Wyoming M1016; records of agencies, government schools, and other field offices are held by the regional archives and record centers of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration; see website and other NARA guide entries for further information
/4 “Record Group 79, National Park Service”
Inclusive dates: 1785-1990
Volume: Small amount
Description:
A. Nez Perce National Park, contains records pertaining to St. Joseph’s Church (Nez Perce), Culdesac, Idaho
B. Tumacacori National Park, 1691-ca. 1850, copies of sacramental records with 7582 entries from 4 associated Spanish Jesuit missions that served Apache, Opata, Seri, Tohono O’odham, Yaqui, and Yuma Indians; see National Park Service website for further information, https://www.nps.gov/tuma/
/5 “Record Group 208, Office of War Information”
Inclusive dates: 1926-1951
Volume: Few items
Description: Category “Life in the United States” include pictures of the ordination of Reverend John J. Brown, S.J. (Siksika)
/6 “Record Group 217, U.S. General Accounting Office”
Inclusive dates: Unknown-1951
Volume: Small amount
Description: Accounts of fiscal officers to 1951 and claimants to 1923, which used missionaries as fiscal officers
/7 Record Group 391, U.S. Regular Army Mobile Units
Inclusive dates: 1821-1942
Volume: Small amount
Description: Correspondence regarding military responses to civil disturbances involving Indians, some of which also involved missionaries
/8 “Record Group 393, U.S. Army Continental Command”
Inclusive dates: 1821-1920
Volume: Small amount
Description:
A. 10th Military Department, 1846-1851, most documentation is included in microfilm publication M210
B. Department of Oregon, 1858-1861, includes correspondence with Reverend Pierre-Jean de Smet, S.J. (1801-1873)
C. Department of the Platte, 1866-1898, includes correspondence with Reverend John B. Jutz, S.J., superior of Holy Rosary Mission, and other missionaries regarding the 1890 massacre of Lakota Indians at Wounded Knee, Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota
D. Kansas Nebraska Geographical Area, District of the Upper Missouri, 1865-1867, includes correspondence regarding the establishment of Indian missions within Indian Country in the district
Unless otherwise noted, the repository on this page holds (or held) the records described here and they are not held at the Marquette University Archives.
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