Ohio Indian Agency

Indian Tribes Associated With This Agency
Wyandot. Shawnee, and Seneca

History
The Ohio Agency was established in 1831 and was a continuation of the Piqua Agency that had been established in 1812. It was renamed Ohio Agency because of the move of its headquarters from Piqua to Columbus. Because of the scattered condition of the Indians in Ohio, there were also subagencies which operated at various sites within the state -- particularly for the Wyandot at Upper Sandusky, the Seneca at Fort Ball, and the Mixed Band of Seneca and Shawnee at Lewiston. There was also a subagency for the Ottawa of Maumee, but it was more closely associated with the Michigan Superintendency than with the Ohio Agency.

By the end of 1832, most of the Seneca and Shawnee had removed to west of the Mississippi, and the Ohio Agency was reduced to a subagency for the Wyandot Indians and was often called the Wyandot Subagency.

By 1843, the Wyandot had removed to west of the Missouri River, in the present state of Kansas, and the Wyandot Subagency was established for them there. At that time, the Ohio Agency was discontinued.

Agents and Appointment Date
John McElvain 1829 and 1833, Purdy McElvain 1835, John W. Bear 1841, and Purdy McElvain 1842

Records
Agencies and subagencies were created as administrative offices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and its predecessors. Their purpose was (and is) to manage Indian affairs with the tribes, to enforce policies, and to assist in maintaining the peace. The names and location of these agencies may have changed, but their purpose remained basically the same. Many of the records of genealogical value (for the tribe and tribal members) were created by and maintained by the agencies.

Letters received by the Office of Indian Affairs from the Ohio Agency, 1831-1843, have been microfilmed by the National Archives as part of their Microcopy Number M234, Rolls 601-603. Copies are available at the National Archives and at the Family History Library and its family history centers on their. Correspondence relating to the sale of Wyandot lands in Ohio and to the movement of the Indians from Ohio to the West are filed under the headings "Ohio Reserves" and "Ohio Emigration" on Roll 603 of this Microcopy.