Fort Wayne Indian Agency (Indiana)

Guide to  ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records.

Indian Tribes Associated With This Agency
Miami, Potawatomi, Wea, Wyandot, Kickapoo, Ottawa, Shawnee, and others

History
The Fort Wayne Agency was established in 1802. It was consolidated with the Piqua Agency in 1818 but became an independent agency again in 1819. The tribes assigned to this agency in 1819 were the Miami, Eel River, Wea, and Potawatomi. In 1821, the Vincennes Agency was discontinued as most of the Indians under their jurisdiction had moved west. Those remaining in Indiana were assigned to the Fort Wayne Agency.

In 1828, the agency was moved from Fort Wayne to the south side of the Wabash River, between the mouths of Pipe Creek and Eel River. The agent often reported from Logansport, at the mouth of Eel River. The agency became known as the Indiana Agency.

Agents and Appointment Dates
William Wells January 1, 1802, John Johnston January 27, 1809, Benjamin Franklin Stickney March 7, 1812, John Johnston put in charge of Fort Wayne April 22, 1818, Benjamin Franklin Stickney (subagent serving under Johnston) July 14, 1818, William turner March 6, 1819, John Hays May 24, 1820 and John Tipton March 28, 1823.

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 Fort Leavenworth Agency, 1824-1830, have been microfilmed by the National Archives as part of their Microcopy Number M234, Roll 304. Copies are available at the National Archives and at the FamilySearch Library and its FamilySearch centers on their. After 1828, much of the correspondence from this agency was filed under the Indiana Agency or the Miami Agency.