Piqua Indian Agency (Ohio)

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

History
The Piqua Agency was established in 1812 and had jurisdiction for the Shawnee Indians near Piqua in east central Ohio. It was under the Michigan Superintendency after 1817, but the agent normally reported directly to the War Department or to the Office of Indian Affairs after it was formed in 1824. The Fort Wayne Agency in Indiana was consolidated with the Piqua Agency for two years, 1818 and 1819.

Its headquarters was moved to Columbus in 1829 and from 1831 on it was known as the Ohio Agency.

Agents and Appointment Dates
John Johnston March 5, 1812, and John McElvain April 20, 1829

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 Piqua Agency, 1824-1830, have been microfilmed by the National Archives as part of their Microcopy Number M234, Rolls 669. Copies are available at the National Archives and at the Family History Library and its family history centers on their.