Munsee Tribe

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

See also: Stockbridge Munsee

To get started in Indigenous Peoples of the United States Research

Also known as Christian Indians

Brief Timeline
1730's the fraudulent treaty - the Walking Purchase deprived the Munsee tribe of most of its land and they began a westward trek in 1740. the Munsee made several removals and merged with a number of other indigenous tribes. The largest group is the Stockbridge-Munsee community in Wisconsin.

Additional References to the History of the Tribe
Frederick Webb Hodge, in hisHandbook of American Indians North of Mexico, gave a more complete history of the Munsee tribe, with estimations of the population of the tribe at various time periods. Additional details are given in John Swanton's The Indian Tribes of North America.

Records
The majority of records of individuals were those created by the agencies. Some records may be available to tribal members through the tribal headquarters.They were (and are) the local office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and were charged with maintaining records of the activities of those under their responsibility. Among these records are:


 * Allotment records
 * Annuity rolls
 * Census records
 * Correspondence
 * Health records
 * Reports
 * School census and records
 * Vital records

A roll of Munsees was taken on 3 September 1839 and is available online.

The names of the Stockbridge i who signed the Treaty of 5 February 1856, separating themselves from the Stockbridge Tribe and allying themselves with the Munsee tribe, is also available online.

Agencies
Six Nations Agency

Green Bay Agency

Fort Leavenworth Agency

Kansas Agency

Delaware Agency

Sac and Fox Agency

Ottawa Agency

Potawatomi Agency

Superintendencies
Records for Superintendencies exist in the National Archives and copies of many of them are also available in other research facilities.

Michigan Superintendency

Wisconsin Superintendency

St. Louis Superintendency

Central Superintendency

Treaties

 * 1792
 * 1794 December 2, at Oneida
 * 1805 With the Wyandot, Etc.
 * 1832 October 27, at Green Bay,
 * 1838 January 15, at Buffalo Creek, with the New York Indians
 * 1839 September 3, with the Stockbridge and Munsee
 * 1848 November 24, at Stockbridge
 * May 6, 1854, Munsee - Christian Delaware
 * 1856 February 5, with the Stockbridge and Munsee
 * 1859 With the Chippewa, Etc.,


 * Lots entered by Individuals of the Stockbridge and Munsee Tribe of Indians in conformity to Article 3d. Treaty of February 5th, 1856. The Journal of American Indian Research.Ed. Larry S. Watson. Vol. 11 No. 2 1990 pages 19-24 FHL 970.1 J825j

Vital Records

 * Potawatomi 1918-1935 FHL film: 580774
 * Sac and Fox, Iowa, 1924-1932 FHL film: 581446

Important Websites

 * Munsee Indian Tribe History, by Frederick Webb Hodge.
 * Christian Munsee Wikipedia