Chickasaw Indian Agency (East)

Indian Tribes Associated With This Agency
Chickasaw

History
The Chickasaw Agency was established in 1800 and was responsible for only the Chickasaw in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee. Prior to its creation, the Choctaw Agency has some responsibilities for the Chickasaw Indians.

By 1824, the agency was located on the headwaters of the Holky, a branch of the Tombigbee River in northeastern Mississippi. In 1825, a new agency headwaters was built on a site near Tiscumbia, Alabama. Bt 1837, the headquarters was at Pontotoc, Mississippi.

During the years 1837-1838, the Chickasaw Indians moved to Indian Territory and the Chickasaw Agency in the East was discontinued in 1839. During that same year, a Chickasaw Agency in Indian Territory was established.

Agents and Appointment Dates
Samuel Mitchell November 28, 1800, Thomas Wright May 27, 1806, James Neelly July 7, 1809, James Robertson June 4, 1812, William Cocke September 28, 1814, Henry Sherburne December 11, 1817, Robert C. Nicholas August 8, 1820, Benjamin F. Smith July 25, 1823, Benjamin Reynolds March 12, 1830

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 Chickasaw Agency, 1824-1870, have been microfilmed by the National Archives as part of their Microcopy Number M234, Rolls 135-148. Copies are available at the National Archives and at the Family History Library and its family history centers (their ).

A small amount of correspondence for this agency, 1812-1816,is housed at the National Archives in Washington,