Vincennes Indian Agency (Indiana)

History
The Vincennes Agency was an agency established in the early 1800s in what became Indiana. It was discontinued in 1821 as most of the Indians assigned to it had migrated west. Any Indians from the Vincennes jurisdiction remaining in Indiana were assigned to the Fort Wayne Agency.

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.