Sells Indian Agency (Arizona)

Indian Tribes Associated With This Agency
Papago

History
The Sells Agency was a continuation of the San Xavier Agency which was established in 1902 from the Pima, Papago, and Maricopa Agency. The San Xavier Reservation was renamed the Sells Agency when the agent moved to Indian Oasis in 1919. It continued to operate until at least 1939.

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.

Microfilm copies of ...Narrative and Statistical Reports... for the Sells Agency, 1919-1935, are included in National Archives Microcopy M1011, Roll 130, available in the National Archives system and in the collections of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City (their microfilm number ).

Annual Indian Census Rolls were taken at this agency for 1918-1934, and 1937 thru 1939. These rolls have been microfilmed by the National Archives as part of their Microcopy Number M595, rolls 480-485. Copies of these records are also available at the National Archives, their Regional Archives, and at the Family History Library and its family history centers (their ). These census rolls are also available online at Ancestry.com's subscription web site.