Delaware Indian Agency (Kansas)

Indian Tribes Associated With This Agency
Delaware, Stockbridge and Munsee (Christian), Wyandot

History
The Delaware Agency was established in 1855 for the Delaware Indians of eastern Kansas, previously under the jurisdiction of the Kansas Agency, and before 1851, the Fort Leavenworth Agency and its predecessors. The Delaware Tribe agreed to purchase a piece of land in Indian Territory from the Cherokee Nation, and by 1869, most of the Delawares had moved there and were assigned to the Cherokee Agency. Some had settled on land within the jurisdiction of the Neosho Agency.

Some Stockbridge and Munsee Indians lived with the Delawares for a time, but by 1859, they were with the Chippewa at the Sac and Fox Agency. The Wyandot Indians were transferred from the Shawnee Agency to the Delaware Agency in 1863 and remained with them until the move to Indian Territory, when they came under the Neosho Agency.

A band of Delaware had left the main tribe in the early part of the 19th century and had gone to Texas to live with the Caddo Indians. They were never a part of the Delaware Agency. In 1859, this band moved to Indian Territory and were assigned to the Wichita Agency. Other small groups of Delaware also left the main tribe and settled in other areas.

Agents and Appointment Dates
Benjamin F. Robinson March 3, 1855, Thomas B. Sykes (Special) May 3, 1859, Thomas B. Sykes (agent) March 12, 1860, Fielding Johnson March 27, 1861, and John G. Pratt April 14, 1864

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 Crow Wing Subagency, 1855-1873, have been microfilmed by the National Archives as part of their Microcopy Number M234, Rolls 274-280. Copies are available at the National Archives and at the FamilySearch Library and its FamilySearch centers on their.

Additional Records at the FamilySearch Library
Delaware Agency Book, 1866-1867.