Nez Perce Indian Agency (Idaho)

Indian Tribes Associated With This Agency
Nez Perce

History
The Nez Perce Agency was established in 1861 to provide services to the Nez Perce Indians of northern Idaho. It was a continuation of an agency called Washington East of the Cascades, which had been formed in 1857 to serve the Nez Perce and other Indians. The Nez Perce Agency's name was changed in 1902 to the Fort Lapwai Agency when the Superintendent of the Fort Lapwai Indian School was assigned the duties of Indian agent for the Nez Perce Tribe.

See: Washington Superintendency

Agents and Appointment Dates
John W. Anderson (subagent) August 23, 1862, James O'Neil July 2, 1864, Robert Newell July 23, 1868, Lt. Joseph W. Wham June 10, 1869, Capt. David M. Selis February 10, 1870, and John A. Simms November 5, 1870 did not serve, John B. Monteith February 1, 1870, and Charles D. Warner March 3, 1879

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.

Census
Annual Indian Census Rolls were taken at this agency from 1890 thru 1901. These rolls have been microfilmed by the National Archives as part of their Microcopy Number M595, roll 301. Copies of these records are also available at the National Archives, their Regional Archives, and at the FamilySearch Library and its family history centers (their ). These census rolls are also available online at Ancestry.com's subscription web site.

The 1900 federal census included population schedules for the Nez Perce Indian Reservation. The census includes the non-Indian employees of the Nez Perce Agency, as well as many pages of Indian Population Schedules for the native population of the Reservation. They are recorded as District 147 in Nez Perce County, Idaho.

Reports
Reports of Inspection of the Field Jurisdictions of the Office of Indian Affairs, 1873-1900 have been microfilmed by the National Archives as part of Microcopy Number M1070. The reports for Nez Perce Agency, 1882-1900, are on rolls 30 and 31 of that Microcopy set. Copies are available at the National Archives, their Regional Archives, and at the FamilySearch Library and its family history centers (their ).