Ponca Indian Agency (Oklahoma)

United States

Indigenous Peoples of the United States

Indigenous Peoples of Oklahoma

Ponca Indian Agency (Oklahoma)

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Indian Tribes Associated With This Agency

Ponca, Tonkawa, Oto and Missouria

History

The Ponca Agency was established in 1859 for the Ponca Indians In Nebraska. When the bulk of the Ponca Indians moved to Oklahoma Territory in 1877, they were merged into a single agency called the Ponca, Pawnee, and Otoe Agency. From 1882 to 1885, the agency serving the Ponca Indians was called the Ponca, Pawnee, and Otoe Agency and from 1885 to 1901, it was called the Ponca, Pawnee, Otoe, and Oakland Agency.

Between 1901 and 1904, separate Pawnee, Otoe, and Oakland Agencies were reestablished.

In 1912, the Kaw Agency which had been established in 1904, was merged with the Ponca Agency. In 1919, the Otoe and Ponca Agencies were merged with the Pawnee Agency.

In 1921, the Ponca Agency was reestablished for the Ponca, Tonkawa, and the Oto and Missouri Indians. The Ponca Agency was permanently merged with the Pawnee Agency in 1927. The Ponca Agency continued to operate as a subagency under the Pawnee Agency.

Records

The majority of records of individuals were those created by the agencies. Some records may be available to tribal members through the tribal headquarters.They were (and are) the local office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and were charged with maintaining records of the activities of those under their responsibility. Among these records are:

• Allotment records
• Annuity rolls
• Census records
• Correspondence
• Health records
• Reports
• School census and records
• Vital records

Some records for the Ponca Agency and Subagency, 1888-1933, are in the National Archives Southwest Region (Ft. Worth) and in the Oklahoma Historical Society in Oklahoma City. Inlcuded in the records at the Oklahoma Historical Society are individual Indian files, 1904-1928 and a vew records regarding vital statistics, 1897-1928.

Reports of Inspection of the Field Jurisdictions of the Office of Indian Affairs, 1874-1900 have been microfilmed by the National Archives as part of Microcopy Number M1070. The reports for Ponca Agency, 1873-1880, are on rolls 37-39 of that Microcopy set. Copies are available at the National Archives, their Regional Archives, and at the Family History Library and its family history centers (their microfilm roll numbers 1617710-1617712).

Microfilm copies of ...Narrative and Statistical Reports... for the Ponca Agency, 1907-1927, are included in National Archives Microcopy M1011, Roll 108, available in the National Archives system and in the collections of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City (their microfilm number 1724326).

Annual Indian Census Rolls were taken at this agency for 1886 thru 1927. These rolls have been microfilmed by the National Archives as part of their Microcopy Number M595, rolls 386-391. 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 microfilm roll numbers 580765-580770). These census rolls are also available online at Ancestry.com's subscription web site.

References

• American Indians: A Select Catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications. Washington DC: National Archives Trust Fund Board, National Archives and Records Administration, 1998.
• Hill, Edward E. (comp.). Guide to Records in the National Archives of the United States Relating to American Indians. Washington DC: National Archives and Records Service, General Services Administration, 1981.
• Hill, Edward E. The Office of Indian Affairs, 1824-1880: Historical Sketches. New York, New York: Clearwater Publishing Company, Inc., 1974.
• Historical Sketches for Jurisdictional and Subject Headings Used for the Letters Received by the Office of Indian Affairs, 1824-1880. National Archives Microcopy T1105.
• Preliminary Inventory No. 163: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Washington DC: National Archives and Records Services. Available online