By Rose Buchanan, Archivist and Subject Matter Expert for Native American Related Records
What are Native American reserves?
In the context of Native American land research, reserves are parcels of land that were set aside under ratified treaties and certain acts of Congress for individual Native Americans or individuals with close connections to Native nations. These land parcels were called “reserves” because they were “reserved” (i.e., not included) in lands that Native nations ceded to the United States or retained and held in common.
Some treaties specifically named the individuals who received a reserve. These individuals were often tribal leaders or relatives of tribal leaders. For example, Article 3 of the 1821 Treaty with the Ottawa, Chippewa, and Potawatomi at Chicago (Ratified Indian Treaty 117) granted reserves to over two dozen individuals, including Pierre Moran or Peeresh, a Potawatomi chief; and to John, James, Abraham, Rebecca, and Nancy Burnet, the nieces and nephews of Top-ni-be, principal chief of the Potawatomi nation.
Reserve recipients named in treaties could also be individuals who had been adopted by a tribe or who were relatives (often children) of tribal members and non-tribal members. Article 8 of the 1817 Treaty with the Wyandot, Seneca, Delaware, Shawnee, Potawatomi, Ottawa, and Chippewa at the Rapids of the Miami of Lake Erie (Ratified Indian Treaty 90), for instance, provided reserves for Elizabeth Whitaker, a white woman who had been taken prisoner by the Wyandots and who continued to live among them; to the Wyandot children of the late William M’Collock, who had been killed during the War of 1812; and to Alexander D. Godfroy and Richard Godfroy, adopted children of the Potawatomi, among others.
Still other treaties set aside reserves for individuals who had performed services for a tribe. An example is the 1823 Treaty with Florida Tribes at Camp on Moultrie Creek (Ratified Indian Treaty 120), which set aside land for the tribes’ government agent, Colonel Gad Humphreys, and interpreter, Stephen Richards, in Article 10.
Additional treaties included a general provision by which eligible tribal members could claim a reserve. An example is the 1830 Treaty with the Choctaw at Dancing Rabbit Creek (Ratified Indian Treaty 160). Article 14 of this treaty allowed each Choctaw head of a family who did not want to move west of the Mississippi River to accept a reserve in the east and eventually become United States citizens.
What are BIA reserve files?
Until the BIA was given statutory authority in 1832 (4 Stat. 564), the General Land Office (GLO) was responsible for administering Native American reserves as laid out in treaty provisions. In 1837, the GLO transferred most of its records about Native reserves to the BIA. The BIA continued to add documents to these files and to create new files about Native reserves as needed.
The resulting reserve files can include correspondence, reports, legal documents, maps, plats, and other types of records that document the establishment of a reserve and subsequent actions regarding the sale or inheritance of a reserve. The files are arranged in different series in Record Group 75, Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, according to the date of the treaty or Congressional act under which the reserve was set aside, although there is some overlap in dates between the series:
These series are all located at the National Archives in Washington, DC.
How are BIA reserve files useful for genealogy research?
While the content of each file differs, BIA reserve files typically document a reserve recipient’s tribal connections or affiliations and provide a description of the land included in the reserve. The files can also document family relationships, especially when a reserve was inherited. In cases where a reserve recipient was known by multiple names (e.g., an English name and a Native name), the files can confirm that the names refer to the same person.
For example, Kitchegeequa received a reserve under the 1819 Treaty with the Chippewa at Saginaw (Ratified Indian Treaty 109). Her reserve file (No. 83) in the series Records of Reserve File A, ca. 1825–1907 (Entry PI-163 524) confirms her tribal affiliation as Chippewa and indicates that she also went by the name Catherine Mene. An affidavit in the file states that Kitchegeequa died prior to November 29, 1827, and lists her four children: Charles and Francis Mene, and Richard and Catherine Shaw.
Affidavit relating to Kitchegeequa (Catherine Mene) in Reserve File 83, Records of Reserve File A, ca. 1825–1907
How do I determine if an ancestor has a BIA reserve file?
The Index to Registers of Reserves, 1825?–1907? (Entry PI-163 522) in Record Group 75 is a good place to start. The index lists the names of individuals who received reserves, the date and designation (name of tribe or site of negotiations) of the treaty under which the land was reserved, and a page reference to associated registers of reserves.
The index is generally arranged alphabetically by the initial letter of the reserve recipient’s surname, and then in sections according to the register designation (A, B, C, or D). The index usually refers to the registers as “books”:
The index and associated registers are all part of Record Group 75 and are all located at the National Archives in Washington, DC.
However, there are exceptions to the alphabetical arrangement of the index, especially when a person did not have or use an English surname—or, as we will see, if government officials (for whatever reason) did not know or list a person’s surname. In those instances, the person usually appears in the index under the initial letter of their given name (translated or transliterated into English, as relevant).
For example, Benjamin Lecüyer, child of Mau-nah-tee-see (alternatively, Mauk-nah-tee-see), received a reserve under Article 5 of the 1829 Treaty with the Winnebago at Prairie du Chien (Ratified Indian Treaty 156), along with his siblings Therese, James, Simeon, and Phelise Lecüyer; Julia; Antoine Grignon; and Alexis Peyet. However, Benjamin is not listed under the “L”s in the index. Rather, he is listed without a surname under the “B”s, and within the B section, under “Book A.”
Side-by-side comparison of the “B” entries for “Book A” and “Book B” in the Index to Registers of Reserves, 1825?–1907?
As noted above, “Book A” refers to the Register of Cases in Reserve File A, November 1837–1855 (Entry PI-163 523) in Record Group 75. Benjamin’s entry in the index provides the page number (page 99) in this register where his information is listed. Benjamin’s entry in the register reiterates the treaty under which he received his reserve and his designation as the child of Mauk-nah-tee-see. But the register also includes a description of the land that Benjamin received (Section 13.8.7 East, 640 acres, Mineral Point Land District, Wisconsin Territory), and it documents in the “Remarks” section that Benjamin and his wife eventually sold the land to Alexander J. Irwin.
Entry for Benjamin, child of Mauk-nah-tee-see, in the Index to Registers of Reserves, 1825?–1907?
Most importantly for locating additional records, Benjamin’s register entry includes the case number for his reserve file (No. 396) in the series Records of Reserve File A, ca. 1825–1907 (Entry PI-163 524) in Record Group 75. His case file primarily includes correspondence. The correspondence confirms that the legal description of Benjamin’s land was Section 13, Township 8, Range 7 East of the 4th Prime Meridian, Mineral Point, Wisconsin Territory, and that his patent was issued on December 11, 1845. The correspondence also confirms that Benjamin was mixed-race Winnebago, that his wife’s name was Elizabeth, and that their surname was Lecüyer.
Excerpts from Benjamin’s reserve file (No. 396) in the Records of Reserve File A, ca. 1825–1907
Are there other records relating to Native American reserves at the National Archives?
Yes! Within Record Group 75, NARA Microfilm Publication M234, Letters Received by the Office of Indian Affairs, 1824–1880, includes general correspondence about reserves. This microfilm is digitized in the National Archives Catalog. The records are arranged by BIA jurisdiction and then by year. When a substantial amount of correspondence about reserves exists for a particular jurisdiction, the correspondence is usually grouped together under the heading “Reserves.” For example, correspondence relating to Winnebago reserves appears in the file unit Winnebago Agency, 1826–1875: Winnebago Agency Emigration, 1833–1852/Winnebago Agency Reserves, 1836–1847. The correspondence includes an enclosure to an 1835 report and an 1838 list that both mention Benjamin Lecüyer and other individuals who received reserves under the 1829 treaty. See the M234 descriptive pamphlet or browse the digitized file units in the National Archives Catalog for reserves relating to other tribes and jurisdictions.
Within Record Group 49, Records of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the series Indian Reserve Files, ca. 1859–1927 (Entry PI-22 29) includes records concerning patents for reserves. These records are arranged in three groups:
- collections of papers, arranged by tribe;
- the “B” file concerning land reserves for individuals and organizations, arranged numerically; and
- miscellaneous letters received from federal officials and records concerning the sale of public lands, unarranged.
A list of tribes and subjects represented in the Indian Reserve Files in Record Group 49 appears in Table 49.K53 on pages 363–367 of The Trans-Mississippi West 1804-1912, Part IV, A Guide to Records of the Department of the Interior for the Territorial Period, Section 3: Records of the General Land Office. This publication is accessible online through HathiTrust. The records themselves are located at the National Archives in Washington, DC.
For additional records relating to Native American reserves, search the National Archives Catalog by keyword (e.g., “reserve,” “Indian,” “Winnebago” or other Native nation of interest) and record group number (e.g., 75 for BIA records, 49 for BLM records). See Using the National Archives Catalog for additional search tips.
What if I have other questions about these records?
Please contact the Archives 1 Reference Branch in Washington, DC, at archives1reference@nara.gov.
