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The Foreman Transcripts

Commissioner of Indian Affairs, seven volumes

The seven volumes of Foreman Transcripts: Commissioner of Indian Affairs are compilations of letters, documents, and other records consisting of information about tribal relations and matters. Grant Foreman transcribed the material in a typewritten format from originals located at the Office of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs in Washington, DC, in the 1930s. Many letters are written by the commissioners to Indian agents and superintendents as well as letters written to the commissioner giving updates about tribal matters. All seven volumes cover topics that include, but are not limited to, removal, treaties, allotments, missionaries, rations, and education.

These volumes cover a large range of dates in the nineteenth century; the earliest letter is dated 1817. Volumes two through six are organized by tribe, and the letters and manuscript transcriptions are in chronological order.

View Volumes 1–6
These volumes include copies of manuscripts in the Office of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Washington, DC. Use the links below to view the volumes in PDF format. Each PDF includes bookmarks to help you navigate through the volume.

View Volume 7
This volume includes copies of manuscripts in the Office of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Washington, DC, and also copies of bills of lading covering articles shipped up the Arkansas River from 1858 to 1860. Use the link below to view the volume in PDF format. The PDF includes bookmarks to help you navigate through the volume.

Superintendent for Five Civilized Tribes, twenty volumes

The twenty volumes of the Foreman Transcripts: Superintendents for the Five Civilized Tribes contain transcriptions of original records that were created by Indian agents and superintendents who worked closely with tribal members in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. The records were stored in the federal building in Muskogee, Oklahoma, before the archives were brought to the Oklahoma Historical Building in Oklahoma City by an act of Congress on March 24, 1934. The collection as a whole is known as the American Indian Archives at the Oklahoma Historical Society Research Division. These bound volumes do not include every document within the American Indian Archives but are primarily transcriptions of documents selected by Grant Foreman. The volumes are mostly separated by tribe and topic, although there is some cross-referencing with other tribes and tribal members relating to foreign affairs.

View Volumes 1–20
These volumes contain copies of manuscripts in the Office of the Superintendent for the Five Civilized Tribes, Muskogee, Oklahoma. Use the links below to view the volume in PDF format.

London Public Records, three volumes

The three volumes of Foreman Transcripts: London Public Records consist of typed transcriptions of letters, speeches, recorded conversations, and other records regarding relations between tribes and the British government and military. Most of the documents are dated 1766, although there are some transcriptions dated as early as 1727. These transcripts give great insight into early encounters with American Indians prior to the creation of the United States of America, and give researchers the opportunity to understand early interactions between tribes and an established government. Some letters detail intertribal relations, while transcriptions of recorded conversations (often referred to as “talks”) provide insight on the intentions of tribal members to negotiate agreements.

These transcriptions mostly contain information related to the Five Tribes, but also include information pertaining to other tribes due to the nature of intertribal relationships. The original records were kept by the Public Records Office in London and contain manuscripts from Colonial Office Records within the London Public Record Office.

View volumes 1–3
These volumes are copies of documents in the Public Record Office (London), Colonial Office. Use the links below to view the volumes in PDF format. Each PDF includes bookmarks to help you navigate through the volume.