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Kickapoo Tribe

Find information about manuscript collections related to the Kickapoo Tribe. Some of the manuscript material has been microfilmed and most of our microfilm circulates through interlibrary loan, but the original documents do not. Please refer to our ask a research question page for information on how to request copies of original documents. We may also have more detailed descriptions of the collections available at the research center.

Adams, Franklin George (1824-1899). Papers. 1872-1903.

4 ft. Open. Unpublished box/folder and articles lists. Coll. 253

Letters and Manuscripts by Margaret Adams [n.d.] relating to her school work among the Hopi at Keams Canyon, Ariz.; phonetic alphabet for Indians [ca. 1881-1882] (in his Memorandum [books and notes]); Kickapoo memorandum book [n.d].

Indian Mission Schools. Collection. 1837-1879.

7 in. (on 1 microfilm reel). Open. Unpublished finding aids. Microfilm: MS-1296

Microfilm of originals in Indian Mission Schools history collection (no. 589). Artificial collection of documents pertaining to Indian mission schools in Kansas. Included are transcripts of that correspondence between Indian agents and the missionaries within their jurisdiction in Kansas that were published in the annual reports of the U.S. commissioner of Indian affairs [series A]. Reports on the schools, buildings, & curriculum, some written by missionary-teachers, others by agents, and tables showing the enrollment of students and number of faculty members. Included are reports from the following nations and schools:

  • Kickapoo. 1837-1877. ½ in.
    • Agency school: 1852-1870.
    • Catholic: 1837.
    • Friends: 1869-1877.
    • Methodist: 1837-1839, 1860-1861.
    • Presbyterian: 1857-1862.

Indian history. Collection. 1818-1951.

7 boxes (3 ft.). Open. Unpublished folder list. Coll. 590 Organized by subseries:

  • General. 1825-1934. 4 in. [subgroup I (box 1)]
    • Arranged alphabetically by subject:
    • Antiquities. 1886 and 1904. 2 items (6p.) [series I, A (box 1)]
      • Letters to the Kansas Historical Society (Topeka) concerning Indian artifacts given to the Society, including drawings and other descriptions.
    • Books. [ca. 1899]--1914. 1 item (2p.) [series I, B (box 1)]
      • List of books published by Jotham Meeker at the Shawnee Baptist mission sought by the Kansas Historical Society (Topeka).
    • Depredations. [ca. 1864]--1910. ½ in. [series I, C (box 1)]
      • Reports of soldiers and citizens allegedly killed and wounded at or near forts Dodge and Wallace, Kans., by Indians since Apr. 14, 1867, and September 1867, respectively. Correspondence of Julia Chase, including letters received from Hiram Bickerdyke recounting alleged Indian depredations in Saline County, Kans., and her correspondence with the Kansas Historical Society (Topeka) concerning donating the papers to the Society; and letters describing battles at Lincoln, Kans., [ca. 1864]; Sand Creek (Colo.), 1867; and Fossil Creek (Kans.), 1869.
    • Missions. 1832-1934. 1 in. [series I, E (box 1)]
      • Methodist. 1832-1908. 1 in. [folder I, E, 1 (box 1)]
        • Copies of notes & records relating to Jesse Greene's accounts with the Shawnee Mission Indian Manual Labor school (present Fairway, Kans.), 1832-1839, including copies of his personal expense account book; copies of letters of William Johnson, Methodist missionary to the Kansa, 1830-1845; copies of letters sent by Jerome C. Berryman, superintendent of Indian missionary work among the Kickapoo, Delaware, & Peoria, 1835-1845; letters of Joab Spencer correcting & adding to a J. J. Lutz paper on Methodist missions, 1845-1906, principally the Shawnee Indian Manual Labor school.
      • Presbyterian. 1898. 1 item (12p.) [folder I, E, 3 (box 1)]
        • Historical sketch of missions operated by the Presbyterian Foreign Board for the American Indians to the Chickasaw, Chippewa, Choctaw, Creek, Dakota, Fox, Iowa, Kickapoo, Nez Perce, Omaha, Oto, Sauk, Seminole, Seneca, Wea, Winnebago, by W. Rankin.
    • Mounds. 1878-1905. ½ in. [series I, F (box 1)]
      • "Examination of Mounds in the Blue Valley,'' by F. G. Adams & William J. Griffing, 1880; letters from individuals & organizations describing Indian mounds & ruins, some with sketches, and generally consisting of letters to the Kansas Historical Society (Topeka) or papers delivered at conferences.
  • Copies of Printed Source Materials. [n.d.] 17 folders (3 in.) [subgroup II (box 2)]
  • Kickapoo. 1879-1943. 1 folder (1 in.). [subgroup X (box 3)]
    • Abstracts of articles purchased by the U.S. Office of Indian Affairs agent; correspondence relating to Kickapoo prophets; Grand Army of the Republic history of the leader Kennekuk; reminiscences of the Kickapoo & Oto missions, by Mary Riddell; "Pascal Pensineau and the Kickapoos''; drawing of a prayer stick used by the followers of Kennekuk; correspondence of Jerome Berryman, missionary to the Kickapoo; "Glimpse of the Early Settlement of Northeast Kansas,'' by the Rev. Mr. W. H. Hunnell; copies of Kennekuk's sermon, 1831; copies of Kennekuk's letters owned by John Winsee; correspondence relating to remembrances of Kennekuk; F. G. Adams' paper on the Kickapoo; Par-the's autobiographical statement; reminiscences of H. L. Stein on Captain Hamilton & the Kickapoo of northeast Kansas; doctrines of Kennekuk; "Democracy in the Primitive,'' by C. C. Isely, based on an 1897 visit to the reservation; "History of the Old Jesuit Mission at Kickapoo,'' by the Right Rev. Mr. T. H. Kinsella; and correspondence between F. G. Adams and Stephen P. P. & Narcisse Pensineau, sons of Pascal Pensineau, long-time Kickapoo interpreter.

Mead, John Richard (1836-1910). Papers. 1888-1910.

10 items (¼ in.) Open. No finding aids. Misc.: Mead

A letter, Feb. 11, 1908, to George W. Martin, Kansas Historical Society (Topeka), discusses Indian words for geographical features & the Kickapoo leaving Kansas for Mexico and mentions the Shawnee & Delaware, "Doc Shirley of the Washita,'' and William ("Dutch Bill'') Greiffenstein (1829-1899) who furnished ammunition to the Cheyenne & Comanche in 1866-67. Another letter to Martin, Nov. 8, 1908, recounts Mead's traveling on horseback through the Indian Terr. with a 16-year-old Indian, gives a brief estimation of his dealings with Indian people, and corrects an earlier letter describing the Kiowa leader Satanta. A biographical sketch of Mead, Sept. 5, 1910, tells of his relationships with Indian people, especially the Wichita.


Presbyterian Historical society, coll.

"Letters, Indiana [i.e. Indians] Correspondence.'' 1835-1884. 5 boxes (on 7 reels of microfilm). No copying, no interlibrary loan. Unpublished roll list. Microfilm: MS 100-106

Microfilm of originals in the Presbyterian Historical society (Philadelphia). Correspondence relating to missions. Included are letters relating to the Iowa, 1835-1845, and Iowa & Sac, 1850-1859, missions and documents pertaining to Iowa missions (Iowa mission; Tullahassee mission, Creek agency; and the Orphan Indian institute), 1860-1864; the Omaha in Nebraska; the Otoe & Omaha mission, Kans.-Neb., 1847-1865; Omaha letters, 1856-1859; Iowa & Sauk missions, Kans.-Mo., 1845-1849; Oto in Kansas & Omaha in Nebraska, 1846-1855; Oto & Kickapoo, 1856-1859; Creek & Seminole in Oklahoma, 1854-1859; Chickasaw in Oklahoma, 1850-1854; Creek, Chicakasaw, & Seminole in Oklahoma and Kickapoo in Kansas, 1850-1864; and "North American Indians,'' 1883-1884. The Presbyterian Historical society American Indian correspondence assigned microfilm rolls are 58-64.


Remsburg, George Jacob (1871-1954). Papers. 1891-1971.

5 boxes (2 ft.). Open. No finding aids. Coll. 78

Correspondence relating to the Kickapoo, including "Kickapoo in Butler County, Kansas,'' by J. R. Mead; reminiscences and correspondence relating to Pascal Pensineau; diagram of the Pensineau house on Stranger Creek (Kans.); "Pascal Pensioneau and the Kickapoo,'' by F. G. Adams; "Sample of the Sacred Book of the Kickapoo Prophet''; "Correspondence of Rev. John Masquequa, Kickapoo Preacher''; "Old Jesse's Traditional Account of Kenneakuk, the Prophet, Related to Milo Custer During a Visit to the Kickapoos in Kansas in October, 1906''; "Accounts of Some Kickapoo Indians from Kansas with a Medicine Show in the East,'' by Virginia Baker; notes of Kickapoo from Illinois Historical Society Collections, 1904, and speeches of Mahimamba & Tisquitto, Kickapoo leaders, 1778; "Kickapoo Wigwams, Diet, Dress, Crops, etc.''; Kickapoo bibliographies, religious ceremonies, & sketches of Kennekuk; excerpt of a letter from Milo Custer to Remsburg regarding a Kennekuk church service; letter received concerning a Kickapoo habitation site; history & archeology of the Illinois Kickapoo; consumption among the Kickapoo, notes on John Masquequa, origin Muscotah, Kachassa, weddings, the old Kickapoo mission & the Mexican Kickapoo; miscellaneous notes on the Kickapoo; sample of the Kickapoo language; "Jeremiah Rhodes' Account of a Kickapoo Dance in Illinois before 1832''; abstracts of treaties; notes on the Michigan Kickapoo; "Visit of the Kickapoos in Kansas by Milo Custer of Illinois in 1906''; Kickapoo flogging ceremony, religious observances, & families; biographical information on "La Ferines,'' a Kickapoo leader, and his son Benny Moses; "To the History of the Kickapoos''; copies of letters written by William Marshall & William Clark to Kennekuk; sketch of a Kickapoo prayer stick; map showing territory ceded to the United States by the Vermillion River band of Kickapoo, 1819; swastikas used by the Kickapoo; ``Ancient Indian Fort: Some Account of Its History,'' by H. W. Beckwith & J. H. Burnham; portraits; private papers of Rev. John Masquequa; correspondence of Captain J. H. Burnham pertaining to the Kickapoo; letters relating to Kickapoo history; account of the death of John Kennekuk; anecdotes of Masheena; copy of a list of allotments made to Kickapoo, Jan. 1, 1865; recollections of Mrs. F. M. Green, a teacher of Kickapoo; reminiscences of the Kickapoo in Kansas; account of the death of "Old Jesse''; "Kickapoo Chiefs''; sermon preached by Kennekuk; account of a cyclone on the Kickapoo reservation; "Kickapoos in the Revolutionary War''; and "Kickapoos in Kansas,'' by Remsburg.


Rising, Noble H. Agreement. Jan. 12, 1865.

1 p., with endorsement. Open. No finding aids. Misc.: Rising

Agreement between the "head men and chiefs'' of the Prairie band of Kickapoo Indians and Rising allowing him to remain on the Kickapoo reserve as long as they do and to have the privilege of cutting hay & fencing what ground he wants to till.


Root, George Allen (1867-1949). Papers. 1895-1949.

38 boxes (12 ft.) Open. Unpublished box/folder list. Coll. 490

Copies of a journal, presumably of a Kickapoo agent; history of the Kickapoo; "No-Ko-Aht's Talk: A Kickapoo Chief's Account of a Tribal Journey to Mexico in the 1860's''; notes on Delaware, Kansa, Kickapoo, Osage, & Potawatomi history; clippings; Root's notes on various events in Indian history; "Tradition of the Flood''; reminiscences collected by Root; notes on the Potawatomi school & mission; "Shoptese'' (biography) by Henry J. Adams; notes on traditional history of the origin of the Ottawa; "Indian Feasts and Fasts''; religious traditions; notes on Indian missions; chronology of the Fox, Iowa, Kickapoo, & Sauk boarding schools; "Pottawatomie Indian `Squaw Dance,''' by Root; "John Eight Ten Pottawatomie Gambling Game''; "Indian Squaw Shaking Dish Game''; "War Dance of the Pottawatomies''; "Corn Dance of the Pottawatomies''; "Pottawatomie Indian School and Mission''; notes on individual Potwatomi; translations from the Potwatomi language; "Grave of Half Day, Pottawatomie Chief'' with map; "Corn Dance''; "Thanksgiving Services at Pottawatomie Methodist Mission Church''; and a personnel roster of Haskell Institute (now Haskell Indian Nations University) (Lawrence, Kans.).


U.S. Office of Indian Affairs. "Indian Census Rolls.'' 1885-1940.

72 microfilm reels. Open. Finding aids. Microfilm: MS 1902-1972

Microfilm of originals in the National Archives (Washington, D.C.), records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (record group 75). Annual censuses taken by agents or superintendents in charge of Indian reservations. Information gathered varies by year and jurisdiction, but usually includes English and/or Indian name, tribal roll number, age or date of birth, sex, and relationship to head of household. Beginning in 1930 the censuses also show degree of Indian blood, marital status, place of residence, and other information. There are not necessarily censuses for every year indicated in the date spans below.

The Kansas Historical Society holds rolls for the following jurisdictions/agencies, with names of Indian nations in parentheses ( ):

  • Carlisle school. 1911. Partial reel. MS-1902
  • Haskell {Potawatomi, Kickapoo, Iowa, Sauk, Fox}. 1927-1934. 2 reels. MS 1903-1904
  • Kickapoo (Kickapoo, Iowa, Sauk & Fox of the Missouri, Potawatomi (1920)). 1903-1920. 1 reel. MS-1905
  • Mexican Kickapoo (Mexican Kickapoo and Big Jim band of Absentee Shawnee). 1899-1901. 1 reel. MS-1923
  • Potawatomi (Prairie band Potawatomi, Iowa, Kickapoo, Sauk & Fox of the Missouri, and Chippewa & Munsee). 1891-1942. 4 reels. MS 1948-1951
  • Sac and Fox, Oklahoma (Sauk, Fox, Iowa, Citizen band Potawatomi, Absentee Shawnee, and Mexican Kickapoo). 1885-1919. 3 reels. MS 1961-1963 The 1885 item is a letter only.
  • Shawnee (Fox, Iowa, Sauk, Absentee Shawnee, Mexican Kickapoo, and Citizen band Potawatomi). 1904-1939. 7 reels. MS 1966-1972 National Archives assigned microfilm M595, rolls 17, 22, 176-77, 210-23, 230-33, 257, 317-29, 336-43, 388, 390-95, 411-16, 450-55, 488-96.