Research: Topics: Education: Guide to Records Relating to Native Americans
Guide to Records Relating to Native Americans
The Thomas Asylum for Orphan and Destitute Indian Children was incorporated in 1855 as a private institution receiving State aid. The asylum was located within the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation in Erie County and was charged to receive destitute and orphaned children from all Indian reservations in the State. It was named for Philip E. Thomas, a benefactor of New York's Native Americans and early financial backer of the asylum.
In 1875 ownership of the asylum was transferred to the State and it was made subject to the supervision and control of the State Board of Charities. As a State institution, its purpose was to furnish resident Native American children with "care, moral training and education, and instruction in husbandry and the arts of civilization." To reflect its emphasis on education the asylum's name was changed in 1905 to Thomas Indian School. The school first offered Regents Examinations through grade 6 in 1898, and by 1905 eight grades were available. In 1930, with the addition of one more grade, the school was classified a junior high school. The school was placed under the supervision of Department of Charities in 1927. The Department of Charities was renamed Department of Social Welfare in 1929. Orphaned, destitute, or neglected Native American children were usually referred to the school from one of these sources: a parent or guardian unable to care for the child; a county welfare agency seeking to place a child under foster care; or the Children's Court. Final determinations on admissions were made by the superintendent. In 1942, a social worker was assigned to the school to counsel the residents and to advise the superintendent. The State closed the Thomas Indian School in 1957.
B0645. Department of Social Welfare. Minutes of Boards of Visitors and Monthly Reports of Institutions, 1936- 1961. 13 cubic feet.
Arrangement: by institution, then chronological by year and month.
This series contains copies of meeting minutes of boards of visitors and monthly reports of the superintendents of State institutions administered by the Department of Social Welfare (predecessor to the Department of Social Services.) About one- tenth of the material in this series are meeting minutes and reports for the Thomas Indian School.
The minutes of meetings of boards of visitors (usually monthly) record mostly routine activities of the boards (e.g. acceptance of reports of institutions) and report summary statistics of institutional population or farm production. Occasionally they contain information on other topics discussed by a board, such as legislative revision, general practices or programs at an institution, or formal approval or disapproval of admission applications.
Monthly reports of a superintendent to a board of visitors cover a variety of topics. A general report by a superintendent usually summarizes program activities and progress, lists official visitors to the institution, describes changes in physical facilities, and provides statistical information on population changes.
These copies of minutes and reports were sent by the boards of visitors to the Department of Social Welfare.
B0640-59. Correspondence and Subject Files Relating to the Founding of the School, 1855-1951. .5 cubic feet.
Arrangement: by major subject.
Correspondence, deeds, court records, and other miscellaneous items document the founding and acquisition of land for the asylum. Correspondence includes several letters from Philip E. Thomas, primary financial backer for whom the Asylum was named, to E.M. Pettit, the asylum's treasurer. Other correspondence concerns land acquisition. Several deeds and leases document the expansion of the asylum during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The court records relate to the settlement in 1893 of the Robert Kennedy estate by the Peacemakers Court on the Cattaraugus Reservation. Among the miscellaneous items are:
- list of items placed in the cornerstone of the first building (1855)
- early account of the founding of the asylum
- list of financial contributors through September 1855
- description of the first children at the asylum
- portrait of Philip E. Thomas
B0640-85. School Administrative Correspondence and Subject Files, 1899-1958. 2 cubic feet.
Arrangement: alphabetical by subject or name of institution.
Correspondence, reports, meeting minutes, memoranda, a few news clippings and photographs concern the general administration of the school. Correspondence is generally with officials at other schools having Indian education programs (e.g., U.S. Indian School, Carlisle, Pennsylvania; Hampton Institute, Virginia; Haskell Institute, Lawrence, Kansas), with officials at or residents of New York Indian reservations, and with county welfare agency officials. Most of the correspondence concerns the enrollment of children at the school and the transfer of Thomas Indian School graduates to institutions for continuing education.
Other subjects or types of records include the following:
- Governor's Committee on the Utilization of the Thomas Indian School (1956-1958)
- school history
- list of all children at the school, 1855-1955
- financial aid for school graduates
- reports of Regents Examinations, listing student examination scores (1906-1942)
- logs of visitors to the school (1943-1957)
Restrictions: Access to selected files less than 75 years old is restricted to protect personal privacy.
B0599. Superintendent's Daily Diaries, 1908-1944. 1 cubic foot (35 volumes).
Arrangement: chronological by year.
These diaries provide a summary record of activities of the school staff and students. Brief daily entries mention the following:
- weather conditions - farm work in progress - maintenance and repair work in progress - entertainment provided to children (e.g. movies, visits to fairs) - team sporting events - incidents with specific children, such as death, illness, injury, failure to return from vacation - religious activities - correspondence sent by superintendent - trips by superintendent and staff
B0595. Student Case Files, ca. 1892-1957. 28 cubic feet.
Arrangement: alphabetical by name of student.
A case file for each student contains information on admission, discharge, medical and family history, educational progress, and occasionally on post-release activities of former students. Case files vary considerably in their contents and may contain any or all of the following:
- summary admission form giving child's name, reservation, tribe, parents' or guardians' names, age or birthdate, and dates entered and discharged from school
- application for enrollment, including brief family and medical history
- admission form and case summary (for child enrolled on recommendation of a local welfare agency)
- medical records (only for selected cases dating from the 1930's and later), including treatments, vaccinations, and occasionally psychiatric evaluations.
- educational records such as report cards, record of Regents examinations passed, and other test results
- correspondence between the superintendent or a social worker and the following: parent or guardian concerning enrollment, vacations, and discharge; officials of welfare agencies concerning enrollment, discharge, or verification of child's age; State Probation Department officials concerning past history of former students; Children's Court officials concerning placement of children in the school; and former students. Some files contain correspondence with former students for many years after their discharge.
Restrictions: access to records less than 75 years old is restricted to protect personal privacy.
A1910. Student Commitment Contracts, 1881-1896. 1 volume.
Arrangement: chronological by date of contract.
Volume contains signed contracts ("agreements") between a student's parent or guardian and the asylum superintendent providing that the child be placed in the asylum. Each agreement contains:
- student's name, sex, Indian nation, age, and destitute or orphan status
- date of the agreement
- name and address of parent or guardian
Many agreements are annotated with the date of discharge or death of the student.
Indexing: alphabetical name index by first letter of student's last name.
B0644. Statistical and Financial Reports, 1881-1893. 1 volume.
Arrangement: chronological by report date.
This volume contains manuscript copies of annual reports to the Board of Charities, 1881-1893; quarterly reports to the state comptroller, 1883-1893; a report to the State Assembly, 1890; and a "Report to Government", 1891. The reports to the Board of Charities summarize receipts, expenditures, and student ("inmate") population changes. The reports to the comptroller list receipts and expenditures by major category. The report tothe Assembly contains narrative statements or statistics on many aspects of the asylum's operation and population, including:
- number of students
- length of residence
- disposition of students
- deaths among students
- age, nativity, and education of teachers
- textbooks used
- receipts and expenditures
The report to government gives general statistical information on teachers, employees, students, crops and livestock produced, and a list of subjects taught.
B0596. Treasurer's Monthly Reports, 1901-1944. 6 cubic feet.
Arrangement: chronological by year and month.
Monthly reports to the state comptroller detail the receipts and expenses of the school. Although the format of reports changed slightly over time, each generally contains the following statements and schedules:
- general fund receipts and disbursements summary
- bank statement and certificate of indebtedness
- statement of products (fruit, vegetables, meat) produced at the school
- abstract of vouchers
- itemized lists of expenses.
B0642. Journal Accounts, 1879-1914. 14 volumes.
Arrangement: chronological by date of transaction.
These volumes contain a detailed record of financial transactions at the school. Entries generally describe the transaction (items purchased, quantity, unit cost, cash receipts), name of the merchant or disburser of funds, total amount of transaction, and date.
Indexing: separate typed name index to accounts for Volume 11 only.
B0643. Ledger Accounts, 1881-1944. 9 volumes.
Arrangement: chronological by varying span of years; accounts within volumes are in no particular order.
These volumes contain a final record of financial transactions of the school by controlling accounts (e.g. clothing, fuel, freight and express, medicine, provisions, wages) and individual accounts (e.g. individual merchants and suppliers). Entries generally give the date, amount of transaction, and nature (e.g. "services", "goods," "labor," "cash," or name of merchandise) of the transaction. Most entries include a page reference to the corresponding entry in the journal accounts (series B0642). All volumes contain controlling accounts; individual accounts exist only for the periods 1894-1896 and 1898-1920.
Indexing: volumes 1-6 have individual alphabetical indexes to account names; no indexes for volumes 7-9.
B0597. Monthly Farm Production Reports, 1918-1949. 1 cubic foot.
Arrangement: chronological by year and month.
These are statistical reports for each farm or garden product raised at the school. Separate monthly reports for each product give a daily account of quantity produced. Reports also indicate the market value of produce. Examples of products for which reports were compiled are milk, chicken, pork, peas, tomatoes, onions, apples, grapes, oats, and corn silage.
Indexing: none.
B0641. Farm Expenditure and Production Journals, 1918-1947. 4 volumes.
Arrangement: chronological by year and month.
These volumes contain a detailed record of expenditures and production of the school's farm.
B0598. Student Daily Diet Logs, 1889-1944. 1 cubic foot.
Arrangement: chronological by week.
These records list the menus of meals served to children at the school each day. Usually the name of the person completing the report is also given, and occasionally the total number of meals served during the week.
A1913. Photographs of Activities and Facilities, ca. 1895- 1950. 1 cubic foot. (174 items)
Arrangement: by general subject.
The subjects of these photographs include:
- individual and group portraits of students and staff
- students' class exercises and work activities
- Indian Boy and Girl Scouts
- interior views of buildings
- exterior views of administration, residence, school, hospital, and farm buildings and grounds
- buildings under construction
- aerial view of grounds
Most photographs are undated and unlabelled. Sizes range from 3" x 4" to 8" x 10"; some are mounted.
A1909. Register of Trustees, Indian Students, and Visitors, 1855-1881. 1 volume.
Arrangement: by subject.
This volume contains four types of records:
- list of names and addresses of the asylum trustees, 1855
- list of students admitted to the asylum, 1856-1881, giving student's name, Indian nation, reservation, age, whether parents are living, and remarks concerning date of discharge, death, removal, or return
- register of visitors, giving name, address, and date of visit, 1857-1865
- average number of children in the asylum per year, 1856-1862
A1911. Register of Visitors, 1881-1906. 1 volume.
Arrangement: chronological by date of visit.
Each entry contains the visitor's name, address, and date of visit.
