Series I: Correspondence, 1702-1878, undated

Included in this series is a variety of letters pertaining broadly to relations between American Indians and whites. The earlier material relates largely to relations in New York and New England, with the bulk of the later documents concerning the plight of the Indian tribes, including the Cherokee, in relation to their removal westward.

More specific topics covered in the letters include: the return of French captives ransomed by New Englanders; discouraging Indians from joining an expedition with the French; Maquas Indian complaints regarding settlement of Indian land; the care of a young Mohawk who contracted smallpox; a petition from the Narragansett regarding land; a letter from chiefs of the Seven Nations to George Washington; pleas for relief efforts and the addressing of grievances; a letter to the Spanish Governor of Pensacola found on a Creek Indian chief killed in the War of 1812; the murder of an Indian in Kansas and a description of Indians in Kansas.

There are also several letters of sub-agent and interpreter, Jasper Parrish, regarding his work with the Indian tribes of New York, specifically dealing with payment of annuities, potential disposal of reservation land, and data on tribal populations and size of reservations. With these letters is also a contemporary facsimile, apparently of an Indian manuscript discovered in Labrador. It includes a dated note about its provenance on the address leaf.

Of particular note are letters of introduction for John D. Lang and Samuel Taylor on their trip to visit Indians living west of the Mississippi River in 1842. The letter directed toward Indians themselves is an excellent summary of contemporary white stereotypes of Indian culture and religion.