Indigenous Peoples of Connecticut

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Connecticut

Indigenous Peoples of Connecticut

Learn of the Indians of Connecticut, the tribes and bands, state recognized tribes, agencies, reservations, records and archives, libraries and repositories.

The word Connecticut comes from the Indian word Quinnehtukqut meaning "beside the long tidal river"

Tribes and Bands of Connecticut

The following list of American Indians who have lived in Connecticut has been compiled from Hodge's Handbook of American Indians... and from Swanton's The Indian Tribes of North America. Some may simply be variant spellings for the same tribe.

Mahican, Mohegan, Narraganset, Niantic, Nipmuc, Pequot, Schaghticoke, Wappinger

Golden Hill Paugussett Tribe -- The Connecticut State Library has some records for this tribe, 1836-1995. Their collection includes some genealogies.

Mashantucket Pequot, or Western Pequot -- This tribe has been federally recognized since 1983. The Connecticut State Library has some records for this tribe, 1836-1995. Their collection includes some genealogies.

Mohegan Tribe -- The Mohegan Tribe also has a tribal web site.In 1709 the tribe moved to Brothertown, New York then in 1800's to Wisconsin where they joined the Brotherton Mohegan live near Norwich in New London County.

Pauckatuck Pequot or Eastern Pequot -- The Connecticut State Library has some records for this tribe, 1836-1995. Their collection includes some genealogies. Pequot Indians own land in New London County at Ledyard and Stonington.

Schaghticoke Tribe Some Schaghticoke and Scaticook live in Litchfield County

New England Confederation: Paugussett, Naugatucks, Pootatuck, Wepawaug and Pequannock

The Indians of Connecticut. By Harold Clayton Bradshaw. FHL book 970.1 B729ic

American Indians in Connecticut, Past to Present. By Mary E. Guillette. FHL|625773|disp=FHL book 970.1 G945a WorldCat

Connecticut State Recognized Tribes

• Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation (created by merging of Paucatuck Eastern Pequot Indians of Connecticut and Eastern Pequot Indians of Connecticut)
• Golden Hill Paugussett Indian Nation
• Paucatuck Eastern Pequot
• Schaghticoke Indian Tribe

Agencies of the Bureau of Indian Affairs

Agencies and subagencies were created as administrative offices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and its predecessors. Their purpose was (and is) to manage Indian affairs with the tribes, to enforce policies, and to assist in maintaining the peace. The names and location of these agencies may have changed, but their purpose remained basically the same. Many of the records of genealogical value were created by these offices. The British government and the Colony of Connecticut also tried to maintain a working relationship with the tribes of Connecticut during the colonial period.

No agencies have been located for Connecticut.

Records

The majority of records of individuals were those created by the agencies. Some records may be available to tribal members through the tribal headquarters.They were (and are) the local office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and were charged with maintaining records of the activities of those under their responsibility. Among these records are:

• Allotment records
• Annuity rolls
• Census records
• Correspondence
• Health records
• Reports
• School census and records
• Vital records

Trading Post

Leaping Deer (1979)

Reservations

• Corun Hill Reservation (1680 in Huntington)
• Eastern Pequot Reservation
• Golden Hill Reservation (1650's near Statford)
• Mashantucker Reservation (State, 1667 for Western Pequot's)
• Stonington 1683
• Mohegan Indian Reservation
• Paucatuch Reservation (Eastern Pequot)
• Pequot Reservation (State, Tribes: Pequot and Mohegan in Fairfield and New London Counties)
• Schaghticoke Reservation (near Kent)
• Turkey Hill Reservation (1674)

For a current reservation map - Connecticut - Indian Reservations - The National Atlas of the United States of America. Federal Lands and Indian Reservations. by the U.S. Department of Interior and U.S. Geological Survey.

Reference

Isaacs, Katherine M.,Omni Gazetteer of the United States of America, U.S. Data Sourcebook Volume 11 Appendices, Bureau of Indian Affairs List of American Indian Reservations Appendix E, Indian reservations, Omnigraphics, Inc., 1991,

Watson, Larry S. Researching Indians of the Northeast-A Basic Approach Journal of American Indian Family Research, Vol.7 No. 1 1986. FHL 970.1 J825j

Archives, Libraries, Societies and Repositories

• National Archives: Record Group 72, The Kansas Claims. The claims include compensation of the Brotherton and Stockbridge Indians for land lost what removed.The claims include genealogical information on several generations and may lead back to New York and New England.
• The Indian and Colonial Research Center, Old Mystic, Connecticut
• Rhode Island Historical Society has the Campbell and LaFantasie Collectiona chronological collection of Narragansett and Niantic documents.
• New England Historic Genealogical Society has resources on New England Native peoples.  One of their collection is the Brotherton Indian Collection, MSS 395 (once known as the Rudi and Will Ottery Papers) which includes Tribal Rolls 1833-1986, Brotherton Enrollment Records, Historical records, Individual Files and Descents from Brotherton Ancestors.
• Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, Mashantucket, Connecticut
• Family History Library FamilySearch Catalog Connecticut Native Races

See Also

Connecticut - History

Connecticut Military Records for a list of forts

Connecticut - Native Races in the FamilySearch Catalog

References

Bibliography

• "Accompanying Pamphlet for Microcopy 1011", National Archives Microfilm Publications, Appendix.
• American Indians: A Select Catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications. Washington DC: National Archives Trust Fund Board, National Archives and Records Administration, 1998.
• Gilbert, William Harlen, Jr. Surviving Indian Groups of the Eastern United States. Pp. 407-438 of the Smithsonian Report for 1948. Digital version at Google Books.
• Hill, Edward E. (comp.). Guide to Records in the National Archives of the United States Relating to American Indians. Washington DC: National Archives and Records Service, General Services Administration, 1981.
• Hill, Edward E. The Office of Indian Affairs, 1824-1880: Historical Sketches. New York, New York: Clearwater Publishing Company, Inc., 1974.
• Historical Sketches for Jurisdictional and Subject Headings Used for the Letters Received by the Office of Indian Affairs, 1824-1880. National Archives Microcopy T1105.
• Hodge, Frederick Webb. Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico. Washington D.C.:Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin #30 1907. Digital version at Access Genealogy.
• Isaacs. Katherine M., editor. Omni Gazetteer of the United States of America. U.S. Data Sourcebook, Volume 11 Appendices, Bureau of Indian Affairs List of American Indian Reservations, Appendix E, Indian Reservations. Omnigraphics, Inc., 1991.
• National Atlas of the United States of America -- Federal Lands and Indian Reservations.
• Preliminary Inventory No. 163: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Washington DC: National Archives and Records Services. Digital version at Rootsweb.
• Swanton John R. The Indian Tribes of North America. Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin #145. Digital version of "Indian Tribes of Connecticut" section at Access Genealogy.

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