George Boyd papers, 1816-1846

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Summary

Creators:
Boyd, George, 1779?-1846
Abstract:
Collection contains correspondence and documents primarily relating to U.S. government agents and others working among the Native American tribes in the Michigan and Wisconsin Territories from 1818 to 1846.
Extent:
0.1 Linear Feet (1 folder)
Language:
Materials are in English and French.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. George Boyd papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

Collection contains correspondence and documents primarily relating to U.S. government agents and others working among the Native American tribes in the Michigan and Wisconsin Territories from 1818 to 1846. Individuals represented include John Tanner, Eleazer Williams, Henry B. Brevoort, Louis B. Porlier, and Zachary Taylor (pass for several individuals through "Indian country," Fort Howard, Green Bay, 1818 July 19, HM 15377). There is also trader Louis B. Porlier's account book from 1845 to 1846 documenting his activities in upper Wisconsin Territory (in French). Material for the most part does not mention specific Native American tribes or individuals. Early items in the collection also document George Boyd's tenure in Europe prior to his move to the Michigan Territory.

Biographical / historical:

George Boyd (approximately 1779-1846) was born in Maryland. From 1811 to 1814, he served as a secretary to the Secretaries of War William Eustis and John Armstrong. In August 1814, Boyd was sent to Europe to deliver dispatches to the U.S. representatives in Ghent who were negotiating a peace treaty with Great Britain following the War of 1812; he then lived in France for several months. Boyd was designated a special agent by the War Department in October 1816, tasked with purchasing arms in Europe as well as materials for Washington, D.C. buildings. In December 1818, he was appointed as U.S. Indian Agent at Michilimackinac on Mackinac Island, Michigan Territory, where he served until 1832 when he transferred to Green Bay, then in Michigan Territory. Boyd worked among the Menominee, Oneida, Winnebago (now Ho-Chunk Nation), and Brothertown Tribes in the Michigan and Wisconsin Territories, resigning in 1840. He died in Green Bay, Wisconsin Territory, in 1846.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from W.C. Wyman, approximately 1920.
Processing information:

This finding aid was created in 2022 by Melissa Haley as part of the American Presidential Papers Project with enhanced description of the presidential material present. The items had been assembled physically and arranged by Huntington Library former staff in the mid-20th century.

Arrangement:

Collection is arranged chronologically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. George Boyd papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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