Collection Guide
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Boyd (George) Papers
mssHM 15370-15387
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Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: George Boyd papers
Creator:
Boyd, George, 1779?-1846
Identifier/Call Number: mssHM 15370-15387
Physical Description:
0.1 Linear Feet
(1 folder)
Date (inclusive): 1816-1846
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.
Language of Material: Materials are in English and French.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more
information.
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.
[Identification of item]. George Boyd papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from W.C. Wyman, approximately 1920.
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.
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.
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.
Collection is arranged chronologically.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Indian agents -- Archives
Indian agents -- Michigan
Indian agents -- Wisconsin
Indians of North America -- Michigan -- Government relations
Indians of North America -- Michigan -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
Indians of North America -- Wisconsin -- Government relations
Indians of North America -- Wisconsin -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
Federal government records -- 19th century
Letters (correspondence) -- Michigan -- 19th century
Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 19th century
Letters (correspondence) -- Wisconsin -- 19th century
Brevoort, Henry B. (Henry Bregaw), 1775-1858
Porlier, Louis B. (Louis Baptiste), 1815-1899
Williams, Eleazer, 1787-1858
United States. Bureau of Indian Affairs
United States. Indian Trade Department