Native American Heritage

Employment Records

Headquarters and Field Office Employees, Agents, Superintendents, and Officials

Finding, Navigating, and Exploring Employment Records

Thousands of individuals worked in federal offices responsible for the administration of American Indians including reservations, agencies, and related affairs. While some employees such as agents, officials, and superintendents were appointed to their positions, many people like teachers, nurses, and construction workers submitted applications.

Here are just a few areas to research for documents related to individual employment.

Official Register of the United States, 1817-1925

Employee Appointments, 1849-1907

Rosters of Employees, 1848-1963

Official Personnel Folders (OPFs), 1850-1951

  • The functions of the Bureau of Indian Affairs have fallen under the Department of the Interior since 1849.
  • Official Personnel Folders (OPFs) and service record cards are available to the public. OPFs detail the employment history of civil servants while service record cards offer a summary of employment to include appointments, promotions, demotions, transfers, and separation from service.
  • Learn about accessing and obtaining copies of these records

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), 1933-1942

Refer to Caption

CCC-ID banquet, 1939

National Archives Identifier 285420

Prologue Articles about the CCC

From 1922 -1942, the CCC hired thousands of young men to improve local infrastructure and participate in conservation projects. Within the organization, the CCC operated a sub-division that employed only American Indians--the Civilian Conservation Corps - Indian Division (CCC-ID). The CCC and CCC-ID were each responsible for maintaining records related to their employees and projects.

Locating the records:

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