National Archives and Records Administration

J. L. Thomas seeks to have his son enrolled at the Carlisle Indian School. Richard Henry Pratt forwarded his letter to the Office of Indian Affairs noting that Thomas will pay his transportation to the school and that with Office approval he would be willing to enroll him.

A. B. Upshaw, the Acting Commissioner of the Office of Indian Affairs, appoints Rev. T. S. Childs to investigate complaints made against the Hampton Institute Indian Department.

The report was then submitted to the Secretary of the Interior.

Richard Henry Pratt seeks clarification on whether an Office of Indian Affairs letter gives him authority to arrange transportation for two girls from the Green Bay Agency to travel to the Carlisle Indian School. Pratt asks for transportation be provided or for authority be granted for him to arrange it.

Richard Henry Pratt forwards two letters one from Wallace Charging Shield and one from Perry H. Laravie to the Office of Indian Affairs. Both Charging Shield and Laravie request to be enrolled at the Carlisle Indian School and Pratt provides his recommendation that both be allowed to enroll.

Richard Henry Pratt seeks authority from the Office of Indian Affairs to enroll two students from Alaska at the Carlisle Indian School. Pratt notes that the students were brought from the Sitka school to learn the printing and tin smithing trades by Rev. Dr. Sheldon Jackson. Jackson claims he had authority from the Office to enroll the students…

Captain Richard H. Pratt provides the Commissioner of Indian Affairs with a list of irregular labor required for January 1888. Pratt also includes details on compensation, position title, and the number of workdays required for the month.

Richard Henry Pratt asks the Office of Indian Affairs if Parker West (here Porter West) should accompany Miss Eustes to the Mount Vernon Barracks as an interpreter. Pratt notes that Eustes requested West be at Hampton on Monday.

Richard H. Pratt submits a statement of cost form that lists the total amounts for subsistence, clothing, school materials, school furnishings, light and fuel, buildings and repairs, miscellaneous expenses, and the value of subsistence raised by school and issued to pupils for the quarter ending September 30, 1887. Pratt also forwards a lengthy…

Estimate of funds for the first quarter of 1888 amounting to $10,368.30 for support of the school. Richard H. Pratt also requests additional funds amounting to $7,292.50 for regular employee pay. 

Richard H. Pratt submits an Estimate of Supplies for the first quarter of fiscal year 1888 amounting to $475.80 and requests to purchase those items in the open market. The form includes the items being requested, the quantity, the estimated cost, and how the item will be used at the school.

Richard Henry Pratt seeks authority to return five students to their homes due to their ill health. Pratt notes that the school physician believes their long term health will prevent the students from taking full advantage of the Carlisle Indian School course, but they are healthy enough to travel without escort.

Richard Henry Pratt responds to the Office of Indian Affairs regarding the request to enroll Holiday in the Carlisle Indian School. Pratt notes that Holiday is likely far above the age limit of Carlisle general rule and due to his work in Washington D.C. might not be prepared for the strictness of life at Carlisle. However, Pratt notes that if…

Lieutentant General P. H. Sheridan requests to return a Holiday, a member of the Apache Nation, to his people near Prescott, Arizona or to allow him to attend the Carlisle Indian School. Sheridan notes that Holiday was captured by the U.S. Army when he was very young and has been employed at the quartermaster's corral in Washington D.C. for…

Richard Henry Pratt responds to an Office of Indian Affairs letter regarding Edith Abner. Pratt states that Abner is a student at the Carlisle Indian School and is the proper claimant for the Peoria Fund distributed at the Quapaw Agency.

Richard Henry Pratt responds to an Office of Indian Affairs letter regarding enrolling Katie, a member of the Apache Nation, who is a prisoner of the U.S. Government.

Captain Richard H. Pratt provides the Commissioner of Indian Affairs with a list of irregular labor required for February 1888. Pratt also includes details on compensation, position title, and the number of workdays required for the month.

Richard Henry Pratt responds to an Office of Indian Affairs letter providing authority to transport Wallace Charging Shield and Perry Laravie while also suggesting they serve as escort for other students. Pratt then states that he does not believe individuals in agencies are currently capable of selecting students to attend the training schools…

Richard Henry Pratt provides a list of property which has become unserviceable and requests authority from the Office of Indian Affairs to drop them from his property returns.

Richard Henry Pratt forwards a Board of Survey to the Office of Indian Affairs convened on February 15, 1888 to dispose of broken or otherwise unserviceable property at the Carlisle Indian School.

Richard Henry Pratt requests that Congress provide an appropriation for building a new school building through the Office of Indian Affairs. Pratt notes that the school can accommodate 600 students except for its school rooms which are overcrowded at 440 students. He provides the history of the current building and the reasons for his request…

C. H. Grover requests to have Peter Curley, a member of the Pottawatomi Nation, enrolled at the Carlisle Indian School. Grover notes that Curley was previously a student at the Haskell Institute and was considered an excellent shoe maker.

Richard Henry Pratt forwards the request to the Office of Indian Affairs with a note that he favors…

Ridge Bear requests that his son Hartley Ridge Bear be returned to his home from the Carlisle Indian School. Ridge Bear notes his daughter, Hartley's sister, is ill and wishes to see her brother.

Richard Henry Pratt notes that he approves of the request due to the fact that Hartley was due to return to the Cheyenne and Arapaho Agency the…

Captain Richard H. Pratt provides the Commissioner of Indian Affairs with a list of irregular labor required for March 1888. Pratt also includes details on compensation, position title, and the number of workdays required for the month.

Richard Henry Pratt informs the Office of Indian Affairs of a request from the Oneida Agency to enroll six students at the Carlisle Indian Schools. Pratt requests that transportation be arranged for six from De Pere, Wisconsin to Carlisle.

Student William Brown writes to the Office of Indian Affairs asking permission to return to his home on the Pine Ridge Agency in the early spring in order to prepare his farm. Brown also notes that he is engaged to another student from Pine Ridge who attended Carlisle and is ready to start supporting his family. Brown ends by requesting if the…