Collection ID:
Ead Download EAD

Collection context

Summary

Creator:
Pierce, M. B. (Maris Bryant), 1811-1874
Extent:
1.0 linear foot
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Buffalo History Museum Research Library, Mss. B00-9, Maris B. Pierce Papers.

Background

Scope and Content:

Correspondence with government officials, census officials, Indians, Quakers, friends and relatives, 1834-1874; sermons, speeches and other writings; copies of New York State and federal laws and bills concerning Indians, 1850-1874; and papers concerning the Seneca Nation, including Council minutes, 1833-1865, treaties and agreements, 1787-1844, financial reports, letters, and mss. written by whites about the Senecas, 1807-1874. Subjects include Indian emigration, timber sales, schools, self-government and relations with the Ebenezers, Quakers and the Ogden Land Company.

Biographical / Historical:

Maris B. Pierce was an educated Seneca Indian who lived most of his life on the Buffalo Creek and Cattaraugus Reservations. An 1840 graduate of Dartmouth College, he was one of the first Indians to be receive a college education. He returned from college to the Buffalo Creek Reservation, where he was appointed an official interpreter and also taught in the Indian schools. Pierce served as recording secretary for Seneca delegations to Albany and Washington, D.C., where he was a highly successful and respected advocate for Seneca rights and Indian welfare.

Acquisition information:
Mary Jane Carroll; gift; 1884/10/04; unknown
Processing information:

Reprocessed/retroconverted; 1993/07/29; Peter Nelson

Access

RESTRICTIONS:

Researchers wishing to access this collection must apply for a Scholar Pass and present valid photo ID upon arrival to the library.

PREFERRED CITATION:

Buffalo History Museum Research Library, Mss. B00-9, Maris B. Pierce Papers.

LOCATION OF THIS COLLECTION:
1 Museum Court
Bufalo, NY 14216, United States
Link to repository site
CONTACT:
716-873-9644 ex
library@buffalohistory.org