Question:
I have recently seen at the Massachusetts State Archives the Senate Report for 1861 Earle Report for Native Americans. Can you tell me how this was compiled differently from the regular 1860 U.S. Census?
Answer:
In the late 1850’s Massachusetts State Commissioner of Indian Affairs John Milton Earle (1794-1874) organized efforts to identify the Native American population that hailed from Massachusetts. This included families residing within Massachusetts, and those who had left the Commonwealth. Much of this report / census was compiled via correspondence with families, selectmen of various towns, and other Indian Commissioners. The manuscript of the correspondence used to compile this census is at the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts on microfilm.