Vaux Family papers

This Vaux Family papers are comprised of correspondence, reports, photographs, and administrative records primarily related to Native American affairs and Quaker meetings. The collection is divided into four series: “George Vaux, Sr.;” “George Vaux, Jr.: United States Board of Indian Commissioners;” “Mary Morris Vaux Walcott: United States Board of Indian Commissioners;” and “George Vaux III.”

The “George Vaux, Sr.” series includes many of his collected records related to Quaker meetings and history. Spanning from 1708 to 1910, this series includes Quaker meeting minutes from places such as Antigua, London, and Philadelphia. Also included are the Quaker publications The Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Discipline and Thomas Parker’s The Book of Discipline. A 1782 land title has been included with this series, and although the document is not directly related to him, George Sr. was greatly interested in collecting material related to Quakerism in Philadelphia. Therefore, it was kept within this series.

The “George Vaux Jr.: United States Board of Indian Commissioners” series includes correspondence and administrative, governmental, and photographic records related to his role as Commissioner in Indian Affairs within the Department of the Interior. His “Administrative Materials” include surveys of Native Americans, which hold information regarding education, land ownership, funding, health, population, Advisory Council Meeting Minutes, maps, and official rosters from 1906 to 1927. The “Reports” include Department of the Interior Reports, Acts of Congress, Appropriation Bills, and reports pertaining to tribes of North and South Dakota. George Jr.’s “Correspondence” contains letters to and from the Department of the Interior officials and indigenous nations from 1910 to 1927. It should be noted that within the “Mary Vaux Walcott: United States Board of Indian Commissions” series are additional letters to George Vaux, Jr. from the time when he served as Chairman of the board, that Mary herself collected. His “Photographs” include a photo album from a trip taken to Native American reservations in the Southwest in 1917 and 1918, and two other unidentified photographs of George Jr. with indigenous nations. Also of note in this series is George Jr.’s appointment as a Commissioner to the United States Board of Indian Commissioners signed by Theodore Roosevelt in 1906.

“Mary Vaux Walcott: United States Board of Indian Commissions” is the third series in the collection, ranging in date from 1916 to 1932. Within this series are three sub-series which include “Administrative Materials,” “Collected Letters,” and “Miscellaneous.” The first sub-series “Administrative Materials” is comprised of the following: a 1932 annual report; information on the 1916 Lake Mohonk Conference on the Indian and other Dependent Peoples; and other assorted documents, including reports, handbooks, correspondence, pamphlets, newsletters, clippings and materials related to the United States Board of Indian Commissions. Within “Collected Letters,” researchers will find letters from Board members F.H. Abbott, Edward Ayer (Commissioner of the Board), Franklin H. Lane, and William H. Ketchum. These letters are largely written to George Vaux, Jr. at the time when he served as Chairman of the board. “Miscellaneous” consists of stationery collected by Mary Vaux Walcott, as well as a title from September 15th, 1917, to property on Passyunk Avenue in Philadelphia.

The final series in the collection is the “George Vaux III” series. Within this series are the following three sub-series: “Friends Indian Committee Materials,” “Quaker Materials,” and “Collected Materials.” Researchers will find within the first sub-series, “Friends Indian Committee Materials,” records from 1938 through the late 1960s. Included are deposits and contributions from 1938; information on Indian Committee Salary and Wage Taxes for 1966; and documents pertaining to the financial holdings of the committee during the 1960s. The sub-series “Quaker Materials,” consists of records George Vaux III collected regarding the preservation of Quaker buildings and landmarks in Philadelphia, Quaker Missions in the Virgin Islands, and the Friends World Committee Conference. Completing this series is “Collected Material” which dates from 1897 through 1995. Included in this sub-series are documents related to the 12th Street Meeting House (1897-1973), Thomas O. Hiscott Writings and Manuscripts, as well as a postage stamp collection.

This collection may be of special interest to researchers who are studying both the history and recent state of affairs of Native Americans in the United States. Of note in the collection are original Department of Interior documents, first hand written accounts, and letters. Also, of great note are surveys, which provide valuable information from the early 1920s regarding the health, education, population, and land ownership of Native Americans, as well as maps and photographs.