Richard:

According to a booklet in the files of this office,
"Indians:  The Seneca Way," ed. by Jean R.
Streeter, of the Seneca Indian Historical Society,
(no date, circa 1971), p. 16:

The Thomas Indian School on the Cattaraugus
Reservation (Irving, NY) grew out of efforts of the
Society of Friends to provide education to Indian
children.  The Thomas Asylum for Orphan and
Destitute Children was incorporated April 10, 1855,
with the use of land approved by the Seneca
Nation and a NYS legislative appropriation of
$2000.  It was named after Philip Thomas of the
Friends.  The first children arrived June 1856.

The school became a state institution in 1875.  The
school was rebuilt in 1900 and renamed the
Thomas Indian School.  In 1927 the NYS Dept,. of
Social Welfare was given responsibility for the
school.  The school eventually absorbed all of the
smaller district schools on the reservation.  In 1950
it was placed under the NYS Education
Department;  and was integrated with the Gowanda
Public School System in 1954.  Gowanda
eventually absorbed all the students into its
system, and the Thomas Indian School was phased
out and closed its doors in 1958.  The buildings still
stood as of circa 1971 and were used for social
services.

Any records are probably with the New York State
Archives in Albany (for the State-run institution) and
the Gowanda School District (for the school district
period).



David W. Palmquist
Chief, Office of External Services
NYS Museum
3096 Cultural Education Center
Albany NY 12230
518-473-3131
fax 518-473-8496
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>>> Richard Cleveland <[log in to unmask]>
08/21/97 05:42pm >>>
I had a grandfather who is said to have been
adopted from an Indian
orphanage, and I did't know how to get information
on this. I saw the
listing of the THOMAS INDIAN SCHOOL, and I got
very excited. PLEASE how
do I get information from them and are there any
other places in the
N.Y. area from the late 1900's that you could tell me
about?
 THANK YOU,
KATHY CLEVELAND
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