John DeBras Miles

John DeBras Miles (June 7, 1832– March 20, 1925) was an American Indian agent at the Kickapoo people Agency and at the Darlington Agency for the Cheyenne and Arapaho.

John DeBras Miles
Maj. John DeBras Miles
Born	June 7, 1832 (1832-06-07) Dayton, Ohio
Died	March 20, 1925 (1925-03-21) (aged 92) Fresno, California

Early life and family

John DeBras Miles was born at Dayton, Ohio, June 7, 1832, to David and Susanna (DeBras) Miles. His family were members of the Society of Friends and he grew up in Miami County, Ohio. He attended business college in Richmond, Indiana and when he was seventeen took a job teaching. When he was twenty years old he entered the merchandise and milling industry. On November 25, 1857 John married Lucy Davis in Grant, Indiana. Together they had eight children: Lena, Josephine, Susan, Whittier, Eva, John Herbert and James. On January 13, 1892 Lucy (Davis) Miles died in Lawrence, Kansas. On June 7, 1894, John DeBras Miles married Margarite Hedrick in Kansas City, Missouri. On January 15, 1922 Margarite (Hedrick) Miles died at Sutherland Springs, Texas.

Indian agent

In 1868 President Ulysses S. Grant appointed John DeBras Miles agent of the Kickapoo people Agency in Atchison, Kansas.^[1][2] In 1871, he was assigned as special commissioner to Mexico. In 1872 john DeBras Miles was assigned to the Darlington Agency after the death of Brinton Darlington, there he was in charge of the Cheyenne and Arapaho for twelve years. Agent Miles resigned on March 31, 1884, his replacement was D. B. Dyer.^[3][4][5] Starting in 1884, he served as lawyer for the Cheyenne and Arapaho.^[6] In 1877 he was assigned as special commissioner to the Uncompahgre Ute Indians in Colorado.

Death

John DeBras Miles died at his home in Fresno, California on March 20, 1925.^[7]

Notes

Oklahoma Historical Society John DeBras Miles Bio
John DeBras Miles Findagrave Memorial

References

1. "Kickapoos: Lords of the Middle Border" by Arrell M. Gibson, University of Oklahoma Press, 1975
2. "The Mexican Kickapoo Indians" By Felipe A. Latorre, Dolores L. Latorre, Courier Corporation, 2012, pg 21
3. "The Cheyenne and Arapaho Ordeal: Reservation and Agency Life in the Indian Territory, 1875-1907" by Donald J. Berthrong, University of Oklahoma Press, 1992
4. "Fort Reno and the Indian Territory Frontier" By Stan Hoig, University of Arkansas Press, 2000, pg 16
5. "A Standard History of Oklahoma: An Authentic Narrative of Its Development from the Date of the First European Exploration Down to the Present Time, Including Accounts of the Indian Tribes, Both Civilized and Wild, of the Cattle Range, of the Land Openings and the Achievements of the Most Recent Period, Volume 4" by Joseph Bradfield Thoburn, American Historical Society, 1916, pg 1636
6. "Taking Indian Lands: The Cherokee (Jerome) Commission, 1889-1893" By William Thomas Hagan, University of Oklahoma Press, 2003, pg 18
7. Lawrence Journal World March 21, 1925 Page 2