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Medals that belonged to BIA head Ely Parker recovered


Two Presidential Medals of Honor that were awarded to Ely Parker, the first Indian Affairs commissioner, have been recovered after being stolen from New York.

Parker, a member of the Seneca Nation, received the medals in the 1800s. He ran the Bureau of Indian Affairs under presidents Benjamin Harrison and Grover Cleveland.

The medals were on the wall of Niagara County Historical Society. They were stolen on June 29 and ended up on eBay, where a man South Carolina bought them.

Police say a family in New York put the medals, and other artifacts, on eBay. Charges are pending.

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Medals return to WNY (The Tonawanda News 8/26)