Frank Fuller (known as F.F.) Avery was born in Indiana on February 24, 1862. The exact date of his entrance into Indian work is not known, but he was already employed by the Indian Service prior to his marriage in 1892. Before moving to Washington State he and his wife were employed by the Indian Service in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Crow Creek, North Dakota. From about 1898 to 1916 Avery was connected with the Colville Indian Agency, first as superintendent of the Indian Boarding School at Fort Spokane, and then as inspector of Colville Agency Day Schools. He was once recommended by John McAdam Webster, the Superintendent of the Colville Indian Agency, to succeed him. Correspondence between Avery and Webster appears in the John McAdam Webster papers in the Washington State University Library.
From the guide to the Photographs from the Colville Indian Agency, 1901-1916, (Washington State University Libraries Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections)
