USA > Massachusetts > Nantucket County > The history of Nantucket County, island, and town : including genealogies of first settlers > Part 16
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*The General Court passed the following order-"In Council July 2, 1771. Upon the Petition of the Inhabitants of the Town of Sherburn in the County of Nantucket representing themselves in imminent dan- ger of having the small Pox to spread amongst them without the in- terposition of this Court. Resolved and ordered that the Petitioners of Edgartown & Doct Samuel Gelston be served with a copy of Petition that they may show cause on the second Wednesday of the next sitting of this ourt if any they have why the Prayer should not be granted. And that in meantime every Person is hereby strictly prohibited from inocu- lating or removing any person that may be inoculated for the Small Pox from either of the Islands in s'd Petition prayed for to be annexed to the said town of Sherburn." The order was approved by Gov. Hutch- inson. At the session of the Court in April 1772 a committee was ap- pointed to consider the matter and it eventually ended with the trans- fer of the jurisdiction of the islands to Nantucket county.
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then does not appear but evidently the negotiations were favor- able for a Committee was chosen "to represent the town in the affair relating to Dr. Sam Gelstons Building at Gravelly Island and settle the same finally in behalf of the Town."
January 13, 1773, it was voted "that the Town House be re- paired in the place it now stands at the Town's Expense," and a Committee was chosen to see that it "be repaired at as little charge as may be." At the same meeting it was put to vote to see "whether the Town will pay to Samuel Cartwright a small Ballance due to him" evidently for keeping one of the Town's poor and "it passed in the negative." No reason is alleged.
November 17, 1773, the Town voted "to build or buy a Con- venient House for a work house" and chose a Committee of five to carry out that purpose and "to see that a good yard be erected round said House under a Strong Lock & Key & Provide a Keeper or Master for said House and all to be done at the charge of the Town and at as small Expense as Conveniently may be."
At a Town Meeting held March 23, 1774, it was voted "that the Town will build a light House on Brant Point. Voted that a wooden Light House be Built on Brant Point as High as the former one that blew down lately."* Voted that the Selectmen of the Town be a Committee to have the charge and care and to see that the Lt House aforesaid be built at the Town's Expense as soon as Conveniently the same can be done. Voted that Timothy Folger Esq, Wm. Rotch & Chris't Starbuck be a committee to draw up a Petition to the General Court and request that Light money may be paid by all the Shipping using this Harbor and lay the same before the May meeting for their approbation." A meeting was held on May 11, at which Stephen Hussey was chosen Representa- tive and the petition as prepared by the Committee was read and approved.
The preliminary events of the Revolution were beginning to be worked out and the distress of the people of Boston appealed to the sympathies of the Islanders. At a Town Meeting held July 27, 1774, Stephen Hussey, Christopher Hussey, ,Stephen Paddack, John Ramsdell and Benjamin Chase were chosen a "Committee to open and carry on a Subscription for the relief of the Poor of the Town of Boston." That meeting was adjourned to July 30 and again adjourned without action to September 3; and then again adjourned to September 28 at which time "Stephen Hussey was chosen by a great Majority to Represent the Town at the General Court to be holden at Salem on the first of October next."
This brings the Records to the opening days of the Revolution.
*The New Bedford Mercury had a letter from Nantucket dated March 9, 1774 which told of a great gust of wind at 8 a. m. It lasted about a minute, but destroyed the light house, several shops, barns, etc. "Had it continued 15 minutes not more than half the buildings in its track would have, stood."
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CHAPTER IV
THE INDIANS
In the early days of the civilized occupation of the North American continent the country east of the Mississippi River was peopled by eight, what may be termed grand divisions, of the Indian tribes-that is to say eight tribes, each of which had a language peculiarly its own. These were materially sub-divided and constituted some 30 different tribes. Chief among the larger divisions were the Algonquins, who included the Abenakes, Narra- gansetts, Pokanokets, Mohegans and Pequods in New England, the Lenni Lenapes, Mantiecokes and Powhattan Confederacy in the Mid-Atlantic States, and the Shawnees, Kickapoos, Powawatames, Miamis, Ottawas, Sacs, Foxes, Menomines and Chippewas in the West. The Pokanokets lived around Mount Hope and assumed to rule over Nantucket, Marthas Vineyard and a part of Cape Cod. From them was King Philip, who during his reign claimed juris- diction over the Indians of Nantucket .*
The Indians of the Island were by no means unacquainted with the whites prior to the visit of Macy and Starbuck, for the Island had been known to be good for sheep grazing, and in his petition to the Governor of New York in March 1676-7 Peter Folger writes that he has been somewhat familiar with both Marthas Vineyard and Nantucket for thirty years .; That would be as early as 1647, and the Island was deeded to Thomas Mayhew six years previously to that.
Just how large an Indian population there was on Nantucket when it was first settled by whites is not quite clear. Within twenty years of the purchase by Tristram Coffin and his associates the population was given, in a letter urging more efficient defence against real or possible enemies, as about 30 white males capable of bearing arms and 500 or 600 Indian men, with an estimated total of 1500 Indians, including women and children .¿ It may not be unreasonable to estimate the normal Indian population to have been about 1500.
In 1792, Zaccheus Macy, a man well versed in the early history of the settlement of the Island, in a paper published in the "Col-
*Guernsey's Hist. United States.
¿Papers relating to the Island of Nantucket. Hough p. 95. įIb. p. 89.
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lections" of the Massachusetts Historical Society for 1792, gave an interesting and presumably accurate description of the early Indian rights and of the subdivisions of land on the Island. The story as told by Mr. Macy is as follows:
"Wannochmamock was the first Sachem at the southeast part of the Island, when the English first came to Nantucket. Next to him was his son, called Sousoaco, and next to him were his two sons called Cain and Abel. These two agreed to divide the
ABRAM QUARY
The Last Native Having Indian Blood. He Died Nov. 25, 1854, Aged 82 Yrs., 10 Mos.
sachem-right, two third parts to Cain and one third part to Abel. The said Cain had one daughter, whose name was Jemima, married to James Shaa. From Abel sprang Eben Abel, and from him sprang Benjamin Abel, the last sachem, from whom I bought all his right, title and property that he had on said Island, for and in behalf of the whole English proprietors. All the said Jemima's right was bought by our old proprietors many years before, as may fully appear on our records. Their lands or bounds began at a place
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on the south side of the Island, called Touphchue Pond; and ran across to the northward to a brown rock marked on the west side, that lies to the northward of our Washing pond, called Gibbs's Pond, on the west side of Saul's hills and so over towards Podpis swamp, and then to the eastward to a place, Sesacacha Pond by the east sea. At the south-east part of said tract is a high bluff head of land, called Tom Nover's Head; and about two miles to the northward stands our famous fishing stage houses, where our sick people go for their health, called Siasconset: and about a mile still to the northward is a very high cliff of land called Sancota Head, then about a mile still to the northward stands another fishing stage called Sesacacha.
"Next begins the old sachem called Wauwinet; his bounds begin adjoining to the northward of the said Wannochmamock's land and run still along to the northward and take in all Squam, and run onto our long sandy point, called Coetue or Nauma, which in the English is Long Point where our Massachusetts light house now stands, and then to the westward to New Town, then to the southward to a place called Weweder Ponds, which in English signifies a pair of horns, by reason there are two ponds that run to a point next to the sea, and spread apart so as to leave a neck of land, called Long Joseph's Point; which two ponds spread apart so as to resemble a pair of horns. And the said Wauwinet had two sons, the oldest son was named Isaac, but was mostly called Nicornoose, which signifies, in English to suck the fore teat; and his second son was named Wawpordonggo, which in English is white face, for his face was one side white, and the other side brown or Indian color. And the said Nicornoose married, and had one son named Isaac, and one daughter; and then he turned away his proper wife, and took another woman, and had two sons, named Wat and Paul Noose; and when his true son Isaac grew up to be a man, he resented his father's behavior so much, that he went off and left them for the space of near fifty years, it was not known where. And in that time his true sister married to one Daniel Spotsor, and he reigned sachem, by his wife near about forty years: and we made large purchases of the said Spotsors. and then about sixty years past or more, there came an Indian man from Nauset called Great Jethro, and he brought Judah Paddack and one Hause with him, and he challenged the sachem-right by being son to the said true son of Nicornoose; and when they first opened the matter to our old proprietors, they contrived to keep the said Jethro close, until they could send some good committee to find out by our old Indians, whether they ever knew or heard of the said Nicornoose having such a son gone, and they soon found out by the old Indians that he had, but they had not heard what was become of him. So they soon found, they should lose all they had bought of the said Spotsors, then they held a parley with him said Jethro, and agreed to buy all his right, title and property that he owned on
said Island, as appears on our records. And the said Nicornoose gave deeds to his two bastard sons, Paul and Wat Noose, forty acres each, a little to the eastward of Podpis village.
"The first sachem at the south-west part of said Island. His bounds were at the said Weweder Ponds, and from thence to the northward to place called Gunsue meadow at Monemoy, where we now call New Town, and from thence westward along to the south- ward of the hills called Popsquatchet Hills, where our three mills now stand, and so the west sea, Called Tawtemeo, which we call the Hummock Pond. And his name was Autapecot. Next to him was his son called Harry Poritain. Next to him was Peter Mausauquit. Next to him was Isaac Peter. Next to him was lame
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Isaac, of whom we bought the last and all that sachem-right; and their habitation was Moyaucomet, which s.gnifies a meeting-place, and their meeting-house they called Moyaucomor. And the said Autapecot was called a great warrior, and got his land by his bow. "The fourth sachem was at the north-west part, called Potconet and owned all the little island called Tuckernuck, which signifies, in English, a loaf of bread, and his bounds extended from Madaket down eastward to Wesko, which in English is the white stone, and so on to the north side of Autapscot land, all bought of him at the coming of the English, saving some particular tracts that be- longed to the Jafets and the Hoights and some others.
"Now I shall give some of the most respectable Indians in Wannochmamock's bounds. There was James Mamack, a minister of the gospel, and justice of the peace, and behaved well in his station. Old Aesop, the weaver, was a school-master; old Saul, a very stern looking old man. Joshua Mamack succeeded in his father James Mamack's place. Richard Nominash and his brother Sampson and little Jethro were all very substantial, and a number more very trusty men.
"The most noted Indians in Autapscot's bounds were Benjamin Tashama, a minister of the gospel, and a schoolmaster to teach the children to read and write. He was a grandson to the old sachem. But there was an old Indian named Zacchary Hoite, a minister before the said Tashama, but he did not behave so well. He told his hearers they must do as he said, but not as he did.
"And there was one Indian man, his name was James Skouel, but was mostly called Corduda. He was justice of the peace, and very sharp with them if they did not behave well. He would fetch them up, when they did not tend their corn well, and order them to have ten stripes on their backs, and for any rogue tricks and getting drunk. And if his own children played any rogue tricks, he would serve them the same sauce. There happened some Eng- lishmen at his court, when a man was brought up for some rogue tricks, and one of these men was named Nathan Coleman, a pretty crank sort of man, and the Indian pleaded for an appeal to Esquire Bunker, and the old judge turned round to said Nathan and spoke in the Indian language thus, 'chaquor keador taddator witche coni- chau mussoy chauquor," then said Nathan answered thus, 'martau couetchawidde neconne sassamyste nehotie moche Squire Bunker;' which in the English tongue is thus, 'what do you think about this great business ?' then Nathan answered, 'may be you had better whip him first, then let him go to Squire Bunker;' and the old judge took Nathan's advice. And so Nathan answered two pur- poses, the one was to see the Indian whipped, the other was, he was sure the Indian would not want to go to Esquire Bunker for fear of another whipping.
"I will say something more in recommendation of some of our old Indian natives. They were very solid and sober at their meetings of worship, and carried on in the form of Presbyterians, but in one thing imitated the Friends or Quakers, so called: which was to held meeting on the first day of the week and on the fifth day of the week, and attended their meetings very precisely. I have been at their meetings many times and seen their devotion; and it was remarkably solid; and I could understand the most of what was said; and they always placed us in a suitable seat to sit; and they were not put by, by our coming in, but rather appeared glad to see us come in. And a minister is called cooutaumuchary. And when the meeting was done, they would take their tinder-box and strike fire and light their pipes, and, may be, would draw three or four whifs and swallow the smoke, and then blow it out of their
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noses, and so hand their pipes to their next neighbor. And one pipe of tobacco would serve ten or a dozen of them. And they would say 'tawpoot,' which is, 'I thank ye.' It seemed to be done in a way of kindness to each other.
"And as I said before, they had justices, constables, grand- jurymen, and carried on for a great many years, many of them very well and precisely, and lived in a very good fashion. Some of them were weavers, some good carpenters. *
"Now I will begin at the west end of the Island, which we call Smith's Point, but the Indians call Nopque, which was called a landing place, when they came from the Vineyard, but they call it Noapx; then eastward about three miles comes the Hummock Pond, where we once had a great number of whale houses with a mast raised for a look-out with holes bored through and sticks put in like a ladder, to go up; then about three miles eastward to the said Weweder Ponds, stood another parcel of whale houses; then about three miles eastward to Nobedeer Pond was where Ben- jamin Gardner lived formerly; then about three and one-half miles eastward is the aforesaid Tom Never's Head; then two miles to the northward is the famous town or fishing stage called Siasconset; then about one mile northward is the high head of land called Sancoty Head; and the Indians called Naphchecoy, which signifies round the head; then about one mile northward is the aforesaid Sesacacha Pond, where our other fishing stage stands. Then begins the said Squam, and runs northward two miles to the beginning of our said long sandy point called Naauma; and the first is one mile to a place called Causkata Pond, where are some woods and meadow; and four miles northward is where the said Massachu- setts lighthouse is, on the north end of said point. Then about one mile to the northward of the entering on of the above said long point, begins another neck or beach, called little Coetue and runs about five miles on about a west by south course till it comes within about one mile of our town called Wesco, which makes the east side of the entering-in of our harbor. Then next to the said Squam, westward, is the village called Podpis Neck, where our fulling-mill stands; then next westward is the famous neck of land called Quaise or Maisquatuck Neck, which in the English signifies the reed land, which was a tract of land given to Thomas Mayhew from one of the old sachems, and was reserved by the said Mayhew to himself when he sold his patent-right to the proprietors; which neck makes the west side of the said Podpis Harbor, now owned by Josiah Barker, Esquire, and Captain Shubael Coffin and Cap- tain Thomas Delano. Then next westward is the Josiah Barker's lot or field, called Show Aucamor, which in English signifies the middle field of land. Then about four miles westward in the town called Wesco; then next westward is a place called Watercomet, which signifies a pond field, which formerly was owned by the old natives called the Hoites. Then next westward is the great pond call- ed Cuppame, where old Tristram Coffin lived, the old grandfather to almost all of us, which was owned by the old families of the natives called the Jafets; then next westward about four miles is called Eel Point; and Madaket Harbor, which is the north-west part of the said Island; and then about two miles westward is the said little island, called Tuckernuck, which signifies, in English, a loaf of bread, for it appears round, and in the middle pretty high; which was bought by the said old Tristram Coffin from the old sachem Potconet, in the year 1659, by virtue of a patent he had from New York."
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The early transactions of the whites with the Indians on Nantucket certainly did not show any disposition on the part of the First Purchasers to take any advantage of them. The Indians were paid the prices for their lands which they demanded, and the formal deeds bear their duly attested signatures. There is a tendency to lose sight of the relative values of land and money in those early days, and to judge of prices on the basis of more recent values, but when it is remembered that, so far as Nantucket is concerned, the sums paid between whites for realties compared not at all unfavorably with those paid by the whites to the Indians, it puts the subject in a very different light. The price demanded by Thomas Mayhew for his patent rights in the entire Island of Nantucket was but £30 in money and two beaver hats.
That friction did develop subsequently is unfortunately true, but it does not appear that early purchasers were in any degree fraudulent or that the purchasers manifested any intent to take undue advantage of the aborigines. The sachems whose names were affixed to the deeds do not appear to have made any com- plaint. Three things seem to have created a real or an apparent distrust among the descendants of the early sachems. The first- and perhaps the principal one was liquor, a contention-breeder anywhere. Second; It would appear that during the time of the so-called "Insurrection" no attempt was made to check the feeling of discontent then beginning to manifest itself. Third; a seeming misunderstanding of what the sachems actually had conveyed to the First Purchasers. Mr. Worth in his "Nantucket Lands and Land Owners"* attributes the friction chiefly to that cause. He says "But the greatest source of perplexity was the force and effect of the English deed of conveyance. The idea that one man could so become entitled to real estate as to prevent others from using it never entered into the notion of the Indian. Land was to him as free as the water or the air. Nobody could have exclusive right to it. So when the white men came and obtained deeds from the sachems, it was merely the admission of the new settlers on equal terms with themselves. It was not that the Indian had ceased to have the right to enjoy the land but that another had become his co-occupant. Hence the idea that an Indian could be guilty of trespass was a strange innovation. Having the same right as the white man he supposed he could use any land, house or building of the Englishmen, or other property without being guilty of crime. When this use was denied and he was held to be guilty of trespass or theft, it was beyond his comprehension." This theory advanced by Mr. Worth, so far as it applied to real estate, seems entirely plausible.
The original claim of the white man to territory already .
occupied by the Indians many years before the advent of the whites must have surprised them. In the case of the settlement of Nan- tucket, however, the First Purchasers not only acquired the title which came through Thomas Mayhew, but purchased of the Indians
*Bulletin 1, Vol. 2. Nantucket Historical Association. p. 133.
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the title they claimed in the land. There was no design or attempt to crowd the Indians out of their possesions. Even had the first settlers been so disposed, the vast preponderance of Indian in- habitants would have made such a proceeding exceedingly in- advisable.
The first deed obtained from the Indians was the one given for that part of the Island west of Hummoock Pond, and was given by Nickanoose and Nanahuma to Thomas Mayhew.
The First Purchasers, evidently at an early date, realized the need of restrictions on the purchase of land from the natives on individual account, and took measures to prevent it. The records show that at the meeting in February, 1659, at which the original ten purchasers selected their partners,* "it was Mutually and Unanamously agreed upon determined and Concluded, that no man whatsoever shall purchase any Land of any of the Indians upon the said Island for his own private or particular use but whatsoever pur- chase shall be made shall be for general account of the Twenty own- ers or purchasers and whatsoever person shall purchas any Land up- on any other account it shall be utterly void and null except what is done by Leve from the said owners or purchasers." At a sub- sequent meeting it was "Debatted and after debatted determed and concluded that the order shall stand Inviolable unalterable, as that which also-as that which is likely necessary to the Conti- nuance of the well-being of the place and the Contuary that which tends to the Confusion and Ruine of the whole and the Subverting of the rules and orders already agreed upon and the depriving of the said owners of their Just rights and Interest."
Much of the legislation of the Town at this period regarding the Indians seems to be of a restrictive nature. On the 3d of the 9th mo., 1664, at a Town meeting "it was agreed on that no Englishman or men shall give any liberty unto any Indian to dwell on Nannack nack or to plant any Indian Corn untill the Town shall se reason to alter this order." October 13, 1664, "At a Town meeting it was agreed and concluded that if any land on any part of the Island be set fire to by any Indian so that the land or grass be Burnt to any considerable value as to a quarter of a mile or more the Indian in whose jurisdiction soever it be shall be fined 20 pounds Except it be in the month of April."t
Sometimes the Indians were called upon for joint improve- ments in public affairs as at a meeting (probably in 1665) "the Inhabitant agree to Dig a trench to drean the Long pond forthwith with regard to a ware for taking fish and Also for making of Meadow -the work is to be Carr'd on thus, the one half of the work is to be don by the Indians, the other half by the English Inhabitant or owners, the Indians to have half the Fish so long as they attend to the weare cearfully.'
bury.
*The meetings prior to May, 1661, seem to have been held at Salis- This meeting was held "at the house of Benjamin Cambell."
tAt an early period the Indians of Nantucket declared allegiance to the King of England. The record says "October 10th 1665. At a publick Meeting of the Town Attaychat signified that himself with all the Tomokommoth Indians doth subject to the English Government of Nantucket, do owne themselves subjects to King Charles the Second- this was don in the presence of Molocon, alias Philip Sachem of Mount Hope." King Philip had visited Nantucket to induce the natives to join his federation against the English.
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