USA > Maryland > Cecil County > History of Cecil County, Maryland, and the early settlements around the head of Chesapeake Bay and on the Delaware River, with sketches of some of the old families of Cecil County > Part 5
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45
Robert Gorsuch was then examined touching the engage- ment with the Indians at Gunpowder River. He stated that the Indians came to his house on the 11th of April, 1661, some dressed in blue and some in red match coats, who killed his wife and plundered his house, and about four or
44
HISTORY OF CECIL COUNTY.
five days after came to his house again and killed some five cows and a steer, and some hogs, as he supposeth.
Jolin Taylor said that upon Easter eve, in the afternoon, there came two Indians to his house, but he not understand- ing their language, pointed at them to be gone ; he not hay- ing heard before of a murder committed upon Robert Gor- such's wife, and they accordingly departed. The next day these same Indians returned with seven more and one woman, who, coming near his landing, shot off a gun to give him notice, as he considered ; whereupon he went to the landing to them, and they asked him for some tobacco, which he did give them, and upon sight of another canoe of Indians, bid them be gone; one of them understanding and speaking a little English, upon which they went away, and steered, as he thought, toward a plantation hard by, where two bachelors lived, named Edward Fouster and John Fouster ; that John Fouster coming in a canoe toward the Indians, shot at said Indians and came immediately away to this informant's house ; whereupon the said Indians shot three guns at the said Fouster, and immediately went and plundered his house, and came round about two weeks after- wards and plundered his tobacco house, where his goods then lay for want of room in his dwelling-house, to the value of one thousand pounds of tobacco ; that upon notice given of this plunder, William Wigwell, John Fouster and Edward Swanson went forth after the said Indians, to know why they plundered the said tobacco house, and coming up to them in the woods, where they were sitting round a fire, they immediately surrounded the said English and dis- charged a volley of ten shots, killing the said John Fouster, and at a second volley wounded William Wigwell, notwith- standing which shot, they fought them three hours and made their retreat good, since which time the said Indians have killed eleven head of cattle and twenty head of hogs. Demanding of the Indians who they were, they answered they were all Susquehannaughs, as all Indians used to do that come to his house.
45
HISTORY OF CECIL COUNTY.
Thomas Overton and William Hallis saith that, about the 25th of April last, Thomas Sampson and Richard Hayes, seeing two canoes with nine Delaware Bay Indians coming down Bush River; watching their canoes, did discern that they steered toward their plantation, upon which the said Sampson and Richard Hayes came and brought these infor- mants news of their coming; so upon that, they took to their boats and arms and met the Indians, and inquired of them whether they were Susquehannaughs, yea or no, and they answered no; and whilst that these informants were talking with one of the said companies in one of the canoes, the other canoe with Indians went ashore ; and as soon as they were on the shore, one of the informant's dogs bit one of the said Indians, and upon that the Indian turned him about and shot the dog and killed it, and immediately another of the said Indians that was on the shore shot at these informants and their company, and the bullets came through the boat; then the said informants and their com- pany shot at the Indians that were in the other canoe and killed five of them-that is all the Indians that were in that canoe; and further, these informants saith, that the Indians on the shore did kill one of their company, called John Spurne; and further knoweth not.
At this meeting a letter was read to the council from William Hollingsworth, directed to his most respected friend Col. Nathaniel Utie, from the Sand Point, in Dela- ware Bay, written some time in April, 1661, about the murder of four men who left the Sand Hook on the seven- teenth of April, and whose names he did not know, but who were murdered by the Indians while on their way from Sand Hook (New Castle) to the head of the bay, and whose bodies, he had been informed by the Indians, lay at a place called Saquoschum. Twenty Indians had come to Sand Hook. and he had caused two of them to be arrested and placed in the guard-house, but afterwards sent one of them to inform their sachem. Both Dutch and Indians, he writes,
46
HISTORY OF CECIL COUNTY.
are much displeased at the arrest of the Indians. He there- fore asks the advice of Utie, and prays that some person may be sent to inquire further into the matter. In a post- script he adds that the Indians threatened to kill some Englishmen, then at the Sand Hook, when they started home to their families in Maryland. Philip Calvert there- upon, on the fifteenth of May, 1661, addressed a letter to Alexander D'Hinoyossa, then Governor of New Amstel, as follows:
"I understand from Mr. Hollingsworth of the murder of four men belonging to this province by the hands of some Indians, your neighbors; and further, upon his accusation, you had committed them to guard. I send this express to you, to be informed of the true state of the matter. It is not our custom to put up (with) the injuries of Indians, nor to bury the blood of Christians in forgetfulness and oblivion; therefore I request you to deliver me the Indian prisoners, that I may deal with them according to our justice in like cases. I am now at Spesutia, and there shall remain till I have provided for the safety of the people and the honor of our nation, and shall expect an answer from you to such.
" Your servant, " PHIL. CALVERT."
To which D'Hinoyossa replied as follows :
" RIGHT HONORABLE YOURS, 15th May, Old Styleward, the 26th of New Style. "Out of which we have seen that, upon the advice of Mr. Hollingsworth, you are come to the islands of Nathaniel Utie for to examine the lamentable murder done by the Sanhican Indians unto four Englishmen. (It is thus): For as much as hath appeared to us that how have been four persons, out of the province of Maryland, which, after two days' stay, departed from hence to their plantation, as they said, and by the way are met by the said Indians, by whom they are murdered. And on Marettico, on the Iron Hill, met them two Indians coming from the Minquas country ; to one of them they did give a hat, and nothing else; to the other they gave nothing. The same two In- dians came to the town, imagining nothing; but the mur-
HISTORY OF CECIL COUNTY.
derers, which killed the man, did very secretly and speedily pass this place up to the river; two or three inhabitants of New Amstel did, in the meanwhile, lay hold of these Indians, and I caused them to be brought to the fort: but after many examinations, found them not guilty, but that it was done by another nation ; therefore we have released them, because the innocent cannot suffer for the guilty; otherwise it would be a case grounded of no reason, besides there is some time past between, and would have occasioned between us and the Indians a difference which might damage us with them to an open war, whereby the culture of the country and the advancement of the colony would be much hindered, in which, apparently, your Honor would take no comfort nor content with the two Indians, which have not been actually in the fort; and therefore let your Honor be assured that the releasing of the two Indians hath not been done out of any ill intent, nor to the prejudice of so good Christians, our neighbors, in favor of the heathens, which have committed from time to time divers murders and rob- beries upon our nation, also wishing that we could lay hold of this good opportunity in revenging ourselves upon the murderers also. To conclude, your Honor may be confident that the shedding of Christian blood is most detestable unto us, assuring yourself that we shall contribute in all things to the preservation of friendship with neighbors of our belief, for as much as might be done without prejudice to our own nation. So I commit your Honor to God's keeping, who will give his blessing to your government, so just.
" Your serviceable friend, " Praise God in all things, 1661, "ALEXANDER D'HINOYOSSA."
What the old Hollander meant by " Marettico on the Iron Hill " has not been ascertained. It was probably an Indian name applied to some part of the country between Iron Hill and Grey's Hill, now called Red Hill. The reader will ob- serve that, like some of his countrymen of the present time, D'Hinoyossa had a rather limited command of the English language.
Following this, on the same page, is to be seen the follow- ing letter, which was evidently presented to the Council at this meeting at Spesutia, and which speaks for itself :
HISTORY OF CECIL, COUNTY.
4. MR. WRIGHT:
" Be pleased to do so much as to let me know how it is with you at the west for trade. The Indians threaten to kill me, and that is the reason I cannot come. I must march in my house with seven or eight guns loaden, and I have no comfort from the inhabitants here, Indians and Dutch both saying that I am an Englishman. I wish I could havetime to speak half an hour with you. Mr. Hollingsworth is very sorry he hears no answer of his letter. Give everybody notice, and look to yourself night and day. The Indians are very strong and not far from you. I would have written more, but I dare not dare. Warn James at Turkey Point to remove.
" Your loving servant, " GARRATT RUTTEN. " May 15th, 1661."
Then follows the commission of Captain John Odber, authorizing him to take command of fifty soldiers and to march with them to the Susquehannaughs' fort. This fort was probably just above the junction of the Octoraro Creek and Susquehanna River. There is no doubt whatever about the Susquehannaughs having a fort at that place, because John Hans Stillman testified that he had seen it there. Stillman was an Indian trader, and at one time had a trading post at the junction of the Big and Little Elk Creek. He also had a trading post at the mouth of the Susquehanna River, and was well acquainted with the Indians. His evi- dence, taken many years afterwards, when he was a very old man, may be seen in Penn's Breviate, which was submitted to the English Court of Chancery when Penn and Baltimore were quarreling about their boundary lines.
Vincent, in his History of Delaware, says this fort was upon Iron Hill; but had he consulted the colonial records of Maryland he would probably have formed a different opinion. It was the Minquas who lived along the Christiana which flows at the base of Iron Hill, that had the fort on it. There is no evidence now extant tending to prove that the Susquehannocks ever exercised control over that part of the country.
49
HISTORY OF CECIL COUNTY.
The instructions to Captain Odber are : " Imprimis : You are to choose some fit place either within or without the fort, which you are to fortify for your own security, and to de- mand the assistance of the Susquehannaughs to fetch tim- ber and other necessaries for the fortification, according to articles now concluded between us; and further, to cause some spurs or flankers to be laid out for the defence of the Indian fort, whom you are, upon all occasions, to assist against the assaults of their enemies.
" Second : Upon your arrival at the fort, immediately press them to appoint some one or more of their great men, to whom you shall make your applications on all occasions- that is, either of demanding assistance to help fortify, or of provisions, or upon any orders received from us.
"Third : Procure that certain persons be appointed, who are to be messengers between you and us, according to articles, and be sure advise us of every accident of import- ance that shall befall you or the Susquehannaughs, and of the proceedings of our affairs.
" Fourth : You are carefully to inform yourself of the pro- gress of the war between them and the Cinaqoi Indians, and if you find them, start in it, to press them discreetly to a vigorous prosecution of it.
"Fifth : You are carefully to avoid all quarrels with the Indians ; and therefore, permit not the soldiers (to) sit drink- ing or gaming with them, but keep them to exact military discipline, and, to avoid idleness, often exercise them.
"Sixth : Make diligent inquiry touching the murderers of the woman in Patapsco River, and of John Norden and his companions on their way from Delaware Bay, &c .; and if you find they have any of the said murderers in the fort, see them shot to death, or send them down to us to be pro- ceeded against according to our laws.
"Seventh : Lastly, you are to have a very wary eye upon all Dutch that come to the fort, observing their actions and treaties with the Indians, but show not any animosity against
D
ยท
50
HISTORY OF CECIL COUNTY.
them; if you find any close contrivances to our prejudice, give us speedy notice, and oppose, with discretion, any open actions that may tend to our loss."
The council met at Spesutia again on May 21st, 1661. (Present as before). Then was presented this letter :
" NEW AMSTEL, 28th of May, 1661. Stilo Novo.
" RIGHT HONORABLE :
" My last, the six and twentieth of May, was in haste, be- cause the Indians would not stay by the same. I did assure your Honor of the upwright affection which we have for the keeping of a good neighborship. I have by this occa- sion, Abraham Van Naas* going that way by instruction, ordered and authorized for to declare by word of mouth, that license to depart to the two Indians that were appre- hended was not in favor of the barbarous heathens, nor to the prejudice of good neighbors, they having not been ac- cessory to the murder ; wherefore, I would not keep them, such proceedings not being agreeable with our nation's cus- toms, being a case that will bring us into great danger of a war and a quarrel with the Indians; it being now 16 days past before we had any intelligence from the province of Maryland, in that behalf; we therefore, do assure your Honor that we will be, upon all occasions, willing. We hope that, in time to come, there will be a good traffic between us, though this present difference betwixt you and the Indians of this river are something disfavorable to it. Yet we hope that the Almighty God will show an expedient way that these differences might be composed, for wars are pre- judical to commerce and uncertain how they might fall out, nor what time they may take, that the whole nation for five or six evil doers should suffer, is a thing to be lamented, yet needful that the murderers should be punished for an example. I have, in general, understood from the Indians that they (trade) with the English upon very advantageous
* Abraham Van Naas was secretary and notary public at New Amstel. D'Hinoyossa afterwards quarreled with him because he would not praise him when writing the minutes of the council.
51
HISTORY OF CECIL COUNTY.
conditions (and desire) with the English (to) make peace, that such faults be no more committed. In case I can serve your Honor in the business, I shall be willingly inclined to it; and, so wishing your Honor a happy government and a good end of these troubles, shall rest,
" Your Honor's affectionate friend and servant, " ALEXANDER D'HINOYOSSA."
D'Hinoyossa was induced to write this letter of explana- tion and apology by information received from Augustine Hermen, who, as stated in a previous chapter, that year settled upon Bohemia Manor, and seems to have acted as a peace-maker between the old Hollander and Philip Calvert, the Governor of Maryland. Hermen wrote to D'Hinoyossa that the English foster the opinion that the inhabitants of New Amstel and the Hoernkill secretly instigate their sav- age neighbors along the Delaware to commit murders and robberies upon the Marylanders. The instructions given to Captain Odber prove that in this, as in most other things,
Hermen was right. After which was called in Abraham Van Naas, in the said letter mentioned, who, being desired to declare what he had in commission to say from the gov- ernor, Alexander D'Hinoyossa, declares that they had done their endeavors to detain the Indian murderers; but could not, for want of power to defend themselves, any longer keep them; that in revenge of what they had done the Indians had burned them a mill, which they were forced to pass by for the present till they should be better able to avenge themselves of the injury; that the governor of the Sand Hook did send for the king of those Indians that had com- mitted the aforesaid murder, and demanded of them the reason why they did it. Answer was made that it was done by a company of vagabond rangers that delighted in mis- chief, and run from nation to nation, whom, if they could catch, they would deliver them up to justice; but, that since they had done it, they were fled.
The council met at Susquehanna Point (which was no
52
HISTORY OF CECIL COUNTY.
doubt the point just below Perryville), on July 1st, 1661. There is reason to believe that the governor and secretary came to Susquehanna Point to meet Captain James Neals, who came there from England via New Amstel, where he probably landed shortly before. Captain Neals brought a letter from Lord Baltimore, which was read at this meeting of the council. This letter was dated at London, December 14th, 1660.
At this time the New Englanders claimed all the Atlantic coast from New England to Virginia; and many years be- fore had actually effected a settlement on the Delaware near the mouth of the Schuylkill, but from which they had been ousted by the Dutch. Captain Neals, who had been in Hol- land the year before as agent for Lord Baltimore, had been instructed "to inquire of the West India Company if they admitted his (Baltimore's) right on the Delaware; if not, to protest against them, and to demand the surrender of the lands on the Delaware Bay." Neals had an interview with the representatives of the West India Company, who asserted their right by possession under the grant of the States-Gen- eral, for many years, without disturbance from Lord Balti- more or any other person. They resolved to remain in pos- session and defend their rights, and if Lord Baltimore persevered and resorted to violent measures, to use all the means God and nature had given to protect the inhabitants. Lord Baltimore, however, took care to obtain from the king soon after a confirmation of his patent .* Lord Baltimore, in speaking of Captain Neals, uses the following language :
" I hope when he comes you and he and my other friends will think upon some speedy and effectual way for reducing the Dutch in Delaware Bay. The New England men will be assisting in it, and Secretary Ludwell, of Virginia, assured me before he went from here that the Virginians will be so, too. But it were well to be done with all celerity
* Scharf's Hist. of Md., Vol. I., page 251.
.53
HISTORY OF CECIL COUNTY.
convenient, because, perhaps, the New England men, falling upon them at Manhattans, may take it into their head to fall upon them at Delaware, too, and by that means pretend some title to the place," etc.
Whereupon the council took a view of his Honor's com- mission to Captain James Neals, which was granted for the levying of men to make war upon " certain enemies, pirates and robbers that had usurped a part of Delaware Bay lying within the fortieth degree of northerly latitude."
This commission was quite lengthy, and authorized the captain to make war upon the Dutch in Delaware Bay and everywhere else that he could find them, and to capture and destroy them both upon the land and on the sea, and not only them, but their aiders and abettors; in which work all his lordship's officers, both civil and military, were to assist. They were to drive them from the bay and cap- ture their ships and vessels, and after bringing the vessels and cargoes to the province of Maryland, and having them appraised, were, upon payment of one-twelfth of the ap- praised value to his agents, to be allowed to retain them.
The council took the commission and the whole subject into consideration, and came to the conclusion that in- asmuch as it was uncertain whether the town of New Amstel was within the fortieth degree of north latitude, they had better wait until that was ascertained, inasmuch as his lordship had not authorized a war with any but such as had usurped some part of the province. They thought it was not likely that the Virginians and New Englanders would take part in the war, because " the Dutch trade was the darling of the people of Virginia, as well as of this province," and indeed all other plantations of the English ; and this province alone not being able to bear the charge of the war that will thence ensue with the West India Com- pany in Holland, upon any attempt upon that place, which, not only from their protestation, lately made at Amsterdam, but also by late letters from Holland, appears to be resolved
54
HISTORY OF CECIL COUNTY.
upon by them in case any force shall be used by us against the said colony of New Amstel. They therefore resolved that all attempts be foreborne against the said town of New Amstel until such time as letters from his lordship may again be had in answer to what hath been written to his lordship concerning this affair, and that observation may be taken at the head of the bay of Chesapeake, thereby to find certainly whether the said town of New Amstel do lie within the fortieth degree of northerly latitude or not ; and further, that trial be made whether assistance from Virginia and New England may be had for the reducing and main- tenance of that place against the Dutch.
This year the Dutch authorities on the Delaware at- tempted to force the Swedish part of the population, who seem to have incurred their displeasure by their sociability with the English settlers at the head of Chesapeake Bay, to take up their residence above the mouth of the Schuylkill. This many of them refused to do ; and probably also being afraid of a war between England and Holland, Peter Meyer, Oloff Stille, and fifteen others, applied for and had patents of naturalization issued to them. Many of them settled in Sassafras Neck. The Dutch governor (D'Hinoyossa) and Hermen were now on the best of terms, and the former was accused by his contemporaries of selling the public stores to the latter, and appropriating the money he received for them to his own use. The colonial records for this period show that the Indians of this county and the Dutch settlers were sources of much annoyance to the authorities of Mary- land. Nobody had been punished for the murder of the four Englishmen upon Iron Hill; and, as we have seen, a war with the Dutch was imminent.
CHAPTER VII.
Treaty with the Passagonke Indians at Appoquinimink-Copy of the treaty-Scarcity of corn-Captain Odber gets into trouble-A cowardly soldier-Trouble with the Senecas-Treaty with the Delaware Bay In- dians-Capture of a Seneca Indian-Letter from the justices of Baltimore County respecting the captive-Francis Wright and Jacob Clawson-Tor- ture of an Indian prisoner-War with the Senecas-Another treaty with the Susquehannocks-The Senecas attack the Susquehannock's fort at Turkey Hill, Lancaster County, and are repulsed-End of the Susque- hannocks.
PROBABLY with a view of securing the co-operation of the Indians in case of a war with the Dutch, Governor Calvert, accompanied by his secretary (Henry Coursey) and John Bateman, one of the councilors, had a meeting with the Passagonke Indians, who, at that time, lived on the Dela- ware River above Chester, probably where Philadelphia now stands. This meeting took place at Appoquinimi (which is now called Appoquinimink), on Thursday, the 19th of September, 1661. The minutes in the council book for that year, in reference to what was done at that meeting, are so much more interesting than any abridgment of them that it has been deemed best to insert them here.
"Then came Pinna, king of Picthanomicta, in Delaware Bay, showing that, whereas there had been divers men slain by the English belonging to the Passagonke Indians, now under his command, and among them his own brother, in revenge of which divers English had been slain by those Indians; yet that he did believe all those outrages were committed by the English without orders from the governor and council; that those revenges were taken by his Indians without his or any of his great men's knowledge; therefore (he) did desire that all might be forgotten, and that from
56
HISTORY OF CECIL COUNTY.
henceforward his Indians might live in peace with the English.
"To which the governor answered that he did desire peace, so he did desire justice also, and provided that they would deliver up those Indians that killed John Norden and Stephen Hart, with his companions, to be proceeded against, according to our justice, he would come to articles of peace with him.
" Whereunto the said Pinna answered that the English had begun the war and first killed one of his men as he was peaceably coming by their plantation, and overset their canoes, out of which they lost three guns : afterwards pur- sued them into the woods and there shot at them; that his Indians fled, having lost one man and their goods. In their way home they met the said Norden and Hart and com- panions, and, contrary to the advice of an old man of the company that stood weeping by and persuading them to speak with the great men of the English first, did kill the said Norden and Hart and companions, saying that the English would have war; but since that time the English had set upon two canoes of Indians and killed five of them, and amongst them his own brother, all which, notwith- standing, he was willing and desirous to make a peace be- tween us and his Indians, forgetting the blood of his own brother.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.