History of Kent County, Michigan, together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history, portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens, Part 16

Author: Leeson, M. A. (Michael A.); Chapman, Charles C., & Co. (Chicago)
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago : C.C. Chapman & Co.
Number of Pages: 1434

USA > Michigan > Kent County > History of Kent County, Michigan, together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history, portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens > Part 16

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).

From this cession there shall be reserved, for the use of the Indians, the fol- lowing tracts :

One tract at Mang-ach-qua Village, on the River Peble, of six miles square : one tract at Mick-ke-saw-be, of six miles square; one tract at the village of Na- to-wa-se-pe, of four miles square; one tract at the village of Prairie Ronde, of three miles square; one tract at the village of Match-e-be-narh-she-wish, at the head of the Kelkamazoo river.

There shall be granted by the United States to each of the following persons, being all Indians by descent, and to their heirs, the following tracts of land : To John Burnett, two sections of land; to James Burnett, Abraham Burnett, Re- becca Burnett, and Nancy Burnett, each one section of land, which said John, James, Abraham, Rebecca and Nancy are children of Kaw.ke-me, sister of Top- ni-be, principal chief of the Pottawatomie nation. The land granted to the per- sons immediately preceding, shall begin on the north bank of the River St. Joseph, about two miles from the mouth, and shall extend up and back from the said river for quantity .

To John B. La Lime, son of Noke-no-qua, one-half of a section of land adjoin- ing the tract before granted, and on the upper side thereof; to Jean B. Chau- donai, son of Chip-pe-wa-qua, two sections of land on the River St. Joseph, above and adjoining the tract granted to J. B. La Lime; to Joseph Daze, son of Chip- pe. wa-qua, one section of land above and adjoining the tract granted to Jean B. Chaudonai; to Monguago, one-half of a section of land, at Mish-she-wa-ko-kink; to Pierre Moran or Peeresh, a Pottawatomie chief, one section of land, and to his children two sections of land, at the mouth of Elk-heart river; to Pierre La Clerc, son of Moi-qua, one section of land on the Elk-heart river, above and ad- joining the tract granted to Moran and his children.

The section of land granted by the treaty of St. Mary's, in 1818, to Peeresh, or Perig, shall be granted to Jean B. Cicot, son of Pe-say-quot, sister of the said Peeresh, it having been so intended at the execution of the said treaty.

To O-she-ak-ke-be, or Benac, one-half of a section of land on the north side of the Elk-heart river, where the road from Chicago to Fort Wayne first crosses the said river; to Theresa Chandler, or To -- ak-qui, a Pottawatomie woman; and to her daughter, Betsy Fisher, one section of land on the south side of the Grand river, opposite to the Spruce swamp; to Me-naw-che, a Pottawatomie woman, one-half of a section of land on the eastern bank of the St. Joseph, where the road from Chicago to Detroit first crosses the said river; to Charles Beaubien and Medart Beaubien, sons of Man-na-ben-a-qua, each one-half of a section of land near the village of Ke-wi-go-shkeem, on the Washtenaw river; to Antoine Roland, son of I-gat-pat-a-wat-a-mie-qua, one-half of a section of land adjoining and below the tract granted to Pierre Moran ; to William Knaggs, or Wis-es-kuk-son, son of Ches- qua, one-half of a section of land adjoining and below the tract granted to Antoine Roland ; to Madeline Bertrand, wife of Joseph Bertrand, a Pottawatomie woman, one section of land at the Parc aux Vaches, on the north side of the River St. Joseph; to Joseph Bertrand, junior, Benjamin Bertrand, Laurent Bertrand, Theresa Bertrand, and Amable Bertrand, children of the said Madeline Bertrand, each one-half of a section of land at the portage of the Kankakee river ; to John Riley, son of Me-naw-cum-a-go-qui, one section of land, at the mouth of the river Au Foin, on the Grand river, and extending down the said river ; to Peter Riley, son of Me-naw-cum-e-go-qua, one section of land at the mouth of the river Au Foin, on the Grand river, and extending down the said river ; to Jean B. LeClerc,

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HISTORY OF KENT COUNTY.

son of Moi-qua, one-half of a section of land above and adjoining the tract granted to Pierre La Clerc; to Joseph La Framboise, son of Shaw-we-no-qua, one section of land upon the south side of the River St. Joseph, and adjoining on the upper side the Jand ceded to the United States, which said section is also ceded to the United States.

The tracts of land herein stipulated to be granted, shall never be leased or con- veyed by the grantees or their heirs to any persons whatever, without the permis- sion of the President of the United States. And such tracts shall be located after the said cession is surveyed, and in conformity with such surveys as near as may be, and in such manner as the President may direct.

In consideration of the cession aforesaid, the United States engage to pay to the Ottawa nation, one thousand dollars in specie annually forever ; and also to appropriate annually, for the term of 10 years, the sum of fifteen hundred dollars, to be expended as the President may direct, in the support of a blacksmith, of a teacher, and of a person to instruct the Ottawas in agriculture, and in the purchase of cattle and farming utensils. And the United States also engage to pay to the Pottawatomie nation five thousand dollars in specie annually, for the term of 20 years, and also to appropriate annually, for the term of 15 years, the sum of one thousand dollars, to be expended as the President may di- rect, in the support of a blacksmith and a teacher. And one mile square shall be selected, under the direction of the President, on the north side of the Grand river, and one mile square on the south side of the St. Joseph, and within the Indian lands not ceded, upon which the blacksmiths and teachers employed for the said tribes, respectively, shall reside.

-The stipulation contained in the treaty of Greenville, relative to the right of the Indians to hunt, upon the land ceded while it continues the property of the United States, shall apply to this treaty.

The United States shall have the privilege of making and using a road through the Indian country, from Detroit and Fort Wayne, respectively, to Chicago.

This treaty shall take effect and be obligatory on the contracting parties so soon as the same shall be ratified by the President of the United States, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate thereof.

In testimony whereof, the said Lewis Cass and Solomon Sibley, Commissioners as aforesaid, and the chiefs and warriors of the said Ottawa, Chippewa, and Pot. tawatomie nations, have hereunto set their hands, at Chicago aforesaid, this 29th day of August, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty- one.

OTTAWAS.

Ke-wa-goush-cum,

No-kaw-je-gaun,

Kee-o-to-aw-be,

Ket-che-me-chi-na-waw,

To-pen-ne-bee,

Mee-te-ay,

Chee-banse,

Loui-son,

Wee-saw,

Kee-no-to-go,

Kee-po-taw,

Wa-baw-nee-she,

Shay-auk-ke-bee,

Sha-waw-nay-see,

Scho-mang,

Atch-wee-muck-quee,

Waw-we-uck-ke-meck,

Pish-she-baw-gay,

Nay-ou-chee-mon,

Waw-ba-saye,

Quay-guee, Aa-pen-naw-bee,

Shee-shaw-gan,

Say-gaw-koo-nuck,

Mat-cha-wee-yaas,

Aysh-cam,

Meek-say-mank,

Shee-shaw-gun,

Mat-cha-pag-nish, Mong-aw, Pug-gay-gaus,

Shaw-wen-ne-me-tay,

Ash-kee-wee,

Ses-cobe-mesh,

Francois,

Shay-auk-ke-bee, A w-be-tone.

Mauk-see,

Way-me-go, Man-daw-min,

LEWIS CASS, SOLOMON SIBLEY.

Wy-ne-maig,

O-nuck-ke-meck,

Ka-way-sin,

A-meck-kose,

Os-see-meet,

Shaw-ko-to,

Ep-pe-sau-se,

No shay.we-quat,

Kay-nee-wee,

Mee-gwun, Mesh-she-ke-ten-now,

Mo-a-put-to, Mat-che-pee-na-che-wish,

CHIPPEWAS.

Met-tay-waw, Mich-el,

Kon-gee,

Meg-ges-seese,

Shaw-way-no,

May-ten-way,

To-to-me,

Chee-gwa-mack-gwa-go, Waw-seb-baw, Pee-chee-co,

Quoi-quoi-taw, Pe-an-nish,

POTTAWATOMIES.

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HISTORY OF KENT COUNTY.

In presence of Alex. Wolcott, jr., Indian Agent; John R. Williams, Adj. Gen. ; Gabriel Godfroy, Indian Agent; W. Knaggs, Indian Agent ; Jacob Visger ; Henry I. Hunt ; H. Phillips, Paymaster, U. S. Army; R. Montgomery ; Jacob B. Varnum, U. S. Factor ; John B. Beaubien ; Conrad Ten Eyck ; J. Whippley ; George Miles, jun .; Henry Connor ; James Barnerd; John Kinzie, Sub-Agent.

The tract reserved at the village of Match-e-be-nash-she-wish, at the head of the Ke-kal-i-ma-zoo river, was by agreement to be three miles square. The extent of he reservation was accidentally omitted.

LEWIS CASS, SOLOMON SIBLEY.

The treaty negotiated at Chicago in 1833 did not deal particularly with the Indians of Grand Rapids, and consequently is not intro- duced here.

TREATY OF 1836.

The lands belonging to the Ottawas and Otchipwes north of Grand river were subsequently ceded to the United States by the treaty of Washington perfected March 28, 1836. The provisions of this arrangement are thus summarized :

First, the Ottawa and Chippewa nations cede to the United States all the country from a point beginning at the mouth of Grand river of Michigan on the north bank, and following up the same to the line called for in the first article of the treaty. of Chicago, Aug. 29, 1821; thence, in a direct line, to the head of Thunder Bay river; thence with the line established by the treaty of Saginaw, Sept. 24, 1819, to the mouth of that river; thence northeast to the boundary line in Lake Huron between the United States and the British Province of Upper Canada; thence northwestwardly, fol- lowing the said line as established by the treaty of Ghent, through the straits and St. Mary's river, to a point in Lake Superior, north of the mouth of Gitchy Seebing, or Chocolate river; thence south to the mouth of said river, and up its channel to the source thereof; thence in a direct line to the head of the Skonawba Sibi of Green bay; thence down the south bank of that river to its estuary; thence in a direct line through the ship channel in Green bay to the onter part thereof; thence south to a point in Lake Michigan west of the north cape or entrance of Grand river, and thence east to the place of beginning, at the said cape, comprehending all the lands and islands within these limits, not including the following reservations : 50,000 acres on Little Traverse bay; 20,000 acres on the north shore of Grand Traverse bay; 70,000 acres on the north of the Pere Marquette river; 1,000 acres to be located by Chingassanoo, or Big Sail, on the Cheboygan river; 1,000 acres to be located by Mujeekewis on Thunder Bay river; six square miles on the north shore of Michilimackinac, between Point-au-barbe and Mille Coguin river; the Beaver island, Round island opposite Michilimackinac, the island of the Chenos, Sugar island and islets in St. Mary's river; 640 acres at the mission of Little Rapids, a tract of land at the mouth of the Pississowinning river; 640 acres on Grand island; 2,000 acres on the main land south of it; 1,280

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HISTORY OF KENT COUNTY.

acres at the northern extremity of Green bay, together with the reservation at St. Mary's, named in the treaty of St. Mary's, June 16, 1820.

In consideration of relinquishing all claims to these lands, the United States Government agreed to pay the Indians, between Grand river and the Cheboygan, $18,000 annually for 20 years; to the Indians on the Huron shore, $3,600 for the same term, and $7,400 to the Chippewas north of the straits of Michil- mackinac, and $1,000 to be invested by the Treasury in stock, A sum of $5,000 was appropriated to be expended annually for 20 years in providing teachers, books in the native languag, school- houses; $3,000 per annum for mission purposes; $10,000 for agri- cultural implements, cattle, mechanics' tools, and such other articles as the President may deem necessary; $300 per annum for vaccine and medicines; doctors' fees to be continued while the Indians remain on their reservations. Provisions to the amount of $2,000 with 6,500 pounds of tobacco, 100 barrels of salt, and 500 fish barrels annually for 20 years; $150,000 worth of goods and provisions to be delivered at Michilimackinac on theratification of the treaty.

Together with all those liberal allowances, a sum of $300,000 was appropriated to pay off all the just depts of the Indians, and $150,000 to provide for the half-breed relatives of the Indians resi- dent within the lands purchased in the year 1876. Under the treaty the Government agreed to appointed two additional black- smiths, one for the Sault Ste. Marie reservation, and one for the reservation at the rapids of Grand river, to build a dormitory for visiting Indians, and send two agriculturists and assistants to teach the Indians at each of those posts.

It was agreed at the making of the treaty of Washington that as soon as the Indians desire it, a deputation shall be sent west of the Missippi, and to the country between Lake Superior and the great river, to locate reservations. Such improvements as add valne to the lands in Michigan, ceded under the treaty, shall be appraised, and the amount paid to the proper Indian; but in no case shall such a payment be made or assigned to a white man. The mission establishments upon Grand river shall be appraised, and the value be paid to the proper boards. It was further pro- vided, that when the Indians would wish to be removed to the reserves west of the Mississippi, the Government shall provide them with transports, furnish a year's subsistence and supply the same articles and equipments to each person as promised to the Pottawatomies in the last treaty of cession, made at Chicago in 1833.

HALF-BREED RESERVATIONS.

It appears that both Ottawas and Chippewas desired to show their gratitude to many of their half-breeds on Grand river, for services rendered, and granted them various parcels of land. This

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HISTORY OF KENT COUNTY.

could not be permitted under the treaty; but to keep faith with the Indians it was agreed that in addition to the $150,000 granted previously to provide for half-breeds, a further sum of $48,448 should be appropriated for extinguishing this order of claims. This sumwas divided as follows :- To Rix Robinson, in lieu of a sec- tion of land, granted to his Indian family, on the Grand River rap- ids, estimated by good judges to be now worth $500,000, $23,040, being at the rate of $36 per acre; to Leonard Slater, in trust for Chiminonoquat, a section of land above the rapids, $6,400, or $10 per acre; to John A. Drew, for 12 sections of land, at Cheboygan Rapids, for his Indian family, $4,480, or $4 per acre; to Edward Biddle, for one section at the fishing grounds for his Indian family, $1,920, or $3 per acre; to John Holiday, for five sections of land to five persons of his Indian family, $4,000, or $1.25 per acre; to Eliza Cook, Sophia Biddle and Mary Holiday, one section of land each at $2.50 per acre, $6,400; to Augustin Hamelin, jr., being of Indian descent, two sections at $1.25, $1,600; William Lasley, Joseph Daley, Joseph Trottier and Henry A. Levake re- ceived the price of two sections of land each, for their Indian families, valued at $1.25 per acre, and aggregating $6,400; Luther Rice, Joseph LaFrambois and Charles Butterfield, being of Indian descent, received the value of one section of land each, being at $1.25 per acre, $2,400; Geo. Moran, Louis Moran and Gardner D. Williams, for half-breed children under their care, and Daniel Marsac, for his Indian child, received a section of land each, valued at $1.25 per acre, or $3,200.

A sum of $100 per annum was granted to Wing, or Ningweegon, an Ottawa chief, for services rendered the Union during the war of 1812. Chuses, of Michilimackinac, who attended the treaty of Greenville in 1793, received a pension of $50 per year, in fulfill- ment of a promise made to him there by Gen. Anthony Wayne. A further sum of $30,000 was granted to be paid to the chiefs on the ratification of the treaty. Of the Grand River chiefs the follow- ing received $500 each :- Muccutary Osha, Namatippy, Nawequa,. Geezhigror Noonday, Nabun Egeezhig, son of Kewayguabon- wequa, Wabi Windigo, or White Giant, Cawpemossay, or Walker, Mukutay Oquot, or Black Cloud, Megis Ininee, or Wampun-man, and Winnimissagee. The chiefs of the second class who received $200 each were :-- Keesha-owash, Nuqogi- kaybee, Kewaytowaby, Wapoes, Wabilonquaysay, Kewatondo, Zhaquinaw, Nawiqua Geezhig of Flat river, Kenaytinunk, Wee- nonga, Pabawboca, Windecowiss, Muccutay Penay, or Black Partridge, Kaynotin Aishcum, Boynashing, Shaqwabeno, son of White Giant, Tushetowun, Keway Gooshcum, Pamossoyga. The chiefs of the third class to each of whom was granted a sum of $100, comprised Kayshewa, Penasee, Kenisoway and Keenabie, all of Grand River.

This treaty was signed by Henry Schoolcraft, as U. S. Commis- sioner, March 28, 1836, with the following witnesses: John

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HISTORY OF KENT COUNTY.

Hulbert, Lucius Lyon, R. P. Parrott, U. S. A., W. P. Zantzinger, U. S. N., Josiah F. Polk, John Holiday, John A. Drew, Rix Robinson, Leonard Slater, Louis Moran, Augustin Hamelin, jr., Henry A. Levake, William Lasley, Geo. W. Woodward and C. O. Ermatinger.

The totems of 25 Indians were attached, six of whom were Grand Rapids representatives, namely; Wabi Windego, Nugiss Ininee, Nabun Ageezhig, Winnimissagee and Mukutaysee. This treaty was duly ratified, after the Senate's amendment of article 8 was inserted, providing that "the net proceeds of the sale of the 160 acres of land upon the Grand river, upon which the missionary society erected their buildings, shall be paid to the said society in lieu of the value of their said improvements." The troubles to which this amendment gave origin are referred to in other pages.

HOW THE TREATIES WERE CARRIED OUT.

The treaty negotiations were formally concluded, and the com- missioners forced the official conscience to think that justice was done to the Indians, as provided for in the act of Congress. This driving power did not cease here. In the appointment of officers to carry out the provisions of the treaty, a peculiar selection was made, which resulted in the disaffection of the savages and the discontent of the officials themselves. Public money poured in, only to be cast away on useless enterprises, or in subsidizing a few of the knowing ones among the Ottawas and Pottawatomies, leav- ing the great majority of the native people in actual ignorance of what was intended to be done under the treaty, and misleading Congress itself as to the distribution of its appropriations. In the following pages, summarized from Torrey's compilation, and based upon the reports and diurnal entries of Revs. McCoy and Slater, it will be evident to the impartial reader that neither the spirit of the Congressional acts nor the spirit of the Republic were observed in dealing with the aborigines of Grand river. The old settlers do not require to be reminded of these facts. Among them are men, a few of them old and respected members of the bar of this county, who bear testimony to the non-republican man- ner in which public money was used and public confidence abused. Were the Indians honorably dealt with by Governmental agents, whether superintendents, teachers, blacksmiths or agricult- ural instructors, many of them would be found to-day living within the county in a civilized state, reminding the present of the past, and always willing to bear testimony. to the solicitude of a government the first principle of which is to preserve the citi- zen.

In 1821 the efforts of missionaries, which for some time had been directed to the Indians of Southern Michigan and Northern Indiana, began to assume shape and take the nome of action. In

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HISTORY OF KENT COUNTY.

February of this year Isaac McCoy, appointed by the Board of Managers of the Baptist Missionary Convention of the United States, to labor as a missionary in Illinois and Indiana, visited De- troit, and had an interview with Governor Cass, who listened to his story with sympathy, and furnished him with $450 worth of food and clothing for the Fort Wayne mission, and subsequently gave him the financial aid promised at the time. Efforts were also made to introduce into the treaty of Chicago, then proposed, stipulations which should favor educational purposes among the Indians. Through the influence of Col. Tremble, then U. S. Sena- tor from Ohio, those claims were urged with good success. The Pottawatomies gave a mile square of land for mission purposes. It was stipulated that for the benefit of the Pottawatomies Government should place upon this section of land a teacher and a blacksmith, and should expend toward their support $1,000 annu- ally for a term of 15 years. At the same treaty the Govern- ment engaged to furnish the Ottawas with a teacher, a farmer and a blacksmith, to locate them on a square mile of land to be selected by the President, and to expend $1,500 annually for 10 years, to- gether with supplying the Ottawas with cattle, farm implements,and articles of husbandry. Subsequently McCoy was appointed super- intendent of officers appointed to carry out the provisions of the treaty, and acting as such located the mission for the Ottawas on the north side of Grand river, opposite the Rapids, where the Bridge St. viaduct now is.

At this time it will be remembered the mighty region of the Northwest was only known as a wilderness, with a trading post to relieve its dreariness. The Territory of Michigan had no settlers, except on its eastern borders, and Detroit was only a fort, noted as the head-quarters of the Governor, and the home of a few hundred inhabitants. At Grand river, on the north side, was the Indian village of Kewi-coosh-cum, the village chief, an assemblage of 50 or 60 huts. No roads but well-worn trails led to this aboriginal metropolis, and the country round about was so sparsely " settled," even, by red men that an Indian might walk for many hours in a di- rect line through the primeval forests without meeting a neighbor. The Ottawas' southern line of territory extended to Kalamazoo river, which was also the northern boundary of the Pottawatomies. These tribes harmonized perfectly, claiming brotherhood, the latter being proud of the former, and claiming them as elder brothers. At this time Noon-Day, an Indian very well known to many now living, was the chief of the Ottawa tribe, and at this time there was not even a trading post at the Rapids.

McCoy set out from Fort Wayne, June 28, 1822, with the intent of visiting Detroit, having for his object the securing of such priv- ileges as were provided for in the treaty of Chicago. The War Department placed the management of those Indians in the hands of General Cass, and to him Mr. McCoy appealed. The Governor conceded every point possible. John Sears, of New York city,

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HISTORY OF KENT COUNTY.

was appointed teacher for the Ottawas, while McCoy was commis- sioned to select blacksmiths for the Ottawas and Pottawatomies. In a lengthy paper, dated Detroit, July 16, 1822, and signed by General Cass, instructions to Rev. Isaac McCoy were given. Ar- ticle 2 of the instructions set forth, that all attempts to amelior- ate the condition of the Indians must prove abortive so long as ardent spirits are freely introduced into their country. Their con- tinued introduction is the great obstacle to their civilization. Every hope, feeling and consideration they sacrifice to this pas- sion. It is an absolute mania which they are unable to resist, and which sweeps before it every barrier of self-regard, of moral duty and of natural affection. One fact will place this lamentable evil in a clearer point of view than the most labored discussion. At the treaty of Chicago, Topenebe, principal chief of the Potta- watomies, a man nearly 80 years of age at that time, irritated at the continued refusal of the commissioners to gratify his demands for whisky, exclaimed in the presence of his tribe: "We care not for the land, the money, or the goods: it is whisky we want- give us whisky !"

Governor Cass commissioned Charles C. Trowbridge to make definite arrangements with the Indians for the sites of the mission- ary stations. He passed Fort Wayne July 27, and by agreement met McCoy at the Pottawatomie village a few days later.

Sears and his wife, the Indian teachers, arrived at Fort Wayne, Aug. 1, 1822, and on the 15th of that month the site of the Potta- watomie mission was established on the St. Joseph river. Rev. McCoy, his family, and a few pupils he was teaching at Fort Wayne removed to the mission on the St. Joseph, Oct. 19, 1822. The location was about 100 miles from Fort Wayne, at which place were the nearest white settlers,-about 180 miles from anything like a settled country, and 190 miles from a flouring mill. This station the Board of Baptist Missions denominated " Carey," and the station farther north, among the Ottawas at Grand Rapids, " Thomas," in memory of the Baptist missionaries who were the first of that faith to enter Hindostan. In December, 1822, the whole force of Baptists and their Indian pupils, numbering 32 in all, settled at Carey, having moved from Fort Wayne during that month.

After a winter of intense cold and full of intense suffering, the spring of 1823 came to their relief. McCoy started for Grand river May 26, 1823, in company with the French guide, Paget, one of his Indian pupils, and one of the men appointed by the Government as blacksmith at the Ottawa mission to be founded at the Rapids of Grand river.

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History of Kent County, Michigan, together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history, portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens, Part 16

Author: Leeson, M. A. (Michael A.); Chapman, Charles C., & Co. (Chicago) Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago : C.C. Chapman & Co. Number of Pages: 1434

Author: Leeson, M. A. (Michael A.); Chapman, Charles C., & Co. (Chicago)
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago : C.C. Chapman & Co.
Number of Pages: 1434