USA > New York > Livingston County > Conesus > History of the town of Conesus, Livingston Co., N. Y. : from its first settlement in 1793, to 1887, with a brief genealogical record of the Conesus families > Part 2
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Their cooking was done by hanging a kettle suspended from three poles, set up over the fire, and in the same, they placed all their food at once.
Their bread-which they called " Equa," -was made from Indian meal (called Nath- assell) and beans mixed together, and boiled in the kettle, with their meat and potatoes. As soon as this was done, it was taken out in a dish made of bark, in shape of a sap-trough, placing the salt on one end, on a chip. When this was ready, the family would assemble on the ground around the dish, and commence eating, by now and then taking a little salt in their wooden spoons, and swallowing it with their food,
The Indians called wheat flour "Tassell"; pork "Cush "; butter " Wesaw." Anything they like " Cossh," and anything they dislike, " Tocossh." Money they counted by holding up one finger, " One Shilling"; two fingers, "Two Shillings"; half a finger, a "Six- pence," &c.
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The dress of the men, consisted of having leggings made of broadcloth, reaching down to their knees; then with a short dress belted to the body at the waist, and reaching down to the knees, with an Indian blanket, doubled and thrown over the shoulder, extending down toward the feet, with a belt around at the waist. When they did not need the blanket around the shoulders, they would throw it off, and let it hang by the belt, or they could raise it and cover the head. Both the males and females, wore the blanket the same way, and moccasins, made of deer-skin, on their feet.
While Mrs. McNinch was living in their midst, she was permitted to be present at sev- eral weddings, which the whites were seldom allowed to witness, as these ceremonies are con- sidered by them sacred. Their dress is simi- lar to their every-day life; differing only by the bride and bride-groom having one blue and one red legging on the feet.
The courtship is some-what remarkable ; for when ever a young Indian wishes to call upon an Indian maiden, he goes to her hut, and in passing by, he throws his hat into the same, and if his hat is kept, he can enter, show- ing that his company is acceptable. If the hat is speedily returned, he is informed that his company is not acceptable, and he must keep out.
As soon as a child is born, it is taken and wrapped in bandages of cloth, placed around its body and limbs, and then woollen cloth placed around this, to keep it warm. The child is then taken and placed with its back to a board, a little longer than its length, and wider than its width, and then bound to the same by bands made from strings cut from deer-skin, and kept in this position, for a couple months, that it may grow straight. In carrying the child, the female always straps it to her back.
In case of sickness, the Squaw done the med- ical services. Herbs were their chief medicine, and in the same, they seldom fail. In case of a fatal disease, or epideinic should break out among them, they held their Pow-wow to drive the evil spirit away. The hard labor and drudgery was all done by the females. They hoed the corn, planted the beans, and did the household labor : the males did the hunt- ing; went forth in wars; held the war-dances, and tortured the victim. Ardent liquors, were the root of all evil among them, and when un- der its influence the whites all feared them, as it turned them into demons. It is said that Esq. Henderson, was once assaulted by an Indian who threw his tomahawk at him when he went to his log house, and he would not give him any more whiskey. The scars were shown "by Mr. Henderson" to persons living at the present time, where it passed his head, and stuck quivering in the logs behind him.
An Indian never forgot a kindness, but al- ways sought revenge for an injury. Mrs. Mc- Ninch said : "When she came among them, there were but a few whites living on the flats at the head of Conesus Lake." They caused them much fear and trouble. When she first came there, she feared them, but soon learned to love them. She found them destitute of ket- tles to cook their food in, and many of the whites would not lend them, which grieved the Indians, and caused them to hate them. But she would always accommodate them, and when they had got through using, would return the kettle, cleaned in their manner of cleaning, high- ly pleased. By her kind deeds, the Indians soon learned to love her, and when they killed a deer or bear, they would select the most choice piece, and bring her. Ofttimes she would have more fresh meat than she could use, then she would salt it down, and in some parts of
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the year, the Indians were unsuccessful in the chase, and came to her for food ; then she would return it to them again, causing then to be highly pleased by her generous acts.
While living among them, Mr. and Mrs. McNinch, had a large amount of sickness in their family. The country being new, the air was very unhealthful, and she was subject to the fevers, and her children to the many other prevailing diseases of that time. Ofttimes Mrs. McNinch would be confined to her bed. No sooner than the news of her sick- ness spread through the Indian village, than the squaws would flock to her house, bearing un- der their arms, bundles of herbs to steep teas to doctor her with. After they had prepared the same, they would take it to her bed-side, and taste of it, before giving it to her, to show her that it was not poison. Sometimes she would take it to please them; and at other times, when they had gone away, throw it out. Among the small children, there raged diseases that would baffle the whites; but, the Indian maidens were in most cases successful.
The greatest fear of Mrs. McNinch, while living at the head of Conesus Lake, was on account of her children. Her husband being a miller, was constantly away from home, fol- lowing his vocation, and the children often played in the forest-and the Indians taking a liking for white children, which they some- times abducted-she feared they would be kid- napped by them, to adopt into their own fami- lies. The squaws came often to her house, and begged for the privilege of taking her small children to their canip, to play with their“pap ooses"as they called them. When the weather was pleasant, she would permit them to go, and at the appointed time for their return- which she watched with a mother's devotion- they were punctual to bring them back to her
again and seemed over-joyed at the honor she had conferred upon them.
Often in winter several of the Indian families would remain at the Head of the Lake during the cold weather, but when they did, they suf- fered severely with the cold by not having a warm shelter to protect them from the frosty wind, They would frequently come to Mrs. McNinch's house, and ask permission to stay with her through the night. Many times she re- tired to her bed, with five or six stalwart braves lying upon the floor, with their heads toward the fire, in slumber. Some one of their num- ber would rise at different intervals, through the night, and replenish the fire, as it would require it, and then repose his dusky form again among his comrades. Had Mrs. McNinch been attacked or disturbed, these Indians would have sacrificed their lives in defending her. Their love knew no bounds, for the kindness she had shown them, and while living upon these flats, she had no fear of being molested. Yet many of the whites lived in fear, though they escaped all harm.
For want of space, I will not go far back, to describe the Indian mode of warfare, before the white man found them here. At that time they had laid aside the stone spears and ar- rows, and taken the rifle in their stead. The tomahawk and scalping-knife was still retained, and many of the younger Indians used the bow and iron pointed arrows, for a pastime.
The Indians counted time by moons. In speaking of an event, they would say,"So many moens ago" or "the leaves came and went," in traveling, they proceded on foot, or by single horse, having poles fastened on each side, with one end running back, dragging on the ground, on which they piled their camp utensils, in moving from place to place. Their roads were by paths or trails through the forest, or wide
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enough for the horse to drag the load behind him. These trails were kept for years, and many places in the country to day, where they have crossed rocks, a crevice has been worn in them, a foot or more in depth, by their con- stant traveling.
The Seneca Indians in burying their dead, place them in a sitting posture, with their faces toward the east. Several places in town, their bones have been dug up by the pale face, yet there has been no evidence of any burial place here. On the lands now owned by Van- Buren Guldner, no doubt was one of these pla- ces, for there has been bones and skeletons exhumed there during the late years.
ADVENTURES OF DANIEL CARR.
The sketch of this Indian captive was pre- sented to me by, B. F. Fosdick, deceased, of Conesus Center, who was a distant relative of the same. Carr in after years would visit this country, where he had stayed those long years before in captivity, and at each time spend a few days with Mr. Fosdick, and to him related the following narrative. The exact date we have not, but it must have been near the year of 1770.
Daniel Carr having occasion to visit the west- ern part of New York state upon some business transaction, when near the present sight of Can- andaigua, Ontario County, came suddenly upon a small party of Indians, who surrounded him and made him their prisoner, and took nim to their village near by. This took place in the forenoon and the afternoon was occupied in holding an Indian council of the leading men of the village, as to what disposition should be made of their prisoner. It was decided that he should be compelled in the morning to run the gauntlet. He was then escorted to one of their wigwams and placed under a heavy guard to
prevent his escape. He spent the night in great agony, and in the morning was led forth by his captors a few rods from the village, where he saw two long lines of warriors, dressed in their costumes, and armed with their instru- ments of war, waiting to receive him. They took him to the head of the line and made mo- tions for him to pass down between them, and that if he reached the other end, he would be saved. An old chief stood near him, to give the signal for his starting. The signal was given, and when he was about to start there rushed forth from the crowd an Indian maiden some twenty summers old-with tears in her eyes-threw her arms around the old chief's neck, and besought him to save the pale face captive's life. The old chief gazed at his daughter for a long time, while she stood firm and pleaded for his safety. At last his heart was softened, he turned and presented the cap- tive to her, that he should go and act as her slave. The Indians then conducted him back to their wigwams, and dressed him in their In- dian costumes. He was a man of large stature, and in strength, there was none that could e- qual him in the tribe. The first work that was assigned to him, was the cutting the wood and hoing the corn, at which he was not a very profitable hand, for he would use his hoe in such an awkward way, that it was sure to cut off the corn, and when they sent him for wood he was sure to get the wettest he could find.
The Indians had an old white horse, and one day he hitched it to a sled, and went into a swamp near by for wood. . There was a large bog hole in the swamp, into which he managed to drive the old horse and get him mired. He was obliged to go back and get a number of the Indiana to come and help the horse out, which they succeeded in doing, after a large
C
The War Dance of the Senecas.
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amount of labor, while they heaped curses upon him for cutting up such a caper, which only served to amuse him.
A short time afterwards, in the month of June, the Indians had a war dance, and it was customary that those who did not join the dances, which included the squaws, should sit or lie on the ground around them. As Carr did not join their dances, he watched thein with deep interest until the end, and resolved the next night, to have one on his own hook. So when the next evening came, he prepared him- self as he saw the Indians do the night before, and commenced hooting and dancing, until he drew a large crowd around him on the ground, when all of a sudden he commenced running and jumping upon their backs as they lay around watching him, which was the means of soon closing his war dance. The next morning when he arose he found two Indians waiting for him with the summons that the old chief would like to see him at his wigwam. With a heavy heart he proceeded with them, expecting to find the old chief in anger, and that he would put him to some torture for his misdoings. But as he entered the old chief welcomed him, and politely informed him that the pale face must have no more war dances, and then bade him to take his departure.
After remaining a short time at Canandaigua they removed him to the Genesee flats near Moscow, N. Y., when he again commenced his depredations by throwing the squaws in the river during the summer time, while the Indians lay along the banks and laughed to see them swim to the shore. Yet after all the trouble he caused the Indians, they all loved him, for he did all he could for them when they were sick, and he claimed that he believed that there was not one soul in the whole tribe, but what would have fought for him, if they saw him in
trouble.
Seven long years rolled away before an op- portunity presented itself for him to return to his native place, in the state of New Jersey, for at the time of his capture he had pledged his word to the Indians that he would not try to make an escape, and he well knew if he at- tempted it, it would have been very doubtful if he ever could have succeeded, for there were parties of Indians roaming all over the differ- ent parts of the country, who would without doubt recapture him, and return with him. It would have been certain death for him, as he would have broken his word, which the Indians considered a disgrace and dishonor. He longed however, to return to his family, which con- sisted of a wife and several children.
At last the time came. It was in the spring time when there was a small party of Indians preparing to visit the Mohawk Indians, whose settlement was upon the Hudson river. He begged of thein the privilege of accompanying them and visiting once more the friends of his native state, which they readily granted, after he had pledged his word that he would return to them at a certain moon, upon the Hudson, and go back with them to their forest home. They then set upon their journey, and soon ar- rived upon the banks of the Hudson, where he parted with them and started out alone for his native place.
After several days travel, he arrived at his former home, which from a few scattering houses had grown to a flourishing village. Upon his arrival, his first inquiry was for the cottage of the widow Carr. It was soon pointed out to him, and he repaired to it, to make known his visit. As he reached the door he rapped, and a young maiden some twenty summers opened it and bade him enter. He was dressed in his Indian costume, and his beard and hair were
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of vast length, as he had not shaven since his capture." He inquired if the Widow Carr lived there, and received the reply that she did. He then asked to see her, and the young lady step- ped to the chamber door and called her, as she was up stairs spinning. As she did not respond immediately, he requested her to be called again. She came down and entered the room, but she knew him not. He then related to her that he was from the Indian country, and that he had seen her husband among the Indians, and knew him to be well and hardy ; but she would not believe it, for she knew he must be dead, or he would not have left her so long in sorrow and misery, mourning for him. Find- ing that he could not convince her, he asked her if she would not give him some of Carr's old clothes and a razor, that he might take them to her husband, so he would believe him when
he told that he had seen his wife. Then he took his leave, promising to return in the afternoon before setting out for the Indian country. He then repaired to the tavern, and with the assis- tance of the landlord, he cut his hair and was shaved, and then dressed himself in the clothes his wife had given him.
When the appointed hour came in the after- noon he returned to the cottage and entered, and as soon as his wife saw him the second time she knew him, and rushed forward and threw her arms around his neck and wept for joy.
His children that he had left seven long years before stood around him. Some had almost grown to man and womanhood, and they also welcomed him. But when the time came for him to meet the Indians upon the Hudson, he failed to do so, and without doubt filled their hearts with sorrow, for they dearly loved him.
CHAPTER III.
" Sullivan's Campaign."
IN the Summer and Fall of 1778, and the Spring of 1779, the Seneca Indians living in the middle and western part of New York, commenced committing unlawful depredations, by plundering and mur- dering the frontier settlers of the northern and western part of Pennsylvania. These In- dians were encouraged in their blood-thirsty and cold-hearted designs, by a large number of British Tories and Half-breeds, who went farther in the scenes of torture then the Indians did themselves. At last Congress, then set- ting in Philadelphia, found themselves called upon to form a protection for the pioneers, who were advancing the arts of civilization on the out-skirts of the frontier settlements of that state. This at last they resolved to do by send- ing an army into the midst of Senecas-whose prominent village was in the western part of Livingston County, N. Y .- and bring them into submission.
There has been much written in regard to this campaign in other books of a larger scope, that we will not spend too much time in giving a minute detail of this journey of this army of four thousand men, in an almost unknown wil- derness at that time to the whiteman. What
we have prepared, has been taken from Journ- als (some thirty I have seen,) kept by the army at the time of the invasion. The most exten- sive of these Journals, is that of Major Norris which we have more or less copied from, as it appears in the publications of the "Buffalo Historical Society," Vol. I., page 217, of their publications of the year of 1879, by the kind permission of the publishers, Messrs Bigelow Brothers, Buffalo, N. Y.
The task of commanding this army was at- tended with so much risk of destruction, before General Sullivan accepted the command that several prominent army officers had re- fused the offer. The first of these officers that was requested to command by General Waslı- ington, was General Gates, who declined the offer of the Commander-in-chief, in a cold and uncourteous letter. The leadership was then offered to General Sullivan, who at once ac- cepted and entered upon the honorable and re- sponsible duty for his country.
The Head Quarters of the Army was at once established at Easton, Pennsylvania-except Clinton's division from the Mohawk river- from which point a general order was issued on the 24th. day of May, 1779. On the 18th.
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day of Juue, the little army left Easton, for Wyoming, the recent scene of a bloody massa- cre, which had shocked the civilized world, and made many hearts shudder. In this order to General Sullivan, his instructions from Gell- eral Washington, was his guidance through the whole campaign, and he followed the same as shown in the following Plates-if the country would admitt of the same-to a letter.
A JOURNAL OF THE MARCH.
FRIDAY, June 18, 1779.
The little army of General Sullivan, started out on its fearless march this morning from Easton, Pa. They moved until 12 o'clock, when the army halted for the day at a place called " Hillier's Tavern," twelve miles from Easton by actual survey.
[ The army was accompanied with a corps of Surveyors, who measured every rod of the way from Easton, Pa., to the Genesee River, near Mt. Morris, N. Y., and back again.] SATURDAY, June 19th.
The army were called in line at 4 o'clock, A. M., and then marched seven miles to Bunk- er's Mills, halted, drew rations and rested. Their march had been through the Blue mount- ains by a narrow pass then called "Wind- gap," which seem to had been designed for a communication for the army. They then marched nine miles farther and encamped for the night at what was called "Learn's Tavern" near Pogono Point. The lands through which they marched, were mountainous, rocky, barren and uninhabited. It was well watered and the streams filled with trout.
SUNDAY, June 20th.
The army marched at 8 o'clock, and en- tered . an extensive forest, then called the "Great Swamp," which they entered for five miles and stopped on a small brook. General
Sullivan called this camp "Chowder Camp." The houses they left that morning, were the last of the inhabitants until they reached Wy- oming.
MONDAY, June 21st.
The army marched twenty-one miles to-day through a vast wilderness, where there had been only a foot-path until the soldiers cleared a roadway last spring. This day told fearful on the army, as they could find no place to en- camp until they had got through the swamp, and their hardships could had been lessened if they had gone farther the day before. They crossed two streams called by them "Tobehan- nah " and " Tanckliannanck," and then came to the Lehigh, a Western branch of the Dela- ware, which, after passing they entered a gloomy grove of Cypress, Hemlock, Pine, Spruce &c., called the "Shades of Death." They found the timber in the swamp, of great size. TUESDAY, June 22nd.
They marched five miles, and encamped upon a desolate farm, which was once the home of a man name Bullock, who had been driven off with his family, by the Savages. Here they found plenty of fresh grass for their horses. WEDNESDAY, June 23th.
After marching seven miles, they reached Wyoming. Four miles of this place, they saw a monument erected to the memory of Captain Davis and Lieutenant Jones of the 11th Penn- sylvania Regiment, who was murdered by the Indians, April 23. 1779.
About 12 o'clock they entered the town of Wyoming, which exhibited to them a melan- choly scene of desolation, in ruined houses, wasted fields, fatherless children and widows. These unhappy people, after living in constant fear, for some time were attacked by a large body of Indians, in July of 1778, and out off four hundred huma te soules, only sixty were
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left to tell the tale, and most of these were of those who made their escape into the mount- ains. The Tory Refugees, who joined the Indians to cut off the settlement, are said to have given proof of more cruel and unnatural barbarity then even the Savages themselves, of which is one instance :-
A young man by the name of Henry Pensil, who had escaped the fate of his countrymen, and in the evening after the battle had taken refuge on a small Island in the river, was dis- covered by a Tory, who fiercely accosted him with the appellation of a D- Rebel. The poor fellow being unarmed, began to implore for mercy, and fell upon his knees and entreated his Brother, not to stain his hands with his Brother's blood. "John," said Henry, "I am your brother, spare my life, and I will serve you." "I know you are my brother," replied the Villian ; ' but you are a d --- Rebel, Hen- ry, and we are of opposite side and sentiments." At the same time he loaded his gun, and with great coolness, took aim, and sent a bullet through his heart, then tomahawked and scalped him. A short ways off lay another young man hid who saw the whole transaction, knew them both, and made his escape afterwards, and said when the Indians came up and saw what he had done, they cursed him, and threatened to shoot him on the spot for his cruelty. THURSDAY, June 24th.
The Army remained at Wyoming, until July 31st. This evening one of the sentries was fired upon, by an Indian, who tried to steal upon him and take him prisoner. The Indian made his escape.
[For want of space, we will not give every day doings of the army, as it lay at Wyoming, but only what we deem to be interesting to our readers.]
SUNDAY, June 27th.
To day the 2nd. and 3d. New Hampshire Regiments, was ordered to move and pitch their tents upon what they called the Plains of Abraham, three miles higher up on the West- ern banks of the Susquehanna river. MONDAY, June 28th.
General Sullivan to-day received a letter from General Clinton, dated Schoharrie, in- forming him, that he had three months provis- ions and 1700 mem, with 300 more at another point, awaiting his order to join him. THURSDAY, July 1st.
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