USA > New York > Onondaga County > Past and present of Syracuse and Onondaga County, New York : from prehistoric times to the beginning of 1908 > Part 8
USA > New York > Onondaga County > Syracuse > Past and present of Syracuse and Onondaga County, New York : from prehistoric times to the beginning of 1908 > Part 8
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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 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72
On lot 81 the small fort seems to have been an irregular circle, as described by DeWitt Clinton. It is on high ground northwest of the Munro house, but is now obliterated. The bank was two feet high, and there is said to have been a gateway, twelve feet wide, on the west side. This is unlikely, as there is a
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deep ravine there. Outside of the wall were lodge sites, earthenware, shells, and one large pit.
Clinton's account of the fort on lot 70 is correct, while both the plan and description given to Mr. Clark were erroneous. It was somewhat elliptical, en- closed three acres, and had gateways on the east and west sides. Pottery and river shells were abundant. The long axis ran north and south, and the work was on a broad elliptical hill. It could still be traced when Mr. Hunter oreu- pied the farm nearly seventy years ago. Colonel William Stevens described this fort in 1791 as of "an elliptical figure, the longest diameter extending north and south. containing two and three-quarter acres by estimate, with a gateway or sally port on the east line of it and another on the west side also. The but- ments on each side are plain to be seen."
The Rev. Thomas Robbins visited and described it July 3, 1802. "It is situated on rising ground, which descends from it gently in every way. It is nearly four square, the corners a little rounded. faeing very nearly the four cardinal points. It is a little more than twenty rods from north to south, and from east to west a little less. The mound is from two to three feet above the natural surface, and about six feet thick. The ditch is about two feet deep. On the west side are very plainly two places for gates, there being no rising at the mound or falling at the ditch. There is one similar on the east. On the west side are evident marks of violence, places in the wall being thrown down into the ditch."
FABIUS-The oblong and angular fort on lot 99. Pompey, has its cemetery just over the town line on lot 10, Fabius; and the fort on lot 98, Pompey, is also partly on lot S. Fabius. AArrow heads are sometimes found in this town.
GEDDES-There are camp sites all the way from the Onondaga outlet. on the west side of the lake, to Nine Mile ereek, but none are of the historic period. Some may be termed hamlets. One burial mound was in the woods at Long Branch, and was oblong. about twelve feet long and three high, when first sketched by the writer. Bones and early relies of no great importance were taken from this. Another was circular and stood ont from the bank just west of the present outlet. In this were skeletons. arrows, pipes and cetes. Kaneen- da. A. D. 1700, is the only recent site, and is near the lake and west of the out- let. There is an earlier site on the east side. Another small early site is in the Third Ward, near the creek, and has rude relies.
LA FAYETTE-The stockade burned at Frontenac's invasion, in 1696, was on lot 3, just in the rear of the large briek house on the east side of the reser- voir. It was a triple stockade and built under English oversight according to the French. With European relies there may also be found Indian pottery and pipes. It was one of the three forts mentioned by Clinton, and is not always well described. Schoolcraft's account has no value. When Isaac Keeler first occupied the site there was an opening of about fifty acres, the fort enclosing ten, and the outline could be traeed for a long time. Clark made it a long parallelogram, divided at the short axis by two rows of palisades, running east
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and west and about twelve feet apart. Stumps of the cedar posts were plowed up, and inside the fort were refuse heaps and charred corn. The Onondagas came there in 1681. probably moving thence to Onondaga valley about 1720. The burial ground was west of the creek, but it is certain that a large part of the graves have never been found. The deserted town was often mentioned by early travelers, for the trail passed by it.
The Indian village of Tueyahdasso, visited by Weiser in 1737, Bartram in 1743, and by the Moravians afterward, was on lot 13 in this town. It is yet known as Indian Orchard, and some wild apple trees mark the spot. Clark said that when William Haskins plowed the land in 1792, he found "almost every variety of implement used in agriculture and the common arts. The graves were arranged with great regularity, side by side, in rows of ten or fifteen rods in extent; in the vicinity were groups of graves. but not in regular order." Indian Orchard long supplied the early settlers with fruit.
LYSANDER-This town had many carly visitors, and the later Onondagas had fish weirs at Jack's and Bishop's Reefs, Baldwinsville and south of Three River point, as well as at Phoenix. Camps worthy of note were on lots 42. 53, 68, 70, 71, 75. 77, 79. 86. 87 and 91. There were hamlets on lots 74, 75, 76. 85, 86, 96, 99 and 100. On lot 78, a mile west of Baldwinsville, was an early stockaded town of long ocenpation. Broken pottery abounds there and very fine arrows are found. A bone fish-hook has also been found and ornamented awls. A circular earthwork, described by Clark, was on lot 89, about three miles southeast of Baldwinsville and on level ground. The relies were of a fine character. Clark said it had a gateway, and "a ditch about it four feet deep, and an embankment outside and inside the ditch, the outside one being a little the highest," as reported to him. Men who cleared the land and were long familiar with the fort. described it as having a broad depression on either side of a low circular bank. The part occupied was about eight hundred feet in diameter and the road passes through it. There are several Indian burial places in Baldwinsville, but mostly on the south side.
MARCELLUS has no village sites, but arrow heads are frequent near the Nine Mile creek.
MANLIUS also has no village sites, but arrowheads are frequent just north of Minoa, as they once were at the Deep Spring. In this town a large silver Indian medal was found; given to Caneiya, an Onondaga.
ONONDAGA-A large cemetery was found in 1816 on Judge Strong's place, just north of Onondaga hill. The stockade built by Sir William Johnson in 1756, was on Webster's Mile Square and was burned in 1779, but some of the oak piekets still appeared a dozen years later. The graded way of field stone, leading from the terrace to the creek and interrupted by a ditch with sloping walls of stone, still remains. The roadway runs from the top of the bank eighty-four feet to the ditch, which is eight feet wide at the top. ex- tending from this forty-eight feet to the bottomland, and terminating sixty feet
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from the creek. As the oak posts were set four feet in the ground, probably some ends remain in place. It had two blockhouses and a blacksmith shop. It was partly on the Clark farm and opposite the Kimber house. The Cannon Hlole, thus called by the Indians, is near this in the creek. Whether the brass swivel lies there is a suggestive question. Two other villages, farther south, were burned in 1779. Clark mentioned a trench on the Pinckney farm, which seems natural. Several cemeteries east of the creek are of recent origin. There was au early hamlet on the Hudson farm, lot 161, but no prehistorie villages. A few early relics occur.
OTISCO-Near Amber were some graves opened a score of years ago on lot 72. These held some long and curious tubes of soft green slate, nearly closed at one end, but with a small perforation there into the larger and uni- form cavity. In 1887 a eaehe of a bushel of flint implements was plowed up near this village. Several have been found there.
POMPEY -- Clinton said there were eighty cemeteries in Pompey, then including most of La Fayette. Clark said, "These places of defense and burial were very numerous in the township of Pompey. There are not less than fif- teen which have been pointed out to us, and which we have visited. They are seattered through several of the adjoining towns."
An early Iroquois village was on a hill on lot 6. the situation being a con- manding one, with pottery and fine bone articles. The fireplaces are many and deep. An early site. probably occupied by the Onondagas about 1600, is just east of the county line on the road west from Cazenovia, and facing Limestone Creek. It is locally known as the Atwell fort, just east of lot 44, on a long ridge between two deep ravines. A later measurement makes it somewhat larger than at first reported. The picket line is quite distinct at the east end. being about three hundred and thirty feet long, with a gateway ten feet wide at the northeast corner. The lines ran westerly along the edges of the ravine for about four hundred and fifty-five feet. There they are not over one hundred feet apart, and this is the average width for three hundred and thirty-five feet farther. The western line eurves and is about one hundred and ten feet long. There are two small gateways there, with corn pits inside and outside the walls. The total area is about four and one-half aeres. The post holes are two and one- half feet from center to center, and are not over two feet deep. A large barbed bone fish-hook was found here, and smaller ones without barbs. Also pottery with human faees and forms, like that on Mohawk and Seneca sites of the same period. One kind of elay pipe seems peculiar to this site.
The "Old Indian Fort" in the southeast corner of lot 23 (not 33), is classed as reeent. It affords only early relies now. It was described as having "an earthen wall running southeast and northwest, which, when first noticed by the early settlers was four or five feet high, with something of a ditch in front. from two to three feet deep. Within the enclosure may be ten or twelve aeres of land. There is a burying ground within the enclosure." The line of the ditch is really northeast and southwest from one ravine to the other, and is about three hundred feet long. Lodge sites appear on both sides of it. The
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large grooved stone in the ravine has been removed. and the characters XIIHI, given by Clark, fairly represent the arrangement of the grooves. They are from twelve to fourteen inches long and are of the usual width. Such stones are found elsewhere and are comparatively recent. This site may be nearly the age of the last. About a mile south is a cemetery.
The plan of the stoekade on Chase's farm, lot 99, and a mile south of Delphi is too large and broad in Clark's figure. The town was long and irregular and on a ridge. It lay north and south, and was about two hundred by seven hun- dred and fifty feet. The remaining post-holes average about two feet from center to eenter. A natural trench misled early observers. The area of this recent site is abont four aeres. The graves were just south of the Fabius line and Clark deseribed a burial place where alternate rows faced cach other. The two grooved stones were smaller than Clark's dimensions.
A circular stockade was on the south line of lot 98, Pompey, extending into lot S, Fabius, and was about two hundred and twenty-five feet in diameter. Pottery with human faees has been found here, and some European artieles. Another fort is ou Lot 69, on a high and steep hill, south of the Hollow road. The abrupt bluff may be two hundred and fifty to three hundred feet high on the north side. The town ocenpied a plateau on the summit. four hundred and fifty feet from north to south, three hundred and fifty feet wide at the north end, two hundred and thirty at the south. It was occupied for a considerable time, and has European relies.
The Indian Knolls site is on lot 68, and contains about three aeres. It is about a mile south of Pompey Center and on the east bank of a branch of Lime- stone creek. The long stoekade, north and south, occupied two knolls, and was about three hundred feet wide at the south end, and six hundred and seventy- five feet long. In the eenter it was about two hundred feet wide, and the gener- al form was that of an obtuse triangle. The post-holes were over a foot apart. and the end of an oak pieket taken from one was nearly two feet long. From the relies it may have been occupied about 1640. East of this and on the road is Indian Spring, and a hundred feet north of the spring were two grooved boulders, now removed. A burial place lies farther east.
Indian ITill. Lot 9 and two miles south of Manlius village, is the site of the Onondaga of 1654. The outline was elliptical, about one thousand six hundred and fifty by four hundred and fifty feet, on a broad platean between two streams. On a lower plateau to the north was the principal burial place. The town had palisades in 1654, but lay open in 1677. Clark said that early settlers remembered an earthwork there, whose "walls were then some four or five feet high. It was eirenlar and from three hundred to three hundred and fifty feet in diameter. There was but one gateway and that quite narrow." Unless this served as a eitadel this may be an error. European relics were abundant here, but earthen ware had not disappeared and a great boulder long showed where the Indians sharpened their tools.
Indian Castle, lot 19, was occupied at the same time with this, and seems the small village mentioned by Greenhalgh in 1677, and had also a cemetery. On lot 6 were European articles, and on the Hinsdale farm were eireles of stone
"AUNT DINAH" AT THE AGE OF 106 YEARS.
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about fourteen feet in diameter, suggesting the eirenlar lodge or tepee. On this lot were reported two small fortifications, which may be doubtful. Burial places and hainlets were also found on lots 5. 11, 18, 27, 28, 29 and 97.
SALINA-In this town, between Liverpool and Syracuse, were the French forts of 1656 and 1696, both probably on lot 106. Clark mentions a burial place at Green Point, but with no particulars. Dr. W. G. Hinsdale says it was at the base of the bluff, near a camp site. A small site has been reported half a mile east of Onondaga lake and north of the marsh. Relies occur all along the east shore of the lake, mostly prehistoric.
SKANEATELES -- There were no villages in this town, but early relies have been found at Skaneateles and Mandana, and on lots 20, 22 and 24. At the first settlement five fishing huts appeared on the west shore by a brook. within the present village limits. The trail from Cayuga to Onondaga ran along the beach.
SPAFFORD-There was a hamlet on the Mason farm, lot 68. about a mile east of Five Mile point on Skaneateles lake. Early relies have been found there and near by. Many fine relies have come from the Purchase farm, lot 12, south of Borodino, among others a very long gouge and fine grooved ax.
SYRACUSE-There were Indian cabins on the west bank of Onondaga Preek in Syracuse in 1793. Over a hundred skeletons were exhumed when the west locks were made, and some were found in digging a canal on the east side for the red mill. Occasionally a modern grave is found near the creek yet. Newkirk's grave was near the Syracuse pump house, and Mr. Cheney said that. a little east of this, he "and other boys used to dig up the remains of Indians. for the purpose of getting possession of the beads, kettles, knives and other implements of warfare, or an ornamental dress that had been buried with them."
TULLY-Only a few scattered relies are found in this town.
VAN BUREN-Camp sites oceur on Lots 1, 2, 3, 7, 14, 16 and 17, hamlets on lots 4. 5, 7. 41. with some in Baldwinsville, where there are also burial places, twenty skeletons being exhumed there at one time. On Mrs. Crego's farm Lot 6 was an irregular stockade. A barbed bone fishhook and shell head> were found there. The site is about one hundred and fifty by five hundred feet. A circular prehistorie stockade was by a brook on Lot 13, west of the road. having a gateway on the north. The diameter was three hundred feet. the relies much as usual, and postholes distinet. At lot 2 was a stone weir in the river, with two of the three bays remaining. The first wall begins on the south shore, running down two hundred and ten feet and returning three hundred and forty: the next runs down one hundred and forty five feet from the angle, and returns oue hundred and sixty, while the third bay has been removed for the passage of boats.
Two eireular earthworks were north of the county line in Granby, origi- ually in Lysander. Two-thirds of the one on Lot 24 remain. It measures two
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hundred and forty feet across, and has east and west gates. The one on Lot 32 was of the same size, but has been obliterated. Another small work was on the east side of the river at Oswego Falls.
There is still another class of articles found on recent Indian sites, both useful and ornamental. The iron trade axes have been abundant, and were introduced by the Dutch. They vary much in form and size, and quite com- monly, but not invariably, have a trade mark, three circles enclosing each a cross. The same form is still used in Europe. Brass kettles have been fre- quent, and triangular arrows, cut out of sheet copper or brass, occur often. Knives are found, of course, and other useful articles. The Jesuit rings, erosses and medals are not found on sites earlier than 1654, but are plen- tiful from that time onward. Glass beads of all sizes and forms occur before that date, the trade at that time being mostly with the Dutch. Some glass beads are very large and handsome, but the smaller globular blue and red beads are most abundant. Very long tubular ones, usually red, were used by the Jesuits, with the rings, as rewards for learning lessons well. Coins were often perforated for suspension, and in later days the Onondagas learned to make silver brooches and other ornaments. They were often very handsome. but have passed away.
Two Onondaga Indian medals are figured in the Metallie Ornaments of New York Indians, on which there is a question of date. Mr. R. W. MeLach- lan, of Montreal, thinks these and similar ones were given to the Indians in 1761, by Sir William Johnson, in commemoration of the taking of Montreal by Amherst. The writer is as strongly of the opinion that another well-known medal is referred to, and perhaps the one which bears Amherst's name on one side, and the legend: "Montreal taken MDCCLX." Besides which, the Indian names on these disputed medals were those of the Revolution and resultant treaties, and not those of the French war.
In Clark's Onondaga, one of these medals, found near Eagle village, is deseribed. with a slight-error in the name. It has long belonged to the Led- yard family, in Cazenovia, and the writer has often handled it. It is about the size of a silver dollar, and is of silver. There is a loop for suspension, and the obverse has a fortified town by a river, with the word MONTREAL above this. A small cartouch below encloses the initials of the maker. D. C. F. The reverse of all is plain, for engraving. This has ONONDAGAS in a straight line across the center, and the name Caneiya in script follows the upper curve of the rim. Out of hundreds of Onondaga names in the writer's hands, the only one resembling this is that of Kaneyaagh, who signed the Onondaga treaty of 1788.
Mr. MeLachlan kindly furnished the writer with a figure and description of another Onondaga silver medal of the same kind. This is his description :
"Obverse, Montreal; in the expergue, D. C. F. stamped in a small oval. A view of a walled town, with a body of water in the foreground, into which a small stream flows. There are five church spires ranged along the middle of the town. and a flag displaying St. George's eross. to the right. Reverse, plain; Onondagas is engraved in capitals across the field, and the name Teka-
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honwaghse in seript at the top. Some one has, at a later time, seratehed across the lower part with a sharp pointed instrument, in three lines :
Taken from an Indian Chief in the AMERICAN WAR, 1761."
There was no war in that year, but there was in 1781, and the English termed it the American War, so that this inscription may have a defective figure. Tagonaghquase was appointed chief Onondaga warrior in 1770, and Takanaghkwaghsen signed the treaty of 1788 as an Onondaga chief. Other- wise the name does not appear.
The Mohawk medal, given to Aruntes suggests the Mohawn warrior Ohrante, who was with Brant in London in 1776. Otherwise he has no place in history. This medal was bought in London in extra fine condition, and the warrior probably disposed of it at once. There are other reasons for assigning these medals to the Revolution.
Mr. George Sloeum found a fine bronze medal between the Onondaga fort. of 1756 and the reservation. The obverse has a fine bust of the Duke of Cum- berland, and the legend following the edge, WILL : DUKE: CUMB : BRITISHI : HIERO. A seroll follows the rim below the bust, reading BORN 15 APR. 1721. Reverse, and next the rim, REBELIÓN JUSTLY REWARDED; and under a group, in two straight lines, is
AT CARLILE ANNO 1745.
A bare-headed officer leads forth two prisoners on the left. One of them is a Scotchman, with a rope around his neck; the mounted duke points with his sword to the right, as though ordering them to execution.
Mr. Clark deseribed a very fine and curious German medal, as well as some from the French. The crosses and crucifixes include many odd forms, but, in later days, many of the silver erosses were mere ornaments. They were often made of large size. The Jesuit rings were both rude and fine, mostly of a cheap bronze, but sometimes of gold. Their presenee or absence often aids in determining the age of a grave or site.
Many collections of local relies have been made, and some retained. Among the latter that of A. H. Waterbury has many fine artieles, especially in bone, while his stone plummets are unequaled here. Otis M. Bigelow, of the Baldwinsville State Bank, has a collection of remarkable interest, containing both fine and unique articles. It is rich in those of native eopper, and its best examples may be seen in the bank. Dr. W. A. Hinsdale, of Syracuse, has been an intelligent worker, but has placed his collections in the State Musem. Those of Rev. Dr. Beauchamp are the results of field work, and include many rude or imperfect articles, useful only for comparative study, yet there are some unique articles. They include a fine lot of wampum and silver brooches, with other things illustrating recent life. Some articles owned by the Onondaga Ilistorieal Association have considerable interest. Everything of value for
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general purposes has found a place among Dr. Beauchamp's fourteen thousand drawings of Indian relies, three- fourths of which are Onondaga specimens. All collectors have generously placed their finds at his disposal for drawing, de- scription and record.
CHAPTER VII.
THIE ONONDAGAS TO THE COMING OF THE FRENCH COLONY.
While there is an indefinite history of man in Onondaga known only by camp sites and relics, the settled occupation commenced with that of the Iro- quois, apparently considerable within five hundred years. In Onondaga county a century at least might be taken from this. The Iroquois came into New York by three or four different routes. The Senecas and Cayugas may have crossed the Niagara in their eastward course, while the Eries followed the south shore of Lake Erie, possibly preceded by the Andastes, or Susquehannas, who settled along that river. The others passed along the north shore of Lake Ontario. settling in three groups. The predecessors of the Onondagas occupied Jeffer- son county, where they had many strongholds. Those of the Oneidas were near Ogdensburg, on both sides of the St. Lawrence, with a later occupation a little farther south. The Mohawks were still at Montreal and Quebec in 1535. A few years later they left those places. but did not reach the Mohawk valley before 1570; probably a little later. Between that date and 1600 the league of the Five Nations was certainly formed.
The historie reason for the removal of the Mohawks was the treachery of the Algonquins, soon followed by the Huron war, which was raging when the colonization of Canada began. Between the Senecas and Hurons lay the kindred neutral nation. making a peaceful zone. Yet the Senecas saw fit to withdraw all their outlying towns, placing all east of the Genesee after this war began. The Onondagas had already some towns in this county, but with- drew the others from near the St. Lawrence for greater security. The Oneidas had begun a southern movement, and found a refuge among the hills. The Mohawks seem to have wandered awhile before occupying their later territory. for it is difficult to place their first village there as early as 1570. Ten years later seems much better.
According to general tradition, these several divisions of one family were often mutually hostile, and this their defensive works show. Hiawatha's mis- sion was to reconcile them, and on a lasting basis to produce "the great peace." In due time he succeeded, after many vain efforts. Indeed. it is probable that during those efforts all observed a truee. Afterward mythie features were connected with his name and work, and the wise Onondaga chief seemed something more than man.
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