USA > Pennsylvania > Lancaster County > Lancaster county Indians: annals of the Susquehannocks and other Indian tribes of the Susquehanna territory from about the year 1500 to 1763, the date of their extinction > Part 1
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LANCASTER COUNTY INDIANS
ANNALS OF THE SUSQUEHANNOCKS AND OTHER INDIAN TRIBES OF THE SUSQUEHANNA TERRITORY FROM ABOUT THE YEAR 1500 TO 1763, THE DATE OF THEIR EXTINCTION
AN EXHAUSTIVE AND INTERESTING SERIES OF HISTORICAL PAPERS DESCRIPTIVE OF LANCASTER COUNTY'S INDIANS PRIOR TO AND DURING THE ADVENT OF THE PALEFACE
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A
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BY
H. FRANK ESHLEMAN, B.E., M.E., LL. B.
MEMBER OF THE LANCASTER BAR ; MEMBER OF LANCASTER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY ; MEMBER OF PENNSYLVANIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF PHILADELPHIA; MEMBER OF PENNSYLVANIA HISTORY CLUB OF PHILADELPHIA
1908 LANCASTER, PENNA
E 78 P4E8
Copyright 1909 By H. Frank Eshleman, Esq., Lancaster, Penna. 550 Copies Issued
PRINTED BY THE EXPRESS PRINTING CO. LITITZ, PA.
11190
14774
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ANNALS OF THE SUSQUEHANNOCKS AND OTHER LANCASTER COUNTY INDIANS.
PART I.
Earliest Established Appearance of Indians on Susquehanna-Where They Came From.
Gordon in his history of Pennsyl- vania page 44 says, "After many ages, the enterprising hunters of the Le- nape crossed the Allegheny moun- tains, and discovered the great rivers, Susquehanna and Delaware, and their bays." They came from the west. Nearly all writers agree that all the Indians between Canada and Virginia came from the Lenape and the Menqui or Mengwe. Heckwelder says in his "History, Manners and Customs of the Indian nations," page 50: "For a long period of time, some say hun- dreds of years, the two Indian nations Lenape and Mengwe resided peace- ably about the great Lakes and Alle- gheny, and they came down and discovered first the Susquehanna and then the Delaware." Gordon, page 43 says, (giving credit to Heckeweld- er) that the Indians themselves, "re- late that many centuries past, their ancestors dwelt in the far western wilds of the American continent"- that after many years they arrived at the Mississippi, where they fell in with the Mengwe, who were also on this river nearer its source. The spies of the Lenape, reported the country on the east of the Mississippi
to be inhabited by a powerful nation living in towns on the great rivers." This people, tall and stout, some of gigantic mould, were called Allegewi, and their own towns were defended by fortifications. The Lenape asked permission to settle among them. This was refused but they were allowed to pass and go farther east. But while they were passing there being so many of them, the Allegewi stopped them. Then the Lenape and the Men- gwe went together and whipped the Allegewi and took all the country east of the Mississippi and north of Virginia, after a war of many years. The Mengwe then took the northern part of the conquered country and the Lenape the southern. This is the story the Lenape tell as related by Gordon and Heckewelder. 1
These Lenape, according to their own story then say after they be- came established in the east they di- vided themselves into three tribes- the Turtle-the Turkey Tribe and the Wolf Tribe. The first settled on the coast from Hudson to Potomac Rivers. The other, the Wolf tribe settled in- land on the Susquehanna, because they were warlike and formed a bar- rier between the coast tribes of the Lenape and the Mengwe on the west who had become enemies of all Le- Inape by this time. Gordon says, page
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ANNALS OF THE SUSQUEHANNOCKS AND
45, that the Wolf tribe of the Lenape called by the English Minsi or Moncey Indians, extended as far west as the hills known as the Lchigh and. Cone- wago Hills in Pennsylvania, (p. 45). This migration according to the au- thorities and the Indians' own story extended over many centuries, so that they reached and discovered the Sus- quehanna likely before the discovery of America. The Susquehannocks, Nanticokes, the Shackamaxons, the Shawnese, and several other tribes, Gordon says, came from this Wolf tribe of the Lenape. (p. 56.)
The committee of archaeology of the Dauphin Historical Society in a pamphlet on the Lower Susquehanna called "Contributions to Indian His- tory of the Lower Susquehanna Val- ley," in 1898 made a report to that Society full of interesting matter on the origin of our Indians, and in it, page 39, they say, "Prior to 1600 but how long before is not known, the Susquehannocks were seated upon that river, from which they have de- rived their name." The pamphlet al- so sets forth that before the Susque- hannocks settled on the river, "they came into collision with the Mohawks the most easterly of the Iroquois, and in a war lasting ten years nearly ex- terminated them." The same pamphlet says that John Smith found them in war with the Mohawks when he met them in 1608 (p. 39.) The Jesuit Fathers, the minutes and records of whose discoveries in America are now collected and compiled into a work of seventy-two volumes, called the "Jesuit Relations," also give ac- counts of the wars these, now Sus- quehannocks, went through before they settled on Susquehanna River in the dim past. The Dauphin County pamphlet also speaks of this (page 39,) but the exact quotations them- selves from the Jesuits will be given later.
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These earliest Susquehannock In- dians were cannibals to some extent. Heckewelder tells us, page 55, "At one time they did eat human flesh. And at one time they ate up a whole body of the French King's soldiers; and they said human flesh tastes like bear's meat." They say the human hand is bitter meat and not good to eat, like the other parts of a person. The Susquehannocks remained more or less cannibal up to 1666, when Geo. Alsop writes that at that date he knew of them eating their enemies whom they took in war.
Thus much for the earliest ac- counts of our Susquehanna country Indians. This description is more or less vague, from the misty knowledge of them at this date; but all follow- ing discussions will be supported by definite citation.
1600-Ancient Indian Rock Pictures.
Very early in the history of the In- dians on the Susquehanna, perhaps before the year 1600, or may be be- fore the discovery of America, the In- dians living on that river, cut a lot of strange and grotesque pictures up- on the rocks in the river, near Safe Harbor and also near Washington borough. They seem to have been cut, during the same age or epoch; and all of them seem to represent the same system of ideas. Some of them are much deeper than others, but that seems to be because they have been less exposed to wasting forces. The lines of some are nearly a quarter of an inch deep, while others are scarce- ly visible. The main rocks in the river so decorated are "Big Indian Rock" and "Little Indian Rock," both a few hundred yards below Safe Harbor. There are many rocks so carved however. The pictures chis- seled in these rocks are birds with elaborate wings, called the 'thunder bird,' quadruped-animals, sinuous
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OTHER LANCASTER COUNTY INDIAN TRIBES
snakes, rude outlines of trees, coiled and star shaped representations, and also individual men, some seated, some standing, some thin and one or two very fat. The thin and the fat men are seated, but there are no masses or groups of men, in military array, or representations of battle that I re- member. Those pictures were there before Penn's time, and the Indians of Penn's time, seem not to have D. H. Landis, of Manor township, who
any knowledge of their origin. All antiquarians seem to be at a loss to interpret these pictures, while those on rocks in the central and western states are to a great extent decipher- ed. However it has been supposed that the jolly looking, fat and content- ed Indian, pictured sitting on the end of the Indian rock nearest Lancaster side, pointing up the valley of the Conestoga, is meant to represent that up that valley is a land of great plenty, while the thin, starved and bony savage pictured sitting on the end of the rock nearest York county toward which this Indian is pointing, is meant to represent that a very scant living is to be found there. This of course is not fair to York county today, with her hustling city fast taking her place next to Pittsburg. Thus it is supposed the purpose of the pictures was to be guides and a system of information to allied tribes, rather than the per- petuation of history.
The United States reports on Eth- nology for the year 1882 to 1883, page 47, tell us that these Lancaster county Indian rock-pictures are of Algon- quin origin, and not Iroquois, and therefore they may have been made by Indians from the south, who per- haps were in this region and fled out of it, when these hardy ancestors of the Susquehannocks, of whom we spoke in the preceding pages, came pouring down from the Mississippi and Lake Region and Northwest gen-
i
erally. Powhatan's Indians we shall see were Algonquins, in Virginia; and Capt. Smith, as we shall notice in later discussions says, they were mortally afraid of the Susquehan- nocks, who were of the Iroquois stock, and also received the white men in entirely different fashion. The best authority on these rock pictures of Susquehanna whom I know, is Mr. has given much study to the subject. 1600-Earliest Known Trading of the Susquehanna Indians.
In a phamphlet, called "Early In- dian History of Susquehanna," by A. L. Guss, found in the library of the Historical Society at Philadelphia the author says at page 12, "The Susquehannocks were one of the Minqua tribes, and they had treated with the French about New York Bay. A sale of Staten Island to the Dutch contains the signature of one of the Minqua Sachemachs (or chief- tains).
1603-Susquehannock Trade on St. Lawrence.
About 1603 the French were active in the fur trade about St. Lawrence. Further proving this early intercourse and trade between the French and Susquehannocks, Mr. Guss says on the same page, "The iron hatchets which Smith (in 1608) found in the posses- sion of the Tockwocks (that is Nan- ticokes) they informed him they had received from the Susquehannocks; and they in turn, Smith says, inform- ed him that 'from the French they had their hatchets.' Thus some years before 1608 the Susquehannocks were in commercial intercourse with the French." And again this same author at the same page says, "The Sus- quehannocks were a ruling tribe and forced trade privileges from other In- dian tribes. Powhatan gave this fierce and mighty nation the name of the Pocoughtronack Indians.
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ANNALS OF THE SUSQUEHANNOCKS AND
Therefore it seems clear from the evidences now found that these mighty Susquehannocks, were seated or roaming about and between the Susquehanna and Hudson rivers, and indeed up to the St. Lawrence, sev- eral scores of years before the first settlement at Jamestown; that they some years before that settle- ment, were in trade relations with the discoverers and - explorers, the French and others who were navigat- ing along these northern Atlantic Coasts. These Susquehannocks also mention the early Dutch and it is not unlikely that they met and dealt with those Dutch navigators, who as we are told, page 1, of Hazard's Annals, "first frequented the coast of New Netherlands, situate in America, be- tween Virginia and New England, in the year 1598." This will suffice to show, upon definite historical proofs, that over 300 years ago, the mighty Susquehannocks dominated the coast lands and inlands, from the Susque- hanna at least to the Hudson river; that they were numerous and power- ful; and exerted both military and commercial supremacy.
1607-Captain John Smith's Histori- cal Works Touching Susquehanna.
John Smith wrote several histori- cal works, covering several parts of America. The first was "A True Re- lation" (Narration)-then a "Map of Virginia"-then a "Description of New England"-then the "General History of Virginia"-then " New England Trials"-then "True Trav- els" and later several others. The three which concern our Susque- hanna country are the True Rela- tion-the Map of Virginia and the General History of Virginia.
"The True Relation of Occurrences."
The complete title of this book is "A True Relation of such occurrences and Accidents of Note as has Hap-
pened in Virginia since the first Planting of the Colony which is now Resident in the South part Thereof." A. L. Guss whom I have mentioned before, in discussing this book says, page 4, "The True Relation was written and sent to England the very day Smith set sail up the Chesapeake on his trip. It contains no informa- tion of what was learned during the two Chesapeake voyages; yet it con- tains passages of great interest re- lating to Susquehanna Indian affairs as given by Powhatan the year pre- vious." Also page 9, he says the same. Mr. Guss also says page 9, "What Smith wrote in the True Re- lation was never incorporated into Smith's later writings, though it is the most reliable of all the historical matter published over the name of Smith."
In this book the "True Relation" Smith tells of a conference he had with King Powhatan, and the King asked Smith why he went so far with his boats; (Smith had gone up the Potomac River without consent) and Smith said those Monocan Indians, had killed a relation of his (Smith's) and he knew they were Powhatan's enemies, and he was after them. This he did to induce Powhatan to tell him more about the various tribes (True Relation p. 35).
This brought the result Smith de- sired, and in the same book he says, "After great deliberation he began to discourse and describe to me the country beyond the Falls with many of the rest not only what another In- dian before had told me but of a country which he said some called it five days, some six and some eight where the waters dashed among many stones and rocks which caused oft- times ye head of ye river to be brack- ish. He also described upon the same sea or river a mighty nation
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OTHER LANCASTER COUNTY IDNIAN TRIBES
called Pacoughtronack (Susquehan- nocks, see p. 5), a fierce nation which did eat men and warred with the people of Moyaoncer and Patero- merke nations upon the top or the head of the bay under his territories where the year before they had slain an hundred. He signified ther crowns were shaven, long hair in the neck, tied in a knoe, (knot), with swords like poll axes.
Guss page 11 of his pamphlet says (and he is undoubtedly right) "this last tribe was the Susquehannocks, whom Smith at this time had not yet met." Mr.Guss also says they were re- ported to be cannibals, which charge is often made against them in com- mon with the Iroquois tribes. This is about all there is in the True Re- lation, touching on the Susquehan- nocks. What Smith learned from Powhatan was of more value to him than to historians of our day.
1608-The General Historie of Virginia.
I have copied from this work of Smith all that in any way bears upon our Susquehanna Indians. And that in the whole is only a few pages. Therefore, I shall give it in full and verbatim in these annals. Smith made two journeys up the Chesa- peake and about Lower Susque- hanna to learn of this country and its wild inhabitants. The general history consists of two volumes.
Vol. 1, page 114 he says of this Chesapeake and Susquehanna coun- try. "It has prerogative over the most pleasant places known, for large and pleasant navigable rivers and heaven and earth never better agreed to frame a place for man's habitation. From the head of the bay to the Northwest the land is mountainous; at the head of the bay the rocks are of a composition like mill stones-some of marble," etc.
Then page 118 he says, "At the end
of the bay where it is isx or seven miles in width it divides itself into four branches, the best cometh north- west, from among the mountains; but though canoes may go a day or two journey up it we could not get up it two myles with our boat for rocks. Upon it is seated the Susquehannocks -near it the north and by west run- neth a creek a mile and a half wide -at the head whereof the ebbe (ebb) left us on shore where we found many trees cut with hatchets. The next tyde, keeping the shore to seek for some savages (for within 30 leagues sayling we saw not any being a barren country) we went up another small river-like a creek six or seven myles. From thence return- ing we met 6 or 7 canoes of Massa- wokes (Mohawks) with whom we had signs. The next day we discovered the small river and people of Tockwock trending eastward."
Concerning this Tockwock country page 120 he says, "On the east side of the bay is the river Tockwock and upon it a people that can make one hundred men seated some seven my- les within the river where they have a fort very well palisaded and man- telled with bark of trees."
Also page 121 concernig his Mappe of Virginia, of which we shall speak later he says, "Observe that as far as you see little crosses on the rivers, mountains or other places have been discovered; the rest was had by in- formation of the savages and are set down according to their instruc- tions."
1608-Smith Stranded in the Susque- hanna.
Captain Smith, page 119 of Vol. 1, General History, says, "Having lost our grapnell among the rocks of Sus- quehanna, we were then two hundred miles from home and our barge about two tons, had in it about 12 men to perform this discovery where in we
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ANNALS OF THE SUSQUEHANNOCKS AND
lay about 12 weeks upon those great waters. What I did with these small means I leave to the reader to judge and the map I made of the country, which is but a small matter in re- gard of the magnitude thereof.
"But to proceed, sixty of those Susquehannocks came to visit us, with bows, arrows, targets, beads, swords and tobacco pipes for pre- sents. Such great and well propor- tioned men are seldom seen; they seemed like giants to the English, yea and to the neighbors; yet seem- ed of an honest and simple disposi- tion, with much adieu restrained from adoring us as gods. Those are the strangest peoples of all those coun- tries, both in language and attire; for their language may well beseem their proportions, it sounding from them as a voice in a vault. Their attire is the skins of bears and wolves, some have cassocks made of bear's head and skin that a man's head goes through, the skin's neck and ears of the bear fastened to his shoulders and the nose and teeth hanging down his breast; another bear's face split be- hind him and at the end of the nose hung a paw.
"The half sleeves coming to the el- bows, were the necks of bears; and the arms through the mouth, with paws hanging at their noses. One had the head of a wolf hanging in a chain for a jewel; his tobacco pipe three-quarters of a yard long prettily carved with a bird, a deer or some such device, at a great end, sufficient enough to beat out one's brains; with bows, arrows and clubs suit- able to their greatness. These are scarce known to Powhatan."
Page 120 he says, "They can make neare 600 able men and are pallisaded in their towns to defend them from the Massawomekes, their mortal enemies. Five of their chief wero-
wances came aboard us and crossed the bay in our barge. The picture of the greatness of them is signified on the map; the calves of whose legs were three-quarters yard round and all the rest of his limbs so ansewer- able to that proportion that he seem- ed the goodliest man we ever beheld. His hair on the one side was long, the other shore close, with a ridge over his crown like a cock's comb. His arrows were five quarters yard long headed with splinters of a white crystal-like stone in form of a heart an inch broad and an inch and a half or more long. These he wore in wolves' skins at his back for his quiver, his bow in one hand and his club in the other as described in the picture." (In G. Hills and Co.'s book "Events in Indian History," published in Lancaster in 1841, page 82 tells us that "Werowance" is a Powhatan term of the same signifi- cance as 'Sachem' or 'Chief' of the northern tribes)."
Page 129 Smith says of the Indian tribes in this neighborhood, "The land is not populous, for the men are few. Within sixty miles of James- town, there are some 5,000 people, but of able men fit for their warre scarce 1,500. The people differ very much in stature, some very great as the Susquehannocks, others very lit- tle as the Wichcocomocoes. The In- dians are of a brown color when they are of any age; but they are born white. Their hair generally is black; but very few have any beards. The men wear half their heads shaven, the other half long. For bar- bers they use their women, who with two shells will grate away the hair of any fashion they please. The
women's are cut in any fashion agree- able to them but ever some part re- maineth long. In each ear they commonly have three great holes whereat they hang chains, bracelets
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OTHER LANCASTER COUNTY INDIAN TRIBES
these holes a small green and yellow colored snake, near half a yard in length, which crawling and lapping herself about his neck ofttimes would familiarly kiss his lips. Others wear a dead rat tied by the tail. Some wear in their heads, the wings of a bird, or the tail of a rattlesnake. Some wear the hands of their enem- ies, dried. Their heads and should- ers are painted with roots mixed with oil. (Page 130)."
As to those Massawomekes, who were the dreaded enemies of the Sus- hannocks, Smith gives us the best in- formation as to why they were and where they lived. Page 134 he says, "Beyond the mountains from where is the head of the Potowmock, the savages report, inhabit their most mortal enemies the Massawomekes, upon a great salt water which by likelihood is either some part of Canada,-some great lake of some inlet of some sea, that falleth into the South Sea ("South Sea" means Pacific Ocean, which was its ancient name. It must be remembered that all people thought America only a few hundred miles wide). These Massawomekes are a great nation and very populous, for the heads of the rivers are all held by them, of whose cruelty the Susquehannocks and the Tockwocks generally com- plain; and very importunate they were with me and my company to free them from those tormentors; to this purpose they offered food,
conduct and continual subjection,
which I concluded to effect. But then the council would not think fit to hazard 40 men in these un- known regions. So the opportuni-
ty was lost. Seven boats full of these Massawomekes we encountered at the head of the bay, whose targets, baskets, swords, tobacco pipes, plat- ters, bows and everything showed,
or copper. Some of the men wear in | they much exceeded them of our parts. Against all these enemies the Powahatans too are sometimes con- strained to fight." In Vol., 1, page 183, Smith says the "Susquehannocks made us many descriptions of the Massawomekes, and said they live on a great water beyond the mountains, which we understood to be Canada."
Thus it seems clear that the Mas- sawomekes were an Iroquois tribe- the Mohawks. The Jesuit Relations are full of descriptions of the Iro- quois incursions down the Susque- hanna River from its source. This will be discussed later. Thus it seems that the Evans and Ellis His- tory is mistaken in saying page 10 and 12, the Massawomekes lived on Bush River.
1608-Smith's Second Voyage Up to Susquehanna.
At page 181, Vol. 1 of Smith's His. torie of Virginia, Smith tells "What happened on the second voyage in discovering the Bay." The 24th of July 1608, Capt. Smith set forward to finish the discovery with 12 men, He says he went "purposely" so he informed King Powhatan to be re- venged of the Massawomekes; the King feasted us. We went to see the bay divided into two heads, but arriv- ing we found it divided into four all which were searched as far as we could saile them. Two of them we found inhabited but in crossing the bay we encountered 7 or 8 canoes full of Massawomekes; we seeing them prepared to assult us left our canoes and made way with our sayle (sail) to encounter them. Yet were we but 5 that could stand. The rest were sick. We put our hats upon sticks at the barge's side and betwixt two hats a man to make us seem many. They fled. We landed; then two of them came to us. We thought to meet them next morning, but they had left."
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ANNALS OF THE SUSQUEHANNOCKS AND
Page 182 he says. "Entering the voyce, began an oration of loves. That ended, with a great painted bear's skinne, they covered him; then one ready with a great chaine of white beads weighing at least six or seven pounds hung it about his neck; the others had 18 mantels made of divers sort of skin- nes sewed together. All these with many other toyes they laid at his feet, stroking their ceremonious hands about his neck for his creation to be their governor and protector, promising their aid, victuals or what they had to be his if he would stay with them to defend and revenge. them of the Massawomekes. Many descriptions they made us of the Mas- sowomekes, and said the Massawome- kes got heir hatchets from the French and also other commodities of trade. The highest mountains we saw north- ward we called Perigrines mount, and a rocky river where the Massawome- kes went up, Willowby's river in honor of the town our captain was born in. The Susquehannock's river we called Smith's Falles." (See page 183)." their river Tockwock (This is a little stream flowing into the east side of the Bay), the savages all armed, in a fleet of boats, around invironed us ; so it chanced one of them could speak Powhatan, and soon all were friendly. But when they saw us fur- nished with Massawomeke weapons, and we faining we took them by force, they conducted us to their pal- isaded town mantelled with bark of trees. Their men, women and children with dances and song wel- comed us. Many hatchets of iron, knives and pieces of brass we saw amongst them, which they reported to have from the Susquehannocks, a mighty people and the mortal ene- mies of the Massawomekes. The Sus- quehannocks inhabit upon the chief springs of these four branches of the bay's head, two days' journey higher than our barge could pass for rocks. Yet we prevailed with the interpreter to take with him another interpreter to persuade the Susquehannocks to come and visit us for their language is different. Three or four days we This River Tockwock, is what is now called Sassafras River, and it forms the boundary between Cecil and Kent counties in Maryland, expected their return then sixty of those gyant people came down with presents of venison, tobacco pipes three-foot in length, baskets, targets, Page 183 Smith further says "Hav- ing thus sought all the rivers and inlets worth noting, we returned to discover the River Patuxuent." bows and arrows. Five of their chief werowances came boldly abroad us to cross the bay for Tockwock, leaving their men and canoes. The wind being so high, they durst not passe."
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