USA > Pennsylvania > Bradford County > Athens > A history of old Tioga Point and early Athens, Pennsylvania > Part 16
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11 As to Covenhoven see Meginnis' "Otzinachon," p. 554.
12 Craft says: "In one of the scouting parties up the river, of which Wm. Dalton, afterwards of Wyalusing was one, a son of Queen Esther was shot. Though mortally wound- ed, he had strength to raise his rifle, fired and wounded Dalton in the knee. The death of her son inflamed all the Indian blood of the haughty queen."
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"Queen Esther, with all the impudence of an infernal being turned to Col. Denison and said: 'Well, Col. Den-i-sen, you make me promise to bring more Indians, here, see (waving her hand) I bring all these.' Col. John Butler, in- censed, told her 'that women should be seen not heard.'"
She evidently understood, as later in the day "she was seen riding astride a stolen horse on a stolen side saddle, placed hind end forward, with seven bonnets one upon the other upon her head, with all the clothing she could contrive to get on, and over all a scarlet riding cloak, carrying in her hand a string of scalps from the slaughtered friends of those who were the witnesses of her savage pride, and sufferers from her brutality." 13
Craft says, "She was a frequent visitor in the family of Mr. Van Valkenberg at Wysox, and all her intercourse with the whites was marked with kindness and courtesy. But her fiendish brutality at Wyoming obliterated every kindly recollection and made her name a synonym for cruelty." Gen. Clark says that Roswell Franklin, who lived near Wysox, was well acquainted with her when living on the Susquehanna. It seems reasonable to believe, from all these eye- witnesses, that Queen Esther was certainly at Wyoming, especially as most of the Indian participants were Senecas, and no real attempt has been made, as in the case of Brant, to prove an alibi. We have found at a late day, among the Smiley papers, in a narrative of David Allen, some additional accounts of Queen Esther at Wyoming.
"A squaw called Queen Esther came over with the warriors, a bloody spear in her hand. She made motions, and said 'seven Yankees' blood,' meaning she had with the spear killed that many prisoners in revenge she said for the Indian killed up the river, a relative of hers. She now ordered the women in the forti- fication to prepare dinner for the considerable company that were with her. They were not only forced to prepare it in haste, but the Indians refused to eat a mouthful until the white people had first eaten some of it."
David Allen was an eye-witness; it is reasonable to believe his statement, which was as a whole corroborated by others.
Queen Esther's Town was entirely destroyed by fire by Col. Hart- ley's soldiers, September 27 or 28, 1778. Covenhoven put the brand to her castle himself: "several canoes were taken and some plunder." We believe some other Indian village preceded this one on Queen Esther's Flats, for in her day the Indians had firearms, and we have been told by members of the Watkins family, present owners of part of Queen Esther's Flats, that many years ago, after the spring floods, innumerable arrow points were plowed up on the plain, indicating a great battle, prior to the use of firearms. Also that particular location is full of Indian graves, as can be attested by the many pieces of pottery and other relics in our Museum. The pottery is much larger and coarser in make than any other found in this valley, and also differs from most varieties hereabouts in being colored, or, more probably, made of brick clay. A true relic of Queen Esther's clan, however, is also in Tioga Point Museum, a very perfect pipe, on the bowl of which is carved a wolf's head, the totem of her clan. This was found on Queen Esther's Flats, the general name for the river flats above Milan, and is shown in a plate with other Indian relics.
13 This seems a highly exaggerated story-not well corroborated.
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MRS. WHITTAKER'S NARRATIVE
The late Judge Avery of Owego recorded many interesting facts concerning Queen Esther, related to him by Mrs. Whittaker, who was Jane Strope of Wysox.
By courtesy of the Wisconsin State Historical Society, Mrs. Whittaker's narrative, as written down by Judge Avery, has been copied for our use. There are also various additional facts, related by Judge Avery, in articles published in the Owego St. Nicholas. Mrs. Whittaker related that she had often seen Queen Esther at the house of her father, Sebastian Strope, where she was always a welcome visitor and hospitably received ; that she spoke English poorly, yet ordi- narily made herself understood. That she boasted that there was an- other language (doubtless French) with which she was quite as familiar as with the Indian. Just prior to the Wyoming massacre the entire Strope family were made captives by the Indians and brought to Tioga Point. Here, of course, they again met Queen Esther. Mrs Whittaker says :
"All of my father's family were well acquainted with Queen Esther of Shi- shequin before we were taken prisoners. She treated us well, and showed us the same kind disposition after we were captives that she did before. Her in- fluence with the Indians was unbounded; when she appeared she was treated with the utmost deference. *
* She was supposed to be of French and Indian parentage. She was a tall, but not very fleshy woman-not as dark as the usual Indian in complexion-had the features of a white woman-cheek bones not high, hair black, but soft and fine like a white woman, not the heavy black hair of the squaw. Her form erect and commanding, her appearance and manners agreeable. She walked straight and had not the bend of the squaw; she had not the Indian mode of turning toes in. She had a sister Mary-a tall fleshy woman-and there was a squaw named Chemuah, from whom I heard the river (Chemung) was named. She was called a queen and Queen Esther called her sister ; I think undoubtedly they were of white blood. Her dress was rich and showy with a profusion of glittering ornaments. She had short skirts reaching a little below the knee, made of imported blue cloth, and stockings to meet the skirt and beautifully worked pantalettes of blue cloth and other material. The skirt was ornamented with brooches of silver,14 as were the warriors' clothes. All the squaws had small bells on their moccasin strings and pantalettes. They used blankets varying in texture as did the males. Queen Esther wore a neck- lace of pure white beads from which hung a cross of stone or silver. Mrs. W. thought it was carved from a whitish stone, polished by long use, possibly spar."
This would indicate life in a Catholic colony or Jesuit influence.
Queen Esther was very kind to the Stropes during their captivity at Tioga Point. She not only interposed in behalf of the males, that they might escape running the gauntlet; but at one time she invited Jane, then a girl of twelve, to accompany her to her castle for a visit. Mrs. Strope objected; but later she and Jane crossed the river and rambled over the premises of the Queen. The plain on which the castle stood, Jane said, was near the mouth of the Chemung, in full view of the point. The main building was long and low, built of hewn logs and planks, neatly done, with a porch over the doorway, and sur- rounded by a number of other buildings.
Mrs. Whittaker stated that once, when Queen Esther visited Wysox, she was accompanied by a half-breed called Catherine, be-
14 These brooches passed for a shilling and were as current among the Indians as money. Brant's wife had several tiers of them on her dress of calico or chintz. Smith & Wells' Journal; see Halsey's Old New York Frontier.
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lieved to be her sister. When the captive Stropes were on their way to Niagara they stopped a week or two at Catherine's Town, where she saw this same woman, doubtless the Catherine Montour often con- founded with Queen Esther.
There is another pleasant story of Esther, antedating Wyoming. In 1777 John Jenkins and James Sutton made a journey to Queen Esther's Town to obtain the liberation of a prisoner, Mr. Ingersol. They were treated with great respect by the Queen, who entertained them herself, told them she was opposed to war, etc. These visitors said she had correct views of religion and moral obligations, indicating a civilization quite at variance with her later conduct at Wyoming. While in her house, feeling quite at ease, they heard the Indian war whoop outside. The Queen at once went out and talked to the war- riors; returning, she told the visitors that the outsiders were deter- mined to waylay and kill them, adding, "I can do nothing with them; lay down until I call you." When all became quiet in the night she called them, told them to go to the river, take her canoe, and hold paddle edgewise, so as not to splash the water, and try to get away before discovered, which they were able to do, in safety.
Craft says he thinks she lived near Tioga after the war, as he saw her name on books kept by Matthias Hollenback after his store was opened in Athens. We have searched in vain for these Hollenback account books, wherein others have also told Queen Esther had ac- counts. The only one found has accounts as in Pearce's "Annals of Wyoming," i. e., "December 15, 1774, Queen Esther Dr. to sundries £3, 11 pence."
It is very apparent from the various narratives that Queen Esther, or Easter, as she was often called, in her whole life and character showed the half-breed to an unusual extent; first, seemingly influ- enced by the white blood, and then by the red, presenting a most in- teresting phychological problem, to the thoughtful mind. Her per- sonality, as distinguished from the other Montours, has generally been a matter of conjecture, but recent investigations seem to have un- ravelled the web of mystery surrounding the whole Montour family. They have not here been considered as a whole because Esther was the only one closely connected with the history of this locality. How- ever, it may not be amiss to here record that the post stained with the juice of the wild strawberry (erected by Cornplanter to mark the burial place of a great chief and brave) was supposed to have me- morialized the son of Catherine Montour. The Painted Post has always been well known, and gave its name to a certain portion of the vast Pultney estate in southern New York, first known as a part of the Phelps and Gorham purchase.
CHAPTER VII
EARLY TEMPORARY SETTLEMENTS
The White Settlers in this Vicinity Prior to the Revolution-Tories on the Upper Susquehanna-Tioga Point and Neighborhood During the Revolutionary War-Preparations for the Descent on Wyoming-Flight of the Fugitives-Indian Dances or Festivals
There are few reliable records of pre-Revolutionary settlements along the river, though doubtless there were many now unknown. As to this immediate locality, the journals of the early Moravian mis- sionaries are about the only sources of information absolutely de- pendable. It has generally been said that Rudolph Fox (or Fuchs) was the first settler in Bradford County. No doubt he and Peter Schufeldt came from the Palatine settlement in the Mohawk Valley, as the surnames are found in the list of Palatine emigrants noted by Dr. Cobb in "Story of the Palatines." Fox and Schufeldt came in 1770, fully fifty years after the first Palatine migration to Pennsylvania ; and settled, respectively, at present Towanda and Asylum. While it seems certain that Fox was the first permanent settler, Old Sheshequin (present Ulster) can boast the presence of white men at an earlier day, as attested by Heckewelder, Ettwein and Roth. The journal of John Ettwein1 (who visited the Monsey town at Sheshequin in May, 1768, December, 1768, February, 1769, December, 1770, and in the spring of 1772) mentions at every visit some Irish people living there ; first a single Irishman and later a family. These Irishmen were doubtless the clerks or agents of the trading post established at Sheshequin by John Anderson, who appears to be the pioneer Indian trader on the upper Susquehanna. While there are no records known to us that identify the Irishmen, names of residents there are given as Samuel and James Davis, and Isaac Still, the latter "from the Jerseys." As for Anderson, he was the associate of Ogden, the first white settler at Wilkes-Barré. Heckewelder tells of him that :
"He lived near Fort Allen, (near Sunbury) but had established a trading house here (Sheshequin) as early as May 1765. For four or five years he made two trips each year to the Indian villages on the Susquehanna, to trade with the natives for peltry. The Ogdens of Wyoming were associated with him; their trading house at Wyoming was destroyed by Connecticut people in 1770. Henceforth no more is heard of Mr. Anderson."
Heckewelder relates that the Indians called John Anderson "the honest Quaker trader." It will be remembered that Roth, the first settled missionary recorded living in Mr. Anderson's house, which was "in charge of an Irish servant,"2 probably James Davis ; and as he was preparing to build himself a house, it may certainly be said that at Ulster was the first settlement by white men in Bradford County.3
1 See transactions Moravian Historical Society. 2 See previous chapter.
3 As to early settlers in this vicinity, the Wyalusing Diary says: "Feb. 3, 1766. Three white men from Shamunk came to buy corn." No names given.
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OLD TIOGA POINT AND EARLY ATHENS
The Indian town was at the mouth of Cash's Creek, and doubtless this trading post was located nearby ; antedating by twenty years the trading post of Matthias Hollenback at Tioga Point, which has always been recorded as the first trading post in this region.
According to Westmoreland Records one John Lord had an im- provement on the first flat below Sheshequin as early as 1770 or 1772.
In Susquehanna Company's Records, Volume I (March 27, 1794), is a quit claim of John Lord of Wyoming for one share in Susque- hanna Company, which Lord bought of Maj. Jno. Durkee July 7, 1770. "together with my improvement on the first flat on the east side of the river below Sheshequin," etc., set seal 17 February, 1772.
This shows that Lord was the next settler and that he made his pitch between 1770 and 1772 .- From Craft's Notes.
In 1774 a few of the Susquehanna proprietors came up the river and selected townships at various points in Bradford County, the farthest north being old Ulster, the original grant of which was made that year to Asahel Buck, Lockwood Smith and others. While this survey and allotment were not made because of breaking out of war, family traditions indicate that temporary settlement was made by both Buck and Smith. The same year settlement was made at Standing Stone by Henry Birney, ancestor of some of the Valley people, and Simon Spalding, later settler at New Sheshequin.
Tories .- At the outbreak of the Revolution many of the Indians promised neutrality, but British agents were soon at work among them, the new States were too inactive, the council proposed by the Indians themselves was not held, and very soon most of them decided to con- tinue their allegiance to King George.
Miner says that at this time Tories" were found all along the river, no sympathy existing between them and the Connecticut settlers. In- deed, on Col. Butler's list of 61 names of such families three only were from New England, but from the Mohawk, Kinderhook, Minisink, and West Chester, New York. It is supposed they deliberately settled along the Susquehanna to protect the route from New York to Niagara. That the Indians were also concerned in this is shown by their opposi- tion to the erection of a proposed fort at Wyalusing6 for protection of the frontier; saying "it would block up our new made, wide and smooth road." Many of the Connecticut settlers at once withdrew to Wyoming; the Indians were also withdrawn from the valley between Tioga Point and Wyoming, and the Tories removed higher up on the river, doubtless having headquarters at the settlement made at Tioga Point by the four Secords, John; John, Jr., and Cyrus, his sons; and James, son or brother. Probably Jacob Bowman was also a resident there.
When Thomas Dongan came over as Governor of New York, he soon familiarized himself with all the adjacent county. Adventurous
4 See Pennsylvania Archives.
5 For full account of Tories see Harvey's "History of Wilkes-Barre," and Note Book No. 5 in Craft collection.
6 It seems of interest to note here that this was not the first fort proposed for Wya- lusing.
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DONGAN'S EFFORTS, JOHN SECORD
young men were sent out on journeys of exploration. Dongan resented the amount of territory claimed by Penn, and in his report to the Committee of Trade in 1687 he says he does not believe His Majesty intended to annex so much to Pennsylvania, and after some explana- tion adds :
"If, therefore, His Majesty were pleased to have a line run from 41d and 40m in Delaware River to the Falls upon the Susquehanna, and to let Mr. Penn keep all below * * * it being conjectured to contain more than all Eng- land. * * * To preserve the Beaver & Pelty trade for Albany, and to be an en- couragement to our Beaver hunters, I desire I may have order to erect a Cam- payne Fort upon Delaware River in 41d 40; another upon the Susquehanna. where his Majesty shall think fit Mr. Penn's bounds shall terminate." * * * "It . will be very necessary for us to encourage our young men to goe a Beaver Hunt- ing as the French doe."
With this report Dongan sends a map to show "and where it will bee necessary to erect our Country Forts for the securing of beaver trade." (See Documentary History New York, Volume I.) Halsey says the point for the proposed fort was evidently Wyalusing. He also says that from 1680 to 1690 Dongan showed great activity in sending out Indian traders, his design being to thwart Penn. In 1686 he requested the Indians to see "that neither French or English go and live at the Susquehanna, nor hunt nor trade amongst the brethren without my pass or seal."
John Secord is said by Miner to have first settled on the west side of the Susquehanna, above the narrows, nearly opposite Tunkhannock. It is evident from his son's letters (appended) that he was a Pennsyl- vania claimant living on Monockonock Island previous to 1771. Of his early history, however, nothing is known.7 Col. Jenkins says in his journal that the Secords were among the families appointed on the committee of inspection or safety8 (August 8, 1775) to watch and note the conduct of the settlers as regarded their conduct toward the British cause, "but he afterwards became lukewarm in the American side of the conflict, and was said to have become an active enemy, or Tory." He was very soon suspected of acting as a spy, harboring suspicious persons, etc. Several British prisoners, who escaped from Connecticut to the Susquehanna Valley, were supposed to have been assisted by the Secords in their flight to Niagara. The Wyoming committee of in- spection at once caused his arrest, but he boldly petitioned Congress, complaining of the outrage, and was soon liberated; and then arrayed himself at once on the side of the British, removing to Tioga Point about 1777. Mr. Harvey has kindly furnished from his "History of Wilkes-Barré" (unpublished) some information about one James Secord and his son Solomon; we have found no connection, though they must have all been of the same family, as all were living at Niagara later. From the name it appears James may have been a son. There are still in existence some very interesting letters written to Mat- thias Hollenback in 1817-18-25 by John Secord, Jr. From these it
7 Miner mentions Secords among the Tory families on the Susquehanna, from the Mohawk, Kinderhook, Minisink and West Chester, N. Y.
8 This committee was appointed at this time in every town by the recommendation of Congress.
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OLD TIOGA POINT AND EARLY ATHENS
may be inferred that the Secords formed part of a Colony of Tories at Niagara, in which lived also the Bowmans, Pawlings, Forsyths and others. After many vicissitudes, due to the war of 1812, in 1825 they were "progressing towards improvement and wealth." John gave con- siderable family history ; mentioned the death of John Secord, Sr., in 1804, and Stephen in 1805. At this date he had been encouraged to follow up his father's Pennsylvania claim. As to where the Secord's location was, we here insert some affidavits, incontestable:
"June 29, 1785, before Wm. Maclay Esq, one of the Justices of the court of Common Pleas for Northumberland county, came Jacob Bowman of Tioga, and James Whitney of Wyoming, labourers and made affidavit that they re- spectively knew of John Secord's dwelling at Tyoga Point, nearly where Mat- thias Hollenback has a dwelling & improvements, before the year 1780, & that the said Secord had a suitable house, barns, etc. Bowman says improved land to the value of seven or eight acres.'
These records locate Secord's pitch from river to river on the land now occupied by Cornelius Hunsiker and M. B. Stiles, also part of Mrs. E. H. Perkins' property (1907). Matthias Hollenback said that Secord dug the well still in use in Hunsiker grounds and planted the apple trees which have only recently gone to decay. Another affi- davit of the same date was as follows :
"Philadelphia County. Personally appeared before me Plunket Fleeson, one of the Justices of the aforesd. County, Rudolph Fox of the county of North- umberland, being of full age, who being duly sworn according to law, Deposeth and saith, That this Depont. was at Tioga in the year 1778, where he saw John Secord settled with his Family at the point of Tioga in a Cappen Build by the sd. Secord, & that the sd. Secord had a considerable stock of Cattle and horses. This Depont. further saith that he and the said Secord, and all the settlers in that settlement had positive warning from the Indians for them to remove up Emediately into their Lines or Settlements, and in case of Neglect or Disobed- ience of this order they might Depent upon a Totall Distruction. That the sd. Secord with the rest of the settlers was removed in consequence of these orders. And this Depont. further saith that he never new sd. Secord to take up arms for, or against the Country : and further this Depont. saith not." "Sworn 31st day of October 1785 before Plunt. Fleeson."
"RUDOLPH Fox."
There are other records showing the Secords lived at Tioga Point at least two years; one is an account of an Indian and Tory raid to Wyalusing in 1778, in which Secord and his son James joined. There is considerable information in the narrative of Mrs. Jane Whittaker, already mentioned. She relates that she and her family were taken captive by Indians May 20, 1778, and brought at once up the river to Tioga Point, where they were kept for many months ; that Secord was then acting as commissary for the garrison of British and Indians there (just previous to the Wyoming massacre ).
"While we were captives on the Susquehanna a man by the name of John Secord, a tory, had some flour which had been brought from Niagara, and mother went to him and begged for some for her children, who were almost starving. He refused; his son Cyrus said she was not to blame for her hus- band's being a rebel; but he steadily refused; Cyrus however secretly supplied their wants."
This son, though acting in concert with his father, sought every opportunity to befriend the captives, which action was appreciated and
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JOHN SECORD'S LOCATION
remembered ; for the same narrative tells that after the ratification of peace the Secords returned to the valley, intending to make a settle- ment on "Franklin's Flats" at Wysox. Sebastian Strope (who had returned with his restored family), hearing of Secord's intention, armed himself with a heavy ox-whip and sought an interview, as fol- lows: "John Secord, do you think we are going to have you among us, when you refused to let my wife have flour for her starving chil- dren?" following this up with a severe whipping and threatened repe- tition if he attempted to stay. At the same time offering to treat Cyrus as a friend and neighbor if he chose to remain. Secord ac- cepted this "notice to quit," though Cyrus remained and was well treated. That John Secord had some definite claim to the clearing or settlement here is evinced by the following deed, which, however, was not recorded :
"Northumberland County; June 6, 1785. John Secord of the state of New York conveys to Matthias Hollenback all his right title and interest in a certain tract of land called Tioga Point in the county of Northumberland and state of Penna., at the Junction of the Tyoga and Susquehanna Rivers, with the improve- ments; consideration one hundred pounds. No boundaries given-Conveyance witnessed by John Shepard, Daniel McDowel and Jacob Bowman.
"Proven by Daniel McDowell before Wm. Maclay Esquire July 25, 1785."
It seems safe to assume that the above deed is evidence of the very first sale of land on Tioga Point.9 While it is now impossible to un- derstand this transaction, we may be assured it had an amicable settle- ment, as John Secord's son writes to Matthias Hollenback :
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