Colonial records of Pennsylvania, Vol. V, Part 44

Author:
Publication date: 1838
Publisher: [Harrisburg] : By the State
Number of Pages: 808

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" We are now become a stronger Body than when We received the Present from our Brothers the Governors of Virginia and Pennsylvania, and have got many to join us, and are become a great Body, and desire to be taken notice of as such ; and for this Pur- pose Our Nations by Us present this

" ' Belt of Wampum.

""' Tho' We have been sent for Capt Cressap, yet if it be to buy Land of Us We shall have nothing to say to that, as it has not been given us in Charge by our Council; but if it should be for any thing else, perhaps Trade, now we see you we would know your opinion about it.'

. "The Secretary answered :

"' I am glad I happen'd to be here, and shall consider your Mess- age and give you such an Answer this Afternoon as I can, tho' whatever I say will be only my private Sentiments."

IN THE AFTERNOON. Present as before.

"' Brethren :

"' I shall give your Belt to the Governor and faithfully relate what was said to me at the Delivery of it, and doubt not but you will receive his Honour's Answer in a little Time.

"' As Trade is of a private Nature, the Indians, since you ask my Advice, ought to buy their Goods where they can be best served. The People of Maryland and Virginia who deal in this Trade may serve You as well as any Others from Pennsylvania or elsewhere, and I advise you by all Means to go to Capt Cresap's and to culti- vate a good Understanding with every body who can supply You with Goods, for it is equal to this Government from whence the Indians are supplied so that there be a good Harmony kept up be- tween them and all the King's Subjects. It is no Part of my Busi- ness to give You Advice, but I cannot help repeating to You my Sentiments that you do well to trade with the good People of Vir- ginia and Maryland as well as with those of Pennsylvania, and to give them the Preference if you find they treat You better than our People; And as I am now at the House of an Indian Trader, I charge You, Mr. Montour, to tell them truly what I say, and that it will be agreeable to the Proprietaries and this Government that the Indians trade wherever they can be best supplied.

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"""In a Conversation after the Conference The Indians desired Andrew to relate to me the particulars which passed about the In- vitation of Cressap, viz., that last Fall Barny Currant, a hired Man of Mr. Parker, brought them a Message from Cressap to let them know that he had a Quantity of Goods, and from the true Love that he bore to the Indians he gave them, viz', Seneca George, Broken Kettle, and the Stone, an Invitation to come and see him ; that he intended to let them have his Goods at a low rate-much cheaper than the Pennsylvania Traders sold them; and notwith- standing the People of Pennsylvania always told them they were Brethren and had a great Value for them, yet this only come from their Mouth and not from their Heart, for they constantly cheated them in all their Dealings, which he Collo. Cressap was very well acquainted with, and taking Pity of them he intended to use them in another manner, and mentioned the rates that he and Mr. Par- ker would sell their Goods to them at, which is cheaper than the first Cost be they any where imported, viz. : A Matchcoat for & Buck, a Strowd for a Buck and a Doe, a pair of Stockings for two Racoons, twelve Bars of Lead for a Buck, and so on in Propor- tion.' "

Then was read Mr. Peters' Report of the Proceedings of the Magistrates of Cumberland County against the Trespassers over the Blue Hills, and Mr. Weiser saying it was a just and true Account, and desiring it might be received as his own in the several Trans- actions wherein he was personally concerned, it was order'd to be enter'd :

" To the Honouralle JAMES HAMILTON, Esquire, Lieutenant Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Province of Pennsyl- vania and Counties of New Castle, Kent, and Sussex, on Dela- ware,

" The Report of RICHARD PETERS, Esquire, Secretary of the Pro- vince of Pennsylvania, of the Proceedings against sundry Persons settled in the unpurchased Part of the Province aforesaid :

" May it Please your Honour :

" Mr. Weiser and I having received your Honour's Orders to give Information to the proper Magistrates against all such as had pre- sum'd to settle and remain on the Lands beyond the Kittochtinny Mountains not purchased of the Indians, in Contempt of the Laws repeatedly signified by Proclamations, and particularly by your Honour's late one, and to bring them to a legal Conviction, least for want of their Removal a Breach should ensue between the Six Nations of Indians and this Province, We set out on Tuesday the fifteenth Day of May last for the new County of Cumberland, where the Places on which the Trespassers had settled lay.

" At Mr. Croghan's we met with five Indians, three from Shamo- kin, two of which were Sons of the late Shickcalamy, who transact

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the Business of the Six Nations with this Government, two were just arrived from Allegheny, viz., one of the Mohock's Nation called Aaron, and Andrew Montour the Interpreter at Ohio. Mr. Montour telling us he had a Message from the Ohio Indians and Twightwees to this Government, and desiring a Conference, one was held on the eighteenth of May last in the Presence of James Galbraith, George Croghan, William Wilson, and Hermanus Alricks, Esquires, Jus- tices of the County of Cumberland, and when Mr. Montour's Busi- ness was done we, with the Advice of the other Justices, imported to the Indians the Design we were assembled upon, at which they expressed great satisfaction.

" Another Conference was held at the Instance of the Indians in the Afternoon, in the Presence of Mr. Galbreth and Mr. Croghan, before mentioned, wherein they expressed themselves as follows:

"' Brethren : We have thought a great deal of what you imparted to us, that ye were come to turn the People off who are settled over the Hills; we are pleased to see you on this occasion, and as the Council of Onondago has this Affair exceedingly at Heart, and it was particularly recommended to us by the Deputies of the Six Nations when they parted from us last Summer, we desire to accom- pany you, but we are afraid, notwithstanding the Care of the Gov- ernor, that this may prove like many former Attempts-the People will be put off now and next Year come again; and if so, the Six' Nations will no longer bear it, but do themselves Justice. To pre- vent this, therefore, when you shall have turned the People off we recommend it to the Governor to place two or three faithful Persons over the Mountains who may be agreeable to him and us, with Com- missions impowering them immediately to remove every one who shall presume after this to settle there, until the Six Nations shall agree to make Sale of their Land.' To enforce this they gave a String of Wampum and received one in return from the Magistrates with the strongest assurances that they would do their Duty.

" On Tuesday the twenty-second of May, Mathew Dill, George Croghan, Benjamin Chambers, Thomas Wilson, John Finley, and James Galbreth, Esquires, Justices of the said County of Cumber -. land, attended by the Under Sheriff, came to Big Juniata situate at the Distance of twenty-five miles from the mouth thereof and about ten Miles North from the Blue Hills, a Place much esteemed by the Indians for some of their best hunting Ground, and there they found five Cabbins or Log Houses, one possessed by William White, another George Cahoon, another not quite finished in Possession of David Hiddleston, another possessed by George and William Gallo- way, and another by Andrew Lycon; of these Persons William White, George and William Galloway, David Hiddleston and George Cohoon, appeared before the Magistrates, and being asked by what Right or authority they had possessed themselves of those Lands and erected Cabbins thereon, they replied by no Right or Autho-

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rity but that the Land belonged to the Proprietaries of Pennsylva- nia. They then were asked whether they did not know they were acting against the Law and in Contempt of frequent notices given them by the Governor's Proclamation. They said they had seen one such Proclamation and had nothing to say for themselves but craved Mercy. Hereupon the said William White, George and William Galloway, David Hiddleston and George Cohoon, being con- victed by the said Justices on their view, the Under Sheriff was charged with them and he took William White, David Hiddleston, and George Cohoon in Custody, but George and William Galloway resisted and having got at some Distance from the Under Sheriff they called to Us, " You may take our Land and Houses and do what you please with them, we deliver them to you with all our Hearts, but we will not be carried to Goal."

" The next morning being Wednesday the twenty-third of May, the said Justices went to the Log House or Cabbin of Andrew Ly- con, and finding none there but Children, and hearing that the Father and Mother were expected soon, and William White and others offer- ing to become security jointly and severally, and to enter into Re- cognizance as well for Andrews' Appearance at Court and imme- diate removal as for their own. This Proposal was accepted, and William White, David Hiddleston, and George Cohoon enter'd into a Recognizance of One Hundred Pounds and executed Bonds to the Proprietaries in the Sum of Five Hundred Pounds, reciting that they were Trespassers and had no manner of Right and had deliv- ered Possession to me for the Proprietaries, Then the Magistrates went to the Log House or Cabbin of George and William Galloway (which they had delivered up as aforesaid the Day before, after they were convicted and were flying from the Sheriff ) all the Goods belonging to the said George and William were taken out and the Cabbin being quite empty I took Possession thereof for the Proprie- taries, and then a conference was held what should be done with the empty Cabbin, and after a great Deliberation all agreed that if some Cabbins were not destroyed they would tempt the Trespassers to re- turn again, or encourage others to come there should these Tres- passers go away, and so what was doing would signify nothing since the Possession of them at such a Distance from the Inhabitants could not be kept for the Proprietaries, and Mr. Weiser also giving it as his firm Opinion that if all the Cabbins were left standing the In- dians would conceive such a contemptible Opinion of the Govern- ment that they would come themselves in the Winter, murder the People and set the Houses on Fire ; On these Conditions the Cab- bin by my Order was burnt by the Under Sheriff and Company.

" Then the Company went to the House possessed by David Hid- dleston, who had enter'd into Bond as aforesaid, and he having voluntarily taken out all the Things which were in the Cabbin and left me in Possession, that empty and unfurnish'd Cabbin was like- wise set on Fire by the Under Sheriff by my Order.

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"The next Day being the twenty-fourth of May, Mr. Weiser and Mr. Galbreth, with the Under Sheriff and myself, on our Way to the mouth of Juniata called at Andrew Lycon's, with Intent . only to inform him that his Neighbours were bound for his Appear- ance and immediate Removal, and to caution him not to bring him- . self or them into Trouble by a Refusal; But he presenting a loaded Gun to the Magistrates and Sheriff said he would shoot the first man that dar'd to come nigher. On this he was disarm'd, con- victed, and committed to the Custody of the Sheriff. This whole Transaction happened in the Sight of a Tribe of Indians who by Accident had in the Night-time fix'd their Tent on that Plantation, and Lycon's Behaviour giving them great Offence the Shickca- lamies insisted on our burning the Cabbin or they would burn it themselves. Whereupon, when every thing was taken out of it (Andrew Lycon all the while assisting) and Possession being de- liver'd to me, the empty Cabbin was set on Fire by the Under- Sheriff and then Lycon was carried to Gaol. Mr. Benjamin Chambers and Mr. George Croghan had about an hour before sepa -. rated from us, and on my meeting them again in Cumberland County, they reported to me that they had been at Sheerman's Creek or Little Juniata, situate about six Miles over the Blue Mountains, and found there James Parker, Thomas Parker, Owen McKeeb, John McClare, Richard Kirkpatrick, James Murray, John Scott, Henry Gass, John Cowan, Simon Girtee, and John Kilaugh, who had settled Lands and erected Cabbins or Log Houses thereon; and having convicted them of the trespass on their own View, they had bound them in Recognizances of the Penalty of One Hundred Pounds to appear and answer for their Trespasses on the first Day of the next County Court of Cumberland to be held at Shippens- burgh ; and that the said Trespassers had likewise enter'd into Bonds to the Proprietaries in Five Hundred Pounds Penalty to re- move off immediately with all their Servants, Cattle, and Effects, and had delivered Possession of their Houses to Mr. George Ste- venson for the Proprietaries Use; and that Mr. Stevenson had order'd some of the meancst of those Cabbins to be set on Fire, where the Families were not large nor the Improvements con- siderable.

" On Monday, the twenty-eighth of May, we were met at Ship- pensburgh by Samuel Smith, William Maxwell, George Croghan, Benjamin Chambers, Robert Chambers, William Allison, William Trent, John Finley, John Miller, Hermanus Alricks, and James Galbraith, Esquires, Justices of Cumberland County, who inform- ing us that the People in the Tuscoraro Path, in the Big Cove, and at Aucquick would submit, Mr. Weiser most earnestly pressed that he might be excused any further Attendance, having Abundance of necessary Business do to do at Home; and the other Magistrates, tho' with much Reluctance, at last consenting, he left us.

" On Wednesday the thirtieth of May, the Magistrates and

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Company being detain'd two Days by Rain, proceeded over the Kittochttinney Mountains and enter'd into the Tuscoraro Path, or · Path Valley, thro' which the Road to Allegheny lies. Many Set- tlements were found in this Valley and all the People were sent for, and the following Persons appear'd, viz. : Abraham Slack, James Blair, Moses Moore, Arthur Dunlap, Alexander McCartie, David Lewis, Adam McCartie, Felix Doyle, Andrew Dunlap, Robert Wilson, Jacob Pyatt, Jacob Pyatt, Junior, William Ramage, Rey- nolds Alexander, Samuel Patterson, Robert Baker, John Arm- strong, and John Potts, who were all convicted by their own Con- fession to the Magistrates of the like Trespasses with those at Sheerman's Creek, and were bound in the like Recognizances to ap- pear at Court, and Bonds to the Proprietaries to remove with all their Families, Servants, Cattle, and Effects; and having all voluntarily given Possession of their Houses to me, some ordinary Log Houses to the Number of eleven were burned to the Ground-the Tres- passers, most of them chearfully and a very few of them with re- luctance carrying out all their Goods. Some had been deserted before and lay waste.

At Aucquick Peter Falconer, Nicholas Delong, Samuel Perry, and John Charleton, were convicted on the view of the Magistrates, and having enter'd into the like Recognizances and executed the like Bonds, Charleton's Cabbin was burnt and Fire set to another that was but just begun, consisting only of a few Logs pil'd and fastened to one another.

" The like Proceedings at Big Cove against Andrew Donaldson, John Macclelland, Charles Stuart, James Downy, John Macmean, Robert Kendell, Samuel Brown, William Shepperd, Roger Mur- phy, Robert Smith, William Dickey, William Millican, William Macconnell, Alexander Macconnell, James Campbell, William Car- rell, John Martin, John Jamison, Hans Patter, John Maccollin, Adam Macconnell, James Wilson, and John Wilson, who coming before the Magistrates were convicted on their own Confession of the like Trespasses as in the former Cases, and were all bound over in the like Recognizances and executed the like Bond to the Pro- prietaries. Three waste Cabbins of no value were burnt at the North End of the Cove by the Persons that claim'd the right to them.

The Little Cove and Big and Little Conolloways being the only Places remaining to be visited, as this was on the Borders of Ma- ryland the Magistrates declin'd going there, and departed to their Homes. The next Day several of the Inhabitants of the Little Cove came to me at Philip Davies and gave me a Petition addressed to the Governor, purporting That they were settled to the North of the Temporary Line in the Province of Pennsylvania, Westward to the Place where that Line was left off, and pray'd that his Honour might suffer them to remain there till the Line should be extended

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and the Purchase made of the Lands from the Indians. Finding the Petition signed only by a few I returned it, telling them when it was signed by more if it should appear to me that they were . North of the Temporary Line I would recommend their Case to the Governor, but that if they were settled to the South of the Tempo- rary Line they were in the Jurisdiction of Maryland and this Gov- ernment would have nothing to do with them, adding that what had been done was solely with a View to prevent an Indian War, and was undertaken as much to serve the neighbouring Colonies as our own; That there was a good Harmony subsisting between the Gov- erments of Pennsylvania and Maryland, and I hop'd it would always continue, and recommended it to them earnestly not to have Re- course to this Government if they were to the South of the Line, or if they were really to the North of it that they would give no Um- brage to Maryland, but behave friendly and be sure to avoid crea- ting any Cause of Complaint from the Governor of Maryland.

"I have truly related the several Matters of Fact in the Order they were done by the Magistrates as well as myself, but I should not do Justice to myself or Mr. Weiser, in whom your Honour placed the same Confidence and whom I principally consulted about the mode of executing your Commands, if I should close my Re- port here without giving the History of these settlements, and shewing upon what solid and just Reasonings our Proceedings were founded. Your Honour will therefore indulge me in laying this Mat- ter particularly before you, that it may appear we have acted a right and dutiful Part to the Government and a kind and affectionate Part to these indiscreet People.

" About the year 1740 or 1741, one Frederick Star, a German, with two or three more of his Countrymen, made some small settle- ments at the very same Place where we found William White, the Galloways, and Andrew Lycon, which were discovered by the Dela- wares at Shamokin to the Deputies of the Six Nations as they came down to Philadelphia in the Year 1742, to hold a Treaty with this Government, and they were so disturbed at it as to enquire with a pe- culiar Warmth of Governor Thomas if these People had come there by the Orders or with the Privity of the Government, alleging that if it was so this was a Breach of the Treaties subsisting between the Six Nations and the Proprietor William Penn, who in the most Solemn Manner had engaged to them not to suffer any of the Peo- ple to settle Lands till he had purchased them from the Council of the Six Nations. The Governor, as he might with great Truth dis- own any knowledge of these Persons' Settlements, and on the In- dians insisting that they should be immediately thrown over the Mountains, he promised to issue his Proclamation, and if this had no effect to put the Laws in Execution against them. The Indi- ans in the same Treaty publickly express'd very severe Threats against the Inhabitants of Maryland for settling Lands for which

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they had received no Satisfaction, and said if they would not do them Justice they would do Justice to themselves, and would cer- tainly have committed Hostilities if a Treaty had not have been set on Foot between Maryland and the Six Nations under the Media- tion of Governor Thomas, at which the Indians consented to sell the Lands and receive a valuable Consideration for them, which put an End to the Danger.

" The Proprietaries were then in England, but observing on perusing the Treaty with what asperity they had expressed them- selves against Maryland, and that the Indians had just Cause to complain of the Settlements at Juniata so near Shamokin, they wrote to their Governor in very pressing Terms to cause those Tres- passers to be immediately removed; and both the Proprietaries and Governor laid their Commands on me to see this done, which I accordingly did in June, 1743, the Governor having first given them Notice by a Proclamation served upon them.

" At that time none had presumed to settle at a Place called the Big Cove (having this Name from its being enclosed in the Form of a Bason by the furthermost Range of the Kittochtinny Hills and the Tuscoraro Hills, which last end here and lose themselves in other Hills), This Big Cove is about five miles North of the Tem- porary Line, and not far to the West of the Place where the Line terminated. Between the Big Cove and the Temporary Line lies the Little Cove, so called from being likewise encircled with Hills; and to the West of the Little Cove towards Patowmec lie two or three other Places called the Big and Little Conolloways, all of them situate on the Temporary Line, was it to be extended towards Patowmec. In the Year 1741 or 1742 Information was likewise given that People were beginning to settle in these Places, some from Maryland and others from this Province. But as the two Gov- ernments were then not on very good Terms, the Governor did not think it proper to take any other Notice of these Settlements than to send the Sheriff to serve his Proclamation on them, tho' it gave ample Occasion to lament the vast Inconveniences whichi attend un- settled Boundaries. After this the French War came on, and the People in those Parts taking Advantage of the Confusion of the Times, by little and little stole into the Great Cove, so that at the End of the War it was said thirty Families had settled there, not however without frequent Prohibitions on the Part of the Govern- ment, and Admonitions of the great Danger they run of being cut off by the Indians, as these Settlements were on Lands not pur- chased of them. And at the Close of the War Mr. Maxwell, one of the Justices of Lancaster County, delivered a particular Message from this Government to them, ordering their Removal, that they might not occasion a Breach with the Indians; but it had no effect.

"These were, to the best of my Remembrance, all the Places settled by the Pennsylvanians in the unpurchased Part of the

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Province till about three years ago, when some Persons had the Presumption to go into the Path Valley or Tuscoraro Gap, lying to the East of the Big Cove, and into a Place called Aucquick, lying to the Northward of it, and likewise into a Place called Sherman's Creek, lying all along the Waters of Juniata, and is situate East of the Path Valley, thro' which the present Road goes from Harris' Ferry to Allegheny, and lastly they extended their Settlements to Big Juniata; the Indians all this while repeatedly complaining that their Hunting Ground was every Day more and more taken from them, and that there must infallibly arise Quarrels between their Warriors and these Settlers which would in the End break the Chain of Friendship, and pressing in the most importunate Terms their speedy Removal. The Government in 1748 sent the Sheriff and three Magistrates with Mr. Weiser unto these Places to warn the People; but they notwithstanding continued their Settlements in Opposition to all this, and as if these People were only prompted by a Desire to make Mischief, settled Lands no better, nay not so good as many vacant Lands within the purchased Parts of the Province.

" The Bulk of these Settlements were made during the Admin- istration of President Palmer, and it is well known to your Honour, tho' then in England, that his Attention to the Safety of the City and the Lower Counties would not permit him to extend more Care to Places so remote.

" In these Circumstances Matters stood between the Indians and this Province when the Six Nations came last Summer to visit the Government on the Closing of the War, and to receive a Present in Reward of their Fidelity. At this Treaty they renewed their Com- plaints of the Injuries received by these Encroachments on their hunting Grounds, and peremptorily insisted on the Removal of the Intruders ; and your Honour, as an Expedient to quiet them, pro- posed a Purchase of those Lands from the Indians, signifying to them that it would be more agreeable to you to buy them (as the Cause of Complaint principally arose there) than any other; but they absolutely refused, and instead thereof made an Offer of about two Millions of Acres on the East Side of Sasquehannah, saying the People might go and settle there, which was accepted and a Sum of Money paid them down; and thereupon a Proclamation was issued to warn the People against'continuing or settling on any un- purchased Land over Sasquehannah on the severest Penalties; but this making no Impression, your Honour issued Orders to me and Mr. Weiser to effect their Removal.

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Colonial records of Pennsylvania, Vol. V, Part 44

Author: Publication date: 1838 Publisher: [Harrisburg] : By the State Number of Pages: 808

Author:
Publication date: 1838
Publisher: [Harrisburg] : By the State
Number of Pages: 808