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 2
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Further on about the same page he says, these "Susquehannocks held up their hands to the sunne with a most fearful song then embracing our cap- tain they began to adore him in like manner though he rebuked them; yet they proceeded till their song was finished : which done with a most strange furious action and a hellish
Page 218 he says, "In the way be- tween, Werewoccamo and the Fort near Jamestown, we met four or five Dutchmen, confederates going to Pow- hatan the which to excuse these gentlemen's suspicions of their run- ning to the savages returned to the fort and remained there." And again p. 223 he says "At this time the Dutchmen remaining with Powhatan (who kindly entertaining them to instruct the savages in the use of
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our arms) and their consorts not fol- lowing them as they expected to know the cause, they took Francis, their companion, disguised like a savage to the glasse house, a place in the woods a mile from Jamestown. Forty men they procured to lie in ambush for Capt. Smith who no soon- er heard of this Dutchman than he sent to apprehend him; but he es- caped."
This last item I append (and only parts of it are direct quotation) for the purpose of showing that there were Hollanders, at this time, in this neghborhood, bearing out the truth of the alleged Dutch document, in Holland setting forth that in 1698 Dutch discoverers were about these parts. It also shows that they were actively in communication with the Indians. We are to notice also that here we have direct evidence of these Indians having iron and copper im- plements long before Penn's time, and indeed long before the Swede's time.
And this is all there is to be found in Smith's History of Virginia touch- ing on our Susquehanna country In- dians. There is nothing on the sub- ject at all in Vol. 2.
In our next item we shall take up and discuss, Smith's Mappe and fix the location of the different Indian towns which he found here, some by actual observation, and the others by information given by the Indians. Fixing the location of the earliest known homes of these mighty first inhabitants of what is now our county, should be full of genuine his- torcal and patriotic interest.
1608-Early Susquehannock Indian Towns
The only authority, upon the lo- cation of the Indian towns, on the Susquehanna River as early as 1608, is Capt. John Smith. Their dwelling
places at later dates are known by many writers; but Smith is the only person who at the beginning of the century, says anything about their location. Smith has not in the form of descriptions told us particularly anything about these towns, and all that he has said we have already dis- cussed. But in his 'mappe' as he calls it, he has given us while imit- ed, very definite information. He is moreover fair in his statements. Of the map he says that as far as one sees the line of little crosses placed on mountains, houses, rivers and so forth, he has actually discovered; but all north of that he has set down in the map from information given him by the Indians. The point fur- thest north so marked by him is on the Susquehanna River, on the west side, and on the south slope of a hill. It is about three-fourths the way from the mouth of the river to the first great branch of the river flowing into it from the west. That branch flow- ing into it from the west is likely Muddy Creek, York County, and it en- ters the river opposite Fite's Eddy, which on the P. R. R. Map is (Fites Eddy ) 21 miles from the Bay (Perryville). The spot marked by Smith is thus about 15 miles from the Bay, or less, and thus is just about the Pennsylvania line, because Haines station, the last station
in Pennsylvania is 15 miles by railroad from Perryvile. Passing eastward the farthest point north, which Smith says he discovered per- sonally is marked by him on North- east River, the second branch of the Bay. This is a few miles below the Pennsylvania line. A little southeast of this he marks Peregrin Mount, which we spoke of in a former item. This Mount, page 185, he says is "the highest mountain we saw northward." This point is north of the Elk River; but in Maryland. West of the Sus-
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quehanna the highest point as shown by the map which Smith saw is a point about five miles from the mouth of Gunpowder River about 20 or 25 miles south of the Pennsylvania line
a river forming the boundary be- tween Hartford and Baltimore coun- ties. Smith called it the Willoby. This is the river which in a former item Smith said he saw the "Massowome- kes go up," on their departure. West of this mark there are four other crosses in an irregular southwest line in the direction of the Shenan- doah Valley.
Now as to the towns, the A. L. Guss work before referred to, page 4, says "The principal town, Susquehannock, is laid down 22 miles from the Bay but the book speaks of them being two days' journey higher than our barge could pass for the rocks. Two days' journey was more than 22 miles and they waited 3 or 4 days for re- turn of interpreters-they probably went 30 or 40 miles. It is claimed the chief town was near the mouth of Conestoga." This town Smith in his map calls Susquehannough; and places it on the east side of the River, about 5 miles above the mouth of Muddy Creek which creek mouth we have said is opposite Fite's Eddy. Fite's Eddy is marked 21 miles from the Bay, and three miles above that point would be McCall's Ferry which is marked 25 miles from the Bay-or ten miles above the Pennsylvania line. There are no marked indica- tions, such as arrow heads in great quantity or blackened earth at the McCall's or Fite's Eddy points on the river indicating a town there as there are in Manor township. It is likely that Mr. Guss is right in saying the chief town or the one on the east side is marked " Susquehannough " by Smith was higher up, and 40 miles as he says, likely was the distance would bring it about Washington
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boro., a mile or two below, which are strong marks of a village or town. On the railroad maps Washington boro., is marked 40 and 1/2 miles from the Bay. It must be remembered this location is fixed by Smith from what the Indians told him; and that he did not see Susquehannough him- self. It is by the map about 10 miles farther up the river than the marks, he personally explored.
Mr. Guss also says page 5. "There was a Susquehanna 'New Town' where some falls below hindered the navigation about 1648; and that the Susquehanna Fort of 1670 was on the south side below 'the greatest Falls' now known as Conewago." He also says same page that "they also had a fort at the mouth of Octoraro as early as 1662, as it is impossible to locate the town of Smith's descrip- tion.
Smith learned of five other towns from the Indians, located on the map, These are:
ATTAOCK; and Guss tells us page 5. "It is at the head of a stream emptying into Susquehanna on the west side below the chief town." It is really about the same latitude as the chief town. This may be in the neighborhood of York.
About 20 miles above the chief town on the east side is QUODROQUE. This is just below the river fork. Guss says Quodroque is near Middletown. According to the map it seems to be on the Conewago.
TISINICH is another town on a branch from the northwest; and says Guss, it is about Lebanon.
UCHOWIG is a town on the other branch coming from the west. Both this town and Tisinich are about 60 miles from the Bay." (Guss p. 5.,) It is opposite Harrisburg.
ATQUANACHUKE is a town mark- ed on the map as high up the river as the last two named and seems by
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location to be off in northeastern Berks County.
CEPOWIG is away off to the west at the head of Willowby's River and is a town likely in Maryland, but it may be barely over the line in Penn- sylvania; it is among the hills.
Thus it is not true, and so says Guss also, that Smith's towns were in Lancaster County as some writers state. Not more than Susquehannough and may be Quadroque were in our county, at it now is limited. But the new late town at the 'Falls' perhaps was in the county.
160S-Early War Customs of the Susquehannocks.
We must notice here a few other minor notes before going on with the thread of the series. Mombert tells us that the early ancestors of our Indians left their club before any one they killed so that any one who discovered the dead might know what tribe did it. (Page 11). This mighty tribe therefore did not try to hide their murders, but instead left their name and token to warn inferior tribes.
1608-Early Wanderers Among the Susquehannocks.
Jenkins, in his history of Pennsy- lvania, page 30, says "At the height of the summer of 1608 the Susquehan- nocks, at their town within Lancaster county, received a message that two strangers had come in their boats to see them." This was the Captain Smith visit. He also says, page 47, that about the same time "three white men reached the head-waters of the Susquehanna, fell into the hands of the Susquehannocks and were after- wards found by Hendrickson on the Delaware and ransomed, at or near the place Wilmington now stands." 1608-Dr. Shea on Susquehannock Origin.
history of Maryland, and in it among other things Dr. Shea says:
"From the Dutch, Virginians, Swedes and French we can thus give their history-When the region now called Canada from Lake Superior and the Mississippi to the mouth of St. Lawrence and Chesapeake Bay was it discovered by Europeans, was found occupied by two tribes, Algon- quins and Huron Iroquois. The Al- gonquins included all the new Eng- land tribes, and many more; also those south of the lakes and the An- dastagoes or Susquehannocks.
"The Iroquois at first inferior to the Algonquins were driven out of the valleys of the St. Lawrence into the Lake Region of New York where by greater cultivation, valor and union they became superior to the Algonquins of Canada and New York -as the Susquehannocks who settled on the Susquehanna did over the tribes in New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia "And on this he cites Du- Ponceau's Translation of Campanius p. 158.
He proceeds, "Prior to 1600 the Susquehannocks and the Mohawks, the most eastern Iroquois tribe, came into collision and the Susquehan- nocks nearly exterminated the Mo- hawks in a war which lasted ten years." This he bases on the Jesuit Relations of 1659 and '60 p. 28. We have noticed this before. However it may not have been made clear that this war began prior to 1600.
He then tells of Captain Smith's meeting sixty of these Susquehan- nocks and that they were at war with the Massawomekes, which he calls Mohawks and cites on this De Laet's Novis Orbis p. 73. This we have fully discussed.
160S-Susquehannocks' War with the Mohawks.
Here is a subject which is very of- A note is found p. 117 of Alsop's ten referred to, but there is very lit-
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tle history to be found about it. Cap- tain Smith refers to it many times about years 1608 and later, and states that the Susquehannocks were in mortal dread of them. Dr. Shea, in his "Identity of Andastes, Cones- togas, Minquas and Susquehannocks" found in Vol. 2 of Historical Maga- zine, pp. 294 to 297, says the Mohawk war was in 1608; but Vol. 45, Jesuit Relations, pp. 203 to 5, puts it as late as 1629. This we have partly dis- cussed on page 6. But the Jesuit Re- lations are not very clear as to the date, saying also, in page and book just indicated, that the Mohawks have within sixty years been both at the top and the bottom of the wheel. Truly warlike they had to fight with all their neighbors, with tribes on the east and on the south with the An- daste (Susquehannocks). Toward the end of the last century they were reduced so low that scarcely any of them were left; nevertheless, like a noble germ they increasd in a few yars and reduced the Algonquins in turn; but this condition did not last long, for the Andaste (Susquehan- nocks) waged such energetic war on them during ten years that they were overthrown for the second time and their nation rendered almost extinct, or at least so humiliated that the name Algonquin made them tremble." This account was written in 1659, and referring to "the last century" of course means before 1600; and the "few years after" would bring the Mohawk - Susquehannock contest about the first decade of the next century or about 1608 or 1610; and this conincides with Captain John Smith. It is a pity that no history is extant of the campaigns of this war, or any knowledge of the size of the savage armies, etc .; for the fact of its lasting ten years, and the Sus- quehannocks being in those days so
mighty, point out that it was a royal and strenuous warfre. It is notice- able that in after years whenever the Susquehannocks wished to awe the Mohawks they simply threatened to . resume the war against them. And yet these Mohawks, fifty or more years later, were the father nation of the Five Nations, and the moving tribe to effect the confederacy of the Five Nations.
1608-Susquehannoeks at War With AHI Tribes.
Campanius (who wrote in 1693 a history of New Sweden, now Pennsy- Ilvania, whom we have before quoted) who says that much that he wrote about, his grandfather told him, says p. 137 of his book, that the Indians of the province were often at war with the Minquas (Susquehannocks) and that these Minquas and others "have skirmished with the English, as Samuel Purchase's relates in his 9th Book, Chap. 6th." As Samuel Purchase's book was published in 1626, the time referred to by Cam- panius was prior to that date. 1609-Samuel Argoll Takes Possess-
ion and Atturnment for Susque- hannock Kings.
At least one historian says that contemporaneous with Smith certain other Englishmen were interested in the trade and lands of the Susque- hannock Indians. This historian, whoever he was, wrote about 1648, a work called a "Descrption of New Albion" which may be found in the Historical Society Library at Phila- delphia, and also an extract of it in Proud's History of Pennsylvania, page 111. This author says, tracing the history of
the Chesapeak country back to the Cabots,that they (Cabots) took possession of the Chesapeak; and that from him it afterward fell to Baron Delaware, then governor of Virginia, who through Sir Thomas
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Dale and Samuel Argoll, 40 years since, took possession and atturn- ment of the Indian kings. That is, an arrangement was made between these Susquehannock and Chesapeak Indians on the one hand and the Eng- lish on the other about 1608.
1613-Susquehannock Indian Trade to Be Opened Into Delaware Bay By a Canal.
At this date the Susquehannocks were of some commercial importance to the English and for the purpose of getting their furs and other com- modities more easily to the lower Delaware settlement where some of the Dutch lived, Samuel Argoll con- templated cutting a canal to connect the Chesapeak and Delaware. Nicho- las Biddle in 1830 in an address at the opening of the Chesapeak and Delaware canal said, "More than two centuries have passed since this work was contemplated by the earliest ad- venturers to. the Chesapeak, one of whom Sir James (Samuel) Argoll wrote to England in 1613 that he hoped to make a cut between Chesa- peak Bay and the Delaware." (4 Haz. Reg. 270 and Acrelius History of New Sweden p. 19).
1615-Trading Posts.
Clayborn is usually given credit for establishing the first trading posts about 1625 below the mouth of the Susquehanna, but Johnson in his History of Maryland, page 7, gives John Pory several years priority as follows: "Kent Island, before Clay- borne established there may have been the seat of a trading post. The letters of John Pory, secretary of the Virginia Company extant in London, are dated anterior to Clayborne's time and inform the company of a discovery made by him and others into the Great Bay northward where we left settled very happily near a hundred Englishmen with the hope of good trade in furs."
1615-Earliest Known White Man On Susquehanna.
1615 to 1618: In a note page 291 of Vol. 5 of the Jesuit Relations, it is set forth that Eitienne Brule, a na- tive of Champigny, France, came to Quebec with Champlain in 1607 or 8; that he was an Interpreter for the Hurons during many years and lived with the tribe.
In 1615 he went with Champlain to the Huron country and was sent by his commander to the Carantounais, allies of the Hurons and probably to the Andastae (Susquehannocks) liv- ing on the Susquehanna to hasten the coming of warriors on the expe- dition against the Iroquois. Cham- plain saw no more of him till three years later when he came down to Quebec with the Hurons, trading. He told Champlain that he had been ob- liged to remain among the Caran- tounals and had explored the coun- try southward to the sea (Slafter says to Chesapeak Bay) and had been captured, by the Iroquois and nar- rowly escaped death by torture, but succeeded in making his way back to the Hurons.
In this there is indeed a strong likelihood that this Frenchman, Brule, traversed the western parts of Lan- caster County between 1615 and 1618, if Capt. Smith was not here before. This is so because of his story of going southward from the Upper Sus- quehannocks to the sea, and also from the fact that the Hurons and Susquehannocks were allies.
1617-Delawares Become Women.
As the Delawares moved from the Delaware and the Brandywine to the Susquehanna (Sec. 3, Col. Rec. 45), we must treat them to some extent as Indians of the Susquehanna Coun- try. In the year 1617 they were made the peace makers by collusion, they charge, on the part of the
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Dutch. Mombert tells us, page 12 | that they have returned 15,000 beaver after reciting that the women had skins besides other commodities. (P. 28). been the peacemakers and had not been successful, or that a powerful 1623-The Dutch Furnish Fire Arms to Susquehannocks. nation would be more effective in this office, that the Mengui urged up- We have before shown that as early as 1608 Captain Smith found the Sus- quehannocks to have fire arms from the Dutch. Smith in his history of New Jersey, however says, "The Dutch are reported about the year 1623 to have furnished the Indians with fire arms and to have taught them to use them, that by their as- sistance they might expel the English when they began to settle around them." See same cited in Proud Vol. 1, p. 110. on the Delawares that as they were a powerful tribe they should be the peacemakers. Their pride was touched says Mombert, "In a moment of blind confidence in the sincerity of the Iroquois they acceded to the proposition and assumed the petti- coat. The ceremony of metamorpho- sis was performed with great rejoic- ing at Albany in 1617 in the pres- cence of the Dutch whom the Lenape (Delawares) charged with having conspired with the Mengui (The Iro- quois) for their destruction." Then Mombert goes on to tell us that hav- ing disarmed the Delawares they led them into war with the Cherokees and then suddenly deserted them un- armed to their destruction.
1621-Indian Trade Becomes More Protitable.
Samuel Argoll, not satisfied with the profits he was making out of the ยท Susquehanna Indians in their own country, now began making expedi- tions further up the coast where we have seen the Susquehannocks also had trade privileges. One of these expeditions was intended for Hud- son river. Captain Mason, complain- ing to Secretary Cooke of this in 1632 says, "Sir Samuel Argoll, Knight, with many English planters were pre- paring to go and sit down in a lot of land on Monahata river at the same when the Dutch intruders which caused a demur in their proceedings until King James and the said Samuel Argoll and Captain Mason of ye Dutch in an act of 1621 had ques- tioned the states of the low counties of this matter." (See Sec. Pa. Arch. Vol. 5, p. 27). And this year he says
There s plenty of evidence to this day that these Susquehannocks d.d have metal weapons. John M. Wit- mer, formerly of Manor township, has two iron axes, three copper darts, one flat and two hollow cones and several yards of beads found upon the localities they inhabited in southwestern Manor township.
1625-The Attack of Clayborne and Kent Island.
While we have seen in former pages the Kent island was occupied by English earlier than 1625 according to Proud (115 note) it was about that year that the occupancy began to be felt by the Indians. He after speak- ing of the Maryland Patent about 1634, says, "Now Kent Island with many households of English by Capt. C. Clayborne was seated." And John- son in his history of Maryland says page 15, "Clayborne had not only possession of Kent Island but estab- lished a trading post at Palmer's Is- land at the mouth of the Susquehan- na. This was several years before 1637 when Clayborne was attainted for high treason on the part of Lord Baltimore." And page 116 in Proud citing the Description of New Albion
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it is stated in Clayborne's words, "I land from the Yoacomacoes Indians hold Kent Island, having lately but 20 men in it and the mill and fort pulled down, and in war with all the Indians near it, is not worth keep- ing." This seems to be about 1625, and is the first mention of wars with the Whites in which the Susquehan- nocks were interested.
1629 and Later: Susquehannock's Wars With Other Indians.
The Jesuit Relations as we have before stated, are a set of histories (72 volumes in all) containing the Narrations or relations of the Jesuit fathers of what they found and saw in early America. In Vol. 55, pp. 203-5 they say that the Mohawks fought with the Andastas (their name for the Susquehanna) a people in- habiting the shores of Virginia and that. the Andastas waged such ener- getic war against them during ten years that they were overthrown the second time and their nation render- ed almost extinct. This was at the time when the Dutch took possession of the regions and conceived a fond- ness for the beavers of the natives, some thirty years ago, and in order to secure them in greater numbers they furnished these people with fire arms with which it was easy to con- quer their conquerors and that is what has rendered them formidable everywhere so that at the sound of their guns they flee in terror." As this narrative was written in 1659, 'thirty years' ago would make the date 1629. These are the same war- like operations Lyle's history refers to on page 18.
During this time, too, Clayborne was trading with the Susquehannocks as Mombert tells us page 22 and as do other authors.
1630-Petty Wars.
About this time a body of English- men called Pilgrims bought Kent Is-
who were constantly annoyed by the Susquehannocks, who ravaged their country; and Clayborne then instigat- ed the Susquehannocks to make war on the settlers of the Island. But Clayborne was not successful as the owners of the island drove him away and he was arrested for treason. But in 1642 he again captured the island, Lyle 18. From this date (1630) until 1647 the Susquehannas appear not to be in any considerable war. There- fore, we must now, to keep the chronological order of these 'Annals' set forth several matters concerning these Indians which are not warlike. About 1633 the Susquehannocks seemed to have an undisputed super- iority over all other tribes. This was through them having had fire- arms from Dutch-Swedes and French at different times from 1608 to 1635. Johnson in the History of Maryland page 15, says "In 1634, the Pilgrims found the Indians from whom they purchased the land for their town (on Kent Island) in great dread of the Susquehannocks." In the same year Mombert, pp. 22, says the Sus- quehannocks sold to Maryland all their lands up the Patuxent River, But the Colonial Records (4 C. R. 704) would make the date 1654.
We must not forget to note that from this date 1633 to 1644 the Sus- quehannocks did wage small but con- tinual war with the Yaowacoes, the Piscataways and Patuxent Indians and were so troublesome toward the end of this period that Lord Calvert declared them public enemies. See 'Indian History Lower Susquehanna' a small volume issued by the Dauph- in County Historical Society, page 40. This is the first evidence of the Sus- quehannocks, turning against the whites, for whom up to this date they had shown marked friendship. About
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a dozen years later they became very great enemies of the whites.
Various accounts have been given of the furnishing arms to the Susque- hannocks as we have just said, but Proud in Hist. of Pa. (notes) p. 110 says, in 1623 the Dutch furnished the Indians fire-arms and taught them to use them so they might help the Dutch to expel the English when they began to settle around them, and page 111, (notes) he says apparently about year 1637, 'the Swedes hired out three of their soldiers to the Sus- quehannocks who taught them the use of our arms and fights."
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