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 45
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1742-Names of the Conestoga In- dians at the Philadelphia Treaty of 1742.
In Vol. 4 of the Col. Rec., p. 585, among the list of Indians present at the great treaty there are given the following four Conestogas as those that speak the ancient Language. Perhaps they are the old Susquehan- nocks or their Heirs and descendants. They are Dior-haasery, Chif, Thanigh- wageran, Car-ha-cawy-int, and Caien- quily-quoh. And the modern Cones- togas, which are set down as also being both Nantikokes and Conoys are named, Des-Scheg, Igh-qua-que- heck, Quesamaag, and Ayiok-his.
At the above treaty a speech was given by Canassatego, the leader of the six Nations, which may be found in Vol. 4 of the Col. Rec., p. 578, in which he says that he has heard that the Delaware Indians claim some land along the Susquehanna which the Five Nations sold to the whites and he says to the Delawares who are present, that they know their ances- tors sold that land fifty years ago and that some years ago the Delawares themselves ratified the sale and their own letters have been laid on the table before us now and we know that it is true. They have examined the papers and the drafts with their own eyes, and then he says as follows: "We see with our own eyes that they have been very unruly people and are altogether in the wrong with their dealings with you. You have concluded to remove them and oblige them to go over the River Delaware, and to quit all claim to any lands on this side for the fu- ture, since they have received pay for them and it is gone through their guts long ago. To confirm to you that we will see your request executed, we lay down this string of wampum in return for yours.
Then turning to the Delawares. holding a belt of Wampum in his hand, he spoke to them as followeth:
Let this belt of Wampum serve to chastize you; you ought to be taken by the hair of the head and shaken severely till you recover your senses and become sober. You do not know what ground you stand on, nor what you are doing. Our brother Onas's case is very just and plain, and his pretensions to preserve friendship;
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on the other hand your case is bad, your heart far from being upright and you are maliciously bent to break the chain of Friendship with our Brother Onas. We have seen with our eyes a deed signed by nine of your ancestors about fifty years ago for this very land, and a release signed not many years since by some of yourselves and Chiefs now living to the number of 15 or upwards. But how came you to take upon you to sell Land at all? We conquered you, we made women of you, you know you are women, and can no more sell land than women. Nor is it fit you should have the power of selling lands since you would abuse it. This land that vou claim is gone through your guts You have been furnished with Cloath Meat and drink by the Goods raid you for it. and now you want it again like children as you are. But what makes you sell land in the Dark? Did you ever teil us that you had sold this land? Did we ever receive any part, even the vaule of a pipe Shank from you? You have told us a blind story that you have sent a messenger to us to inform us of the sale but he never came amongst us, nor we never heard anything about it. This is acting in the dark; and very different from the conduct our Six Nations observe in their sales of land. On such Occa- sions they give publick notice and invite all the Indians of their united Nations, and give them a share of the present they receive for the Lands. This is the behavior of the Wise United Nations, but we find you are none of our blood. You act a dishonest part not only in this but in other matters. Your ears are ever open to slanderous reports about our Brethren. You receive them with as
much greediness as Lewd women re- ceive the embraces of bad men. And for all these reasons we charge you to remove instantly. We do not give you the liberty to think about it. You are women; take the advice of a wise man and remove immediately. You may return to the other side of Delaware where you came from, but we do not know whether, consider- ing how you have demean'd your- selves, you will be permitted to live there or whether you have not swal- lowed that land down your throats as well as the land on this side. We, therefore, Assign you two places to go-either to Wyoming or Shamokin. You may go to either of these places, and then we shall have you more under our eye, and shall see how you behave. Do not deliberate, but re- move away and take this belt of Wampum." We may. notice here that the Delawares were forbid to come to the treaty at Lancaster in 1744, See Vol. 1 of the Penna. Arch- ives p. 657.
1743-The Shawanese Break One of Their Agreements
In Vol. 3 of the Votes of the As- sembly, p. 517, Governor Thomas says the Shawanese in spite of their many treaties with them are not to be trusted, they are beginning to show their strong liking for the French. And in Vol. 4 of the Col. Rec. p. 630, their depredations are set forth in an affidavit of Thomas McKee of Lancaster County, in which he says that the Indians of the Shawanese from an island in the river called "Big Island" came to his store on the South branch of the Susquehanna and robbed it and that part of them, about thirty came down to Susquehanna on canoes to John Harris's and from there travelled on foot down towards Mary-
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land. He says they stopped
asked John Hogg, one of the Lan- caster County Magistrates and asked him for a pass and used him very badly.
1743-Indian Excietment About Lan- caster Town.
In the American Weekly Mercury of June 9, 1743, the following item occurs :
"The beginning of this week a re- port came to town that the Indians had cut off most of our traders and yesterday we had an account from Lancaster that they came to Skohoo- nioty or Jeniaty (a place within the limits of this province but without the Purchase) and destroyed several white families that were settled there; but as the former proves to be false, it is hoped the latter will be found to be so likewise."
1744-The Great Indian Treaty at Lancaster.
In Vol. 4 of the Col. Rec., pp. 698 to 737, the minutes of the great Lan- caster Treaty are set out. This treaty was with the six Nations and the main subjects discussed were dis- putes concerning lands in the back parts of the Province and some dis- putes with Maryland and Virginia. The Governor of Pennsylvania at- tended the treaty, all the Commis- sioners of Maryland and the Com- missioners of Virginia; and Conrad Weiser was the Interpreter. While this treaty was held in Lancaster town, none of which proceedings concerned Lancaster County, there- fore, we shall not give it much space in these annals; but p. 704 the history of the land purchases of Lan- caster County from the Indians and also the land on the lower part of the Susquehanna came up and the Gover- nor told the Indians that,
and | his subjects have alwise possessed the Province of Maryland free and undisturbed from any claims of the Six Nations for about One Hundred Years past, and your not saying any- thing to us before convinces us you thought you had not any pretence to any, lands in Maryland, nor can we yet find out to what lands or under what title you make your claim. For the Susquehanna Indians by a treaty about Ninety years hence (which is on the table and will be interpreted to you) give and yield to the English Nation, their heirs and assigns for- ever, the greatest part (if not all) of the Lands we possess from Patuxent River on the Western, as well as from Choptank River on the Eastern side of the great Bay Chesapeake, and near sixty years ago you ac- knowledged to the Governor of New York at Albany, that you had given your lands and submitted yourselves to the King of England.
We are that Great King's subjects, and we possess and enjoy the Pro- vince of Maryland, by virtue of his right and sovereignty thereto.
Why, then, will you stir up and quarrel between you and ourselves, who are as one man under the Pro- tection of that King?
By these Treaties we become Brethren; we have alwise lived as such, and hope alwise to continue so.
We need not put you in mind of the Treaty (which we suppose you have had from your fathers) made with the Province of Maryland nearly Seventy years ago, and renewed and confirmed twice since that time.
We have this further to say, that although ye are not satisfied of the Justice of your Claim to any lands in Maryland, yet we are desirous in shewing our Brothers kindness and affection, and to prevent (by any
"Our Great King of England and | reasonable way) every misunder-
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standing between the Province of |
Maryland and you our Brethren of the Six Nations.
For this purpose we have brought hither a quantity of goods for our Brethren of the Six Nations, and which will be delivered you as soon as we shall have received your an- swer and made so bright and large a fire as may burn pure and clear whilst the Sun and Moon shail shine. We have now freely and openly bid and laid our bosoms bare to you, and that you may be the better confirmed of the truth of our Hearts, We give you this belt of Wampum.
Which was received with the Jo- hah."
The next day Cannassatego made a reply, which is found in the same book, p. 706, and in the reply he says: "Brother, the Governor of Mary- land :
When you mentioned the affair of the Land Yesterday, you went back to old times, and told us you had been in possession of the Province of Maryland about One Hundred Years; but what is one hundred years in comparison to the length of time our Claim began ?- Since we came out of this Ground? For we must tell you that long before One hundred years Our ancestors came out of this very ground, and their children have re- mained there ever since. You came out of the ground in the Country that lyes beyond seas, there you have a just claim, but here you must allow us to be your elder Brothren, and the lands to belong to us long before you know anything of them. It is true that above one hundred years agoe the Dutch came here in a ship and brought with them several goods, such as awls, knives, hatchets, guns, and many other particulars, which they gave us, and when they had taught us to use these things, and we
saw what sort of people, we were so well pleased with them that we tied their ships to the Bushes of the Shoar and afterwards liking them still bet- ter the longer they stayed with us, and thinking the bushes too slender; we removed the rope and tied it to the trees, and as the trees were liable to be blown by hoigh winds, or to decay of themselves, we, from the affection we bore them, again remov- ed the rope and tied it to a strong and big rock (Here the Interpreter said that they mean the Oneida Country), and not content with this, for its further security we removed the rope to the Big Mountain, (Here the Interpreter said they mean the Onondago Country), and there we tyed it fast and rolled wampum around it, and to make it still more secure we stood upon the wampum and sat down upon it to defend it, and did our best endeavors that it might remain uninjured forever dur- ing all the time; the Newcomers, the Dutch, acknowledged our rights to the lands, and solicited us from time to time to grant them parts of our Country, and to enter into League and Covenant with us, and to become one people with us?
After this the English came into the Country and as we were told, be- came one people with the Dutch; about two years after the arrival of the English, and English Governor came to Albany and finding what great friendship subsisted between us and the Dutch, he approved it might- ily, and desired to make as strong a league and to be upon as good terms with us as the Dutch were, with whom he was united, and to become one people with us, and by this fur- ther care in looking what had passed between us he found the rope which tyed the ship to the Great Mountain
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was only fastened with Wampum, which was liable to break and rot and to perish in a course of years, he therefore told us that he would give us a silver chain which would be much stronger and would last for- ever. This we accepted and fastened the ship with it, and it has lasted ever since. Indeed, we have some small differences with the English and during these misunderstandings these young men would, by way of reproach, be every now and then telling us that we should have per- ished if they had not come into the Country and furnished us with strowds and Hatchets and Guns and other things necessary for the sup- port of life. But we always gave them to understand that they were mistaken, that we lived before they came amongst us, and as well or bet- ter, if we may believe what our fore- fathers have told us. We had then room enough and plenty of Deer, which was easily caught, and though we had not Knives, Hatchets or Guns, such as we have now, yet we had knives of stone and hatchets of stone and bows and arrows and these served our uses as well then as the English ones do now. We are now straitened and sometimes in
want of deer, and liable to many other inconveniences since the Eng- lish came amongst us, and particular- ly from that Pen and Ink work that is going on at the table (pointing to the Secretarys), and we will give you an instance of this. Our Brother Onas, a great while ago, came to Al- bany to buy the Susquehannah lands of us, but our . Brothers, the Gover- nor of New York, who, as we suppose, had not a good understanding with our brother Onas, advised us not to sell him any lands, for he would make an ill use of it, and pretending
to be our good friend, he advised us, in order to prevent Onas's or any other persons imposing upon us, and that we might always have our land when we should want it, to put it in his hands and told us, he would keep it for us and for our use, and never open his hands, but keep them close shut, and not part with any of it but at our request. Accordingly we trusted him, and put our Lands into his hands, and charged him to keep it safe for our use; but some time after he went away to England and carried our land away with him, and there sold it to our Brother Onas for a large sum of money ; and when, at the instance of our Brother Onas, we were minded to sell him some lands, he told us that we had sold the Susquehannah lands already to the Governor of New York, and that he had bought them from him in England, though when he came to understand how the Gover- nor of New York had deceived us, he very generously paid us for our lands over again."
He then further said as to the lands about Conestoga, "We now come nearer home. We have had your deeds interpreted to us, and we ac- knowledge them to be good and valid, and that the Conestogoe or Sasque- hannah Indians had a right to sell those lands unto you, for they were their's; but since that time we have conquered them, and their Country now belongs to us, and the lands we demanded satisfaction for are no part of the lands comprized in those deeds-they are the Cohongoroutas lands. Those we are sure you have not possessed one hundred years; no, nor above ten years; and we made our demand so soon as we knew your people were settled in those parts. These have never been sold but re-
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main still to be disposed; and we are | joined in. It is then stated that the well pleased to hear that you are provided with goods, and do assure you of our willingness to treat with you for those unpurchased lands, in confirmation whereof we present you with this Belt of Wampum."
This treaty lasted from the 22 of June till July 4, 1744. The Sessions were held in the old Court House which stood in Center Square at Lan- caster, and during the treaty mention is made that the Indian goods were left in the lower room and the pro- ceedings held in the lower room of the Court House and that Canassat- ago, the Indian orator stood on the platform when he made his speech; and that Tachancontie also made cer- tain speeches on the 29th of June. A deal board was brought in and draw- ings of the land in dispute were made upon it by Canassatego. Sev- eral other Indians also spoke and among them Gachadow, who spoke with a loud voice and appropriate jestures, as it is stated in the treaty. The meeting of July 2 was held in the house if George Sanderson in Lancaster and one of the Sessions I think, in the Lutheran Church; and everything passed off well. The In- dians, it is stated, were camped out along the Conestoga Creek on both sides of what is now Rocky Springs and adjacent grounds. Some com- plaint was brought i in that they barked the walnut trees and the Council paid for them. They asked the people of Lancaster to repair their pans and kettles, which was done. At the end of the treaty on July 4, they asked for some wine to drink the health of the Great King of England, and they suggest that it should be in big English glasses and not little French ones. After this they gave three loud Huzzas and all
Commissioners of Virginia gave Can- assatego a scarlet camblet coat and took their leave of them in form and at the same time delivered them pass- es. The Commissioners of Maryland presented Garachadow with a broad gold laced hat and took their leave in the same manner; and this ended the great treaty.
1744-Witham Marshe's Comment on the Treaty and on Lancaster as He Found It in 1744.
Witham Marshe was the Secretary to the Commissioners of Maryland during the treaty of 1744. He kept a journal and jotted down in it the particulars of the treaty and also his impressions of the town and his ex- periences. The particulars of the treaty we have set forth above from the Colonial Records but the other matters which Marshe speaks of are also highly interesting and we will give them in this article. Ths Jour- nal is found in the Historical Society at Phildelphia. It was reprinted by the New Era Publishing Compnay in 1884 edited and annoted by Dr. Egle. From the diary I find the fol- lowing minutes:
He says among other things, "We arrived at Lancaster and put our horses at Peter Worral's hotel or tavern (that was later the Cross Keys Tavern on West King street.)- We had dinner which was a great com- fort; and a room with two beds, one for myself and the chaplain.
Later Calvert; Craddock and myself went into and viewed the Court House of the town. It is .a pretty large brick building two stories high. The great room where the Justices of the County hold the Court is very spac- ious. There is a handsome Bench, which is railed in, wherein the Judges sit and a chair in the midst of it
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where the Presiding Judge sits. Be- low this is a very large table of half oval form. Around this and under their worship's feet the County Clerk and the chief attorneys of the Court sit.
Fronting the Justices' Bench and on both sides of it are several long steps or series of platforms raised each above the other like the steps leading into the North door of St. Pauls. On these steps stand the chief creditors and spectators when a court is held there. It was on these that the In- dian chiefs sat when they treated with the several Governments. The Court House is capable to contain about 800 persons without incommod- ing each other.
We then went up stairs to the room overhead. This is a good room and has a large chimney. In this the Jus- tices sit in the February Court for the convenience of fire. Ajoining this is a similar one where the Jurors are kept to agree.
On top of the Court House is a kind of a cupola. We ascended a ladder and got into it, and from hence we had a complete view of the whole town and the Country several miles around; and likewise part of the Susquehanna River twelve miles away.
This town was not begun to be built until about 16 years ago. It is con- veniently laid out into sundry streets and one main street; in the midst of which stands the Court House and the Market. Through this street runs the road into the back Country on to the Susquehanna. There are several cross streets on each side of the main streets which are indifferently well built as to the quantity of hous- es.
The inhabitants are chiefly High Dutch, Scotch Irish and some few English families and unbelieving
Israelites, who dwell very consider- ably in this place.
The spirit of cleanliness has not as yet in the least troubled the major part of the people; for they are in general very great s-s and slovens. When they clean their houses which is very seldom they are unwilling to remove the filth away from them- selves for they place it close to their doors, which in the summer time breeds an innumerable quantity of bugs, fleas and vermin.
The religions which prevail are hardly to be numbered. They were Catholics who built a church of square logs and the interspaces filled with clay. In this church is a small organ good for very little and played worse on by the organist.
The sect of Lutherans have a church and this is more spacious, but built by stone and much larger than the other. The minister is a gentleman of good power and he keeps the con- gregation in good order. The minis- ter of the Dutch church is paid ac- cording to the will of the hearers and in the manner in which the sermons please them; but has no certain stipend. The clergyman of the Church of England sometimes offi- ciates in the Court House, there being no church built by them. There are also a great number of Presby- terians and Jews in this Colony.
The houses for the most part are built with and covered with wood, ex- cept some few which are built of stone and brick. They are generally low seldom exceeding two stories.
There are hills which inviren Lan- caster and likewise some thick woods, which in the summer render it very hot. The soil is thin, dry and sandy ; and when a fresh wind blows it almost chokes the inhabitants.
The water here is very bad and there is occasion to buy it. The
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Springs and even the wells being stored with limestone.
They have a very good market here well filled with provisions of all kinds and prodigiously cheap. Our commissioners and their Company supped at Warrall's and passed away an hour or two very agreeably; after which I returned to bed and had not slept long when I was attacked with legions of Dutch fleas and bugs which were ready to devour both me and the minister. During the next night Mr. Calvert left the Lodgings and lay in the Court House chamber among the young Gentlemen of Virginia, who there had beds made upon the floor.
On Friday during our dinner the . Six Nations with their followers and attendants to the number of 252 ar- rived. Several of the Squaws with some children rode on horse-back, which is very unusual. They brought fire arms, bows and arrows and toma- hawks. A great concourse of people followed them and they marched in very good order with Canassatego at their head, the Chief of the Ononda- goes, who when he came near the Court House, where we were dining sang in the Indian language a song inviting us to a renewal of all the treaties.
Conrad Weiser conducted them to some vacant lots in the back part of the town, where boards and poles were placed.
Of these and some boughs of trees the Indians made their wigwams where they resided during the treaty. They will not ever on any occasion dwell or even stay ir. anv house built by white people.
They placed their cabins according to the rank, which each nation holds in Council, the Onondagoes at the head.
Canassatego and Tachanoonta, each about 60 years old, but nimble and lusty, lead in everything.
Tachanoontia is the greatest Chief and the greatest warrior the Five Nations ever had, because either his father or mother was a negro. Most of them understand English but they cannot speak it. We went to see them and after a while they began to paint themselves and look frightful. They rubbed bear grease on their faces and then laid white paint in them. Then we went to the Court House and the Indians came between five and six o'clock accompanied by Conrad Weis- er. Governor Thomas seated himself in the chair on the Bench and the Commissioners were seated around about him; and the treaty began.
On Saturday after breakfast the
Governor, the Commissioners and some other gentlemen went to the Dunkers' Nunnery about twelve miles hence. They returned about six P. M. (This was the Ephrata Cloisters).
After supper on Saturday I went to the Indian camp and saw a light war dance (The Indian camp is said to have been where the old Conestoga Park was located). At this dance 30 or 40 young men formed themselves into a ring, a fire having been lighted in the middle, an elderly Indian sat near the fire beating a drum to the time of the dances. The Indians hop- ped around the ring and repeated "Yohah" and "Bugh," and soon after the major part set up a horrid shriek or halloo. They continued several hours and seldom rested. Once they sat down and the three old men sang a tune.
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