USA > Pennsylvania > Lycoming County > Picture of Lycoming County, 1st ed > Part 2
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Their strategy was to take advantage of the enemy, to surprise them if possible. They would seldom attack unless they were certain of victory. If they discovered they were mis- taken in their expectation of an easy victory, they would re- treat and await a better opportunity. The fact that they fre- quently retreated during the battle did not denote cowardice but the observance of their system of warfare. If surrounded by an enemy they would attempt to break through at one point and either return to the attack or retreat. The effectiveness of their manner of fighting was evidenced by the great losses sus- tained by the white man, and for self-preservation the whites soon adopted the Indians' tactics.
CULTURE
The Indians were a peaceful people and in their own way very polite. They granted few titles of honor, the great military men being known as captains or leaders. In civil affairs they were called chiefs, counsellors, or "the old wise men." These titles were seldom used in common address, but the salutations, grandfather, father, cousin, and uncle, were frequently employed. They were respectful of the aged of both sexes. When an old man was speaking, the young men would sit quietly and atten-
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THE INDIANS OF LYCOMING COUNTY
tively. No one was elevated to a position of honor or trust except by merit. Military rank was based upon the performance of heroic deeds in battle. Unusual wisdom was a prerequisite for elevation to a seat on the council.
When they had food to offer they invited everyone to eat, and to refuse to do so was considered an exhibition of ill man- ners. They were very fond of tobacco. Both men and women smoked a mixture which included dried sumac leaves or red willow bark. They seldom chewed tobacco, and the pipe was used as a symbol of peace and friendship.
The pathfinding skill of the Indians was remarkable. Their knowledge of direction and distance was uncanny. Guided only by the sun, moon, or stars they could enter the densest forest and emerge at a predetermined point. With consideration for topography and availability of water, their paths or trails always followed the shortest and best routes.
CIVIL GOVERNMENT
Their government was exceedingly democratic in character. They had no written code of laws, but were governed by rules or customs handed down from one generation to the next. Occasionally these rules were supplemented by new ones adopted at council meetings. The chief was not in absolute authority. He could not declare war, make treaties, or transact important business without consent of the council and other members of the tribe. There were no legal proceedings among them. They considered that all men had equal rights to the land, except that which a person had improved, and that portion only during occupancy. If a family erected a house, improved the soil and then moved away, the first person who came along could occupy it. Should the original owner return within a year or two the property was returned to him without question. Before white contact larceny was rarely committed, but if an article was
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A PICTURE OF LYCOMING COUNTY
stolen, the owner took it wherever it was found. Murder was quite rare but when it occurred the murderer was required to indemnify the victim's immediate family with presents. Occa- sionally he was forced to provide for the victim's dependents during his lifetime. This primitive form of social security seemed to work very well.
QUESTIONS CHAPTER II
1. What two great Indian families or groups lived in Lycoming County before the coming of the white man?
2. What tribes composed the Five Nations?
What tribe became the Sixth Nation?
3. What was the first known Indian tribe on Lycoming County territory?
4. Give the names of several places in Lycoming County which were named for the Minsi tribe of Delaware Indians.
5. Give a description of the houses built by the Iroquois.
6. How did the Indians cook their food?
7. What were the principal occupations of the Indian men?
8. What was the battle strategy of the Indians?
9. How did the Indians govern themselves?
CHAPTER III Explorers and Land Purchases
THE STORY OF ETIENNE BRULE
N O one knows who was the first white man to visit Lycoming County. Among those who have been mentioned for that honor is Etienne Brule (pronounced Aye-tee-ane Brulay). Brule came to America in 1608 with Samuel de Champlain. Two years later, while Champlain was in France on a visit, Brule lived for a year with Iroquet, an Algonquian Indian chief. Dur- ing that time he became thoroughly acquainted with the Indian mode of living. He learned Indian language and woodcraft, and adopted their manner of dress. Because of this experience, Cham- plain employed him in the capacity of interpreter, guide, and messenger to various Indian tribes. It was while on a mission for Champlain that he may have passed through Lycoming.
In 1615, Champlain, with a force of Frenchmen and Al- gonquian Indians, moved into Central New York to attack the Onondagas, a tribe of the Five Nations. It had been agreed that, in the event of war, the Andastes who lived south of the Five Nations would furnish 500 warriors to assist in the attack. Brule, accompanied by twelve Huron Indians, was sent by Champlain to advise them of the time and place of meeting. On their arrival, a great reception was accorded Brule and his company. The festivities consumed so much time that the re- enforcements did not arrive until two days after Champlain had retreated from the Onondaga stronghold. Brule then returned with the Andastes to their village. He spent a year or more visit-
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A PICTURE OF LYCOMING COUNTY
ing neighboring tribes and exploring the Susquehanna River to its mouth.
It is believed that the Andastes town he visited was Spanish Hill, near Athens, in Bradford County. Since he returned with the Andastes to their town and spent the winter in "exploring the country and visiting nearby lands and nations," it is possible that he entered the West Branch Valley. Those who contend that Brule visited the West Branch also claim that upon his return to Champlain he spoke of the ancient Indian fortifications near the mouth of Wolf Run. Whether Brule actually set foot in the West Branch Valley or not, he deserves a place in Lycom- ing County history because Spanish Hill in Bradford County was originally included in Lycoming and also because he was the first man to describe the natural beauty of this section of the state.
CONRAD WEISER
It was not until approximately one hundred and twenty years after Brule that the next European passed through Ly- coming. In 1737, while on a mission for the Provincial Gov- ernment of Pennsylvania to Onondaga, New York, the capital of the Six Nations, Conrad Weiser traveled through the West Branch Valley. Accompanied by Shikellimy (pronounced Shik-el-limy), an Indian chief who later became vice-king of the Six Nations, he ascended the Susquehanna River to a point west of the present borough of Montoursville. Here they picked up a branch of the old Indian trail leading north of the present Williamsport and reached Lycoming Creek near what is now Hepburnville. They followed the Sheshequin Path up that stream, then went northward through Tioga County to New York State.
Weiser made many later trips through this region in the capacity of guide and emissary for the Provincial Government.
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EXPLORERS AND LAND PURCHASES
He was born in Germany in 1696. In 1710, at the age of fourteen, he came to America with his father, John Conrad Weiser, and a large group of immigrants. As a young man he was adopted into the Mohawk tribe of Indians and acquired a thorough knowledge of their language and customs. Later he became an interpreter in Penn's Province. He followed this calling throughout the rest of his life and proved a valuable asset to the Provincial authorities at conference and treaty councils. He died at Tulpehocken, July 13, 1760.
Shikellimy, a member of the Oneida tribe, was probably born in New York State. His first place of residence on the West Branch was at "Shikellimy's town," a short distance south of Milton. Later he became chief of all the tribes living on the Susquehanna with his headquarters at Shamokin, an Indian town on the present site of Sunbury. He was a constant friend of the Provincial Government and advanced its cause in many of the treaty conferences held during his time.
MORAVIAN MISSIONARIES
Five years after Weiser's journey up the West Branch Count Nicholas Ludwig Von Zinzendorf, first of the Moravian missionaries, came to the county. Accompanied by his daughter Benigna, Conrad Weiser, Anna Nitchman, J. Martin Mack, and two friendly Indians, he left Shamokin (Sunbury) on Sep- tember 30, 1742 and ascended the West Branch as far as Otstuagy, an Indian village near the mouth of Loyalsock Creek, present site of the borough of Montoursville. The country at that time was a dense wilderness, abounding in both large and small game. The Count expressed surprise at not seeing any snakes on this journey since he had been informed they existed in great numbers. He was particularly wary of one species which was said to lie on the top of bushes and spring on passing travelers.
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A PICTURE OF LYCOMING COUNTY
Zinzendorf was followed by other missionaries, including Bishop Augustus Gottlieb Spangenberg, David Zeisberger, David Brainard, and Walter Mack. The advent of these pioneer re- ligious teachers marked the beginning of a more friendly relation- ship with the Indians. The Moravians came to convert the In- dians to Christianity, and they were highly successful. Chief Shikellimy became a convert and adhered strictly to the beliefs of Christianity the remainder of his life. Since he was virtually a dictator over all the tribes then living along the West Branch, his conversion had a powerful influence upon the Indians. He was a close friend of Zeisberger, who administered last rites at his burial in Shamokin.
The Moravians' reports of the beauty of the country, the abundance of fish and game, and the fertility of the soil, un- doubtedly were an important factor in opening the region for permanent settlement.
LAND PURCHASE OF 1696
After the Six Nations of the Iroquois had succeeded in conquering the Delawares, they considered themselves the right- ful owners of the territory, but Thomas Dongan, governor of the Province of New York, also claimed the land. He declared that he had acquired it from "certain chiefs."
Because the land was rich, William Penn also wanted it. He therefore contracted with Dongan for a large tract which in- cluded what is now Lycoming County. It was leased to Penn for one thousand years on the payment of one hundred pounds "lawful money of England" and "thenceforth at the annual rental of a peppercorn."*
These lands included, to cite the deed, "all the said river Susquehanna; and all the lands lying on the west side of the river to the setting of the sun, and to extend from the mouth
* Peppercorn is the dried berry of the black pepper: hence in this case it means something of little value, a mere trifle.
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of the said river northward, up the same to the hills or moun- tains called by the said nations 'endless hills' - also with all the islands in the river, ways, watercourses, woods, underwoods, timber and trees, mountains, hills, mines, valleys, minerals, quarries, rights, liberties, privileges, hereditaments and appur- tenances thereunto In fact, this purchase included prac- tically all of the northeastern part of Pennsylvania to the New York State line. After Penn had leased the land from Dongan the Indian chiefs occupying the territory objected to the transfer on the grounds that they, not Dongan, were its legal owners, and that any agreement for the sale or lease of the land must be made by them. As a result Penn endeavored to persuade the chiefs to confirm the transaction. On April 1, 1701, an agree- ment between Penn and the Indians was reached and a treaty signed.
TREATY OF 1737
Although there had been some dispute over the legality of the purchase of 1696, it did not reach serious proportions until 1737. Not long after the purchase from Dongan and the later approval by the chiefs of the tribes living on the land, the Six Nations began to question the authority of those who had made the original transfer. By right of conquest they claimed that they alone had power to make treaties, even though they had remained silent at the time of the 1701 treaty.
This feeling grew stronger until June, 1737, when a Great Council meeting was held in Philadelphia to restore good rela- tions. At this meeting a new agreement was signed and for an additional quantity of goods the Indians released their claims to the Susquehanna territory.
The deed, dated June 17, 1737, was signed by twenty- three Indians representing the Six Nations. It was witnessed by seventeen representatives of the whites, among whom were Conrad Weiser and Chief Shikellimy. For the purpose of com- parison with other historic purchases and also with the present
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A PICTURE OF LYCOMING COUNTY
land values in this territory the detailed list of articles contained in the "several quantities of goods" is as follows :- "500 1bs. powder; 600 pounds of lead; 45 guns; 60 stroud water match coats; 100 blankets; 100 diffle match coats; 200 yds. half thick; 100 shirts; 400 hats; 40 pairs shoes and buckles; 40 pairs stockings; 100 tobacco tongs; 100 scissors; 500 awl blades; 120 combs; 2000 needles; 1000 flints; 24 looking glasses; 2 pounds of vermillion; 100 tin pots; 100 pipes and 24 dozen of gartering, besides 5 gallons of rum."
Although the articles exchanged for the deed were of little worth in comparison to the value of the land in question, in signing the agreement the Six Nations were probably influenced by their friendship for the English. This belief is borne out by the fact that the Six Nations did not refuse to accept the trans- action Penn had made with Governor Dongan and the con- quered tribes. This treaty stood without change until 1768, when the so-called "New Purchase" was made.
TREATY OF FORT STANWIX
At the close of the French and Indian War, the officers who had taken part in Bouquet's expedition made application to the Provincial Government for a grant of land on the Susque- hanna River. They asked for a section of land where they "could establish a colony of sufficient strength to resist an attack from the enemy." Each member was to have "a reasonable and commodious plantation" in accordance with his rank and length of service. The application called for forty thousand acres on the West Branch. The Penns agreed to grant the request, providing that more territory could be purchased from the Indians.
Accordingly a commission was appointed to hold a con- ference with the Six Nations at Fort Stanwix (now Rome, N. Y.) on November 5, 1768. In consideration of $10,000, the Indians conveyed another great slice of territory to the Penns.
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EXPLORERS AND LAND PURCHASES
Although much of the land in this purchase had been included in the previous purchase, it also included considerable new territory. This treaty specified Tiadaghton Creek as the western boundary, and later a great deal of controversy, misun- derstanding, and bloodshed resulted from confusion concerning the name Tiadaghton. The Indians claimed Tiadaghton signi- fied Lycoming Creek, but the Provincial Government insisted that Pine Creek was the stream referred to in the treaty. The disputed territory is that which lies between Jersey Shore and the city of Williamsport and comprises nearly half of present Lycoming County and a part of Tioga County.
By the time these treaties and purchases had been completed the Indians had learned many tricks of the real estate business. They now realized the value of the lands and they set out to get as much from them as they could by selling as often as they could find a purchaser. In 1754 they had sold the Susquehanna Valley to the people of New England, and twelve years later they gave the section from Wyalusing to a point north of Tioga to the Christian Indians. At the treaty of Fort Stanwix in 1768 they sold this same tract to the Proprietaries of Pennsylvania. The Indians at Wyalusing knew nothing of the transaction until some time after it had been closed.
The dispute over the boundary line of the New Purchase also demonstrated Indian shrewdness in dealing with the whites. By insisting that by Tiadaghton they meant Lycoming Creek, they were able to retain an excellent hunting and fishing territory for sixteen years. The country abounded in elk, deer, bear, small game, and fish, and the Indians were loath to abandon it.
In a treaty negotiated in 1784 the Indians finally admitted that Pine Creek was the real Tiadaghton, and it was established as the western boundary line of the New Purchase. The treaty of 1784 gave the United States Government all the lands in the State over which the Indians had claimed jurisdiction.
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A PICTURE OF LYCOMING COUNTY
MADAME MONTOUR
Early travelers on their journeys through the West Branch Valley found the Indian village of Otstuagy (present Montours- ville) at the mouth of Loyalsock Creek. The town was ruled by a French woman, Madame Montour. Few persons so greatly affected the fortunes of white men in this section of the State as this famous woman and her son, Andrew. Her ancestry has long been a subject of controversy. According to William Marshe, Secretary of the Commissioners at the Treaty of Lan- caster, who interviewed her in 1744, she was born in Canada, a daughter of a French Governor. In 1694, when she was ten years of age, her father was killed in a battle with the Five Na- tions, and she was captured and adopted by the Indians.
Because of her knowledge of French, English, and the various Indian dialects, her services as interpreter at treaties were extremely valuable to Provincial authorities. Her first appearance as an interpreter was at a conference between sachems of the Six Nations and Robert Hunter, British Governor of New York. The English and Indians alike had confidence in her ability and integrity. Because of her influence with the Indians, the French made repeated efforts to enlist her support against the British. Even though they offered her greater compensation she stead- fastly refused to desert the British. Her faithfulness seems all the more remarkable because at the time these overtures were made she had not received her pay from the British for more than a year.
In 1702, Madame Montour married Car-on-do-wana, alias Robert Hunter, an Oneida chief. They settled at Otstuagy some time prior to 1727. Her husband was killed in a battle with the Catawbas in the spring of 1729. They had three children: Andrew, Lewis, and Margaret. Lewis, an interpreter and friend of the whites, was killed during the French and Indian war. Margaret, generally known as "French Margaret," ruled a vil-
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EXPLORERS AND LAND PURCHASES
lage at the mouth of Lycoming Creek, on the present site of Newberry. On Scull's map of 1759, her place is designated as "French Margaret's Town." She prohibited the use of intoxi- cants in her realm, probably the first recorded case of enforced prohibition in the United States. Margaret's eldest daughter, Esther, frequently called "Queen Esther," resided at Tioga Point, Bradford County, Pa., at the time the Indians attacked the Wyoming settlers. It is said that she led the Indians in the Wyoming Massacre of July 3, 1778, one of the most brutal slaughters in the frontier history of the State. A group of prisoners, among them women and children, were lined up and Esther passed down the line dashing out their brains with her tomahawk. For her part in the massacre she received the name "Fiend of Wyoming."
It is not definitely known when Madame Montour died, but it was probably between 1745 and 1748. When Conrad Weiser visited her in 1737, she was a widow well advanced in years. The journals of other travelers do not mention her after 1745. Zeisberger, who visited the valley in 1748, reported her village deserted and in ruins.
ANDREW MONTOUR
With the passing of Madame Montour, her son Andrew became a leading character in the colonial drama being enacted at that time. Andrew, whose Indian name was "Sat-tel-ihu," also became famous as an interpreter, guide, and ambassador to the Indian tribes in the eastern part of the country.
In 1742, Count Von Zinzendorf, accompanied by Conrad Weiser, visited the Montours at Otstuagy. In his journal he gives the following interesting personal description of the man for whom the borough of Montoursville was named:
"Andrew's cast of countenance is decidedly European, and had his face not been encircled with a broad band of paint ap-
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A PICTURE OF LYCOMING COUNTY
plied with bear's fat, I certainly would have taken him for one. He wore a broad-cloth coat, a scarlet damasken lapel waistcoat, breeches over which his shirt hung, a black cordovan neckerchief decked with silver bangles, shoes and stockings and a hat. His ears were hung with pendants of brass and other wires plaited together like the handle of a basket. He was very cordial, but on addressing him in French, he, to my surprise, replied in English."
Leaving the West Branch, Zinzendorf went to visit the Shawnee Indians at Wyoming, on the North Branch. Andrew went with him as guide and interpreter. In 1743, he acted as interpreter for the Delawares at a conference held at Shikellimy's house at Shamokin (Sunbury). In 1745, with Conrad Weiser and Chief Shikellimy, he served as messenger from the Gov- ernor of the Province to the Indian headquarters at Onondaga. In 1748, he was presented to the Council of Pennsylvania, at Philadelphia, by Conrad Weiser who openly complimented him as a "faithful, knowing and prudent servant."
After the Great Lakes region had been ceded to England following British victory in the French and Indian War, Mon- tour worked diligently to establish an alliance between the Ohio Indians and the English. His efforts were so successful that the Ohio Company offered him one thousand acres of land if he would move to Virginia and settle within the company's do- main. But he chose to remain in the West Branch Valley, where he accepted a grant which included the present borough of Mon- toursville. "Montour's Reserve" contained 880 acres lying on both sides of Loyalsock Creek. The original cost of this tract was $193.60, or approximately twenty-two cents per acre.
In 1754 he was appointed to a captaincy in Washington's army and fought at Fort Necessity. Because of his influence among the Indians he was recognized as a powerful figure in the Lycoming country. Washington complimented him highly
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EXPLORERS AND LAND PURCHASES
and wanted him and "as many friendly Indians as would" to come and live among the English. His later life was devoted almost entirely to military service. He was made a captain in Sir William Johnson's regiment. In the dual capacity of officer and interpreter, he was sent as far west as Detroit. He took part in many expeditions against the French and Indians in Canada and on each occasion won the respect of his superiors and asso- ciates.
Andrew Montour was married twice. His first wife was the granddaughter of Al-lum-ma-pees, a Delaware chief. They had one son, John, and a daughter, Mary Magdeline. Andrew also was the father of a son, Nicholas, by a second marriage. John Montour was born in 1744. He was educated at the Philadelphia Academy and served as a Captain in the Dunmore War.
After leaving the West Branch, Andrew received a grant of land on the Juniata River. Finally he drifted to Montour's Island in the Allegheny River near Fort Pitt, where he died prior to 1775.
In the contest between the French and British for control of what is now the eastern part of the United States and Can- ada, Madame Montour, Andrew Montour, Conrad Weiser, and Chief Shikellimy were leading figures. Their wisdom and in- fluence were potent factors in moulding the destinies of the early inhabitants. Their power was great enough to divide the Six Nations, and they were in large measure responsible for the breaking up of this great Indian confederacy. The Seneca tribes, who lived nearest the French in Canada, eventually responded to the overtures of the French, while Sir William Johnson, noted Indian agent of New York State, gained control over the Mohawks. Enough of the Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Tuscaroras were influenced by the emissaries of the British to throw the balance of power to their side.
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A PICTURE OF LYCOMING COUNTY
QUESTIONS CHAPTER III
1. What reasons are there to support the belief that a Frenchman was the first white man to pass through Lycoming County territory?
2. Who was Conrad Weiser?
3. Who accompanied Weiser on his first journey through Lycoming County?
4. Name three Moravian missionaries who came to this region.
5. Why did the missionaries visit this territory?
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