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Library 1994.OUR NEIGHBORS
THE TUSCARORAS
BY FRANK H. SEVERANCEOUR TUSCARORA NEIGHBORS
By Frank H. Severance.
In the summer of 1915 I was invited to speak at the
annual picnic on the Tuscarora Reservation. I was met at
the Suspension Bridge station by a committee from the
reservation and after a drive of a few miles through a well-
farmed region was set down in a fine grove of old maples.
Many people were there, perhaps as many whites as Indians,
and the road was crowded with buggies, farm wagons and
motor-cars. The somewhat renowned Tuscarora brass band
was playing, on a platform. A row of booths—4‘hot dog”
stands, amusement outfits, and vendors of fans, ice cream,
etc.,—drew crowds; and by the time the president of the
day was ready to introduce me for the talk, a baseball game
was called in a neighboring field. It is a misguided speaker
who would compete with a baseball game, on a pleasant
summer holiday. However, there gathered on the plank
seats in front of the platform a few hundred auditors; and
I was much interested in noting the wrinkled, kindly coun-
tenances of the old folks, whose memories reached back to
more primitive days on this reservation. But for their
presence and courteous attention I should have hesitated to
speak on a theme of such limited appeal, as history.
Thus it was with genuine gratitude that I tried to thank
them for their friendly welcome, for it was indeed a privi-
lege to meet with them. Could I have commanded the
beautiful, figurative, strongly-expressive language of the
old times, I might have symbolized the cordiality of their
greeting by saying that they had swept the path clean
between our lodges; that after my journey they had drawn
the thorns from my feet, and bathed them, and given me
soup; and that now the fire burned clear and we smoked
the peace-pipe together. Instead of that, I told them, I
313314
OUR TUSCARORA NEIGHBORS.
had come to them part of the way by train, they had met
me with an automobile, and welcomed me with a brass band.
“My word to you,’’ I said, “is chiefly one of greeting. We
are neighbors, and on this your holiday you have invited
me as a neighbor, to share your pleasures. Like most of
your neighbors in Western New York, I have long known
something of you, and wish for a better acquaintance,’’
and I went on to recall how, years ago, on the occasion
when I was adopted by the Senecas, that it was Mrs. Mount-
pleasant—known among the whites as 44 Queen of the Tus-
earoras”—who pinned an ancient silver brooch on my coat,
and otherwise shared in the ceremony of adoption; she her-
self, though married to a distinguished Tuscarora, being a
daughter of a long-prominent Seneca family.1
It has often happened—more often than not, perhaps,
in recent years—that the white speaker at these annual
gatherings of the Tuscaroras, has been some prominent man
of Western New York who spoke to them of farming or
patriotism or politics. In trying to speak to these people
of their own history I explained that my business was not
farming, or politics; that my business—at least a part of it
—was to study the records of the past and put them in
order for others to study. Then I went on and sketched as
well as conditions allowed, the story of the Tuscaroras.
It was not, I am sure, a very adequate review that I
made; but the occasion awakened an interest in the subject
which has led me into some further study; so that what
here follows is not so much the address given in the maple
grove on a hot summer afternoon, as it is a fragmentary
record of Tuscarora history as I have found it in scattered
but authentic documents.
Like most Indian records, it begins in the middle. No
book, no writer, preserves for us the beginning chapters
of the Indians’ history. Their traditions for the most part
1. She was sister of Gen. Ely S. Parker, of Gen. Grant’s staff in the Civil War.OVB TUSCABOBA NEIGHBOBS.
315
are of a fantastic sort which cannot be correlated with facta
which begin as definite records with the coming of Colum-
bus. As regards the Tuscaroras, we know that in 1708 they
lived in North Carolina, whither they are said to have gone
from the North—from the land of the Iroquois, of which
federation they had been a part. I do not know of any
page in history, any document, that tells the story of their
going.2
The story of their return can be told, in some measure.
I attempt here only a contribution to the subject. Most
writers who allude to it at all dismiss it by saying that the
Tuscaroras returned to New York in 1715. They were
indeed ninety years in coming back! Here is a true Amer-
ican odyssey, for the wanderings of Ulysses are surpassed
by the experiences of these people, a handful of whose
descendants are today our thrifty, progressive, self-respect-
ing neighbors of the Tuscarora reservation.
When the first white settlers appeared in North Carolina
they found certain settlements of Indians with characteris-
tics different from the neighboring tribes. They were of
Iroquoian stock, as we know them today, but no attempt
is made to fix the date of their going into the South. Their
villages were on the lower Neuse, the Trent, the Tar, the
Pamlico and other streams—in general, they were scattered
through the region south of the present Raleigh. There
were at least fifteen Tuscarora towns, with a population,
as given in 1711, of 4,000.
Now begins the familiar story. The white settlers appro-
priated their lands, kidnapped their children and sold them
into slavery. Here is a fine theme for the Unpopular His-
tory of the United States!
Naturally enough, Tuscarora enmity was aroused; a con-
spiracy was formed, and massacres occurred. In the yearn
2. There is a tradition that they went first to the Mississippi, then turned back,,
reaching North. Carolina; but it is only tradition.316
OUB TUSCABOBA NEIGHBOBS.
1711 to 1713 there were two outbreaks, which are spoken
uf as the two Tuscarora wars. The first “war” began with
the capture o£ Lawson, surveyor-general of North Carolina,
and of the Baron de Graffenried, by some 60 Tuscaroras.
Lawson was given a trial before an Indian council and was
put to death. This was in September, 1711. In the same
month they, and several neighboring tribes, massacred
about 130 of the whites. Colonel Barnwell came from
South Carolina to help the suffering colonists, and drove
the Tuscaroras into one of their palisaded towns about 20
miles from present Newbem. Here there was a battle,
in which the Tuscaroras got the worst of it, so that they
accepted terms of peace as offered by Barnwell—terms
which, according to the Indians, he at once broke. Certain
it is that some of the Tuscaroras, falling at this time into
the hands of the whites, were sent away into slavery.
Under this new provocation, the Tuscaroras appealed to
neighboring tribes, planning a wholesale attack on the
whites; meanwhile the settlers again called on South Caro-
lina, which colony sent Colonel James Moore with a body
of militia and some 900 Indians who professed hostility to
the Tuscaroras. These were in fact, by this time, a tribe
at bay. Reduced in numbers, scattered, feeling that they
had no friends, they had, even the year before, made appeals
to neighboring governments, for some measure of justice.
The Tuscarora wars in North Carolina were brought on
by the whites. Characterized by barbaric and cruel acts,
as was to be expected in the warfare of an uncivilized folk,
even their white enemies recognized that these wars were
waged in defense of home and rights as the Indian knew
them. The peace-loving, diligent Tuscarora farmers and
fruit-growers of Niagara County today should be proud,
and not ashamed, of their fighting forefathers of the Tus-
carora wars.OUB TU SC ABO BA NEIGHBOBS.
31?
Evidently looking to a removal from North Carolina, and
a location in a less hostile neighborhood, the Tuscaroras
in 1710—more than a year before the massacre—had sent
an embassy to the Government of Pennsylvania. At Cones-
toga, June 8th, they were met by two white commissioner
and by Conestoga and Shawanese chiefs. The fugitive
Tnscarora asked for a cessation of hostilities, and made
overtures for peace which have been recorded as follows i
“By the first belt, the elder women and the mothers besought the
friendship of the Christian people, the Indians and the Government
of Pennsylvania, so they might fetch wood and water without risk or
danger. By the second, the children born and those about to be
born, implored for room to sport and play without the fear of death
or slavery. By the third, the young men asked for the privilege to
leave their towns without the fear of death or slavery to hunt for
meat for their mothers, their children, and the aged ones. By the
fourth, the old men, the elders of the people, asked for the consum-
mation of a lasting peace, so that the forest (the paths to other
tribes) be as safe for them as their palisaded towns. By the fifth,,
the entire tribe asked for a firm peace. By the sixth, the chiefs
asked for the establishment of a lasting peace with the Government,
people, and Indians of Pennsylvania, whereby they would be relieved
from ‘ those fearful apprehensions they have these several years felt. ’
By the seventh, the Tuscarora begged for a ‘cessation from murdering
and taking them/ so that thereafter they would not fear ‘a mouse,
or anything that ruffles the leaves. ’ By the eighth, the tribe, being
strangers to the people and Government of Pennsylvania, asked for
an official path or means of communication between them. ’; 3
From this time date the negotiations which resulted in
the reception of these people as a part of the League of the
Iroquois. The Conestogas were Senecas, and well disposed
towards the Tuscaroras. The Provincial Council of Penn-
sylvania was evidently moved by something akin to pity,
but before expressing willingness that the Tuscaroras
should come within their borders, told them they must bring
a certificate of good behavior from the Government of North
Carolina!
The Tuscarora belts—sign of their supplication—were
sent by the Conestogas to the head council of the Five
3. Bureau of American Ethnology, “Handbook of American Indians ” Part II*
p. 843.318
OVB TUSCABOBA NEIGHBOBS.
Nations at Onondaga; and here their story becomes a part
of that of New York State.
Even after their appeal to Pennsylvania, the Tuscaroras
were again involved in strife with the ever-encroaching
whites. With the Coree Indians—a neighbor tribe which
had its own grievance against the settlers—as allies,
in June, 1711, they fell on the Swiss and Palatine settlers
of the Trent valley, killing some 70 'of them, with much
destruction of property. Could the story of this so-called
massacre have been preserved for us by a Tuscarora his-
torian, the record would no doubt be less favorable for the
unfortunate settlers than that we now have; but even the
story that has come down to us shows the whites in a bad
light. According to De Graffenreid, one of the causes of
the war was the “rough treatment of some turbulent
Carolinians, who cheated those Indians in trading, and
would not allow them to hunt near their plantations, and
under that pretense took away from them their game, arms
and ammunition, ’ ’ and that the despised Indians being
“insulted in many ways by a few rough Carolinians, more
barbarous and inhuman than the savages themselves, could
not stand such treatment any longer. ”
There are many phases of the strife in North Carolina
which no attempt is here made to trace. The grievances
of the Tuscaroras were, in brief, the seizure of their lands,
the driving off of the game, the constant cheating by
traders, the capture of their children—and sometimes of
adults—and their sale into slavery. The traffic of early
American settlers, in Indians as slaves, is a shameful sub-
ject still awaiting a thorough setting-forth by some compe-
tent and judicious historian.
The principal purpose of these notes is, to trace the
advent of the Tuscaroras in New York State.
It was in the time of Governor Hunter that news of these
southern outbreaks began to reach the North. The IndiansOVB TUSCABOBA NE1GEB0BS.
319
of New York Colony were so aroused that we find the Gov-
ernor writing* to the Lords of Trade, June 23, 1712: “ The
war between the people of North Carolina and the Tusca-
rora Indians is like to embroil us all. The Five Nations,
by the instigation of the French, threaten to joyn them,
though very lately they sent me by their own messengers
to them, their offers to interpose amicably in that matter.
I have sent some men of interest with them to disuade
them from their fatal design, with presents and promises.
.	.	. They are but a handful, and puffed up with the
eourt has been made to them. ’ ’ Again, writing to Secretary
Popple, September 10, Governor Hunter gave utterance to
his apprehensions: “The Five Nations are hardly to be
disuaded from sheltering the Tuscarora Indians, ’ ’ and
then he complains that he cannot furnish “out of my own
pockets,” the presents they seemed to expect.
The proposed removal of these southern Indians is seen,
therefore, as something more than the advent and peaceful
settlement of a few hundred folk among their ancient
tribesmen. The matter was at once given a political im-
portance out of all proportion to the facts. The Five
Nations were by no means wholly in alliance with the
French of Canada, yet Hunter, in his representations to
officials in England, sought to show that the coming of the
Tuscaroras was by the instigation of the French; thus, in
this same year of 1712, we find the Lords of Trade solemnly
assuring the Earl of Dartmouth that the Tuscarora strife
was “like to embroyle all the Continent.”
The next year, Hunter still being Governor, three exper-
ienced men, Hendrick Hansen, Johannes Bleecker and Law-
rence C'laessen, were sent to the council house at Onondaga
to confer with the Five Nations. Claessen was an inter-
preter famous for many years in the service of the English-.
On their way to Onondaga he learned that a report had
spread that the English “had resolved to kill and destroy320	OUR TUSCARORA NEIGHBORS.
all who had Black pates, meaning thereby all the Nations
of Indians. ’ ’ On approaching Onondaga Castle, he says,
“we were met by about 150 Indians, old and young, who
surrounded us and set up a wild shrieking and uproar.”
The sachems were eager to know if all Indians were to be
destroyed. This report the commissioners ascribed to
French influence.
At the council they met four Tuscaroras, who had come
from the South with wampum belts. This is the first record
we have of the presence of these people in New York State.
At the council one of them, addressing the sachems of the
Five Nations, said: “I come here to tell you that we con-
sent to what you have for two years requested of us”—
meaning that “whenever the Five Nations should have need
of them, they should be always ready at their orders”—a
very characteristic turning of the matter, by which the
cause of their removal was shifted to the New York Indians.
It was perfectly well known to the English in New York
that this tribe was fugitive from their English enemies in
North Carolina; yet for some years the effort was kept up
to implicate the French of Canada in their removal.
The Tuscaroras further said at this time that they were
under command of the Five Nations, and were their sub-
jects, “and that wherever they should please to tell them
to go and reside, there they would make their dwelling,”
and the arrangement was confirmed with twenty large belts
“and twice three strings of wampum.”
After this the sachem Decanasora, “in full meeting not
only of the sachems but of all the inhabitants,” etc.,
assembled at Onondaga, said:
“Brother-Corlear [the Governor of New York], says that
the Queen’s subjects towards the South are now at war
with the Tuscarorase Indians. These Indians went out here-
tofore from us, and have settled themselves there; now they
have got into war, and are dispersed, and have abandonedOUE TUSCAEOEA NEIGHBOES.
321
their castles. But have compassion on them. The English
have got the upper hand of them; they have abandoned
their castles and are scattered hither and thither; let that
suffice; and we request our Brother Corlaer to act as
mediator between the English of Carrelyna and the Tus-
karoras, that they may be no longer hunted down, and we
assure that we will oblige them not to do the English any
more harm; for they are no longer a Nation with a name,
being once dispersed.’’
The emissaries of the Tuscaroras returned to the South;
nor do we find further record of that tribe in New York
until September 25, 1714, when sachems of the Five
Nations, addressing the Governor at Albany, said: u¥e
acquaint you that the Tuscarore Indians are come to shelter
themselves among the Five Nations. They were *of us, and
went from us long ago and are now returned and promise
to live peaceably among us; and since there is peace now
everywhere, we have received them. We desire you to look
upon the Tuscaroras that are come to live among us [as]
our children who shall obey our commands and live peace-
ably and orderly. ’ ’
A portion of the Oneidas ’ territory was assigned to them,
bounded by the Susquehanna on the south, the Unadilla on
the east, the Chenango on the west. How many made up
the first band that came, seems nowhere stated. They did
not all leave North Carolina at once, nor did they all come
through to New York. In 1720 some of them were living
in Virginia, and complaints reached New York’s governor—
Burnet—of robberies committed by straggling bands of
Tuscaroras and others of the Iroquois. Two Tuscaroras
came to Governor Burnet with a war belt from the Gover-
nor of Virginia (as they said), asking that the Five Nations
should declare war on the Catawbas. About this time the
New York tribes reported to Burnet that French Indians
(i. etribes in allegiance to the French in Canada), were322
OUB TUSCABOBA NEIGHBOBS.
living with the Tuscaroras “near Virginia, and go back-
wards and forwards. ’ ’
None too clear, such records; but they do make plain that
the return of the Tuscaroras to their ancient home in New
York was by no means the simple migration it has been
made to appear.
In 1722, the Tuscaroras, having been formally incor-
porated into the League, were sharing in councils with the
English at Albany. Others of the tribe had settled with the
Iroquois of Conestoga in what is now Lancaster County,
Pa.; and still others pitched their lodges with Shawanese
and Mohawks at Oquaga, now Windsor, Broome County,
N. Y. In 1736, an enumeration of the Five Nations, made
by an officer in French-Canadian service—probably either
the elder Joncaire or La Chauvignerie—reported 250 men
in the Tuscarora village “near the Onondagas.” With the
Oneidas and Cayugas,.the Tuscaroras were called “younger
brothers/’ one of the three younger branches of the Iro-
quois Confederacy. Their subordinate position was shown
in 1726 when there was great turmoil over the building of
Fort Niagara. When Burnet asked the Six Nations why
they had allowed it, he was told, it was the Onondagas who
had given consent, while ‘ ‘ the Cayugas and Tuscaroras sat
still and heard the Onondagas speak.”
The Tuscaroras who had not yet emigrated, continued to
be involved in troubles to the southward. In 1726 they,
with some Mohawks, Senecas, and Canada Indians, were
charged with having raided and killed Indians of other
tribes in South Carolina. This again aroused the adminis-
trators of New York, who never ceased to fear French
influence. In 1737 we find Lt. Oov. George Clarke, in
council at New York, June 30, urging the Six Nations to
keep the Shawanese “among yourselves, as you have the
Tuskierores, to prevent their going to the French.” In thisOTJB TUSCABOBA NEIGHBOBS.
323
he failed, for the Shawanese were, for the most part, under
French control, down to the conquest of Canada.
For a good many years, we find the Tuscaroras scattered
in many bands, living with friendly tribes in several states.
A report of 1741 calls them the Tachekaroreins. Six years
later the French officer La Chauvignerie boasted at Mon-
treal that the Onondagas, Senecas, C'ayugas, Oneidas and
“Tescarorins” were “all well disposed towards the
French. ” Again he said, they gave pledge of their “per-
fect neutrality/’ In 1748, Daniel de Joncaire, at Quebec,
assured the Governor, La Galissoniere, before whom he
appeared with 80 Indians of the Six Nations, that they were
^‘empowered to speak for the Taskorins,’’ who were
friendly to the French. Such assurances signified little.
By this time, such Tuscaroras as were resident in New
York were thoroughly in obedience to the stronger tribes
of the League. In 1753 Colonel (afterward Sir) William
Johnson advised the Oneidas: “Have your castles as near
together as you conveniently can with the Tuscaroras, who
belong to you as children. ’ ’ This relationship, he added,
“makes it necessary for me to fix a new string to the cradle
which was hung up by your forefathers when they re-
ceived the Tuscaroras.”
In 1755 Tuscaroras and Oneidas served with the English
forces at Lake George;4 and the next year we find Sir
William Johnson writing to the Lords of Trade that the
Tuscaroras were asking for a garrisoned fort near their
town; he saw in this a proof of loyalty.
In Sir William’s journal of his negotiations with the
Indians, in the summer of 1756, are interesting records,
showing the status of the Tuscaroras at this time. That
they were well trusted may be gathered from the fact that
they were employed as spies in Canada. Some of them
were at a conference in Montreal, whereof Vaudreuil wrote
4. Vaudreuil to M. de Machault, Sept. *25, 1755.324
OWE TUSCAEOEA NEIGHBOES.
that the Tuscaroras had “ accepted the hatchet from the
English. ’ ’ Some soldiers of the 44th Regiment, at Schenec-
tady, had killed three Tuscaroras; had cuat off the head of
one of them, called Jerry, and set it on a stake in the camp;
and had otherwise angered them. Johnson was a good deal
disturbed over it, for beside the resentment the quarrel had
aroused, several of the Tusearora chiefs had been so well
received at Montreal that he feared they would all go over
to the French. At a council at Onondaga, and at a camp
at Oneida, the Tuscaroras showed him a French wampum
belt, which was virtually an invitation. But Sir William,
as usual, was equal to the occasion. He spoke to them pleas-
antly, he gave them presents, and he promised them a fort.
The following extracts from his journal illustrate his
effective diplomacy.
Being gathered at the Onondaga council-house, he said:
Brethren of the Tusearora:	It gives me great satisfaction to find
you living in so compact a body, and as I well know your attachment
to your Brethren the English, I shall be inclined to do anything which
may contribute to your safety and welfare. You will be much safer
here with a good outwork on the hill than as you now are, wherefore
if you incline to have one built there I will order it to be done im-
mediately and give you several guns to mount in it or anything else
for your defense; and as you as well as the Onondagas complain?
of the want of provisions, send some of your young men down to my
house and I will send you a sufficient quantity to serve you until your
crops come in.
Brethren, I must strongly recommend unanimity to you in your
councils and actions and then you will be ready to join his 'Majesty's
arms whenever I call upon you, as I have now sharpened your hatchet
and given you all necessary complements of war. [And he gave them
a wampum belt.]
To which the Sequareesera, their chief, spoke as follows:
Brother:	We are glad you approve of our situation and way of
living. We shall think ourselves much safer with such a house as
you propose and hope you will not defer building it as soon as you
can, also to send us some Swiffel guns and ammunition in plenty;
then you may depend upon it we will make the best defense we can
should the French attempt to molest us there. We will also be ready
to rise up at your call. We have neglected hunting this great while
watching a call from you so that we are very poor and in want of
many necessaries for our families which we hope you will supply us
with as our only dependence at these times is on you. [Gave a belt.}OUB TUSCABOBA NEIGHBOBS.
325
In August of this summer the Tusearora sachems went
to Sir William’s house at Fort Johnson, where he spoke to
them as follows
Brethren of Tusearora:	As I understand you are to set off to-
morrow I have prepared everything for your people and journey as
you desired, viz.: Indian corn for the support of your families until
your crops are ripe, swivel guns for your fort, clothing for your
people and men to build a good block house on the eminence which
commands your fort. As your father the King takes care of you
and as you see all the nations are turning out some of their young
men to war against our common enemy, the French, I now expect by
this belt of wampum that you will encourage your young men to turn
out also which will induce me to supply your further wants. [A belt
of wampum given.]
Their answer:
Brother:	We of the Tusearora Nation are very thankful to our
father the King and you for supplying our wants so far and build-
ing a place of security for us. You may be assured we the sachems
will acquaint the young men of our Nation with your desire, and
encourage them to comply with it. At the same time we must tell
you we did not expect you would call upon us till you were ready
to move with your army, when we all promised to join you whenever
you went as our hunting is entirely impeded by this quarrel between
you and the French, and as none of our Nation ever go to Canada we
have no way to supply our families but by applying to you. What
you have now given us is very considerable and satisfactory, yet it
is far short of what we really want. [A belt.]
Brother:	As we have rejected all the great offers of the French
Governor lately made us and of the priest at Swegachie,o and as we
have been and are now firm friends of yours, we are now under some
apprehensions that the French may attempt destroying us especially
when our young men turn out to war against them, wherefore we
should be glad you would send some men to our Castle to protect our
families and in that case we beg you may choose a good discreet
officer and sober party.
Sir William’s answer:
Brethren of Tusearora:	I shall let Lord Loudoun know your
desire, and when I know his pleasure, shall acquaint you with it.
The allegiance of the Tuscaroras to the English interest
may fairly be dated from these conferences of 1756. With
the Oneidas they became the most stanch and trusted
allies of the English, throughout the war with France.
5. Oswegatchie, now Ogrlensburg.326
OUR TUSCARORA NEIGHBORS.
Their head man, in those days, was designated, in English
reports, as Segwarusara, Sequareesera, and other spellings,
obviously of the same word. Many years later we find
it as Sagareesa, Saearese, etc., interpreted as 4 4 Sword-
carrier. ’ ’ It is a title, and not an individual name.6 Other
chiefs or sachems mentioned in the 18th Century are Rudt,
Kanigot and Thighrorotea.
In 1763 the Tusearoras had 140 fighting men—and prob-
ably more than twice as many women and children—in one
village six miles from the principal Oneida village. There
were still several Tuscarora settlements in the Susquehanna
valley; those who had stopped at Tamaqua, Pa., in 1713
appear to have removed after two years. These were
adopted by the Senecas 4 4 as children.9 9 It remains to trace
briefly the fortunes of some of these people who had
remained in North Carolina, where their number had been
estimated—probably over-estimated—at from 3,000 to
4,000. Sir William Johnson even reported that in six
North Carolina towns they numbered 5,000 or 6,000 ; but
subsequent records do not account for such numbers. In
1766, 160 Tusearoras, just from North Carolina, came in
on Sir William Johnson, and were sent to New York
villages.
In 1767 there was another fragmentary migration, many
Indians of various tribes, including the Tuscarora, being
attracted to the Moravian Mission at Friedenshuetten, on
the Susquehanna near Wyalusing. The missionaries re-
ported that they were lazy 44and refuse to hear religion.”
Some of them who had camped near the river, were so
alarmed at a snowfall, the first they had ever seen, that
they begged the missionaries to give them refuge.
Various companies of them coming into the Colony of
New York, sites were assigned them. In the northern part
6. In 1794 we find the Tuscarora “Sacharese” visiting Philadelphia with Corn-
planter, *o attend a treaty; at which he asked that proper young men be sent as
teachers to the Tusearoras.OUE TUSCAEOEA NEIGHBOES.	327
of the Oneida territory, already mentioned, they were
allotted to Ganasaraga—near present Sullivan^ Madison
County;' and to Kaunehsuntahkeh—exact site uncertain.
Of the migration of 1766, Sir William Johnson wrote to
the Earl of Shelburne, December 16th of that year:
This moment an interpreter arrived here with several Tuscarora
chiefs returned from North Carolina, whither they went last spring in
order to bring the remainder of their tribe out of danger from that
government, which they have now done to the number of 160, and they
have produced to me certificates of their quiet behavior and decorum,
under the seals of the magistrates of the several districts thro ’ which
they passed; notwithstanding which, by the account the interpreter
and they give me, as also from the letters I received by them, I find
that on their way, their lives were several times attempted by the
frontier people, who assembled for that purpose, to prevent which for
the future, one of my officers. that way, was necessitated to put the
Crown to the charge of an' attendant white man, and that on their
return, having sold part of .their lands in Carolina, and purchased
sundry horses, wagons, etc., for carrying some effects, they were
again used ill at Paxton in Pennsylvania and robbed of several
horses, etc., valued at £55; of this the Tuscarora chiefs complained
to several of the Six Nations, and I have just now with difficulty
prevented them from making a formal complaint to the whole Con-
federacy, on promising them that it should be inquired into.
I am persuaded Governor Penn will do all he can on receipt of
my letter, but these sort of lawless people are not easily detected,
being screened by one another. There have been several instances of
much )f the same nature lately in different quarters on the frontiers.
The Tuscaroras shared in the treaty of Fort Stanwix,
October 24, 1768, at which was established the boundary
line between the Northern colonies and the Indian lands.
It may be noted here that they later shared in the following
treaties with the United States Government: Fort Stan-
wix, 1784; Fort Harmar, Ohio, 1789; Canandaigua, 1794;
Oneida, 1794; and Buffalo Creek, 1838.
At Fort Herkimer, in 1785, they were made a party to
the treaty by which the Oneidas ceded to the State of New
York the lands they had occupied from a time unrecorded.
Thus they were again scattered. In after years, we find
settlements of Tuscaroras at or near the east end of Oneida
Lake; on Cayuga Inlet; and on the Genesee below Avon.328	OUB TUSCABOBA NEIGHBOBS.
They had espoused the cause of the Colonies against Great
Britain; whereupon Indian allies of the British raided the
Tusearora towns in the Genesee valley and destroyed their
crops.
More than half a century had elapsed since these people
had made their home within the bounds of New York
State. Now they were again homeless. About the close of
the Revolution, a company of them settled at Johnson’s
Landing, four miles east of the mouth of the Niagara.
From this neighborhood two families made their way to the
northeastern limits of the present reservation in Niagara
County, a place where there was a fine stream, with wal-
nut and butternut trees; and here-they wintered. Others
joined them, with the tacit consent of the Senecas, who
claimed all this region as their own domain. This was the
beginning of the present Tusearora reservation.7
At the treaty of 1797, at Geneseo, between the Senecas
and Robert Morris, for the United States, the Tuscaroras
complained that they had received nothing for giving up
the lands granted them among the Oneidas. The justice
of their cause was admitted, and there were set aside for
them at this time two square miles—1,280 acres—covering
their settlement on the ridge east of Lewiston. To this
the Seneca Nation added a square mile. In 1800 a dele-
gation went to North Carolina to try and collect payment
for lands formerly occupied by their people. The details
of the undertaking cannot be entered upon here. Suffice
to say, it was measurably successful; so that by 1802, with
the aid of the North Carolina Legislature, the former Tus-
carora lands were leased, yielding $13,722. With this sum
the Secretary of the Treasury bought from the Holland
Land Company, for the Tuscaroras, 4,329 acres adjoining
the three square miles already occupied; thus making the
7. Elias Johnson, the Tusearora historian, tells the story of this settlement in
his “Legends, Traditions and Laws of the Iroquois,” etc., Lockport, 1881.OUR TUSCARORA NEIGHBORS.
329
•entire reservation in Niagara County, 6,249 acres; and here
the Tuscaroras still abide, less than 500 souls.8
It was at the time of the North Carolina leases, that the
last considerable migration of these people occurred. In
1820 some 70, out of a population of about 300, left the
Niagara reservation, and settled with Mohawks and other
Indians on the Grand River in Canada.
The actual migration of the Tuscaroras, then, as we have
•shown, from North Carolina to New York State, occurred
at various times from 1712 to 1802. Now began a series of
efforts to dispossess them in New York State and remove
them to various places in the West. Into the intricate his-
tory of these attempts, it is not here designed to enter.
About 1818 it was proposed to purchase lands in the neigh-
borhood of Green Bay, Wisconsin, held by the Menomonees
and Winnebagoes, and transfer to them certain New York
tribes, the Tuscaroras among them. The scheme came to
naught. Later, their removal to the Indian Territory was
undertaken, and in May, 1846, about 40 were induced to
embark on a Lake Erie steamboat. Some 200 Tuscaroras,
Senecas and others, finally reached the promised land of
the Indian Territory. Within a year, a third of them had
died from privation and disease. The Government, how-
ever benevolent its designs, had failed in giving proper
eare to its incapable wards; and the misconduct of agents
turned the attempt into a cruel and fatal fiasco, the story
of which may be traced in treaties and memorials through
many years.
A brighter chapter in Tuscarora history is the record
of missionary work amongst them. Some progress they
have made in agriculture, in education. They still have
prospective revenues from unexpired leases in North Caro-
lina. They live for the most part in comfort, and are a
8. For recent statistics of population, etc., the reader is referred to Govern-
ment census reports. In 1890 they numbered 439; in 1910, 382.330
OUR TUSCARORA NEIGHBORS.
shining example for trustworthiness, thrift and morality
among all of our Indian neighbors of Western New York.
Something of the foregoing historical sketch, its author
attempted to give at the picnic in the maple grove; and
by way of a farewell word, he added—recalling the fashion
of ancient days:
“Brothers, I have spoken. If I had strings and belts
of wampum, as your ancestors would have had, I would
have given them to you, as I spoke, to confirm my words.
You must imagine that I have done so; and now I give a
very large belt, with the pipe woven in it, to keep the chain
of friendship bright and shining. ’ ’
Note:—The Tuscarora Nation still claims title to extensive tracts of land in
North Carolina. In 1917, Mr. Glenn A. Stockwell, of Niagara Falls, under instruc-
tions of the Tuscarora Nation, prepared a petition and submitted it to the Attorney-
General of the United States, setting forth the claims of the Tusearoras against the
State of North Carolina. It recites many historical incidents of interest, especially
in relation to the leasing of Tuscarora lands.
Among other things, it set forth that the Tuscarora lands in Bertie County,
North Carolina, were confirmed to them by Treaty in 1748. May 2, 1778, the
rights conferred by Treaty were reaffirmed by Act of the North Carolina Legisla-
ture and the lands were exempted from taxes. It was at that time enacted by the
Legislature that Tuscarora lands which had been leased to various settlers should
revert and become the property of the State at the expiration of the leases if the
Tuscarora Nation was extinct or if the Tusearoras had entirely abandoned or re-
moved themselves from the State lands.
In 1802 the North Carolina Legislature passed an Act for relief of the Tusearoras.
It stated that as these Indians had asked authorization to lease the residue of their
lands they were so authorized in regard to the Bertie County lands for a term to
expire when the leases which had been made in 1766 should end. Commissioners
were appointed to carry this Act into effect. Leases under this Act were to be
“held and deemed the occupancy and possession of the Tusearoras,” as if the
Indians actually resided on said lands.
The above Acts were passed prior to the adoption of the Constitution of the
United States by North Carolina.
Apparently, in 1801, the Tusearoras named certain chiefs to confer with the
State of North Carolina and the Federal Government in regard to further leases of
their lands. William R. Davie was appointed United States commissioner to act
for the Government in negotiations with the Indians. The next year, November
15, 1802, North Carolina passed an Act authorizing the chiefs to lease their lands1
and stipulating that the governor of the State should appoint three commissioners
to carry out the Act. Commissioner Davie and the Indian delegates entered into-
an agreement which, had it been ratified by the United States, would have become
a Treaty. In 1803, Thomas Jefferson, then President, submitted such a draft of
a proposed Treaty to the Senate, which body consented to its ratification; but it iff
asserted that the Treaty was never proclaimed or ratified by the President and is,
therefore, of no force.
In 1828, North Carolina again enacted legislation affecting the Tuscarora lands.
Their sale was sanctioned and the Governor appointed a commissioner1 who , sold
the equity of redemption of the State for $3,259, or at the average of eight cents
per acre. Some of the deeds executed under this Act show that large tracts of
the Indians’ lands were sold at prices much below this average. In one case 909
acres were conveyed for $13.50; another tract was sold for an average of lYaOUE TUSCAEOEA NEIGEBOES.
331
cents per acre. The commissioner in this negotiation, Bates Cook, appears to have
received the funds paid in these transactions.
November 19, 1831, certain chiefs of the Tuscaroras executed a deed reciting
the sale above mentioned and acknowledging the receipt of $3,250 for their lands*
The Indian signatures to this deed are of interest, for 'Some of the names have long:
continued' to be well known on the Tuscarora Reservation. They are:	William
Chew, Nicholas Casie, George Warchief, Jonathan Printup, Matthew Jack, William
Johnson, Isaac Miller.
All of the leases above indicated appear to have expired July 12, 1916. Under
Act of the State Legislature October 15, 1748, these lands on the expiration of the
leases were to revert to the State. It is claimed, however, that none of the leases
made under the sanction of the legislative acts were ever ratified by the United
States Government. It is further claimed that the Federal Government had and hat.
sole power and jurisdiction in the matter. In consequence of this interpretation
it is understood that claims in behalf of the Tuscaroras are still being urged for
suitable compensation for their North Carolina lands. It is alleged that they did
not receive all of the lease money, even the small rates above stated. In some
cases it is alleged that the rental was as low as 2 mills per year per acre and
that a large part of what is due them was wrongfully withheld from the Indians.
In a word, it is claimed on behalf of the Tuscaroras that the title to the North'
Carolina lands which have been under lease for so many years, is still vested in
the Tuscarora Nation. It is claimed that the various legislative acts of the State
of North Carolina have been of no force or effect in so far as they attempt to*
alienate the title of the Tuscarora Nation in the lands in question. Finally, it is*
claimed that the only attempt at treaty between the Indians and the State of
North Carolina sanctioned by the Federal Government is without force inasmuch
as it was never ratified and proclaimed.
The Tuscaroras now residing in Niagara County have asked that Congress pass
an enabling Act directing and permitting them to bring action against either the
State of North Carolina or persons occupying and claiming title to the lands. In
pursuance of this action the Messrs. Watts, Stockwell & Hunt, attorneys at Niagara
Falls, in behalf of the Tuscaroras, prepared the petition as above stated, setting
forth the foregoing and other pertinent facts; and this petition, with a brief pre-
pared by the attorney for the State of North Carolina, and a report by Indian
Commissioner Cato Sells, was submitted to the Attorney General at Washington in
1917. It is understood that the Attorney General ruled that the Indians should be*
permitted to bring said suit; but it is reported that the decision of the Attorney
General’s office has since been reversed; according to which the Government now*
takes the position that no proceedings should be instituted. Whether this is a
final action in the long-contested case or not it is impossible at present to say.