Treaty of Big Tree
Encyclopedia
Treaty of Big Tree was a formal treaty, held from August 20, 1797 until September 16, 1797, between the Seneca nation
and the United States of America. The delegates for both parties met at the residence of William Wadsworth, an early pioneer of the area and Captain of the local militia, in what is now modern-day Geneseo
, NY.. A meadow between Wadsworth's cabin at Big Tree
and the gigantic oak by the river, which gave the place its name, was the site of the conference.
In attendance were nearly three thousand Seneca and other prominent members of the Six Nations of the Iroquois. Representing them were their "Hoyaneh" Chiefs: Cornplanter
, Red Jacket
, Young King
, Little Billy, Farmer's Brother, Handsome Lake
, Tall Chief, Little Beard
and others, the Clan Mother
s of the nation, and also Mary Jemison
. Those in attendance representing the United States were: Colonel
Jeremiah Wadsworth
, Commissioner, assigned by President George Washington
to represent the U.S. government, Captain Charles Williamson and Thomas Morris
representing his father, Robert Morris, General William Shepard
representing Massachusetts
, William Bayard representing New York
, Theophilus Cazenove
and Paolo Busti
, representatives for the Holland Land Company
, Captain Israel Chapin, representing the Department of Indian Affairs, Joseph Ellicott
, Land surveyor, and James Rees as acting secretary. The official interpraters were Horatio Jones and Jasper Parish.
All of the treaty delegates for the United States were housed in William's log cabin and new cobblestone house. A council house was erected by the Seneca and the proceedings were held there. The treaty was signed on September 15, 1797 after nearly a month of, at times heated, back and forth negotiations. This treaty is substantial as it opened up the rest of the territory west of the Genesee River for settlement and established ten reservations
, perpetual annuities and hunting and fishing rights for the Seneca in Western New York
.
Seneca nation
The Seneca are a group of indigenous people native to North America. They were the nation located farthest to the west within the Six Nations or Iroquois League in New York before the American Revolution. While exact population figures are unknown, approximately 15,000 to 25,000 Seneca live in...
and the United States of America. The delegates for both parties met at the residence of William Wadsworth, an early pioneer of the area and Captain of the local militia, in what is now modern-day Geneseo
Geneseo
Geneseo is the name of several places in the United States:*Geneseo, California, earlier name of Genesee, California*Geneseo, New York - home to the State University of New York at Geneseo*Geneseo, Illinois*Geneseo, Kansas*Geneseo, North Dakota...
, NY.. A meadow between Wadsworth's cabin at Big Tree
Geneseo, New York
Geneseo is the name of a town and its village in Livingston County in the Finger Lakes region of New York, USA, outside of Rochester, New York. The town's population is approximately 9,600, of which about 7,600 live in the village...
and the gigantic oak by the river, which gave the place its name, was the site of the conference.
In attendance were nearly three thousand Seneca and other prominent members of the Six Nations of the Iroquois. Representing them were their "Hoyaneh" Chiefs: Cornplanter
Cornplanter
Gaiänt'wakê was a Seneca war-chief. He was the son of a Seneca mother, Aliquipiso, and a Dutch father, Johannes Abeel. He also carried the name John Abeel after his fur trader father...
, Red Jacket
Red Jacket
Red Jacket was a Native American Seneca orator and chief of the Wolf clan...
, Young King
Young King (Seneca Chief)
Young King or Koyengquahtah was a "Hoyaneh" or revered traditional chief of the Seneca nation. He was born in the village of Canandaigua, Seneca nation in 1760. He was a descendent of Old Smoke or Old King who was the a leader of the retaliatory war party of the Wyoming Massacre. Young King grew...
, Little Billy, Farmer's Brother, Handsome Lake
Handsome Lake
Handsome Lake was a Seneca religious leader of the Iroquois people. He was also half-brother to Cornplanter....
, Tall Chief, Little Beard
Little Beard
Little Beard, Si-gwa-ah-doh-gwih , was a Seneca chief who participated in the American Revolutionary War on the side of Great Britain...
and others, the Clan Mother
Clan Mother
Clanmothers are the Elder Women of an Iroquois Clan, who are in charge of appointing Tribal Chiefs and Faithkeepers.Each clan should have one Clanmother who should all work together. Each clanmother has a Faithkeeper who is responsible for ceremonial preparations, weddings, funerals, and other...
s of the nation, and also Mary Jemison
Mary Jemison
Mary Jemison was an American frontierswoman and an adopted Seneca. When she was in her teens, she was captured in what is now Adams County, Pennsylvania, from her home along Marsh Creek, and later chose to remain a Seneca....
. Those in attendance representing the United States were: Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Jeremiah Wadsworth
Jeremiah Wadsworth
Jeremiah Wadsworth was an American sea captain, merchant, and statesman from Hartford, Connecticut who profited from his position as a government official charged with supplying the Continental Army...
, Commissioner, assigned by President George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
to represent the U.S. government, Captain Charles Williamson and Thomas Morris
Thomas Morris
Thomas Morris may refer to:*Thomas Morris , U.S. Representative from New York*Thomas Morris , Senator from Ohio* Thomas John Morris , U.S. federal judge...
representing his father, Robert Morris, General William Shepard
William Shepard
William Lyman Shepard was a United States Representative from Massachusetts. Born in Westfield, he attended the common schools, engaged in agricultural pursuits, and served in the French and Indian wars for six years. He was a member of the committee of correspondence for Westfield in 1774, and...
representing Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, William Bayard representing New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Theophilus Cazenove
Theophilus Cazenove
Theophilus Cazenove, or Theophile Cazenove , was a financier and one of the agents of the Holland Land Company.- Life and career :...
and Paolo Busti
Paolo Busti
Paolo Busti, or Paul Busti , was the principal agent of the Holland Land Company from 1800 until his death. Busti was born in Milan, Italy and died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, representatives for the Holland Land Company
Holland Land Company
The Holland Land Company was a purchaser of the western two-thirds of the western New York land tract known as the Phelps and Gorham Purchase. This tract was known thereafter as The Holland Purchase...
, Captain Israel Chapin, representing the Department of Indian Affairs, Joseph Ellicott
Joseph Ellicott
Joseph Ellicott was an American surveyor, city planner, land office agent, lawyer and politician of the Quaker faith.-Life:He was the son of Joseph Ellicott ....
, Land surveyor, and James Rees as acting secretary. The official interpraters were Horatio Jones and Jasper Parish.
All of the treaty delegates for the United States were housed in William's log cabin and new cobblestone house. A council house was erected by the Seneca and the proceedings were held there. The treaty was signed on September 15, 1797 after nearly a month of, at times heated, back and forth negotiations. This treaty is substantial as it opened up the rest of the territory west of the Genesee River for settlement and established ten reservations
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
, perpetual annuities and hunting and fishing rights for the Seneca in Western New York
Western New York
Western New York is the westernmost region of the state of New York. It includes the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, Niagara Falls, the surrounding suburbs, as well as the outlying rural areas of the Great Lakes lowlands, the Genesee Valley, and the Southern Tier. Some historians, scholars and others...
.
External links
- Treaty of Big Tree
- http://www.pbs.org/warrior/content/timeline/opendoor/roleOfChief.html