The Western Reserve Historical Society

1 8 One day in the summer of 94, I obtained information that at a certain house on the Canadian side of the Detroit

river, at a place, styled by the owner Strabane, there was a quantity of letters and documents in the possession of

s . At one of the old familie the earliest practicable moment , I visited the place and has tily examined such papers as the a possessor w s willing to permit me to see. Within a few days thereafter I again visited him and obtained permission

to take a few of the papers with me to copy. Among these papers I found the Indian deed referred to in the following and pages, feeling that it might be of interest to your society

s C . C . I wrote to your late pre ident, judge Baldwin , of my ‘ find . I received an immediate reply from judge Baldwin, in which he stated that the existence of the deed had been s s a s s u pected by him for many ye r , and that on one occa ion he had gone to Montreal to see if he could find evidence of fir its existence, but that my letter had given him the st cer

tain knowledge of its contents . I continued my visits to my s fin all Canadian neighbor for ome time, and y succeeded in all his s n ow purchasing from him of document , and they are

in my possession . When my purchase was consummated , I again wrote to judge B aldwin and he came to Detroit to make a personal examination of such of the papers as per

tained to Cleveland . H e was greatly pleased with what he his s a i saw, and at reque t I prep red the follow ng paper, which m n ar om . ii . o

ce a orti n th d cumen contai ns the substan of th t p o of es e o ts . a ers I obtained however do not rela e c us ivel T he p p , , te x l y , v n er lar el in ro o ti on t o the w to t hi s nor e e v y g y, p p r hole, h are the corres ond en ce of a man lar el s ubject . T ey p g y us nes s and li tical afla rs an d elat t he in terested in b i po i , r e to n r t ern art hi Vin oenn as De ro t M ck a c e ti e nor h p of O o, , t i , a in , a a the firs t a li en t Nia ara the an adi an Upper C nad , p r am at g , C ’ le t o tro before a rea and th r mt s an d e c i n at De it j y s T ty o e at er , in all respects constitute the mos t valua ble set of pri vate le t

ters I have ever seen . There are between an d o f t and t e ten r m1 60 to the t of the ea t o f hem , hey x d f o 7 da e d h e h mVi e col or in 1 8 1 8 . re are tt ers fro a t th ir l ct . T e le go , V M cIn cen s Art ur St. Clai r. Willi amand An us tos h in ne , h r, J , g ,

ohn skin r. os Bra A an enr o mmodo re J A , J , J eph nt, lex der H y, C e n Gran o n An ers o n arl all of M avia Al xa der t, J h d n, e y the or n re c rs Zeisber er Hecken veld er Sensem an d t r s p a he , g , , an o he ,

Wm. v. m. u u tu enr Ha r so Go W ull u s s H y r i n, H , j dge A g Brevoort oodward M or Ancrurn en r al nd W , aj , G e Engla , Aren Schu ler DePe ster enr Bird saa d me t y y , H y , I c To d, Ja s

d re l D. W. mt di d n Ma i and m n e a And w g l , S i h, an y In a de s h and other ofi cial documents. T is collection is of so rece n t an acquisition that I have n ot yet had time to arrange an d n it ro ose but a e re oro e am bi d , as I p p . I h v p tty th ughly x ined

it. ard n the orti on cor orated the e ed ess Reg i g p in p in ann x ay , oul sa urs d al I w d y that, of co e . I o not posse s l the co rre s ondence and a ers wri en on a c p p p tt th t subje t, but I hope that what I here produce will be added to by others who os s ss ormio n the same b l o s ec p e inf at n u j t . until u timately the entire transaction of this Indian purchase may be m ade a

er of wr en hi s or and t a we ma a d a matt itt t y. h t y thus d a ch p ter to the story of Cleveland . Res ec ll o rs p tfu y y u .

! N . BU RT O N .

' s raorr ruar 1 8 . D , Feb y , 95 A C H A P T E R

IN THE HI RY F L E VE L AND ST O O C .

Detroit, until the commencement of the present century, was the most important of all the Western posts in that great tract of territory which is comprehended under the titles of e New France and Louisiana, Canada, and later under the nam

- of the North West Territory . It was the most important

M Alle hanies . place west of ontreal , west of the g Cadillac , s its mm 1 01 its founder, fore aw co ercial importance in 7 , a and lthough , before coming to settle here, he had been M in command of ackinac, he knew that Detroit would soon

outstrip that place in trade and population, and wrote to M ! IV Mich llimack Pontchartrain ( inister under Louis ), that i M was inac (as ackinac then called) , would be so completely deserted in a few years that the Jesuit priests there would

have no one to bury them when they died, but that their

bodies would be food for vultures and wolves . Cadillac and the succeeding commandants were empow

ered to sell and convey lands about the post of Detroit, and

they made many transfers of farms and village lots . The number and extent of these transfers have never been fully

determined . Indeed , it was supposed that there were only a u own very few made under French r le, but my investigations have recently unearthed some seventy- five deeds made by s Cadillac alone, and further earches now being made by me ,

will, I believe, disclose several hundred, and perhaps form a ’ complete record from Cadillac s day till the Engli sh conquest 4 A ca mn nt m

recorded b the R o al in t 76o. T hese early deeds were y y Nota r ei h r ke as his r iva te ry, and his records we e t e pt p ro er or sen to the m o ernment in Pari s to be p p ty, t ho e g v buried in the rapidly accumulatin g and unassorted i n the F oreign Depar tment or Departmen t of Marine.

f the coun r in 1 60 When the Bri ti sh took possess ion o t y 7 , the record of transfers was carried on in much the sa me man ner a d r F h u c tha ecords wer ke t s un e renc r le, ex ept t the r e p as the propert y of the public and not the pri vate books o f the t 1 60 mi ou t o f no ary. From 7 until the for at on of the C n y a ne in 1 6 h W s t r co r was rr ered W y 79 , w en the e e n unt y su end ’ r at of 1 to the United States under the terms of Jay s t e y 794 , these records in Detroit filled tour or five volumes an d were retai ned by the British when they retired from the po st . A ar s ds a s p t of the e recor , but not all of them, were, a few yme r s n e r o i ce, r turned to Detroit and placed in the regist y o e, and of them I have a complete copy . I e of se ur o n th early part the pre nt cent y, and ab ut the time of the destruction of the village of Detroit by the fire of 1 80 he s s n ed 5 , t United States Commis ioner on la d claims Open an othcc in Detroit and recorded such evidences of ti tle as e the old French people brought for that purpose . There w re s ml e s ix s s a l volum s of these records, and ome year ago I had

s m of m . an ab tract ade the , but not a complete copy The na s d s origi l have i appeared , and I have so far been unable to

et of . the s g trace them These books contained transaction , of of not only Detroit, but the surrounding country, including l es of v l a arg hare the Western Reser e, so ca led , and in that connection a law words respecting the Reserve may not be out of place. The Western Reserve has occupied a very peculiar situation in the political formation of the Old North h West and of Ohio . T e charter of Connecticut was granted

s . K of 1 662 by Charle II , ing England , in , and through it e i se Conn cticut claimed to have the r ght to pos ss , not only es of of the pr ent State Connecticut, but a large portion New ms'ronv o r C V LE ELAND . 5

York and Pennsylvania, and she even maintained that her e was west rn boundary the ocean , extending, as the charter e ! r ads, From Narragansett Bay on the east, to the South

Sea on s . the west part, with the island thereto adjoining In 1 78 1 New York released to the general government all the lands to which she had claim west of a meridian extending

* ! through the western extremity of Lake Ontario . The west

a was s v 1 0 ' ern bound ry line ur eyed in 79 by Andrew Ellicott . 1 l 1 The western ine of Pennsylvania, agreed to in 779 was fix ed in 1 784 by the report of commissioners appointed to establish the boundary line between Virginia and Pen nsyl fix ed confirmed vania, and the line so was by the cession of Connecticut in This served also to determine the ’ a s s e stern boundary of Connecticut s we tern possession , and when the United States called upon her to surrender so those possessions , that the government might make

provisions for the payment of the Revolutionary War debt, s and furnish homes for soldier , Connecticut made the

required transfer, reserving only that portion which is

now termed The Western Reserve . This deed of cession 1 O i is dated September 3 , the Reserve fire f acres were set apart for the suf erers, intending by

this designation to include those people, more particularly

New F airfield of London, Norwalk , and , Connecticut, who s uffered from the depredations of the British during the

Revolution, and the balance of the Reserve was disposed of

Co . to the Connecticut Land , for or something

more than 40 cents an acre . T he jurisdiction of the Reserve remained vested in Con

ecticut - n , and the formation of the Territory North West of e 1 8 the Ohio River by the United Stat s in 7 7, could not change the right of Connecticut to govern the Reserve by

er of u St . h laws , nor could the appointment Arth r Clair as

‘Boun ari es ot the Unlted tates enr Gannett ni d ta ea Geo o i ca d S . by H y . U te S t l g l

e 1 88 . Bu eti n 1 a e 3 . Sorv 5 ll 3 , p g 7 ti 75 . ' t ab . 80 an d insd a e s O ld Nort west a e 10 , H l h , p g 9. ee en i x S App d . 6 A C HAPTER m1 111;

Governor of the North -West Territory give him authori ty t o control that portion of the new territory. Although the ques i m tion of jurisd ction had never been raised , a hint that it ight be M r , at any time, was thrown out by the introduction, by . L th 1 6 s of ivingston , on the 4 of January, 79 , in Congre s, a resolution for the appointment of a committee to investigate the title to these lands lately claimed and sold by the State ” influen ce u of Connecticut . Some was bro ght to bear upon

Mr . Livingston , for a month later, and before any action had

been taken by Congress , he withdrew the resolution with the explanation that the interests of individuals might sufier

while the matter was pending before the House, and that under the circumstances he thought it better not to proceed

. h s and with the resolution Nearly three years after t i , on s 1 8 m the la t day of the year 79 , Uriah Tracy, senator fro al Connecticut, introduced a measure, which , after some ter atio s re- 1 800 n and a introduction in , became a law in Apr il * s of the latter year, authorizing the Pre ident to transfer

the legal title of the Reserve to the Governor of Connecticut, confirm of in order to the title the purchasers from the State , on condition that the State would relinquish all claim t o s j uri diction over the Reserve to the United States . Thus for firs t 1 800 the time , in the year , the Western Reserve was a part and parcel of the Territory North -west of the Ohio

River .

M n eanwhile, however, another complication had arise , for the proper investigation of which it will be necessary to

retrace a few years of the time we have just passed over. A t e the close of the R volutionary War, England was in posses s of M t n s ion Detroit, ackinaw, and all the o her Wester post , and she agreed to surrender these to our government upon

the execution of the fin al treaty of peace in 1 783 . One obsta cle after another was placed in the way of the final execution of this part of the treaty, and it was not until thirteen years — — had elapsed not until 1 796 that these posts were finally

‘ la act la t b to d ln nna a ot n reaa for 18 a e Th o e un A l Co c 00. p g 1493 . v r msr oa o C LEVELAND . 7 surrendered to our government . Upon po ssession being taken by the American troops, Winthrop Sargent, Secretary

- t . of the North West Territory under Arthur S Clair, Gov cru the 1 th or, proceeded to Detroit , and on s day of August, 1 6 u of 79 , organized the Co nty Wayne, which included all of of all of the northern part of Ohio west the Cuyahoga River ,

M . ichigan, and a vast extent of other territory In the absence officer of the Governor from the Territory, the duties of that devolved upon the Secretary as acting governor, and it was

i n s Mr. thi capacity, as acting governor, that Sargent, on that 1 6 August day in 79 , undertook to organize the County of

Wayne . It happened, however, that on the day preceding 1 (August 4, the Governor, who had for some time been absent from the Territory, passed from Pittsburg into the

- North West Territory, and thus the proclamation of Sargent, as acting governor, was a nullity . This feature of the case, while fully understood at the time by both parties, and the pointed out and commented on by Governor at that time, was not insisted on by him as being an illegal act and has been allowed to stand until age has given it validity . To the student who puts himself back to the time of the s xst happening of these events, it appear clearly, , that the Western Reserve was not a portion of the North -West Terri 1 800 and of tory until , and , that the formation the County of Wayne to include that portion of the Reserve west of the was s s 1 Cuyahoga River invalid for two rea on , ( ) because that land constituted a part of the Reserve and was not sub ect n - 2 j to the gover ment of the North West Territory, and ( ) e r b cause the person who unde took to form that county, Win t was officer th op Sargent, not such as he pretended to be

r St. (acting gove nor) , as the Governor, Arthur Clair, was within the bo undary lines of the North-West Territory on the day the county was formed . Overlooking these technical objections to the legality of e m find t the newly formed gov rn ent, we De roit the county 8 A C HAPTER IN T HE

ch i s seat , capital , and metropolis of this new county, whi larger i n ex ten t than the present States of Ohio and M ichi

m e . O f Audrai n was gan co bin d this great county, Peter n e e s h appoi t d r gi ter, and he opened a set of books in which e record ed all the deeds and other documents that were brought to him . M r. Audrain was not only register but he was also t s judge of the proba e court, ju tice of the peace , general e n scriven r, an expert penman in both English and Fre ch, e and his b autiful chirography, almost like print, abounds i n

the early records of our county . Here we fin d not only the e al o o d eds of Detroit and its immediate vicinity, but s f Michillimackin ac K s V , aska kia, incennes, Sandusky, and a part

e a . s t me no of Cl vel nd I say of Cleveland, for, although at thi i a as a s r such pl ce Cleveland existed , there are here sever l tran fe s t ri n of land in the nor hern part of Ohio, and one , at least, cove g * M a large part of the present city of Cleveland . any of these e early d eds are from the Indians, for, notwithstanding that the n th both French and British gover ment, and afterward e a e t he s ri United St t s , refused to recognize in Indian any ght

to convey their lands to individuals, the inhabitants at Detroit

n and co tinually obtained deeds from them maintained, so far h as they could , that their red brethren had a good title to t e s f land they occupied, and the British government in a ew n d instances held these I dian conveyances to be vali , where it was quite evident that the deed was made with the appro bation of the entire Indian tribe that was in possession o f

the premi ses granted . During the Revolutionary War there

a were m ny such Indian grants made and recorded in Detroit, a o 1 80 and tow rds the end f the war, about 7 , when it began to e t e look pr t y blue for old England , thes grants began to

multiply with great rapidity . Nearly every citizen of Detro it was the donee of some considerable tract given to him by

the Indians for the love and affection they bore him .

Some of these parcels were pret ty large . Jonathan

fi elien e of s n Shie , the Indian agent , obtained a conv yance eve ‘T hes e C level and deed a perta in to the part of the city o n the l eft bank 0! the n C uyahoga o ly. Y V HISTOR O F CLE ELAND. 9

miles square (49 square miles) including the present city of

Amherstburg , Canada, and at nearly the same time our com A DePe s ter mandant, rent Schuyler y , got a donation of some

ve . s fi miles square on the River St. Clair These grant were

not recognized as valid by our government, but where the grantee was in actual possession of the soil and retained it ’ t f until after Jay s Trea y took e fect, the possession was recog nized as creating in him a good title which our government confir med . All of the lands given by the Indians were upon a the large streams or on the great l kes . No lands were a gr nted back in the country , and everything, except along the s was as margin of the lake and rivers , wild and devoid of ’ of 1 6 as L aSalle evidences white man s supremacy in 79 when , M Dablon first Hennepin, arquette, Dollier, and visited the

country. Various schemes were proposed and attempted to be of M t s carried out by residents Detroit, on real , and the Ea tern a States, to obtain a v lid title to great tracts of this wild, and

a ss . s app rently worthle , land One cheme, which came near s a being a succe s, and which lso came near proving one of the a of our a s r was greatest scand ls e rly Congressional hi to y, the u as s M attempt to p rch e the entire lower penin ula of ichigan, s insi nifican t con isting of about acres , for the g sum f a o hal f a million dollars . It w s expected that the pur s i fiv chaser , after having pa d the e hundred thousand dollars s of to the government, would them elves see to the removal f the Indians and would obtain a release o their claims . Members of Congress were approached on the subject and their i nfluence solicited upon the basis of an interest in the

s M r. h venture, if it pa sed, but William Smit , a member from

South Carolina, either from honesty or temerity, from his se s aflair l a8 h at in Congres made the pub ic, on the t of Decem

ber 1 . A n , 795 investigation followed, more for the purpose , b probably, of determining the mem ers innocent than of dis

a s . men and covering any guilty p rtie Two , Randall Whitney, I O A CHAPTER IN THE

m of s d fo neither of them embers Congres , were imprisone r a be few days by order of the House, and the matter dropped , to thought of again only when it was dug up for historical s hl an d investigation . I examined this ubject pretty thoroug y, ! wrote up the results of my examination in the I nlander i n the 1 8 2 I nland” con Spring of 9 , and I think the volume of the taining the article is in the library of your society . One of the Detroit men interested in this proposed pur

. l s thi n chase was John Askin , Sr , and, as we wil have ome g

sa Mr . s s his l further to y regarding A kin, a short ketch of ife, his l n nr from materials furni shed by grandson, A exa der He y

i . . r a t Askin, may be of nterest john Askin, Sr , was bo n chn aclo ar Au y, a small place in the north of Ireland, in the ye H e 1 8 o hs was 1 739 . came to New York in 75 , and for some m nt ! s as he engaged in that city and in Albany keeping a hop, t s fo termed i ; that is, in dealing in every ort of commodity r hnd s which he could a purchaser . It is aid that he was a volunteer in the British army at the first attempt to take M Ticonderoga, and about this time fell in with ajor Robert the s s uc Rogers, whom Parkman considers as one of mo t ’ cessi nl and intrepid leaders of the American scouts . Askin s tastes led him more to trade than war, and he subsequently formed a partnership with Rogers in trading at Albany . T he was l venture not a success, and Rogers, who had no rea worth, ! ond except that he was a good scout, ran away, went bey his s of the b s seas , as creditors aid, and left the payment de t ’ r. s of the unfortunate venture on Askin s shoulders . M A kin obtained an extension of time from his creditors and paid H M l a them in full . e went to ichil imackinac in 1 764 n d engaged in the Indian trade . He intended to make Detroit of ar War his home, but the breaking out the Revolution y i He t prevented h s coming here to stay . came to Detroit o 1 80 all reside permanently about 7 , and carried on trade of kinds on a large scale . When the Revolution came to an end , he could not bear the thought of becoming a citize n of the

o a azin u ish h d i i a M mnthly mg e p bl ed by t e ata enta at the Univers ty 0! I chig n. V HISTORY O F CLE ELA ND . I I

u new rep blic , and in order to retain his citizenship as a British subject he removed to the eastern side of the Detroit River . He did n not remove, however, until long after the new gover o e ment had taken actual possession f Detroit . H did not t e 1 8 02 u move until , after he had been appointed village tr stee of the town of Detroit by the Legislature which met at Chillicothe

1 802 . He in , and had refused to serve in that capacity fore saw the great value that would one day come to the fertile s land of the Northwest, and attempted to obtain title to as much of this territory as possible . His attempt to buy the M of lower peninsula of ichigan, is only one the many land schemes in which he had an interest . He purchased from the occupants and settlers in the s vicinity of Detroit, on both side of the river, thousands of l his acres in smal detached parcels, and proved rights before He i the land commissioners . succeeded in maintaining h s

of s s . claim to some these land , but many of them he lo t In M s company with ajor Ancrum , of Detroit, he purcha ed the interests of the Moravian Indians in their possessions at the o River Huron of Lake Ste . Claire, and then obtained f the e -i our Chipp wa Indians their claim, and set up title to twenty thousand acres of land at that spot . In company with john As Dodemede M cNiff F orsith kwith , John , Patrick , William ,

r. M cNifl K the J , Robert , and John inzie, he obtained Indian M * title to nearly a million acres on the iami River, including s the pre ent city of Toledo and extending to, and including the Sandusky peninsula. But the scheme that most greatly interests us at the present time is the attempt of M r. Askin k r and his partners to ta e and hold as their private prope ty, not only a large part of the land covered by the present city l of Cleveland, but nearly all the land situated a ong the south shore of Lake Erie , and extending nearly to Sandusky . His entire claims in the northern part of Ohio aggregated 1 2 0 oi acres, and some idea can be gained the extent of the Terri tory so claimed , by remembering that the entire Western

‘ i r i s w Thi s r ve no called the I aumee. 1 2 A CHAPTER IN T H E

Reserve does not contain acres . A part of this ’ land of Askin s is included in the Reserve .

s a as this The parties in intere t in the Cuyahoga Purch se,

was a s . k n r. scheme c lled, were John A kin, Sr , John As i , J , s r M cNifl s n ar merchant , Pat ick , surveyor, John A kwith , ot y S all and lex public , Israel Ruland , ilversmith , of Detroit, A

M . M cNifl As and ander Henry, of ontreal , merchant , kwi th , D Ruland were men of considerable local importance at etroit.

M t. r. S John Askin, J , lived in various places, as at ackinac, s u t and Joseph, Detroit, and Amher tb rg, engaged in rade acting as an Indian interpreter ; he was well educated and o e his letters to his father, many of which I have , are c uch d in an affectionate tone and written in the studied and beauti i ul chirography oi the last century that makes their reading a pleasure . Alexander Henry was a prominent merchant of M fur ontreal, and did not, at this time, wield less power in the s of s d market the world than did our own John Jacob A tor, an indeed in many of their fur - buying and market - manipulatin g

! s . He s h schemes they were partner is better known to u , ow ’ ! of ! as of ever, as the author Henry s Travels and one the very few persons who escaped from the general mas sacre at Michillimackin ac m , as is vividly pictured by Francis Park an ! ” in his Conspiracy of Pontiac . There was subsequently admitted into this partnership john Dodemede and Willi am s o Robertson , Askwith having died hortly after its formati n . Very nearly a complete record of this transaction has recently fallen into my hands, and from these records and the

- ancient, weatherbeaten , and mouse eaten letters and docu sam em ments that I have collected on the e subject , I able to give the following details regarding this matter

r. h Alexander Henry, john Askin , and John Askin , j , ad s been jointly interested in the purcha e of other lands , in s s n smaller tracts, from the Indian for ome time, and they ow associated the other partners with them in this enterprise , as 8 they felt the need of their assistance . O u the 1 th of J an 1 msr o av or cu rvau m) . 3

u 1 6 r ary , 79 , the parties above named , Hen y, the two Askins, M cNifI a , Askwith, and Ruland, purch sed from the Indians the t ract which I have referred to, and obtained a deed signed by

- * twenty nine of their principal chiefs . The land is described , a of ccording to the opinion Alexander Hamilton, hereinafter r as eferred to, located in Upper Canada, although the date of t he conveyance places the transaction an entire year after the ’ s igning of Jay s Treaty, and the grantees named in the d eed certainly knew that their new purchase fell within the n e ewly establish d lines of the United States . After having o eflorts all btained their deed , the of parties were turned to m confirmed aintaining their title, and getting it by our gov

ern ment . if possible They evidently did not, at this time, know that Connecticut had or claimed any right in the

premises, as there is very little reference to that State in their

correspondence . The various Indian tribes of the north and west had been

e . M ad requ sted to meet Gen Anthony Wayne ( Anthony) , as the s the representative of United State , at Greenville on the 1 6 1 th of June, 795 , for the purpose of making a treaty of

M . M cNifl peace, and to this treaty meeting, essrs , Askwith, and u l a R land were sent for the purpose of ooking after this l nd , and in order to get the Indi an grant accepted by the govern ment if pos sible . If mit should be found impossible to get the matter before the eeting in a favorable manner, then all parties were to attempt to get certain rights conceded by o ur the a government to Indi ns , as the right of tribal owner o ship of the lands they occupied, the right f repelling further n h a s ss advances of the America s on t ese trib l po se ions, and the right of conveying these lands to whoever the tribes

fit s ufi cient m . a thought , upon receiving co pensation It p pears that the Indians fromDetroit did not set off for Green e first and t e t accom vill until about the of July, hey w re hen

an ied s r. p by John A kin, J , who understood their language l and s a perfect y, whom they reque ted to ccompan y them in r e o d r to assist them in protecting their rights . ‘ F or co of t i s deed aee endi py h . App x. 1 4 A C HA PTER IN T H E

of n The fatherly letter of instruction the senior Askin , o the departure of his son , urged him to see that , by the pro e f pos d treaty, the Indians remained sole masters o their of an d lands, with the right to dispose them as they wished, c nfir al a the right to o msuch s es s they have already m ade . ” ! s i n This, he says, will secure, in my opinion, a la t g peace between the Indians and the States , which I apprehend will never be the case should the States lay a claimto the

Indian lands, or force them to a sale , for when what they get is expended, and their successors in want, they will prob

ably have recourse to violent means, though they sho uld ” s . s sk not ucceed It was thu the duty of the younger A in,

’ not only to look after the interest of the syndicate in the see h im convention, but also to t at the Indians were not nm posed upon, either by the men representing the gover ent, or others who might be attracted there by the prospect of

plunder.

was as of It from Detroit, the centre the intrigue, that

fi ures . M c the strings were pulled to set the g in motion Nifi, ul R and , and Askwith had been sent in advance to F or t

r . Greenville , John Askin , J , had , later, been dispatched wi th

the Indians, and now John Askin, Sr . , urged Alexan de r r Hen y to hasten to Philadelphia, then the seat of the Federal con firmation m Government, to obtain the of their deed fro s im Congress, and he add , I hope you have not lost any t e o to get there . If we should be s fortunate as to get the lan d s onfirmed a s c we will be once more on our legs, I me n my elf. Indeed I have the greatest doubt in the world that the

Americans and Indians, even jointly, can take these l an d s ” from us . The younger Askin had left Detroit on the 2 nd of J uly of with a detachment of chiefs the Chippewa Indians . He Defiance 1 1 th reached Fort on the , where he received a cool M reception from ajor Thomas Hunt , who was there in charge . n 1 th 2 O the 9 they reached Fort Adams , on the oth F ort 1115 1 01111 or C LEVELAND . 1 5

2 rst 1 r Recovery, and the next day, July , 795 , they ar ived at * s the Fort Greenville, and found the variou Indian tribes and

representatives of the United States already in session . General Wayne had intercepted some letters directed to

Askin, and from his knowledge of their, contents deemed Askin an unsafe person to be associated with the Indians at so confine this particular time, and ordered his arrest and * F eflerson ment in ort J , and would not permit him to have

. H e intercourse with any one, either in person or by letter nfinemen t o was kept in co until , at the special intercession i e the Indians , he was set at liberty and dined with G neral 8 s Wayne on the th of August, but by thi time the treaty was over and the Indians had dispersed for their homeward jour ’ e had e ney . Askin s trip was an entire failure . H not b en e p rmitted to take any part in the deliberations, and the object he had in accompanying the Indians is not mentioned in the i o h t ofi c al report of the proceedings f t e trea y . The treaty of peace which was fin ally concluded between an d the United States the Indians provided , among other

things, that the eastern boundary line of the Indian lands should be the Cuyahoga River ;1' that all the lands east of that river should be the property of the General Government, to be disposed of as Congress might direct ; that the Indians should retain the exclusive ownership and control of the of lands west that river (except certain military posts) , and if the Indians wished to dispose of any of these lands they could sell them to the United States and to no other person . M he eanwhile Henry proceeded to New York, where received letters from his confederates showing that they had failed to accomplish anything at the Indian treaty . Feeling now in great doubt about the ultimate success of the enter be for prise, submitted the deeds to Alexander Hamilton his ’ r inspection and Opinion . M . Hamilton s Opinion did not

‘ reenvi lle was ui t at the ace sti ca ed Green i e ni net -two mi es wes t b l pl ll ll v ll . y l of lEag

F ort efi erson was five mi les south 0! G reenvi lle. F ort ecover i s in arke o and is th name of a mo ern i c un t e a e. y D y . d v ll g Port Defian ce is in Defiance coun t on the Maumee no ca w ed D fian e. , ll e c F ort n ustr i s si te of resent T o ed o I d y p . ‘ ' t l he u a o a was th i a i t orta C y h g e l n e for only l mi ted di stance. T he line crossed he p ge on w i c Akron stan s and t to k o the t e wat h h d hen o t Sou h rn ers . 1 6 A CHAPT ER mm

s l d be ih tend to rea sure him , as he dec are the deed to for a s ! s w sc i bed valid sever l rea ons Fir t, the premises ere de r e efore as being s ituated in Upp r Canada, and could not ther s of ft be in the United States econd , it was a deed gi , and the Indian s could not ali enate lands in that way ; an d ul be u a the ans e ce thirdly, no lands co d p rch sed from Indi x pt

with leave of the President . Robert Morris was also con ted a r s in sul in the matter, but he declined to t ke an inte e t it e th because the matter had not been brought b fore e trea ty . Almost in despair lest their enterprise should turn to be a to tal u ee the s o d fail re, the confederates tried to k p Indian in g o

nature so that they would n ot repudiate their deed . T hey m a as h opened a for al account with the Cuy hoga Purch e, w ere they entered the accounts of all the items for goods given to the

s all . Indian , and other expenses They held a council wi th 2 nd of M a 1 6 the Indians on the y, 79 , and harangued them on the subject of this pur chase an d on the great love which thmey bore to their red brothers, and, so far as the Indians the s as e e selves went, it eemed if the title would not be cont s t d . of s New deeds were obtained for some the land , in order, if

s s . po sible, to strengthen tho e already obtained Whether i t was ai was required , it cert nly deemed necessary to obtain the signatures to these deeds when the Indians were sober . We find s frequent reference to this sobriety in the deeds, an d s d when the e new deeds were to be execute , which was on the 0th of M a 1 6 McNifl l t r 3 y, 79 , wrote the fol owing note o M . Askin !

ra z— L l S The itt e Otter, with other chiefs and warriors, h twenty in number, are now at my ouse waiting for Mr. fin ishin Ruland , in order to put the g hand to all their con ve ances . all s y They are perfectly ober, the chiefs reques t a little rumfor themselves and young while waiting for

Ruland . You will please send two bottles and charge it to ’ ”

s . the company account , but not to the Cuyahoga u The Askins, R land , and Henry , were not the only per sons who claimed to hold lands by these precarious Indian titles . The plan of purchasing from the Indians had been

1 8 A C HAPTER IN 1 118

with his family for some time ; Askwith died, as we have a seen , leaving a badly encumbered estate, and other sh res in a the enterprise changed hands so that Ebenezer Allen , Isa c

Todd and james M cGill came to have interests . Henry S refused to pend any more money to advance the project , and e 1 8 u for in Decemb r, 79 , Askin proposed to reimb rse him his his outlay on conveying his interest to other parties, but, e d sperate as the situation was, Askin advised him not to sell hi s out , but to advance his portion of the expenses and take chances with the others . The next year a new character appeared on the scene in the person of the Connecticut Land

Company . The Connecticut Land Company were anxious to remove any question regarding their ownership of the Re s serve, which they were already surveying, dividing into lot ,

and placing on the market , and they wished to extinguish from the Indian title , so that purchasers would feel secure

e mol station , and so that the Indians might be removed from

e e . th s lands They appointed Samuel Huntington , after a o as w rds the second Governor of Ohio , to g west and certain

the most practicable method of attaining the ends sought for . I have been unable to find any evidence that Governor 1 801 tw Huntington visited the Reserve earlier than , but o years prior to that date he came to Detroit and attempted to

see M r. M cNifi on this subject . It is very probable that he was not over anxious to see any of the parties to the syn di McNifi l to cate, for, not being able to see , he wrote a etter the elder Askin regretting that the short time at his disposal ak s did not permit him to m e a call , and tating that his object in visiting the West was to be able to point out to the Com

pany the best way to extinguish the Indian title . If Governor

M r. Huntington had been very anxious to see Askin , the

visit would have taken but a few moments, as at this time

M r. Askin either lived within the city pickets, not more than five s minutes walk from any ide, or else he lived directly s n of t fronting the common on the east, a di ta ce three or our Y r VE HISTOR o C LE LAND . 1 9

’ short blocks . It is more probable that the Governor s vi s it

s an d a its ec had was among the Indians them elves, th t obj t

s re rn an d been accompli hed , and he was now on his tu home did not care to see M r . Askin . t the r Ebenezer Allen was more of a schemer han othe s , and having removed sometime before thi s to the River d a r i n 1 8 00 Tranche, or Thames of the present y, he p oposed , ,

he a an t all t . se that parties convey land to C pt Jo ph Br , a

of the ms i n fluen ti al n an i n chief Six Nations , and the o t I di

- the North West. Brant was to put themin poss ession of the r e n e s es tract, and give them secu ity to r co v y the premi to them when the proper tim e came. A man by the n am e of Augustus Jones was the person who acted as go - between

t e e t r n ee wi h Brant, and he succeed d in g t ing B a t to agr to e u the firs t M a 1 801 meet the Indian chiefs at D troit abo t of y, , r r fo the purpose of considering the matter . Th e e is no doubt ma for that Brant was a very skillful diplo t an Indian , and

n t t he refused to commit himself to the proj ect . The i en io n arr e the a e was that, if the sale to Brant was c i d out, sh r of M cGill ss to r t and , Henry, and the two Askins would pa B an his Indians and they would become partn ers wi th Alle n an d

a . and eemto a re Rul nd This plan was a failure , s s h ve enti ly find t eff ma e discouraged all parties, for I no o her orts d looking towards making an actual s ale to the Land Comp any or any other negotiations had by the p arti es for s everal

. en e s years Their private correspond c during thi period ,

k es e an s . T he which I have , ma es no mention of th l d Connecticut Land Company were goi n g forward with thei r

e the n a surveys and selling th ir lands, but as yet I dian cl im to that par t west of the Cuyahoga River had not been ex

tin uished . In e 1 80 m e ro s e g Sept mber, 4, Willia D an p po d * t n an t to the F ire Lands Co . to obtain a release of he I di ti le i for and h s proposition was accepted . O i course these proceedings were en tirely un kn own to

c r s of e his the Detroit parties , but the fio t Dean to p rform ‘ T he full name of thi s company was T he Propri etors ot the H all Milli on Acres of and in sout of ake ri e ca e nfi ' L ly g h L E ll d S erera Land . 2 0 A C HAPTER IN THE

r of pa t the contract soon became known to them, and early in the year 1 805 the hopes of the proprietors were again raised by a circumstance which is best told by one of the letters of the senior Askin I now begin to hope that all the money I laid out in Indian lands is not lost . The United States has given to the people of New London the pre - emp tion right of a large tract, say acres , in consideratio n of what they s uffered by fire in the late troubles . This tract I oi , jointly with several others, purchased the Indians , and in c ill which tract Mr . Todd and you (James M G ) hold an equal

e M r. a r shar with me . A De n is ar ived at Detroit some time of s ago, one several commissioner employed by the inhabit of ants New London to purchase the native right , but he finds that the Indi ans have sold it to me and others ; he there

fore has told M r. Brush that he will pay ten thousand dollars

if we will get them , the Indians, to sign a deed to their com pany and pay the expenses ; this is not more than about two

sols the acre , and as the government of the United States has nothing to do in this business without our concurrence and

n assista ce, the inhabitants of New London will never be able e t to prevail on the Indians to sell to them a s cond ime , for i nfluence a what with our own , joined with that of Capt in M cKee , we mean to prevent the Indian chiefs ever meeting ’ s us s them in council , unle s they give what fair, and then at our expense (out of what we receive) we mean to make a large present and get the nation to whom the lands belong s us s to agree to a tran fer from to the purchaser , or to give them

a new grant. The lawyers say we now have an opportunity of ofier getting something handsome , as the is between indi vidual and individual and the United States cannot inter

fere . The reply to thi s letter urged Askin not to be too ex trav a ant hi s ! as ma g in demands, that y prevent any arrangement , ’ and it s better not to lose the opportunity of getting some ! thi n g . Major Dean departed from Detroit wi thout calling HISTORY O F C LEVELAND. 2 1

M r. . s s upon Mr A kin , and the latter aid he thought Dean had neither money nor letters of credit, and he even doubted whether he was one of the commissioners as he claimed to be even the offer of a thousand dollars for a deed of surren der would have been accepted by the proprietors . There was an attempt made to hold an Indian council and 1 80 but make a treaty at Cuyahoga in 5 , Askin, with the aid of M cKee - in - i n ter re Capt . Alexander , his son law, an Indian p influen tial ter, succeeded in prevailing on the most chiefs not t to visit the trea y council , and the representatives of the

Reserve were compelled to call a new council , to be held at

s e M r . Swan Creek, and to thi the Indians agr ed that Elijah

- - i n M r . Brush , a Detroit lawyer, and also a son law of Askin , o of should g , nominally as the agent the Indians, but in for s of reality to look out the intere ts Cuyahoga Purchase . 1 80 This treaty council was held on July 4, 5 , at Fort o Industry (the present site of T ledo), and by its terms the

Indians surrendered all title to lands within the Reserve . A t the same time they made a formal transfer to the Connecticut

Land Company, and to the Proprietors of the half million acres of land lying south of Lake Erie called Sufferers ’ n La d , of all of the lands claimed by them, thus making a transfer of the lands they had formerly conveyed to Askin fin all and his partners, and thus y extinguishing their last of hopes obtaining anything from the Cuyahoga Purchase . The United States Commissioner on this occasion was r -in - oi D demed e o t a Cha les Jouett, a son law , and the rep sen

y oi Co. m tati e the Connecticut Land was Henry Cha pion, M ’ while Isaac ills represented the Fire Lands Co. In Askin s diary I find the following as the fin al entries regarding this matter

8 1 8 . M . 1 0 r r Mr . e Tuesday, June , 5 B ush and Smith, th ed interpreter, came here and dined , consult on the Indian

. sw it M or matter Received a letter and an ered , from aj

Deane . 2 2 A CHAPTER IN T HE

1 . M al Wednesday, June 9 john (his son) came from den and went over the river (to Detroit) with Charles (another son) to meet the Little Otter. The Little Otter and many other chiefs assembled with M r . Brush and Jonny at my house and held a council . They dined , I made them a pres ent, and they went away . ! ’ 20. . M cKee s m Thursday, June Went to Capt to eet the Indians, and dined there . ! 2 1 . rs Friday, june Sent James (son) w i t h pape and ’ r . McKe s letters for M . Brush at Capt e ; also Tom (a negro slave) to go to the foot of the rapids with M r . Brush . Tom ’ M r. . returned ; also James . Brush got Capt M cKee s H arry e to go with him and w nt with the Indian chiefs and M r.

Curry to Swan Creek .

Wednesday, July 3 . James went over the river and r r came back at night and said that M . Cur y had come fro m the council and told him that all was settled and that the land purchasers were to pay

M 8 . r. onday, July Received a letter from M Brus h saying that he came home yesterday.

1 . Mr . Saturday, July 3 Brush called and told me wh a t he had done in the Cuyahoga Purchase and showed amount ! of expenses . ’ M r. Brush s report of the result of the treaty is s hor t fittin finale and pointed and a g to the entire transaction . It is as follows Dn aorr 8 u 1 80 . J ly, 5 . — Dan Sra z I arrived here las t even in g exhaus ted with fatigue fro m th sa reea e to Swan C ree the art cu ars of w h e di g bl k . p i l hic I v n t t me now to re ate but the ht at e sure momn t s al ha e o i l . l i e I h l go over u ave not owever s uccee e so we as had reas n an d see o . o som y I h . h . d d ll I e a e ore e t t ere to ex ect ow n en t rel t the nv nc e d ys b f I l f h p . i g i y o i i ibl opposi r m u t t n met w t o o et who e aved more v e t o e a sa a an i I i h f J . b h lik g h a r ave owever rou t 600 a w i l t C st an . o rs c s al t a ul h i i I h . h . b gh d ll . hi h h co d h d sen oe over on ur ose to be so me ce er an ts a . r m be I d j p p g l y pl f o Mrs . As n as man as she can we s are w c w set out t s even n ki . y ll p . hi h I ill hi i g. A u eu God ess o . di . bl y

E . Bausn .

oa n AsxmE s . J . q

2 6 A PPENDI ! . along the Southerly Shore of Lake Erie untill the En tran ce of Ca aho a e en e n be the y g Riv r, aforesaid , or place of comm c me t, M s a a distance , quantity of iles or Acres, more or les ; lw ys reserving out of said Tract of land Six M iles Square at an d n ear oi ra te the Entrance Huron River, which we formerly g n d to

Ganeau t ffe en t Gabriel , and three small farms gran ed to di r

e h s persons on the South rly side of Sandusky Lake , w ich aid M ea Tract of Land and every part thereof, together with all d ows er , Pastures, Feedings, Commons, Woods, Ways, Wat s , F ishin s M M r Profits Water Courses, g , ines, inerals, ! ua rys , , n E molu Privileges, Easements, Commodities , Adva tages, e e the ments, H reditaments, and Appurtenances, whatso ver, to M of t said Capital or essuage or Tract Land belonging , or wi h

u n n the same sed or enjoyed or accepted , reputed , taken or k ow as a e as to e p rt, parcel or memb r thereof, or belonging the sam

. ta or any part thereof To Have and to hold the said Capi l , M s t d u ar es uage or Trac of Land , here itaments and all and sing l other the premises hereinbefore mentioned or Intended to be d arcel thereof bargained and Sol , and every part and p with of M a irten an ces their and every their Rights , embers and pp , unto the said John Askin, William Robertson , John Askin , Dodemead M cNifi Junior, Israel Ruland , John , Patrick and l an d A exander Henry, their Executors, Administrators assigns , — from the day of the date of these presents for and during and untill the full end and Term of Nine hundred and Ninety Nine Years from the date hereof to be Comple ted and en ded s s They, the aid John A kin , William Robertson, John Askin , s Dodemead M cNifi and Junior, I rael Ruland , John , Patrick and os Alexander Henry, Yeilding paying , the aforesaid s Chiefs and principal leader of the Indian Nations, Ottawas , M essasa ues Chippewas and g , aforesaid , the Yearly Rent of five C Shillings, Halifax urrency, at the expiration of every

Year, to be Computed from the date hereof, if the same shall

L awlull a and s . be y dem nded of them , their Heirs assign To the Intent and purpose that by Virtue of these presents and of P A PENDI ! . 2 7

e s tor s s th tatute Tran ferring uses into Possession , the aid john Askin , William Robertson , John Askin, Junior, Israel

R Dodemead M cNifi uland , John , Patrick and Alexander H s e an d enry, may be in actual pos ession of the premis s , be thereby enabled to receive and accept of a Grant and release of an d n e the freehold , reversion I h ritance of the same prem i s es t e and of every par and parc l thereof to them , their heirs nd the a assigns , to uses and upon the trusts, thereof , to be declared by another Indenture Inten ded to bear date the day a r o ! In fter the date he e f , or on some other future day Wit n the W ess whereof said John Askin, illiam Robertson , John s e Dodemead A kin, junior, Isra l Ruland , John , Patrick fi e er en M cNi and Al xand H ry, unto these presents their hands s e s et and Seals have Sub crib d and , and We the said Chiefs and principal lead ers of the said Nations have also unto these e s of e presents set our S als and the mark our resp ctive Tribes ,

the day and Year firs t above .

In e en of the n the pr s ce Subscribi g Notary and Witnesses , e the Chi e the chi fs and principal leaders of the Ottawas, pp M es s as a ues t o of was and g Na i ns Indians, did to this Inden ea s an d a s ture set their S l the m rks of their respective Tribe , and delivered the same as their act and Deed to the party a e firs t Concerned , the s m being Read and fully Explained to e s s them by a proper Int rpreter, they, the aid Chief , being

then perfectly sober .

A Sketch of the L and Specified and M aygoneayum described in this Inden ture is drawn on Sakaltquai the o s te a e w c the sa C e s Ni anchiwa ppo i p g . hi h id hi f g y ac n w e e to be us t an d to w c M ichiwasse k o l dg J . hi h they have also set their Seals an d marks Waibijay of their res pective T ribes as a farther C angeskoway and con firmation of th eir perfect kn owledge Kekaumegoush and of the In ten t and mean ing of this Inden Assogua Ni onchiwa ture. g y 2 8 APPENDI ! .

John As kin Sowewanee WilliamR ober tson Sagemay o n As n un or K ki emi o or L tt e O tter j h ki . J i a g g ( i l ) Is rael R uland K i waigewain oh n Dodemead Assogoua L M cNifl Agowa John As kin for Shakquan and n r Henr K s ilt an Wa n use Alexa de y. ey h e d y o joh n M etowon

Achoeshickiqne Nawtewan s As sogouie Satoun dach E dachien Kishainene or God damn Achaeskichique E gawayn ique Nebenaquam Nigonchiway Waybolres hik M ishabosltisagone Nautewain h ukwamand S o Wousakeshelt

D. B au s coua ,

N otai r e. A L E MA I VIL L ! I S SO N E .

Br a . SANS CRAINT, Interprete .

D. 1 . 5 Cosua,

T x uorr .

K all we s now men by these presents, that , the chief and M ess as a ues principal leaders of the Ottawas , Chippewas and g a n of for N tio s Indians now at Detroit, ourselves and by and wi th the consent and advice of the whole of our said nations s l— afiectio n or tribes , in con ideration of the good wil and , us of which we and the whole of , the said nations have and r bear to our friends , john Askin , Esquire , William Robe tson , h Dodemead jo n Askin , Junior, Israel Ruland , John and M cNiH et M on Patrick , all of D roit , and Alexander Henry of s s treal, as also for divers other good cau e and considerations , U s s , the said chief and the whole of our said nations here l en unto especia ly moving , have given , granted, aliened ,

e fied confirmed s s . i o and , and by these pre ent do give , grant APPENDI ! . 29

enfeofi con firm alien , and unto them , the said John Askin, r William Robe tson , John Askin, Junior, Isreal Ruland, John emead M cNiff r Dod , Patrick and Alexander Hen y, their heirs f an d assigns, forever, all that capital, messuage or tract o an d land , situated , lying being on the southerly side of Lake

! Erie, and bounded as follows, to wit Commencing at the

Ca aho a a n entrance of the y g River into L ke Erie, and runni g up the westerly bank of said river to the portage or carryi n g t Inscarramas place be ween said river and the , branch of the

‘ Muskingum River ; thence down said branch to the carrying or crossing place above Fort Lawrence; thence westerly on the division line between the Indi an l an ds and the lands ceded by the different Indian nations to the States of

1 America by the treaty of Fort Greenville in August, 795, s uch a distance on that line until it intersects a line run due south from the entrance of Sandusky Lake; thence due north on that line to the entrance of Sandusky Lake ; thence e ast erly along the southern shore of Lake Erie until the entran ce —Ca aho a e of y g Riv r, or place commencement, be the dis t of e of ance or number mil s or quantity acres more or less , always reserving out of the tract of land hereby and herei n aliened and conveyed or i n tended to be aliened and con ve ed n y , a certain space or piece of la d six miles square at and near the entrance of the River Huron, which piece of we the land , , said chiefs , did formerly grant to Gabriel

Ganaan . Also three small farms granted on the southerly s o f u e ff ide Sand sky Lak to di erent persons, should the same b come within the limits of the tract of land here y given, r and r g anted and conveyed , with all singula the woods, ways , cources fishin s e rofits waters, water , g , privil ges , p , easements , c t ommodities , advantages , emoluments, hereditamen s and e the appurtenanc s whatsoever, unto said capital , messuage or a tract of l nd belonging or appertaining, or with the same or t e used, enjoyed , or accep ed , r puted or known , as part, a ce p r l or member thereof, or as belonging to the same or any a s s p rt thereof, with all mine , minerals and quarrie therein or 30 APPENDI! .

thereon contained . To have and to hold the said capital , a messuage or tract of land, heredit ments and all and singular s e the premi es hereinbefore mentioned , aliened and conv yed , n r or i tended to be aliened and conveyed , and every pa t and

parcel thereof, with their and every of their rights, members

and appurtenances, unto the said John Askin , William Rob t s Dodemead e tson, John A kin, Junior, Israel Ruland , John , M cNifi n Patrick , and Alexander Henry, their heirs and assig s,

forever, to the only proper use and behoof of them , the said s John Askin, William Robertson , John Askin, Junior, I rael Dodemead M cNifi Ruland , John , Patrick and Alexander

r s . we Hen y, their heirs and assign , forever And , the said for of chiefs, ourselves and on behalf the whole of our said s t nation , do covenant, promise and grant to and wi h the said

john Askin, William Robertson , John Askin, Junior, Israel Dodemead M cNifi d Ruland , John , Patrick and Alexan er n Henry, their heirs and assig s, by these presents, that they

the said John Askin, William Robertson, John Askin, Junior, n Dodemead M cNiff Israel Rula d , John , Patrick and Alexan

der Henry, their heirs and assigns, shall and lawfully may,

from henceforth and forever after, peaceably and quietly

have , hold , occupy, possess and enjoy, the said tract of land hereby given and granted or mentioned or intended to be

given , with every part and parcel thereof, free, clear and sufii cien tl s discharged , or well and y saved , kept harmle s and indemn ified oi s t , from and again t all former and other gif s , feofimen ts grants, bargains, sales, jointures, , dowers , estates, - oi entails, rents, rent charges, arrearages rents, statutes , e j udgements, recognizances, statut s merchant and of the of staple extents and , from and against all former and other

titles , troubles, charges and incumbrances, whatsoever, had , ff d s ufiered s done or su ered , or to be had , one or , by U , the s of sa said chiefs, or any one what oever our id nations , our

heirs, executors, administrators, or any other person or per l b sons, whatsoever, lawful y claiming or to claim, y, from or

Us us an . under , or any or either of , or y of our said nations PP ND ! A E I . 3 1

s i rr v And by the e presents do make this our deed and gift, e ocable s under any pretence , what oever, and have put them , s the said John Askin, William Robertson, John A kin, junior, Dodemead McNiff Israel Ruland, John , Patrick and Alexan r s oi s der Hen y, in full possession and eisin the premise , by

of . In s delivering them a piece said land witnes whereof, e w , the said chiefs , for ourselves and on behalf of the whole s our s of our said nation , have unto these presents set eals and the marks of our respective nations or tribes, at Detroit, of of L the nineteenth day January, in the year our ord , one

- thousand seven hundred and ninety six .

In the pres Niganclteway Assogona Achaihichiqne e n c e o f t h e s u b s c r ibin g notar and wit Agawaymgue y M ichiwasse s s e s t e 0 e . h c h i e f s a n d kisa one O souwann principal lead M i sbabos g ers of the O tta Waybuay was C b e , , i p p E ndashien or L ittle O tter was . and M es sasagnes n a Kak in i r eg go. o Keshainene or t i o n s of I n Kenaigewain . d ans t o i . d i d this in den ture God Damn Saka nae Ke arvi se set th eir seal s q y and the mar ks f r r s e o thei e p c Saugemay t ve tr es an d N w r Sh uame and i ib ate ay. o oy delivers d t b e E vasaltishek same as their act and e e d d haumindocoan T oundash S to the p a r t y O ckasonand concern ed . the s a me b e i n g Nabenaguam firs t read and Cawgeskowan and Shayuagand fully explained to themby a proper i n t er E vanonse Gebaumegous Nezaundqua reter t e p . h y . s sai c e s d hi f . ain gth en er Cas hake an d a man s Wa lt hek amte f tl s g be N ec y obe . D F . BE L L E R t e CO U , N o ar i . L E ! IS A I A M SO NVIL L E ,

Br a . S . SAN CRANTE , Interprete

D. 8 1 . s me Co , T s u m' o r .