University of Oklahoma College of Law University of Oklahoma College of Law Digital Commons American Indian and Alaskan Native Documents in the Congressional Serial Set: 1817-1899 3-19-1842 Claims against the Pottawatomie Indians. Letter from the Secretary of War, transmitting the information called for by the resolution of the House of Representatives of the 11th ultimo, relating to the settlement of claims of citizens of the United States against the Pottawatomie Indians. Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.law.ou.edu/indianserialset Part of the Indian and Aboriginal Law Commons Recommended Citation H.R. Doc. No. 143, 27th Cong., 2nd Sess. (1842) This House Document is brought to you for free and open access by University of Oklahoma College of Law Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in American Indian and Alaskan Native Documents in the Congressional Serial Set: 1817-1899 by an authorized administrator of University of Oklahoma College of Law Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Ho.oF Rds. ~1 tb Coirnu:ss, Doc.· No. 143. ;Zd Session. War Dept. ~ CLAIMS AGAINST THE POTTAWATOMIE INDIANS. LE'l'TER FROM THE SECRETA.~Y OF WAR, TRA.l'l"SMITTING The information called for by tile resolution of the House.of Represent­ atives of the 11th ultimo, relating to the settlement nf claims of citi- -zens of the United ~tales against the Pottawatomie lndia1ts . • MARCH 19, 1842. Referred to uie Committee on Indian Affairs .. • DEPARTMEN"r OF WAR, Mar_ch 16, 1842. Sm: In answer to the resolution of the 11th of February, requiring the "S€cretary of War "to communicate to the House copies of all papers and documents from the War Department, relating to the settlement or adjust­ ment of claims of citizens of the United States against the Pottawatomie and other tribes of Indians, mentioned in the letter of instructions from the Commissioner of Indian Affairs to William B. Mitchell, of May 30, 1840; the name of and the amount claimed by each of such ~itizens, and the decision of said Mitchell thereon; the 'number of certificates allowed or issued, and the amount and date of each; and, also, of all instructions and correspondence relative to the removal of said Indians beyond the Missis­ sippi river," I have the honor to transmit a report made by the Com­ b:lissioner of Indian Affairs, which it is believed contains all the infotma­ :tion, so far as it can be furnished by this Department. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, J. C. SPENCER. Hon. JoHN WHITE, Speaker of the House of 'Representatives. ' WAR - DEPARTMENT, Office Indian .11.jfafrs, March 16, ,1842: Sir : In answer to a resolution -0f the House of Representatives of the 11th of February, 1842, calling for copi~s of all papers and documents from the War Department, relating to the settlement or adjustment of c laims of citizens of the United States - against the Pottawatomie arid other- tribes of Indians, mentioned in the letter of instructions from the -Commissioner of Indian Affairs to William B. Mitchell, of the 30th of 2 Doc. No. 143. May, 1840, (April 30, 1840~) I have the honor to transmit copies of all papers on file or record in this office, and numbered from 1 to 82 inc\u. sive; which also embrace the instructions and correspondence relative to the removal of said Indians beyond the Mississippi river. The resolution also calls for the number of certificates allowed or issuoo, and the amount and date of each. In reply to this clause of the resolulio I have to state that no certificates have issued for any of the claims, sofa: as this office is informed. Very respectfully, your most obedient servant, T. HARTLEY CRAWFORD. Hon. J onN C. SPENCER, Secretary of War. ~o. 1. W ASHINGTO'N, January 1, 1S40, Sm : We have the honor to invite your attention to _the present c_ondi­ tion of the united nation of the Chippewa, Ottowa, and Pottawatomie In• dians, residing south of Grand river, in the State of M icbigan, who ceded their lands to the United States by the article supplementary to the treaty made at Chicago, in the State of Illinois, on the 26th day of November, 1833. By the third article of the articles supplementary, snid Indians wereto remove from the -reservations thereir1 ceded within three years from the · date of treaty, to the tract of country west of the Mississippi river to be assigned to, them by the President of the United ~itates. · . We are a ware that various efforts have been made, on the part of the United ~tates, to carry into effect the stipulations of this treaty, and that they have .from time to time been resisted by the Indians. We, how~ve_r, . consider that the time has come when they ought not longer to remam 111 their present situation. The land which they owned has been _b rought into market, large portions of it sold~ and especially those wh_tch were occupied as planting grounds. Reduced to want, an<l in ~omc mstanc almost to starvation, these Indians have no way of supporting themselves bht by depredations upon the property of the whites, and these ~ave be: come so frequent as in many cases to endanger the peace ~f society, an ... even the 1ives of the Indians themselves. Ever since the wh1t~s have ?t~ settled amongst them, they have been in the constant practice of kil m~. their hogs, occasionally stealing their horses, and, for the purpose 0 enabling them to hunt with more facility, of burning over the_ co~ ntry1 and thereby destroying fences and large quantities of hay. _It 1s _diffic to estimate the loss which has been sustained by the whites m this wa. but it amounts to many thousand dollars. In the event that a removal of these Indians shall be decided upon by t Department, we have the honor to recommend, if consistent with views of the Department, that the emigration may be cornmitte? to charge of the Rev. Isaac S. Ketchum, in whose qualifications to d1scha ... the duties to the satisfaction of the Government we have the fulleSt co - .fidence. We have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant.. ISAAC E. CR R\ · JOHN NORVELL. Hon. J. R. PornsETT, Secretary of War. Doc. No:. 143 .. · 3 No. 2 • • '-' ,v ASHINGTON,' January 22, 1841.;,. SIR: Messrs. J. & L. Ward, merchants, of Mi~wau~ie,_have desired me_ to present to your pepartmen~, for _settlement, their_ clam~s under a contr.act for furnishing rat10ns to em1gratmg -"!?ottawatomie I~dians. I have n?W• the honor to comply 'with theii: request, and to submit the pape:s which have been forwarded to me , by them. They :were last year d_ehvered to. Lieut. Levanworth, who offered to present them, but was unable t0 do . SQ in the short time he remained-here. ,. · ' · · I remain, sir, with much respect, your obedient servant, . ' J. D. DOTY. Hon. J. R. PornsETT, Secretary of War~ (i ( ,f I No. 3. V\:.AsIU,NGTON CITY, February s, 1840. Joel W. Barrow, who has submitted an account of $421 75 against the United States, for subsisting and transporting himself and six other Indians from the State of Indiana to the Osage river sub-agency, west of the M_is,sis­ ippi river, is a Pottawatomie, and his party is a part of the Pottawatomies who were entitled to the necessary expense of their removal from their old home in the east to their new one in the w~st, under treaty stipulations._ Ir. J. Lykins, who was employed in removing th~se Pottawatomies, after the main body of emigrants, under Mr. Polk: had started to the west, en-; couraged this party of seven persons to emigrate themselves. They arrived at the Osage river sub-agency on the 7th Novembe_r, 1S38, and they were not attached to the emigrating party conducted by Mr. ,v. Pplk, and no part of their subsistence and transportation has been paid by the Govern­ ment. The cost ~as been wholly .as is set forth in the account. · •. Confident that the claim is just, I respectfully recommend its_payment. ANTHONY L. DAVIS, .Indian Sub-.11.gent. ·· J J • ' ~:, No. 4. .i' WASHINGTON CITY, February 12, 1840.· IR=. ~ have the honor to submit, for your consideration, the following pro po 1 t10ns : . t. I propose to _remove the residue of the Pottawatomie Indians of 1 j. ~ii iana, ?,Il~ a po_rt10n of the same_ tribe residing at Nottawasippi, near · e , 1ch1gan-m all, probably, eight hundred or a thousand. 2 in d.d I propose to remove said Indians at $50 per head, for as many as I / chver to their proper a~ent: In ease of death on the way, I should aifor an allowance for the ume they were subsisted after enrolment. - I ir expect to conform to all the rules and regulations of your department regard to the emigrating Indian$. ·' 4· Doc. No. 143. I propose removing them at my. own Lexpense, asking no aid from your department until I produce the certificate of your accredited agent of the number I have delivered . I ask three months to make the effort. If I do not succeed in that time 1n el!).,rolling a party to• emigrate, I will notify the department ; itnd my time and expense w:ill be my !oss, ap.d not, th~ Gowrnment's. I have_been urged l;>y many of my Jndian friends to make the suggestion that I have. I have eonfer,red with men (>f ,influence amongst these peo­ ple,.
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