Sir William Johnson's Early Years

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History of the Mohawk Palatines

Sir William Johnson's Early Years

In 1736, while Conrad Weiser was suffering from hunger pangs with the Indians in the forest of central New York, his future nemesis in Indian affairs was only two years away from moving to the Mohawk Valley from his home in Ireland.

William Johnson was born in Smithtown, County Meath, Ireland.

His father Christopher Johnson came from a good family and had been a soldier. His mother was Ann Warren, the sister of Sir Peter Warren who became a Vice Admiral of the British Fleet. Sir Peter Warren was married to Susan DeLancey of New York City and owned 300 acres on Manhattan Island. Admiral Warren bought 15,000 acres on the south side of the Mohawk River that came to be called Warren's Bush.

According to legend, William Johnson had wanted to become a lawyer. But his father wanted him to be a soldier and sent him to the Academy at Newry; where, for some reason, a moderator chastised him. William resented it and became enraged. He was expelled from the school, charged with assault-and-battery, fined seven-guineas, put on detention for twenty-one days; and, when he got home, his father gave him a beating. It was a bad day. But things were coming together for William Johnson that would change his life and the lives of everybody in the Mohawk Valley.

1738: The Arrival of William Johnson in New York
At the age of 23, William Johnson arrived in America to oversee his Uncle Peter Warren's land holdings on the Mohawk River at Warrensbush. The legend claims that he dumped his fiancé for the career opportunity in America.

When his ship landed in New York City, William stayed with the De Lancys; where he equipped himself with all the supplies and tools he would need for the new business enterprise. Then he boarded a sloop and sailed up the Hudson to Albany with some other Irishmen who were to help him build the new settlement.

They sailed up the Hudson River for three days, passing by the old Palatine tar camps at Livingston Manor already 30 years into the past. He must have heard the story about the tar camps, and how many of the Palatines had finally settled in Stone Arabia and Burnet's Field.

When he got to Albany, William hired the Dutch Patroon's wagons to haul his goods through Albany's Pine Bush area to Schenectady and then on to Warren's Bush by the trail next to the river that went to Fort Hunter. Arthur Pound, Johnson's biographer, says he complained about being charged too much, which seems funny, that a man with his destiny got ripped off in his very first business deal. Those rowdy Dutch buckoes of Albany. They always held a trump card for a bait-and-switch. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice shame on me. William Johnson didn't get fooled much after that.

Arthur Pound, describes the only other way he could have traveled west; by the way of the Mohawk river:

Bateaux

If his party had been going farther west, Johnson would have followed the common practice by transferring his goods and party from wagons to bateaux or scows at Schenectady.

These light draught vessels were poled upstream and guided down by as rough a clan of hairy buckoes as a romancer ever celebrated. Blithely and belligerently they did their grinding toil in all weathers, triumphing over everything but ice. Drunk or sober, fighting with one hand and poling with the other, occasionally called upon to take cover and defend a portage as violently as if as they had been sworn in as soldiers, these were indispensable men, upon whose brawn and courage depended trade, victory and march of empire. Capable of extraordinary feats of strength and valor, they sometimes affrighted women with their blazing oaths, and one of the compensations of their highly uncomfortable existences seems to have been the bliss of scaring tender feet with gory tales of the wild west, even as cowboys of the plains still delight in doing.

Johnson must have listened with amazement to these sagas; but in due course, he was to master these serviceable Calibans, lead them on desperate courses and here them quarrel for the privilege of poling his battoes.

That first summer probably one of the diversions of the evening would be to walk along the Mohock - thus Johnson ever spelled it - listening to the crew of a down bound battoe singing "the Mohock Maid", forerunner of the touching ballad, "Sweet Eloise, the Belle of Mohawk Vale", sung on Erie canal boats at the height of traffic, along in the fifties, by hoards of immigrants following the one water route to the fat lands of the interior. The chorus of this once highly - esteemed lyric follows, but we are assured that the battoe songs were not all as proper:

O sweet is the vale where the Mohawk gently glides,
On its clear winding way to the sea;
And dearer than all storied streams on earth besides,
Is this bright rolling river to me.

- Arthur Pound

Warren's bush
Warrensbush was on the south side of the Mohawk River, directly across from the modern day Amsterdam, New York, and just to the east of Fort Hunter where two plateaus are separated by a very steep grade carved by the Chuctanunda Creek.

The south side of the river at that location was never settled as much as the north side because of the steep grade and the fact that the south side of the river faces north, making it exposed to the harsh northeast wind.

The north side was by far the more desirable location, and it was also where all the trading traffic was as William Johnson soon discovered. His uncle didn't know that, never having been there.

But even though he was planted on the wrong side of the river, Warrensbush worked out very good for William Johnson anyway. It couldn't have worked for anybody but him as well. And it makes one consider an involvement by a higher power for him in the course of time with a greater purpose in mind.

The reason he made out so good is because was close to Fort Hunter and the Lower Mohawk Castle. The Indians there simply fascinated him even more than they repulsed most other people. He came to be attracted to them and know them very well; and the Indians sensed somebody different in him; a little bit like Conrad Weiser. They came to respect him, and trust him.

William learned their language, sat at their councils, and listened to their concerns; hour after hour, day after day. He began to trade with the Indians and was honest and fair with them. They had never seen a charismatic personality quite like his before.

William communicated periodically with Admiral Warren about his progress in the property's development. The Admiral gave lots of advice in his letters about the best way to grow the enterprise. The only problem was that he had never seen the property before - except in his mind - which probably exaggerated and over glorified it.

Therefore William, with his eye on the north side trade route, and an eye on the Indians, wasted no time getting things going for his uncle, and in a professional manner. Under William's direction, his loyal companions began to girdle trees, and cultivate the land. He subdivided lots, and made frequent trips to Albany to make the essential business contacts that he needed. He was the new entrepreneur. He built a house for himself and provided shelters for his laborers, some of whom were Palatines from Stone Arabia, and Dutch from Schenectady. Jacob Christman must have heard about him; maybe he even worked for him. Jacob was saving his money in those days.

The new settlers that William located for the subdivided lots were mostly Scotch and Irish, which broght the Celtic element to the Germanic and Indian inhabitants in the valley. And William built a store that provided them all with the essential supplies that they needed. He made the first convenient store in the Mohawk Valley.

1739: The Right Man in the Right Place at the Right Time

As it turned out, the store became his most lucrative business; and William Johnson had everybody in mind. Honest dealings with the Indians worked out very well for him at his store. He bartered with ammunition, blankets, trinkets, and other goods, in exchange for animal pelts. His store was very convenient for the Indians who finally didn't have to go all the way to Albany and Schenectady to deal with unscrupulous Dutch agents.

For the first time ever, a white businessman treated the Indian as an equal. They called him Warraghiyagey - Chief Big Business.

Things were good between William Johnson and the Indians. The other whites must have thought he was crazy. He played all sorts of sporting games with them, and he got right down in the dirt and wrestled with them. He ate with them, smoked with them, dressed like them on occasion, and slept with the Indian girls whenever he could.

But William Johnson always kept his eye open for an opportunity; and soon his business acumen saw one.

The Jewish History Behind The Fur Trade

As early as 1590 Jews used to import fur, leather, lumber, and grain from Moscow to Gnesen. The memoirs of Glückl von Hameln show that these visits to the fairs were of social as well as of commercial importance. The Frankfort fair became the center of the Hebrew book trade in the seventeenth century ("Rev. Et. Juives," viii. 75). By this means new connections were made with different parts of Europe by the rising Jewish merchants, and the international trade of the continent became concentrated for a time in their hands. The fur trade in particular was monopolized by Jews, owing to their wide connections, ranging from Novgorod to Nantes ("Rev. Et. Juives," xxxiii. 97).

With the spread of colonization Jewish merchants found new spheres, especially in the Anglo-Saxon world, where there was little opposition to them. The firms of Montefiore in Australia, of Mosenthal and of Bergtheil in South Africa, were among the pioneers of those colonies, and a large proportion of the English colonial shipping trade was for a considerable time in the hands of Jews.

JewishEncyclopedia.com - Commerce

The traders on the north side of the river always went to one place - Oswego - a new fort built by England to intercept and interfere with the western fur trade of the French. Furthermore, the Indians at Fort Hunter showed him another neat place called Oquaga. There was no competition in Oquaga.

Thus William Johnson soon had a monopoly by acumen and luck, and he became very wealthy very fast.

So much so, that he was able to make two purchases in 1739 that had a profound impact on the future of the Mohawk Valley. One purchase he made could have been expected; however, the other was a little odd.

First, despite his promise to his uncle to remain at Warrensbush, William Johnson purchased a large tract of land of his own on the north side of the river encompasing both sides of the Kayaderosseras Creek. Uncle Warren was not happy.

Next, he bought a Palatine girl from a couple of brothers settled between him and Schenectady. She was a Palatine indentured servant named Catherine Wissenburg. After the Palatine Immigration of 1710, it became a common practice for the poorer classes of Germany who wanted to go to America to sign papers that bound them into servitude to someone when they got there. The usual term was one to four years. The only requirement was that the purchaser treat them kindly.

Alexander and Hamilton Phillips bought Catherine Wissenburg's service and probably promised to take real good care of her.

They settled a couple of miles east of William Johnson in 1739.

William heard about Catherine from another settler by the name of Louis Groat.

So William went down to the Phillips house and told them that he would give them 5 pounds for her - or he would horse-whip them.

They took the 5 pounds. Catherine had a new home.

1740

Although they were not married, William Johnson and Catherine Wissenburg soon had their first child. A daughter named Ann. And thus began William Johnson's most legitimate Mohawk Valley family. Over the next 30 years, life changed dramatically for everybody in the valley because of this one man from Ireland.

Return

1744

Conrad Weiser, Governor Clinton & The Indian Trouble

More and more I am coming to the conclusion that in hindsight you can determine how God chose to work in someone's life not so much by what they thought they were doing at the time, but by how what they did worked together with the law of unintended consequenses down the road. And I can't recall any better example of that fact than in the life of Conrad Weiser. Here comes a doozy.

In 1744, living near the Canajoharie tribe provided some unusual excitement. Someone had started a nasty rumor among the Mohawk Indians that the white people were organizing a force down river in Schenectady to exterminate them.

The Indians were incensed with anger over the rumor. So much so, that the Canajoharies threatened to murder all the white people living around them first. Those whites were, of course, the Palatines for the most part, including the young Jacob Christman family, but it's hard to say how that worked since Catherine was an Indian. I'll bet it was tense though.

Anyway, at Fort Hunter, Reverend Barclay, who was the successor to Mr. Andrews and the son of Reverend Barclay of Albany who eventually went crazy, managed to calm down the Indians at the lower castle, and the Canajoharies followed suit.

Immediately, the Indian Commissioners from Albany were summoned to meet with Governor Clinton to see what was going on. At the meeting they blamed the rumor on the French, and that made the governor bow up like a cat.

But Governor Clinton didn't trust the snickering Dutch aristocracy from Albany any more than Governor Hunter or Governor Burnet did before him. He was savy to the indignation the Dutch felt for the English and he wasn't satisfied at all with the answers he got from them. I get the impression that he smelled a rat. Clinton was pretty slick. It must just come with the name or something.

But with that being said, now we get an indication of the kind of reputation Conrad Weiser had with the Haudenosaunee at that time, even though he had moved to Pennsylvania back in 1729.

Clinton had heard all about Conrad Weiser's influence with the Indians. So he sent Conrad a letter asking him to go to the Indians on behalf of New York and root out the truth about a French plot. It was a serious crisis, and it had the potential to deteriorate rapidly.

It's important to recognize the fact that problems like that did not get solved over night, and they had a tendency to fester. Life in the Mohawk Valley was tense that year. And life went on with that thing brewing on the inside of the Indians.

The only other major event that year was when, in November, Johann Jost Herkimer won a contract to supply Fort Oswego for two years. Herkimer's wagons went back and forth from Oswego to Schenectady. Some of the Palatine farms had by then prospered to the point where they supplied raw materials for the British troops.

And that put Jost Herkimer in competition with William Johnson.

1745

When the governor's letter got to Conrad Weiser in Pennsylvania, he was already preparing for another journey to Onondaga to find out about a French & Indian attack on some English traders where thousands of skins had been stolen. So Governor Clinton's letter concerning the Mohawk alarm gave Conrad an even greater reason to go, and a sense of urgency besides.

Conrad had not been to the Mohawk country since he left Schoharie in 1729. But he had gone to Onondaga in 1736. The Indians called him Tarachiawagon - The Holder of the Heavens.

Conrad Weiser's "Journey to Onondaga in 1736"
So Conrad Weiser set out on another long journey. This time with two of his sons, some Moravian missionaries, and his long trusted Oneida Indian friend Shickellamy, with a couple of other Indians.

When they got to Onondaga, Tarachiawagon was received in a celebration with a parade of violins, flutes, and drums, and he held council with the Onondaga sachems at the sacred fire.

From Onondaga, Conrad went to Fort Oswego, and then he returned to the Mohawk country, where met with King Hendrick and the sachems of the upper castle at Canajoharie.

At Canajoharie, Conrad stayed with his sister and Nicholas NP Pickert. And he visited with many of his old friends from Schoharie. There are no records to prove it, but Jacob Christman was probably among them.

After a couple of days at his sister's house, Conrad went down to the lower castle at Fort Hunter to meet with the sachems there. On the way he surely must have seen William Johnson's trading post, and heard the story about his growing influence, and maybe even stopped at his store.

^{FORT JOHNSON in 2003}
William Johnson had probably heard all about the charismatic Tarachiawagon! He later complained openly about Conrad having been given that name in the written record.

Anyway, the Indians at Fort Hunter confided their trust to Tarachiawagon and Conrad found out exactly what the problem was for Governor Clinton; just what he wanted. The Indians at Onondaga and both Mohawk castles told Conrad the same thing.

They hated the people of Albany.
They felt that the people in Albany had always been out to hurt them, and that the people from Albany had ruined the Indians. They said that the people of Albany had cheated them out of their lands, treated them as slaves, and that Albany people were even selling gunpowder to the French through the praying Indians who had formerly gone to Canada from the Mohawk River.

Conrad's report to the governor concluded by saying that they had all made up with each other by words, but nobody meant it, and the issue of being cheated out of their land remained unsettled.

"Weiser's report was frank. It was unexpected. What Governor Clinton wanted was a scapegoat. What he got was an indictment of himself, his policy, and his people. New York never forgave Honest Conrad, as the sequel will show."

-Paul A.W Wallace

The last thing that Conrad reported in his journal about the incident was that the Indians said:

"The old Cause, That we have been cheated out of Our Lands, stil remains unsettled".

It is certainly not hard to see just who the Indians hated in regard to being cheated. Just look at the names on the old patents. A whole flurry of large patents were granted in the late 1730's with some of those old familiar names if you know the story from 1710-1720. Those names include the old "partners" who gave the Palatines trouble at the Tar Camps and Schoharie. Those names are Livingston and Schuyler. Almost all of the large land speculators were involved in New York politics in some fashion. They were all in collusion with each other. One of them was even the future Governor Cosby. Here is a list of the patents in the 1730's, with those old familiar politically connected names from Albany and Schenectady:

Mohawk Valley Patents

Van Horne's Patent - 1731; 8,000 acres; Philip Livingston and others.
Lindsay's Patent - 1730; 3,000 acres; Philip Livingston, John Lindsey.
Cosby's Manor - 1734; 22,000 acres; William Cosby and others.
Colden Cadwallader's Patent - 1738; 3,000 acres; Cadwallader Colden, Coenradt Ryghtmeyer.
Glens Purchase - 1739
Patrick McClaughry, Andrew McDowell - 1738; 3,710 acres
J. De Lancey, Lindsey, Glen - 1738; 5,426 acres
Lendert Helmer - 1739; 1,970 acres
Jacob Glen - 1739; 1,660 acres
Archibald Kennedy - 1739; 1,950 acres
John Schuyler Jr - 1739; 1,990 acres
Arent Bradt - 1739; 1,907 acres
Phillip Schuyler - 1739; 1,863 acres
Hendersons Patent - 1739; 6,000 acres; James Henderson, John Kelly. Henderson's or Petrie's Patent - 1740; 6,000 acres; Philip Livingston, John DePeyster, J. Jost Petrie.
Winne's Patent - 1741; 2,000 acres; Peter Winne.

The speculators had bought 70,476 acres of the best land in the Mohawk Valley in ten years, and the Indians had absolutely nothing to show for it. Add that to Burnetsfield, purchased in 1725 from the Oneidas; Kasts Patent, 1,100 acres; and Schoharie, about 20,000 more acres; Warrensbush, another 15,000 acres; and William Johnson's purchases. Not to mention Hartman Windecker, Peter Wagoner, and Johannes Christman's little 300 acre purchase from the Oneidas. It all adds up to over 100,000 acres...

...all for some gunpowder, rum, blankets, needles, shoestrings, and more rum.

And it was just beginning.

It is interesting to see that two of the names in those patents are Palatines: Helmer and Petrie. Both men were from Burnetsfield. They had evidently done very well for themselves. They must have been among the Palatines that Governor Burnet had said were all along "hearty for the government".

Philip Schuyler was the Indian Superintendent yoked with the Livingstons. Cadwallader Colden was a surveyor and later Lieutenant Governor. Cosby, De Lancey, Livingston, Glen; and, the others? ... No wonder why Governor Clinton didn't want to hear what Conrad Weiser reported.

So in the fall, Conrad got another letter from Governor Clinton. Conrad writes about it in his diary:

"The 5th, I was sent for by Governor Clinton's Secretary who informed me that the Indians seem'd to deny what they had told me last Summer in the Mohocks Country concerning the People of Albany, & that the Albany People were not pleased with my Coming. I answer'd that the first I did not believe but the second I did."

- Conrad Weiser

Tarachiawagon is Out

Conrad was right, when he got back to Albany for the conference in October he found out that not only the Albany traders had it in for him, but Governor Clinton did too. Supposedly, now the Indians that Conrad met at Onondaga had gone over to the French. That was not supposed to happen. So Governor Clinton invited representatives from Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and the Six Nations to come to Albany to consider the emergency. The Six Nations agreed to the governor's invitation, and this time, Conrad went only as the interpreter for Pennsylvania being borrowed by the Governor of New York.

There were basically two problems. The English colonies were split in disagreement, and the Six Nations were split in disagreement. New York and New England wanted the Iroquois as war allies no matter what it took, and Pennsylvania did not want them involved in a war at all. As far as the Six Nations bent was concerned, the Mohawks leaned English, but hated the Albany people; and the Senecas leaned to the French. The Onondagas, Cayugas, and Oneidas, in the center, tried to control their opposing elder brothers, urging them to remain neutral.

If Onondaga went to the French, and if the Mohawks got fed up with the English, it would be a nightmare for New York. And now we get to see that Governor Clinton was really not at all like our slick Willy was. There is no political correctness here.

The Conference & Governor Clinton's Conduct

It began with --

Governor Clinton damning the Indians to their faces;

Governor Clinton disputing with Conrad Weiser and damning him also (by proxy; the governor damned his secretary for letting him know that Conrad Weiser was right and the governor was wrong);

Governor Clinton nagging at the Indians about the "late Alarm among the Mohawks";

Chief Hendrick interrupting him and speaking "very bold and rude" until Conrad Weiser took the governors wampum belt into his own hand and told Hendrick to "forbear and hold his tongue";

Governor Clinton declaring war "in the name of God" against the French, and throwing down a belt of black wampum with a war hatchet inworked;

the old chiefs restraining their young men (who wanted to dance the war dance at once), and telling the governor that they would hide his hatchet in their bosom until the ways of peace had been tried further;

Governor Clinton giving the Indians a present that somehow dwindled in value from the £1000 set aside for it by his assembly to what Weiser estimated to be a mere £300 worth of goods;

a party of Mahicans waiting on the governor with a present of venison and being damned by his secretary and dismissed without seeing him.

-Paul A.W Wallace

"Everything by this time was in confusion," writes Weiser "The Governor begun to hurry away & the Indians asked him for a Barrel of Beer to drink, he dam'd them and sayd he gave them some the other day and order'd them a Barrel of Beer."

"The Governor of New York went away without fulfilling his Promise to remove the Indians Grievances about Lands & otherwise at which the Indians were intirely displeas'd and told me Now you see yourself how we are treated."

- Conrad Weiser

Clinton's Conference with the Indians

LONDON DOCUMENTS: XXVII. 289

At a Council held at his Excellcys residence in the City of Albany the sixth day of Oct r 1745.

Yesterday being the day appointed by His Excellcy for a publick Interview and conference with the Six Nations of Indians at this Place, vizt The Maquas, Oneydes, Onondages, Sinnekes, Cayouges and Tuscarores, many Indians of these Nations (excepting the Sinnekes) arrived in Town late in the evening. His Excellcy was acquainted by Jacobus Bleeker the publick Interpreter, with the arrival of four hundred sixty four of the said Indians, and that the Sachims of the said Tribes desired to know what time his Excell cy would please to appoint for their waiting upon him, to welcome him to Albany, His Excell cy appointed this evening at six o'clock, and several Sachims of the respective Tribes coming accordingly to the number of between forty and fifty:

They acquainted his Excellcy with the reason of the Sennekes absence; that this Nation had been visited with an epidemical sickness, which had swept away great numbers of them, and that the rest were by means of that Calamity prevented travelling.

After the usual salutes, His Excellcy presented them with some black Strouds (according to the ceremony used in such cases) to condole the deaths of several of the Sachims of the Six Nations, since the last interview, then they were served [round] with a glass of Rum to drink his Majty's health and his Excellcy's and Gentlemen present, prosperity to the Province ettc.

His Excellency told them that he would speak to them in publick in a few days, that he expected Commissrs from some of the neighbouring Governts who were not yet arrived and who were likewise to treat with them at this time; in the interim, his Excell cy would take care to provide for their refreshment and comfortable subsistance and then the Indians withdrew.

Ordered: that it be an instruction to the said Council1 to inquire privately into the causes of the uneasiness amongst the Maquas this last Winter, and touching all complaints they may have to make his Excell cy & report the same.

At a Conference, between the Committee of the Council and the Commissrs from the neighbouring Governts had at Albany the seventh day of October 1745. The heads of matter proposed to be offered in his Excell cys speech to the Six Nations at the publick conference prepared by the Commissrs of Indian affairs at Albany Read.

It was moved by the Council of New York whether it were not most adviseable for His Excellency to speak to the Indians in General, on behalf of the several Commiss rs for the other Governts now convened here, as well as for this province, for that this method would tend to show the Indians the happy agreement and union of these several Governts, and their resolutions for their carrying on the war in conjunction, and unitedly to support and prosecute the interest and common cause of all which might have a very good effect with them, they well knowing the strength & abilities of the several Colonies, whose united force they must esteem, is sufficient to strike a Terror into the Enemy;

and if the Indians should be wavering in their inclinations with regard to what part they should take in the war at this time between the English and French, they may from the apprehension of such an Union, be determined to join with us as the strongest side. With these sentiments the Commissrs for the Massachusets & Connecticut intirely concurred and in general the Commissrs for Pennsilvania;

but a majority of the latter intimated, that as they were aware that considering the present circumstance of affairs with respect to the war, something would probably be said by his Excellcy to the Indians upon that occasion which would not altogether be aggreable to their Religious sentiments (two of these Commissrs were Quakers) They therefore should chuse to speak separately and tho' they should do so they would be careful to pursue the main intention of this interview, by avoiding to say any thing whch might clash or interfere with what his Excellcy should say to them, but the rather to enforce and give aid to it by Observing to them the union of these several Colonys and their strength as subjects of the same prince who would resent any injury done to any one of them as done to the whole.

Moreover, that what they should say concerning the General Interest they would previously lay before his Excell cy. And further, that they had at this time some matters at private concern relative only to the province of Pennsilvania which they had to discuss with the Six Nations which made it necessary for those Commissioners to speak with them separately.

As to that part of the heads for his Excell cy's speech prepared by the Commissioners of Indian affairs which proposed, after informing the Six Nations of the infraction of the Treaty of neutrality concluded between them and the French Indians with regard to the present war, by hostilitys lately committed by the last mentioned Indians, by murdering several of his Majestys subjects on the Borders of New England; That the hatchet should be offered to the Six Nations to strike against the French and their Indians, upon his Excel lcys commands signifyed to them for that purpose, in case that the Six Nations could not obtain satisfaction from those French Indians concerned in the said hostilitys and reasonable assurances of their observing inviolably the neutrality for the future.

It was thereupon observed by the Massachusets Cornmissrs that the Six Nations had in effect accepted of the Hatchet by the last treaty upon condition to strike with it against the French and their Indians in case of any infraction made by them of the neutrality, and since hostilitys had been committed by them, The Six Nations were bound by that treaty to join immediately in the war with us against the French and their Indians. And therefore if the Six Nations were inclined rather in the first place to interpose their endeavours to obtain satisfaction for their breach & assurances from those Indians offending in this instance of their preserving inviolably a strickt neutrality for the future, this was matter which (as the case stood)would come more properly from the Six Nations themselves; which reasoning being allowed to be just it was agreed 'twould be more proper that his Excellcy should propose to the Six Nations to take up the Hatchet absolutely and let the condition be offered to the Indians in their answer.

And agreable thereto his Excellcys speech was framed.

This day, Andries van Patten of the Township of Schenectady, being charged by the Indians with having told them that the people of this Province had a design to destroy them the last Winter (which was as pretended the occasion of a great deal of uneasiness amongst them) was brought before his Excellcy and examined upon oath, Mr Horsmanden Mr Murray and Coll: Stoddard being present. The Man absolutely denyed that he ever reported any such thing, and from the favourable circumstances of the Man's behaviour under his examination, and the good character he bore, His Excellcy and every one present believed him innocent of the charge against him and he was discharged.

Albany the 8 day of October 1745.

This morning the principal Sachims of the Tribes now met at this place sent the Interpreter to inform his Excell cy that they would wait upon him in the evening in order to lay their grievances before him and desired that nobody might be present with his Excell cy but Coll: Stoddard and themselves. His Excellcy returned for answer, that he should then readily hear what they had to offer and would do them justice, but that he had brought two of the Gentlemen of the Council with him from New York, who he desired should be present at this private conference.

P.M. At a private Conference with the Indians,
: PRESENT His Excellency.
Mr Horsmanden
Mr Murray
Coll: Stoddard.
and thirty three of the Sachims of the Indians, pursuant to their Message in the morning.
Arent Stevens & Coenradt Weiser, Indian Interpreters.

As his Excellcy had taken all the proper steps he could think of whilst at New York, at so great a distance from the Indians, in order to discover the true grounds of their uneasiness, and it being rumored that they were still dissatisfyed, notwithstanding the Commiss rs of Indian Affairs had been up at the Mohawk's Castle to inquire into this matter and had reported that they left the Indians entirely composed and that they desired all that was passed might be burried in oblivion and no further enquiry to be made about the Report spread amongst them the last winter, that the people of this province had a design to destroy them, for that they were convinced it arose without any just Grounds and they gave no credit to it; and his Excellcy having been informed several times afterwards that the Indians were still uneasy at that Report, and some of the River Indians in May last having delivered his Excell cy a string of Wampum from the Six Nations with a message requesting to be informed whether there were any such design as before mentioned, to which his Excell cy sent them an answer by the River Indians; nevertheless his Excellcy not resting herewith, but hearing that Coenradt Weiser the Pensilvania Interpreter was going up amongst the Six Nations about that time to negotiate some affairs in behalf of that Governt, his Excell cy was pleased to write to Govr Thomas to give instruction to said Weiser to inquire privately amongst those Indians, and endeavour to find out the reasons of their late commotions; and Weiser returning from the Indian Countrys by way of New York in July last, reported to his Excellency the effect of his enquiry and brought a Message from the Mohawks with a string of Wampum addressed to his Excell cy as followeth:

Brother the Govr of New York.

We are now reconciled with our Brethren in Albany and it was agreed that no further enquiry should be made or any resentment shewn for and to the person that sent us warning, but our Brethren in Albany still continue to make eñquiry and threaten the person if they could find him out. we therefore desire you will order the Commiss rs our Brethren to make no further enquiry, for that person that gave us warning; to signify our request we lay before you this string of Wampum.
AARON ASARAGEHTY Speaker.

Notwithstanding this message delivered to Weiser by the Mohawk Sachims in full Council, Weiser reported further to his Excellcy that a few days after Aaron and another of the said people (meaning the Mohawk Sachims) informed him that the matter with Albany people was not made up but only by words of mouth, their Brethren never spoke from their heart to them, and therefore they (the Indians) could do no otherwise but speake with their mouth only in the last Council, the Friends of Albany people carried the day but the old cause that we have been cheated out of our Lands still remains unsettled.

As no certainty could be drawn from these jarring accounts His Excell cy was determined to make the best use of this opportunity, and therefore told the Indians that he was now resolved to make strict inquiry into the causes of their late uneasiness, as it was his resolution to do them justice; and notwithstanding they had sent him a string of Wampum by Mr Weiser with a request that all that was past might be burried in oblivion, yet as their late commotions and uneasiness had made so great a noise in the world, and reflections had been cast upon many persons of some figure in the province as if they had been the authors or instruments of it, His Excell cy therefore thought it incumbent on him as well in justice to their persons as the Indians themselves to insist upon their laying their grievances now before him, and in that expectation he returned them the string of Wampum which Weiser had brought from them. and gave them a Belt.

Cannassatego an Onondage Sachim repeated to the Indians what his Excell cy had said with relation to the string of Wampum and the reasons of his returning it, and asked his Brethren whether they understood it so. The[y] answered they did.

Then Hendrick a Mohawk Sachim after a considerable pause said That Jean Ceur (a French Indian who generally resides amongst the Sinnekes one of our Six Nations and does us much Mischief amongst them) told them last fall that the English had sent to the Govr of Canada to join with them to destroy the Six Nations that they (the Indians) had told Wemp the Smith of this to inform the Commiss rs of Indian affairs of it, and they the Indians had no answer from the Commissrs and the said Hendrick run on for above an hour in an harangue which the Interpreter could make little or nothing of, and at which the rest of the Indians seemed to His Excell cy and the Gentlemen present to be ashamed, of which opinion were both the Interpreters who were better acquainted with the behaviour and the manners of the Indians; and as neither head nor tail could be made of Hendrick's oration, after a long pause and consultation of which every one present was tired. Cannasatego said, 'twas a matter required sober consideration and they must take further time to consider of it.

At His Excellency's residence in Albany 9th Octr 1745 in the Evening.
PRESENT His Excellency
Mr Horsmanden
Mr Murray.
Coll: Stoddard.
Arent Stevens and Coenradt Weiser, Indian Interpreters. And forty five Indian Sachims.

Hendrick the Mohawk Sachim begun with reminding the Indians of what passed the last night, the string of Wampum returned by his Excellency and the Belt given, and what errand they came now upon. Then he proceeded and said: That they were now resolved to open their Hearts so that no filth should remain within them and came to give an answer to what his Excellcy said to them concerning their grievances, that they intended now to declare the whole. Tho' they had resolved never to discover the Man from whom the alarm first came, yet since their Brother was resolved to have it, Andries van Patten was the Man. That hearing such news and putting that together about their lands that they were resolved to take away their Lands that there were persons that had Deeds in their pockets for five or six lots of land and now he has not a dust of ground to set his foot on.

That Mr Collins surveyed their Lands in the dark. (With Peter Wagoner) Complained, Coll: Stoddard was not suffered by the Commissrs of Indian Affairs to come into their Country last spring but they must come to Albany to him. They were become the property of Albany people, they were their dogs, Perhaps our Brother the Governour imagined we were thoughtless I know (says he) and understand well now, what passed of old; two Towns of Indians were cut off near New York. We the Mohawks are apprehensive we shall be served at last as our Brethren the River Indians, they get all their lands and we shall soon become as poor as they.

You in the Broad way (addressing himself to Coll: Stoddard) have got our lands and driven Us away from Westfield were my Father lived formerly, one instance. From all these things looking about what has been done at New York, New England, Maryland ettc. puting all these things together I concluded the news was true. And they speak this that they may not be brought into the same condition as others have been before them; and truly we foresee that is forthcoming, we see that we shall be brought to the same pass. This has remained in our hearts for some years and now the Governour would have them Open their hearts, they have done it, and hope it will have a good effect. Brother, continued he, when this alarm arose we were glad and rejoiced to find we had some friends to warn us.

And we now say as we told Coll: Stoddard before, that Van Patten was the man, who they desired not to be hurt. They heard, five white persons had been named [as] authors of the Report, The Minister, Interpreter, Cuyler, Livingston Junr, Nicholas Bleeker, these were accused by White people, the Indians never named them or heard any thing of them among themselves. Johannes an Indian that lodged at van Patten's near Schonechtady last winter, being present (who Hendrick said had his information that the Indians were to be destroyed from van Patten) being interrogated sayd that van Patten spoke in Dutch, and he understood Dutch living amongst them, tho he can not speak it, but nevertheless his Negro wench, interpreted it into Indian language. The question was asked what van Patten did tell him. The Man did not answer, seemed to be stupid, but others Clubbed their heads together and seemed to prompt him, and then he went on with a Blind sort of Story that van Patten told him that the people of Albany had a design to destroy the Mohawks ettc. Aaron another Mohawk Sachim said (which it seems he had never pretended to before) that he was by once, when he heard van Patten tell Johannes so. That van Patten sent for him (Johannes) from the Mohawks Country, van Patten told him he must stay there, he must not go a hunting, and kept him several days; that van Patten asked Johannes if the people (meaning the Mohawk Indians) were at home whether one or two or three days off. That van Patten said there was terrible news, death prepared for them, and when they came home they were to be cut off by their Brethren the Dutch; that he had been at Schenechtady and there heard several people say it.

Johannes said he went three several times from van Patten to the Mohawks went to Aaron and he went down with Johannis to van Patten and heard the same of him from his own mouth (Arent understood Dutch) and sometimes the negro wench put in a few words in Indian The question was put whether the Govr should send for van Patten and Negro Wench, at which Hendrick seemed much alarmed and in a great fluster, and the Indians in general desired that matter should not be pressed any further.

From which conduct of these Indians upon this occasion, and considering that 1 van Patten had declared upon oath of his innocence with respect to the charge against him and the favourable circumstances appearing in his behaviour upon his examination with all the air of truth and innocence, his Excellcy and Gentlemen present with him concluded that the Report spread among the Indians at which they pretended to be so much alarmed and uneasy was a device of their own contrivance in order to induce this as well as the neighbouring Governts to give them presents this year as they did the last.

Then they were told they had made only a general complaint about these Colonies taking their lands and driving them back when they sell their lands and are paid for them. But let them name particular instances tho' herein 2 they have been imposed upon; name the six persons who have deeds in their pockets as they now talk of and if any injustice has been done them his Excell cy would do them right.

They answered:

Mr Collins measured land for Phillip Livingston (meaning the Councillor) which he has not paid for. Abraham another Mohawk said there was a great piece of Woodland, near a carrying place laid out at the head of Susquehanna Lake which was not bought of them.

His Exeell cy again told them if they would at any time before he left this place mention all the particular persons by name who had imposed upon them about their lands and the places where, and if it did in any thing appear that they had been injured his Excell cy would see they had justice done to them.

Then the Indians withdrew.

And his Excellency heard nothing further from them concerning their complaints about their Lands.

All Because of that Old Midnight Survey

That old "Midnight Survey". The "Livingstons, Schuylers, & old George Klock" did more to ruin the Indian's relationship with the settlers than anything else. That old Midnight Survey. The wound festered for years. It caused the Mohawk Indians to side with the loyalists in the Revolution.

Governor Clinton found out what the truth was and he thought that the Indians were disgusting heathen liars, along with Conrad Weiser and his big black beard. Clinton thought Conrad was a sap and inept for trusting the Indian's word; all they wanted was presents.

What Clinton needed was someone who was charismatic, and a good communicator. Someone who understood human character, was familiar with the Indians, was not stinking Dutch or German, had a good business mind, knew how to play the game; and, above all, knew that everybody had a price, and everything could be negotiated.

Timing is Everything

And guess what? William Johnson just happened to be in town during the conference.

He probably snickered at Conrad Weiser, the Tarachiawagon. After all, here stood Warraghiyagey - Chief Big Business.

William Johnson had a monopoly at Oquaga, he was related to Admiral Warren and the De Lanceys, he was shipping directly to agents in New York City and London, and had his own Albany agent, John Henry Lydius. To avoid Albany commissions, he was supplying all of the settlers around him, and now he was trading with Oswego, which was becoming his most important trading area. William Johnson was well aware that Oswego was a French target. Therefore, he had the utmost interest in keeping it British. And Governor Clinton had appointed him Justice of the Peace the previous spring, but had never met him.

So William Johnson just happened to be in Albany? Well, it was high time for him to introduce himself.

And I'll bet he was waiting in the governor's office after the conference.

Governor Clinton must have looked at what William Johnson had to offer as almost being a miracle. He brought everything that was right to the table. He was already set up in the right location and with his existing organization he could ship military supplies to the garrison at Oswego instead of having that stinking German named Herkimer do it. Moreover, the stinking Indians loved Johnson; and he was a player. What more could a governor ask?

Timing is everything. Supplying the Oswego garrison was exactly what Johnson needed to control the trading; and, since he was the one profiting, he could defend it and foot the bill as far as the Dutch in Albany were concerned.

And that is exactly what launched Sir William Johnson into history.

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Last updated 13.3.2009