A History of Native American Land Rights in Upstate New York

by Cindy Amrhein

Overview

A complex and troubled history defines the borders of upstate New York beyond the physical boundaries of its rivers and lakes. The United States and the state were often deceptive in their territory negotiations with the Iroquois Six Nations. Amidst the growing quest for more land among settlers and then fledgling Americans, the Indian nations attempted to maintain their autonomy. Yet state land continued to encroach the Six Nations. Local historian Cindy Amrhein takes a close and critical view of these transactions. Evidence of dubious deals, bribes, faulty surveys and coerced signatures may help explain why many of the Nations now feel they were cheated out of their territory.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626199316
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	03/14/2016
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	591,287
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Cindy Amrhein is the county historian for Wyoming County, New York. She wrote her first book, Bread & Butter: The Murders of Polly Frisch (2000), with her good friend Ellen Lea Bachorski. From 2004 to 2006 Cindy was a weekly columnist for a Native American newspaper in northern New York State, the Akwesasne Phoenix, under the pen name HistorySleuth. When she's not doing land research in the clerk's office or writing historical true crime, you can find her plotting out murder mysteries.

Table of Contents

Preface 9

Acknowledgements 13

Introduction. Sovereignty 15

Part I The Treaties Between the St. Regis Indians and the State of New York, 1816-1845

1 The Macomb Purchase 27

2 The Treaties of 1816 and 1818 42

3 The Treaties of 1824 49

4 The 144 Acres of Mostly Water 55

5 The Treaty-of 1825 65

6 The Treaty of 1845: The Grassy Meadows 69

Part II The Seneca Lands and Mary Jemison

7 Lead Up to the Ganandaigua Treaty 77

8 The Treaty at Big Tree and Mary Jemison 88

Part III The Removal Treaty of 1838

9 Overview 105

10 Eleazer Williams's Involvement in the Treaties 111

11 The Mindset and Strategy of the United States 115

12 The Motives Behind the 1838 Treaty 120

13 Treaty Changes and Bribes 126

14 The Provisions for the New York Indians 134

15 Heading for Kansas 138

16 The Tonawanda Senccas Keep Their Territory 141

17 The Thirty-two People Left in Kansas 147

18 Request of the New York Indians from Kansas 150

19 The Kansas New York Indians Land Claim 154

20 The Final Chapter: What About the Money and Stocks? 159

Epilogue. What Became of Eleazer Williams? 167

Appendix 171

Notes 189

Bibliography 197

Index 199

About the Author 205

Editorial Reviews

"Now I understand better why I periodically read about highly contested claims even today in the Adirondack region. Reading the book has given me a better appreciation of the complexity of the matter."Adirondack Daily Enterprise

"Amrhein does an excellent job of organizing and laying out her information in a straightforward manner. I would recommend this book published by The History Press"Indian Country Today

From the Publisher