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The Treaty of Big Tree was a formal treaty signed in 1797 between the
Seneca Nation The Seneca Nation of Indians is a federally recognized Seneca tribe based in western New York. They are one of three federally recognized Seneca entities in the United States, the others being the Tonawanda Band of Seneca (also in western Ne ...
and the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
, in which the Seneca relinquished their rights to nearly all of their traditional homeland in
New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. sta ...
—nearly 3.5 million acres. In the 1788
Phelps and Gorham Purchase The Phelps and Gorham Purchase was the purchase in 1788 of of land in what is now western New York State from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for $1,000,000 ( £300,000), to be paid in three annual installments, and the pre-emptive right to th ...
, the
Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian Peoples, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Indigenous confederations in North America, confederacy of First Nations in Canada, First Natio ...
had previously sold rights to their land between Seneca Lake and the
Genesee River The Genesee River is a tributary of Lake Ontario flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York in the United States. The river provided the original power for the Rochester area's 19th century mills and still provides h ...
. The Treaty of Big Tree signed away their rights to all their territory west of the Genesee River except ten small tracts of land for $100,000 and other considerations (roughly $5 billion in 2020 dollars, in relation to GDP.) The money was not paid directly to the tribe, but was to be invested in
shares In financial markets, a share is a unit of equity ownership in the capital stock of a corporation, and can refer to units of mutual funds, limited partnerships, and real estate investment trusts. Share capital refers to all of the shares of ...
of the Bank of the United States, and to be paid out to the Senecas in annual earnings of up to six percent, or $6,000 a year, on the bank
stock In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a compan ...
.


History

The delegates for both parties met from August 20, 1797 until September 16, 1797 at the residence of William Wadsworth, an early pioneer of the area and captain of the local militia, in what is now Geneseo, New York. A meadow between Wadsworth's cabin and the gigantic oak by the river was the site of the conference. In attendance were nearly 3000 Seneca and other prominent members of the Six Nations of the Iroquois. Representing them were their ''hoyaneh'' chiefs:
Cornplanter John Abeel III (born between 1732 and 1746–February 18, 1836), known as Gaiänt'wakê (''Gyantwachia'' – "the planter") or Kaiiontwa'kon (''Kaintwakon'' – "By What One Plants") in the Seneca language and thus generally known as Cornplant ...
,
Red Jacket Red Jacket (known as ''Otetiani'' in his youth and ''Sagoyewatha'' eeper Awake''Sa-go-ye-wa-tha'' as an adult because of his oratorical skills) (c. 1750–January 20, 1830) was a Seneca orator and chief of the Wolf clan, based in Western New York ...
, Young King, Little Billy,
Farmer's Brother Honayawas or Farmer's Brother (c. 1730 – 1814) was a Seneca Chief, active member of the Six Nations, elected War Chief, translator, and noted orator who fought and negotiated with both the United States and British before, during, and after the A ...
,
Handsome Lake Handsome Lake ( Cayuga language: Sganyadái:yo, Seneca language: Sganyodaiyo) (Θkanyatararí•yau• in Tuscarora) (1735 – 10 August 1815) was a Seneca religious leader of the Iroquois people. He was a half-brother to Cornplanter, a Seneca ...
, Tall Chief,
Little Beard Little Beard or Si-gwa-ah-doh-gwih ("Spear Hanging Down") (died 1806), was a Seneca chief who participated in the American Revolutionary War on the side of Great Britain. After the war, he became reconciled with the outcome and continued to resid ...
and others; the clan mothers of the nation; and Mary Jemison. Those in attendance representing the United States were:
Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...
Jeremiah Wadsworth Jeremiah Wadsworth (July 12, 1743 – April 30, 1804) was an American sea captain, merchant, and statesman from Hartford, Connecticut who profited from his position as a government official charged with supplying the Continental Army. He r ...
, Commissioner, who was assigned by President
George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
to represent the
United States government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a feder ...
; Captain Charles Williamson and Thomas Morris, representing his father; Robert Morris; General
William Shepard William Shepard (Contemporary records, which used the Julian calendar and the Annunciation Style of enumerating years, recorded his birth as November 20, 1737. The provisions of the British Calendar (New Style) Act 1750, implemented in 1752, ...
, representing
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
;
William Bayard William Bayard (21 August 1814 – 17 December 1907) was a distinguished physician in New Brunswick. He was the son of Dr. Robert Bayard, also a noted physician and author. Bayard was born in Kentville, Nova Scotia, and received his medical tra ...
, representing
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
; Captain Israel Chapin, representing the
Department of Indian Affairs Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
; ; and James Rees as acting secretary. The official interpreters were Horatio Jones and Jasper Parrish. Also in attendance were representatives of the
Holland Land Company The Holland Land Company was an unincorporated syndicate of thirteen Dutch investors from Amsterdam who in 1792 and 1793 purchased the western two-thirds of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase, an area that afterward was known as the Holland Purchas ...
including
William Bayard William Bayard (21 August 1814 – 17 December 1907) was a distinguished physician in New Brunswick. He was the son of Dr. Robert Bayard, also a noted physician and author. Bayard was born in Kentville, Nova Scotia, and received his medical tra ...
,
Joseph Ellicott Joseph Ellicott (November 1, 1760 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania – August 19, 1826 in New York City) was an American surveyor, city planner, land office agent, lawyer and politician of the Quaker faith. Life Ellicott was born in Bucks Co ...
(
surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ...
),
John Lincklaen John Lincklaen (24 December 1768 – 9 February 1822) was the founder of Cazenovia, New York. Lincklaen was the Resident Land Agent for the Holland Land Company in Cazenovia, New York, and later the owner and sales agent for the same tracts. A b ...
, Gerrit Boon, Jan Gabriel van Staphorst and Roelof Van Staphorst. All of the treaty delegates for the United States were housed in William's
log cabin A log cabin is a small log house, especially a less finished or less architecturally sophisticated structure. Log cabins have an ancient history in Europe, and in America are often associated with first generation home building by settlers. Eur ...
and new cobblestone house. A council house was erected by the Seneca, and proceedings were held there. The treaty was signed on September 16, 1797, after nearly a month of often heated back-and-forth negotiations. Following negotiations, Robert Morris requested the $100,000 principal revert to his heirs if “the Seneca nation” should ever “become extinct”. The presiding secretaries of Treasury and
State State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...
denied his request. This treaty is substantial as it opened up the rest of the territory west of the
Genesee River The Genesee River is a tributary of Lake Ontario flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York in the United States. The river provided the original power for the Rochester area's 19th century mills and still provides h ...
for settlement and established ten reservations, perpetual
annuities In investment, an annuity is a series of payments made at equal intervals.Kellison, Stephen G. (1970). ''The Theory of Interest''. Homewood, Illinois: Richard D. Irwin, Inc. p. 45 Examples of annuities are regular deposits to a savings account, m ...
and hunting and fishing rights for the Seneca in
Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY i ...
.


Namesake

The treaty was signed in present-day village of
Geneseo, New York Geneseo is a town in Livingston County in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. It is at the south end of the five-county Rochester Metropolitan Area. The population of the town was 10,483 at the 2010 census. The English nam ...
. At the time of the treaty's signing, this area was known as Big Tree because the area had multiple enormous oak trees standing on otherwise bare fields. One particularly large oak tree positioned on the bank of the
Genesee River The Genesee River is a tributary of Lake Ontario flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York in the United States. The river provided the original power for the Rochester area's 19th century mills and still provides h ...
in Geneseo was also known as the Big Tree. The prolific size of the tree made it well known in the area. The proximity of the conference to the town of Big Tree and the Big Tree itself gave the treaty its name. Following the signing of the treaty, the Big Tree became a popular sightseeing destination for white settlers as a symbol of the land acquired from the Senecas from the treaty. The Big Tree was washed from the banks of the river and carried into
Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border sp ...
in late 1857 as the result of a flood. Earlier that year, the trunk of the tree was measured as having a
circumference In geometry, the circumference (from Latin ''circumferens'', meaning "carrying around") is the perimeter of a circle or ellipse. That is, the circumference would be the arc length of the circle, as if it were opened up and straightened out ...
of 26 feet and 9 inches. The Livingston County Historical Society Museum in
Geneseo, New York Geneseo is a town in Livingston County in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. It is at the south end of the five-county Rochester Metropolitan Area. The population of the town was 10,483 at the 2010 census. The English nam ...
houses a restored section of the last remaining remnant of the supposed Big Tree.


Seneca Nation reservations

The following reservations were guaranteed by the treaty: * Along the
Genesee River The Genesee River is a tributary of Lake Ontario flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York in the United States. The river provided the original power for the Rochester area's 19th century mills and still provides h ...
, the former Seneca heartland * Western New York The treaty left the exact location and sizes of the Buffalo Creek and Tonawanda Creek reservations undefined. In October, 1798,
Augustus Porter Augustus S. Porter (January 18, 1769 – June 10, 1849) was an American businessman, judge, farmer, and politician who served as an Assemblyman for the state of New York. Early life Augustus Porter was born in Salisbury, Litchfield County, Conne ...
, acting on behalf of
Joseph Ellicott Joseph Ellicott (November 1, 1760 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania – August 19, 1826 in New York City) was an American surveyor, city planner, land office agent, lawyer and politician of the Quaker faith. Life Ellicott was born in Bucks Co ...
and the Holland Land Company, conducted a survey of the area. He fixed the boundaries and defined the extent of the Buffalo Creek Reservation at . In the course of the survey he caused the northwest corner of the tract to be bent so that the mouth of Buffalo Creek would be outside the reservation.


See also

* Treaty of Fort Stanwix (1784) *
Treaty of Canandaigua The Treaty of Canandaigua (or Konondaigua, as spelled in the treaty itself) also known as the Pickering Treaty and the Calico Treaty, is a treaty signed after the American Revolutionary War between the Iroquois#Government, Grand Council of the Si ...
* Treaties of Buffalo Creek * Six Nations land cessions


References


Sources

* *"Red Jacket; Iroquois Diplomat and Orator", by Christopher Densmore, Syracuse University Press, 1999 *"Robert Morris and the Treaty of Big Tree", by Norman B. Wilkinson, Organization of American Historians, 1953 *"The Wadsworths of the Genesee", by Alden Hatch, Goward-McCann, Inc., New York 1959 *Laurence M. Hauptman, ''Conspiracy of Interests: Iroquois Dispossession and the Rise of New York State'' (2001).


External links


Treaty of Big Tree

1804 map of the Holland Land Company purchase showing reservations deeded by the Treaty of Big Tree
{{DEFAULTSORT:Treaty Of Big Tree Big Tree 1797 treaties Aboriginal title in New York 1797 in New York (state) 1797 in the United States