Custaloga (also known as Kustaloga, Tuscologas, Packanke, or Pakanke) was a

chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boat ...

of the

Wolf Clan The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though grey ...

of the Delaware (

Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...

) tribe in the mid-18th century. He initially supported the French at the beginning of the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

, but after

Pontiac's War Pontiac's War (also known as Pontiac's Conspiracy or Pontiac's Rebellion) was launched in 1763 by a confederation of Native Americans who were dissatisfied with British rule in the Great Lakes region following the French and Indian War (1754– ...

he participated in peace negotiations. He opposed the presence of Catholic missionaries, but later in life he became favorable to the

Moravians Moravians ( or Colloquialism, colloquially , outdated ) are a West Slavs, West Slavic ethnic group from the Moravia region of the Czech Republic, who speak the Moravian dialects of Czech language, Czech or Czech language#Common Czech, Common ...

Captain Pipe Captain Pipe (c. 1725? – c. 1818?) (Lenape), called Konieschquanoheel and also known as Hopocan in Lenape, was an 18th-century Head Peace chief of the Algonquian-speaking Lenape (Delaware) and War Chief 1778+. He succeeded his maternal unc ...

was his nephew and succeeded him as chief.Wellenreuther, Hermann. "The Succession of Head Chiefs and the Delaware Culture of Consent: The Delaware Nation, David Zeisberger, and Modern Ethnography", In A. G. Roeber, ed., ''Ethnographies and Exchanges: Native Americans, Moravians, and Catholics in Early America.'' University Park, Pa.: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2008. 31–48
/ref>

Biography

Birth and early life

Little is known of the early life of Custaloga. Custaloga's family settled in the

Ohio River Valley The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its mouth on the Mississippi River in Cairo, ...

around 1740, and he may have been born there.C. H. Mitchener, ed. ''Ohio Annals: Historic Events in the Tuscarawas and Muskingum Valleys, and in Other Portions of the State of Ohio; Adventures of Post, Heckewelder and Zeisberger; Legends and Traditions of the Kophs, Mound Builders, Red and White Men; Adventures of Putnam and Heckewelder, Founders of the State; Local History, Growth of Ohio in Population, Political Power, Wealth and Intelligence,'' Dayton, OH: Thomas W. Odell, 1876.
/ref> He was born as Packanke into the Wolf Clan of his mother. The Lenape had a

matrilineal Matrilineality, at times called matriliny, is the tracing of kinship through the female line. It may also correlate with a social system in which people identify with their matriline, their mother's lineage, and which can involve the inheritan ...

kinship In anthropology, kinship is the web of social relationships that form an important part of the lives of all humans in all societies, although its exact meanings even within this discipline are often debated. Anthropologist Robin Fox says that ...

system, in which descent and hereditary leadership were passed through the mother's line. Children were born into the mother's clan and gained their social status there. Custaloga was raised among the

Munsee The Munsee () are a subtribe and one of the three divisions of the Lenape. Historically, they lived along the upper portion of the Delaware River, the Minisink, and the adjacent country in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. They were prom ...

division of the Lenape, which until about 1760 was only loosely associated with the Lenape living to the south and east. The Lenape warrior

Keekyuscung Keekyuscung (died 6 August 1763) aka Kickyuscung, Kaquehuston, Kikyuskung, Ketiuscund, Kekeuscund, or Ketiushund, was a Delaware (Lenape) chief. In the 1750s he took part in peace negotiations to end Lenape participation in the French and Indian ...

once told a Pennsylvania trader that Custaloga was half

Mingo The Mingo people are an Iroquoian group of Native Americans, primarily Seneca and Cayuga, who migrated west from New York to the Ohio Country in the mid-18th century, and their descendants. Some Susquehannock survivors also joined them, a ...

.John W. Jordan, ed., "Journal of James Kenny, 1761–1763," ''Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography,'' 37 (1913)
/ref>

Custaloga's Town

Around 1749, when Custaloga was living at Cussewago, (along French Creek, at the present-day site of

Meadville, Pennsylvania Meadville is a city in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The population was 13,050 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The first permanent settlement in Northwestern Pennsylvania, Meadville is withi ...

),Donehoo, George P. ''A History of the Indian Villages and Place Names in Pennsylvania.'' Papamoa Press, 2019
/ref> he established a sizeable village at the confluence of French Creek and North Deer Creek in

Mercer County, Pennsylvania Mercer County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 110,652. Its county seat is Mercer, Pennsylvania, Mercer, and ...

. This town, known as "Custaloga's Town," or sometimes "Ticastoroga,"Clarence M. Busch, ''Report of the Commission to Locate the Site of the Frontier Forts of Pennsylvania,'' Vol. 1, State Printer of Pennsylvania, 1896
/ref> became his principal seat.C. Hale Sipe, ''The Indian chiefs of Pennsylvania, or, A story of the part played by the American Indian in the history of Pennsylvania: based primarily on the Pennsylvania archives and colonial records, and built around the outstanding chiefs.'' Ziegler Printing Co., Inc. Butler, PA, 1927
/ref> The

Seneca Seneca may refer to: People, fictional characters and language * Seneca (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname : :* Seneca the Elder (c. 54 BC – c. AD 39), a Roman rhetorician, writer and father ...

warrior

Guyasuta Guyasuta (c. 1725–c. 1794; , "he stands up to the cross" or "he sets up the cross") was an important Native American leader of the Seneca (tribe), Seneca people in the second half of the eighteenth century, playing a central role in the di ...

is believed to have been buried at Custaloga's Town.

Affliliation with the French

Custaloga's name is first documented in western Pennsylvania's history in July 1753, when Pennsylvania trader

William Trent William Trent (February 13, 1715 – 1787) was an American fur trader and merchant based in the colonial-era Province of Pennsylvania. He was commissioned as a captain of the Virginia Regiment in the early stages of the French and Indian War, wh ...

noted that Custaloga's people were helping the French move their supplies across the

portage Portage or portaging ( CA: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a '' ...

Fort Presque Isle Fort Presque Isle (also Fort de la Presqu'île) was a fort built by French soldiers in summer 1753 along Presque Isle Bay in present-day Erie, Pennsylvania, to protect the northern terminus of the Venango Path. It was the first of the French po ...

.George Washington, "Journey to the French Commandant: Narrative," Founders Online, National Archives. Original source: ''The Diaries of George Washington,'' vol. 1, 11 March 1748 – 13 November 1765, ed. Donald Jackson. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1976, pp. 130–161.
/ref>Hunter, William Albert. ''Forts on the Pennsylvania Frontier: 1753–1758,'' (Classic Reprint). Fb&c Limited, 2018; pp 313-19
/ref> Some of the men at Custaloga's Town relocated to Fort Presque Isle and

Fort LeBoeuf Fort Le Bœuf (often referred to as Fort de la Rivière au Bœuf) was a fort established by the French colonization of the Americas, French during 1753 on a fork of French Creek (Allegheny River), French Creek (in the drainage area of the River O ...

in order to work for the French in return for corn, clothing and muskets.Grimes, Richard S. ''The Western Delaware Indian Nation, 1730–1795: Warriors and Diplomats.'' Lehigh University Press, 2017.
/ref> On August 15, the French decided to occupy the trading post of John Fraser, an English fur trader who had lived there for several years, and who provided British trade goods to the residents of Custaloga's Town. Custaloga assisted the French by capturing and handing over two traders who had just arrived at Fraser's trading post. Fraser and his employee Willson were forced to flee, and 75 French soldiers took over Fraser's cabin, allowing Custaloga to confiscate Fraser's trade goods. Fraser reported that Custaloga was "made a Captain by the French." In his journal of 1753, the 21-year-old

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

describes his arrival at

Logstown The riverside village of Logstown (1726?, 1727–1758) also known as Logg's Town, French: ''Chiningue'' (transliterated to ''Shenango'') near modern-day Baden, Pennsylvania, was a significant Native American settlement in Western Pennsylv ...

in November. Washington persuaded the Lenape chiefs at Logstown that they should side with the British in the event of war, and he recommended that they return strings of wampum that the French had given them as a sign of friendship.C. Hale Sipe, ''The Indian wars of Pennsylvania: an account of the Indian events, in Pennsylvania, of the French and Indian war, Pontiac's war, Lord Dunmore's war, the revolutionary war, and the Indian uprising from 1789 to 1795; tragedies of the Pennsylvania frontier based primarily on the Penna. archives and colonial records,'' Harrisburg: The Telegraph Press, 1929
/ref> At that time, Custaloga was in charge of the

wampum Wampum is a traditional shell bead of the Eastern Woodlands tribes of Native Americans. It includes white shell beads hand-fashioned from the North Atlantic channeled whelk shell and white and purple beads made from the quahog or Western ...

and kept the belts at his home in Custaloga's Town. He was in favor of remaining allied with the French, and when Washington visited him, he initially refused to give up the wampum,Richard S. Grimes, "The emergence and decline of the Delaware Indian nation in western Pennsylvania and the Ohio country, 1730--1795," Doctoral Dissertation, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, 2005
/ref> on the excuse that Shingas had sent no speech for the occasion, and had to be persuaded to do so by

Christopher Gist Christopher Gist (1706–1759) was an explorer, surveyor, and frontiersman active in Colonial America. He was one of the first white explorers of the Ohio Country (the present-day states of Ohio, eastern Indiana, western Pennsylvania, and nort ...

. Washington,

and

Tanacharison Tanacharison (; c. 1700 – 4 October 1754), also called Tanaghrisson (), was a Native American leader who played a pivotal role in the beginning of the French and Indian War. He was known to European-Americans as the "Half-King", a title a ...

took the wampum to the French commander at

but the French would not accept it. In February 1754 Custaloga was sent by the French to visit the construction site of a storehouse, built as preparation for the later construction of

Redstone Old Fort Redstone Old Fort — written as Redstone or Red-Stone Fort or (for a short time when built) Fort Burd — on Nemacolin's Path, the Nemacolin Trail, was the name of the French and Indian War-era wooden fort built in 1759 by Pennsylvania militia ...

for the

Ohio Company The Ohio Company, formally known as the Ohio Company of Virginia, was a land speculation company organized for the settlement by Virginians of the Ohio Country (approximately the present U.S. state of Ohio) and to trade with the Native Ameri ...

. Custaloga reported "a thousand men building a fort there," a significant exaggeration. He also stated that when Trent and his men finished the fort at Red Stone, they planned to "build another at the mouth of that same river," referring to

Fort Prince George Fort Prince George (sometimes referred to as Trent's Fort) was an incomplete fort on what is now the site of Pittsburgh, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The plan to occupy the strategi ...

. Custaloga was reported to have been present, on the French side, at the Battle of Great Meadows in 1754 and at the

Battle of the Monongahela The Battle of the Monongahela (also known as the Battle of Braddock's Field and the Battle of the Wilderness) took place on July 9, 1755, at the beginning of the French and Indian War at Braddock's Field in present-day Braddock, Pennsylvania, ...

in 1755.

French and Indian War

In 1757, Custaloga adopted Christian Hochstetler, a 13-year-old Swiss settler who was taken prisoner after Lenape warriors burned his family's home during the

Hochstetler massacre The Hochstetler massacre was an attack on a farmstead at the Northkill Amish Settlement in September or October 1757, in which three Amish settlers were killed and three others taken into captivity. The attack was one of many assaults by French- ...

on September 19, 1757. In 1762, Christian's father Jacob learned that Christian was living with "King Kastateeloca" and petitioned Governor James Hamilton for assistance in getting his son back.Dan Hochstetler, "The Hochstetler Massacre," Descendents of Jacob Hochstetler website, 2024
/ref> Christian was released after a peace treaty negotiated by Colonel Henry Bouquet in October 1764."Examination of (Jacob) Hochstattler," in Richard MacMaster, Samuel Horst and Robert Ulle, ''Conscience in Crisis: Mennonite and Other Peace Churches in America, 1739-1789, Interpretation and Documents.'' Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2001; pp 125-26
/ref> In July 1757,

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

Father Claude Francis Virot founded a Catholic mission at

Saucunk Saucunk or Sawcunk (also known as Soh-kon, Sacung, Sankonk, Sackum, or Shingas' Town) was a town established by the Lenape and Shawnees. It was the site of a Catholic mission and was visited by Conrad Weiser, Christian Frederick Post and George Cr ...

, and was joined for a brief period by Father Pierre Joseph Antonie Rouboud. Custaloga, known for his dislike of missionaries, reportedly became jealous of Virot's influence over the community, however, and the Jesuit was forced to leave after

Fort Duquesne Fort Duquesne ( , ; originally called ''Fort Du Quesne'') was a fort established by the French in 1754, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers. It was later taken over by the British, and later the Americans, and developed ...

was captured by the British in November, 1758.A. A. Lambing, "Father Virot, A Forgotten Missionary," in ''Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine,'' vol 3, no 1, January 1930. Pittsburgh: Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania
/ref>Joseph M. Bausman, ''History of Beaver County, Pennsylvania and Its Centennial Celebration,'' vol. 1, New York: The Knickerbocker Press, 1904
/ref>Craig Doda, "Native Americans-Early Contact 1600-1771," Historical Marker Database, July 11, 2021
/ref>

Pontiac's War

mentions in his journal that from July 22-24, 1763, during the

Siege of Fort Pitt The siege of Fort Pitt took place during June and July 1763 in what is now the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The siege was a part of Pontiac's War, an effort by Native Americans to remove the Anglo-Americans from the Ohio ...

, "Custaluga" attended a council meeting with " Gray Eyes, Wingenum, Turtle's Heart and Mamaultee." There is some evidence that Custaloga was among the leaders of the Native American forces defeated at the

Battle of Bushy Run The Battle of Bushy Run was fought on August 5–6, 1763, in western Pennsylvania, between a British column under the command of Colonel Henry Bouquet and a combined force of Delaware, Shawnee, Mingo, and Huron warriors. This action occurred d ...

in August 1763.

Postwar negotiations

During the various meetings with Bouquet in 1764, Tamaqua and Custaloga had central roles in mediating peace with the British. Custaloga, Guyasuta, Tamaqua, and Custaloga's brother

Turtleheart Turtleheart (Turtle's Heart or Tortle's Heart, his Unami language, unami name was ''Tahkoxitèh'') was a Delaware (Lenape) principal warrior and chief who lived during the French and Indian Wars, and Pontiac's War. He and Lenape Chief Bemino, Killb ...

met with Bouquet at his camp on the

Muskingum River The Muskingum River ( ; ) is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long, in southeastern Ohio in the United States. An important commercial route in the 19th century, it flows generally southward through the eastern hill country of Ohio ...

on October 17, 1764. Custaloga agreed to the release of eighteen captives. Other Lenape leaders, in particular Killbuck, considered Custaloga to be "an old Woman" for quickly agreeing to peace with Bouquet.Chester Hale Sipe, "The Principal Indian Towns of Western Pennsylvania," ''Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine,'' v. 13, no. 2; April 1, 1930; pp. 104-122
/ref> Custaloga maintained his support for the French, however, as indicated by a report he sent to Pierre de Rigaud, marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnial,

Governor General of New France Governor General of New France was the vice-regal post in New France from 1663 until 1760 and the last French vice-regal post. It was replaced by the British post of Governor of the Province of Quebec following the fall of New France. While t ...

, describing his meeting with Bouquet on December 4, 1764. In his report, transcribed by a French officer and sent under the name "Casteogain," he said that the British apologized for their intrusion into the Ohio Valley and, instead of expecting the captives to be returned, told the chiefs that those captives already adopted or married could remain with them, except for the aged, who would be returned once peace was confirmed. Custaloga also claimed that Bouquet openly requested Lenape assistance in persuading the French to abandon the

Ohio Country The Ohio Country (Ohio Territory, Ohio Valley) was a name used for a loosely defined region of colonial North America west of the Appalachian Mountains and south of Lake Erie. Control of the territory and the region's fur trade was disputed i ...

. It remains unclear whether Custaloga was present at the meeting with Bouquet on December 4, or whether he heard this story from someone else or was, in fact, only telling the French what he thought they wanted to hear. On May 10 1765, Custaloga attended a conference at Fort Pitt, together with Tamaqua,

Netawatwees Netawatwees or King Newcomer (c. 1686–1776, Lenape) was Sachem (principal Chief) and spiritual leader of the Delaware. His name, meaning "skilled advisor" or "first in council," is spelled in a variety of ways including Netaut Twelement, Na-tau ...

, Wingenund, Guyasuta,

White Eyes White Eyes, named ''Koquethagechton'' (c. 1730 – 5 November 1778), was Chief Sachem of the Lenape (Delaware) people in the Ohio Country during the era of the American Revolution. Sometimes known as George White Eyes, or Captain Grey Eyes al. Si ...

, Captain Pipe, and other chiefs of the western tribes, for the purpose of resuming trade relations between Pennsylvania and the Lenape after the end of

. Since Custaloga had aided

Pontiac Pontiac most often refers to: * Pontiac (Odawa leader) ( – 1769), Native American war chief *Pontiac (automobile), a former General Motors brand Pontiac may also refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality ** Apo ...

in his rebellion, the

Iroquois Confederacy The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...

sent the

sachem Sachems and sagamores are paramount chiefs among the Algonquians or other Native American tribes of northeastern North America, including the Iroquois. The two words are anglicizations of cognate terms (c. 1622) from different Eastern Alg ...

Garistagee to live at Custaloga's Town, to maintain a watchful eye on Custaloga. By this time the Confederacy seemed to believe they had a kind of overlordship over the Lenape.

Relations with missionaries

Zeisberger preaching to the Indians LCCN2003663983

In 1769, Custaloga brought a small group of

s from the

Cuyahoga River The Cuyahoga River (see ) is a river located in Northeast Ohio that bisects the City of Cleveland and feeds into Lake Erie. As Cleveland emerged as a major manufacturing center, the river became heavily affected by industrial pollution, so mu ...

Valley to settle at the former site of

Kuskusky Kuskusky, also known as the Kuskuskies Towns, Kuskuskie Towns, or Kuskuskies' Indian Town, with a wide variety of other spellings, were several Native American communities inhabited near New Castle, Mahoning, and Edinburg, Pennsylvania, and Yo ...

, abandoned since 1759, probably in order to be near the English trading post at Pittsburgh. The growing influence of the Moravian missionaries at Freidensstadt caused many Munsees to relocate there, creating conflict in Custaloga's community.Michael N. McConnell, "Kuskusky Towns and Early Western Pennsylvania Indian History," ''Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography,'' 116:33-58
/ref> In 1770, Custologa's friend Glikhikan, a former warrior who served as a speaker for the Lenape community at Kuskusky, decided to confront the Moravian missionaries about their teachings, which he wanted to refute. He went to the Moravian mission at Friedensstadt and listened to

David Zeisberger David Zeisberger (April 11, 1721 – November 17, 1808) was a Moravian clergyman and missionary among the Native American tribes who resided in the Thirteen Colonies. He established communities of Munsee (Lenape) converts to Christianity in the ...

, planning to dispute the missionary's doctrine, but found himself persuaded that Zeisberger was telling the truth. He returned to Custaloga and announced that he planned to move to Friedensstadt, where he was eventually baptized. Custaloga was initially angry, but when other Lenape chose to move to Friedensstadt, his opinion of the missionaries grew more favorable.Loskiel, George Henry. ''The History of the Moravian Mission Among the Indians in North America: From Its Commencement to the Present Time. with a Preliminary Account of the Indians.'' London: T. Allman, 1838
/ref> Shortly after this, he took Zeisberger to the valley surrounding the Beaver River, where the Lenape owned a large tract of open land, to which Zeisberger was given access. The Moravians established a town there which eventually became

Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania Beaver Falls is a city in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 9,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located 31 miles (50 km) northwest of Pittsburgh, the city lies along the Beaver River (Pennsylvan ...

. Soon afterwards, a dispute erupted among the Lenape over the growing number of Christian converts in Lenape communities, which sometimes led to conflicts as the Christians were opposed to the use of alcohol and objected to some traditional customs. At a Grand Council meeting in 1771, it was proposed that the Christians move to separate communities in the Ohio Valley. Custaloga opposed this, but eventually many Christian Lenape relocated to new communities on the

Tuscarawas River The Tuscarawas River is a principal tributary of the Muskingum River, 129.9 miles (209 km) long, in northeastern Ohio in the United States. Via the Muskingum and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining ...

and the

in eastern Ohio. In April 1771,

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

began killing large numbers of Lenape. Custaloga argued that witchcraft had caused the epidemic and that "by embracing Christianity the contagion would cease." He even recommended that the Moravian preachers be adopted as full-fledged Lenape, and told his own children to listen to the missionaries when they preached.Zeisberger, David; Hermann Wellenreuther and Carola Wessel, ed. ''The Moravian Mission Diaries of David Zeisberger''. University Park, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2005.
In 1774, Netawatwees sent Custaloga a message, asking him to convert to Christianity: "You and I are both old and know not how long we shall live. Therefore, let us do a good work before we depart, and leave a testimony to our children and posterity, that we have received the word of God. Let this be our last will and testament." Custaloga's son Eschenanahunt was baptized Isaac in 1775.

Later life and succession

By late 1773 at a conference of Indian nations at Fort Pitt, the tribe was discussing the succession of the aging principal chief,

George Croghan George Croghan (c. 1718 – August 31, 1782) was an Kingdom of Ireland, Irish-born fur trader in the Ohio Country of North America (current United States) who became a key early figure in the region. In 1746 he was appointed to the Onondaga Cou ...

, sub-agent to

Sir William Johnson Major-General Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet ( – 11 July 1774), was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Ireland known for his military and governance work in British colonial America. As a young man, Johnson moved to t ...

, the Superintendent of Indian Relations, and Seneca representatives reported to Johnson about the debate. They wrote that Chief Custaloga was too old to replace Netwawatwees when that should become necessary. In January 1774, during a conference of the Six Indian Nations of the

Johnson Hall Johnson Hall State Historic Site was the home of Sir William Johnson (1715–1774) an Irish pioneer who became the influential British Superintendent of Indian Affairs in the Province of New York, known for his strong relationship especially ...

near present-day

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

, Croghan announced that Custaloga was to be succeeded as chief by his nephew

, a noted war leader who had been nominated by Custaloga himself. Following this date little is recorded about Custaloga. On May 1, 1774 a message was sent to Custaloga and various other Delaware leaders, apologizing for the Yellow Creek Massacre, and Custaloga replied from Custaloga's Town on May 16.Iscrupe, William L.., Rupp, Israel Daniel., Iscrupe, Shirley G. M.. ''Early History of Western Pennsylvania.'' Southwest Pennsylvania Genealogical Services, 1989.
/ref> On October 14, "King Custalogo" was among Native American leaders who met with

Lord Dunmore Earl of Dunmore is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. The title Earl of Dunmore was created in 1686 for Lord Charles Murray, son of John Murray, 1st Marquess of Atholl. The title passed down through generations, with various earls serving ...

Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...

. After this, some sources think he moved to Custalogas Town, Ohio, then perhaps returned to

. In February 1778, Custaloga's sister (the mother of Captain Pipe) was killed at Kuskusky during the Squaw Campaign of General Edward Hand. On November 29 1778, Colonel James Smith led 400 troops on the French Creek Expedition from Fort Pitt to Custaloga's Town, but found it evacuated. Custaloga may have died as early as 1775.

Legacy and honors

*Custaloga was a name given to a railroad station at the junction of the

Lorain, Ashland & Southern Railroad The Lorain, Ashland, and Southern Railroad Railway Equipment and Publication CompanyThe Official Railway Equipment Register June 1917, p. 456 operated from 1914 to 1925 between Lorain, Ohio, and Custaloga, Ohio. It was a consolidation of the Ash ...

and

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR), legal name as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy," was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its ...

Wayne County, Ohio Wayne County is a county located in the northeastern quadrant of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 116,894. Its county seat is Wooster. The county is named for General "Mad" Anthony Wayne. Wayne County com ...

(1897-1925). *A

Boy Scout A Scout, Boy Scout, Girl Scout or, in some countries, a Pathfinder is a participant in the Scout Movement, usually aged 10–18 years, who engage in learning scoutcraft and outdoor and other special interest activities. Some Scout organizatio ...

camp, Custaloga Town Scout Reservation,Custaloga Town Scout Reservation website
/ref> is named for him and located at the former site of Custaloga's village along French Creek in French Creek Township, Mercer County, Pennsylvania. *Chief Pakanke is mentioned on a historical marker in

Beaver, Pennsylvania Beaver is a borough in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is located near the confluence of the Beaver and Ohio rivers, approximately northwest of Pittsburgh. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,438. ...

, in relation to his expulsion of Catholic Missionaries from Saukunk.

References

{{s-end People from colonial Pennsylvania Lenape people Indigenous people of Pontiac's War Indigenous people of the French and Indian War Native American people from Pennsylvania History of Pennsylvania 18th-century Native American leaders Native American history of Pennsylvania