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Sholan (died 1654) (also known as Nashawhonan, Nashoonan, Shawanon, and Showanon) was the leader (sachem) of the Nashaway tribe who lived on small hill between the two Waushacum Lakes in what is now
Sholan (died 1654) (also known as Nashawhonan, Nashoonan, Shawanon, and Showanon) was the leader (sachem) of the Nashaway tribe who lived on small hill between the two Waushacum Lakes in what is now Sterling, Massachusetts
Sterling is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 7,985 at the 2020 census.
History
Previous to its incorporation, it was "the Second Parish of Lancaster." It was commonly called by a portion of its In ...
.
Bypassing Willard's trading post in Concord, Sholan often visited Thomas King's trading post at Watertown to sell pelt
A fur is a soft, thick growth of hair that covers the skin of almost all mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an ...
s, and developed a friendship with King. In 1641 or 1642 Sholan recommended that King move to the Nashua Valley, likely to make it easier for the Nashaway to transport goods and to protect the Nashaway's position from encroachment by others. In 1643 Sholan sold King and others in the Nashway Company an eighty-mile square tract of land, which became the towns of Lancaster
Lancaster may refer to:
Lands and titles
*The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire
*Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies
*Duke of Lancaster
*Earl of Lancaster
*House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty
...
, Berlin, Boylston, Bolton
Bolton ( , locally ) is a town in Greater Manchester in England. In the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, Bolton is between Manchester, Blackburn, Wigan, Bury, Greater Manchester, Bury and Salford. It is surrounded by several towns and vill ...
, Sterling, Clinton, and Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...
.
Sholan and several other Nashaway were also remembered for escorting John Eliot on one of his journeys in 1648 Eliot wrote a letter to Edward Winslow
Edward Winslow (18 October 15958 May 1655) was a English Separatist, Separatist and New England political leader who traveled on the ''Mayflower'' in 1620. He was one of several senior leaders on the ship and also later at Plymouth Colony. Both ...
stating:"''Shawanon the great Sachym of Nashawog doth embrace the Gospel, and pray unto God. I have been foure times there this Summer, and there be more people by far, then be amongst us; and sundry of them do gladly hear the word of God, but it is neer 40 miles off, and I can but seldom goe to them; where at they are troubled, and desire I should come oftner, and stay longer when I come.''"Sholan died in October 1654 and was succeeded in office by his nephew Matthew who was chosen after the tribe was advised to do so by John Eliot as encouraged by the Massachusetts authorities, instead of a rival (possibly Shoshanin) who was prone to intoxication. Prior to 1675 Matthew died and was succeeded by Shoshanin who supported
Metacomet
Metacomet (c. 1638 in Massachusetts – August 12, 1676), also known as Pometacom, Metacom, and by his adopted English name King Philip,George Tahanto
George Tahanto (died after 1704) (also known as Sagamore George or Tohanto) was a leader of the Nashaway tribe within the Pennacook confederation in what is now Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Tahanto was the nephew of Sachem Sholan.
Early life ...
, who deeded further land grants to settlers in the area in 1701.
Legacy
Sholan's name is remembered various local landmarks including Sholan Park on Lake Waushacum in Sterling, Sholan Circle in Harvard, and Sholan Farms in Leominster.https://freedomsway.org/place/sholan-farms/ (accessed 3/27/24)References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peter Jethro 1654 deaths 17th-century Native American people Native American leaders Pre-statehood history of Massachusetts People from colonial Massachusetts Native American people from Massachusetts Native American history of Massachusetts