An Inventory of the Joint Committee on Indian Affairs (Society of Friends : Hicksite) Records, 1836-1850
General International Standard for Archival Description
Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. Swarthmore, Pennsylvania 19081-1399 U.S.A.
Text converted and initial EAD tagging provided by Apex Data Services, December 2000.
Encoded Archival Description
Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
collection
Records, 1836-1850
Joint Committee on Indian Affairs of the Four Yearly Meetings of Genesee, Baltimore, New York and Philadelphia.
Biographical History for: Records, 1836-1850
BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL NOTE The Indian Committees of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Genesee Yearly Meetings (Hicksite) united in 1838 to protect the Seneca Indians from the Ogden Land Company, which was trying to buy their land. The Joint Committee was convinced that the Indians had been bribed to sign the treaty agreeing to cede their New York lands. They gathered evidence and sent it to President Van Buren. However the Senate ratified the treaty by which the Senecas had agreed to sell their land, and the only recourse of the Friends was public opinion. They issued a great many pamphlets setting forth the facts of the case, including a book, The Case of the Seneca Indians, published in 1840. In 1842 a conference was held between the Secretary of War, agents of the Ogden Land Company, and a delegation of Friends. As a result, the Ogden Co. agreed to a supplemental treaty giving the Senecas title to reservations at Cattaraugus and Allegheny. In 1846 a small party of Senecas emigrated west. They soon found themselves in need and appealed to their tribe in New York, who in turn appealed to the Friends. In 1848 Joseph Walton and his family went to Cattaraugus to continue the work of the Female Manual Labor School and to get the farm ready to turn over to the Indians. By 1849 the active work of the Friends with the Senecas ended, and the Joint Committee dissolved in 1850. The Secretary of the committee was Benjamin Ferris of Philadelphia and the members in 1840 included Philip E. Thomas, William E. Bartlett, Jacob Lafetra and Phineas Janney of Baltimore, Griffith M. Cooper of Genesee, Abraham Bell, Thomas Carpenter, Samuel Smith and Dobel Baker of New York, and William Wharton, Joseph Warner, John H. Bunting and George M. Justice of Philadelphia.
SCOPE AND CONTENT OF THE RECORDS This collection contains papers relating to the joint committee of representatives, including correspondence chiefly concerning the ceding of Seneca lands in New York by treaty under questionable circumstances. Correspondents include Benjamin Ferris (1780-1867).
Indians of North America -- Government relations -- 1789-1869
Indians of North America -- Land transfers
Indians of North America -- New York (State)
Indians of North America -- Treaties
Real Property -- New York (State)
Seneca Indians -- Government relations -- 1789-1869
Seneca Indians -- Land transfers
Seneca Indians -- New York (State)
Quakers -- Indians of North America
Quakers -- Seneca Indians -- Treaties
Seneca Indians -- Treaties
Treaties
Ferris, Benjamin, 1780-1867
Baltimore Yearly Meeting of Friends (Hicksite : 1828-1968). Committee on Indian Concerns.
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of Friends (Hicksite : 1827-1955). Indian Committee (1837-1850)
Genesee Yearly Meeting of Friends
New York Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Hicksite : 1828-1955). Indian Committee
Joint Committee on Indian Affairs (Society of Friends : Hicksite)
series
Ser. 1. Correspondence, 1839-1849
This series consists of Benjamin Ferris' correspondence: letters addressed to him as Secretary of the Committee and some rough dated 11/4/1839 of letters he sent to the President of the United States and to the Secretary of War. The correspondence is arranged chronologically.
Correspondence
Creation of Correspondence
Time of Creation of Correspondence
Ser. 2. Annual Reports and Extracts from Minutes, 1836-1846
This series consists of hand-written and printed reports of the Joint Committee on Indian Affairs of the Four Yearly Meetings and of the Indian Committees of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, New York Yearly Meeting, and Baltimore Yearly Meeting. Also included are reports of G.M. Cooper on a visit to the Senecas in 1845. The reports and extracts from minutes are arranged chronologically.
Annual Reports and Extracts from Minutes
Creation of Annual Reports and Extracts from Minutes
Time of Creation of Annual Reports and Extracts from Minutes
Ser. 3. List of Indians, 1838
This series consists of a list of those Indians who assented to the treaty concluded at Buffalo Creek.
List of Indians
Ser. 4. Documents on Emigration Question, 1839
This series consists of answers by Indians to the questionnaires on emigration, lists of Chiefs for and against emigration, and statements by Chief's against emigration arranged chronologically.
Documents on Emigration Question
Creation of Documents on Emigration Question
Time of Creation of Documents on Emigration Question
Ser. 5. Memorials of Joint Committee, 1840-1841
This series consists of drafts and printed copies of memorials sent to the President of the United States, to the Senate and House of Representatives, to the Secretary of War, and to the Governor and Council of the State of Massachusetts arranged by name of recipient.
Memorials of Joint Committee
Creation of Memorials of Joint Committee
Time of Creation of Memorials of Joint Committee
Ser. 6. Memorials of Senecas, 1841-1846
This series consists of hand-written copies of memorials sent by the Senecas to the President of the United States, to the Secretary of War and to the Legislature of the State of New York arranged by the name of the recipient.
Memorials of Senecas
Ser. 7. Address from Committee to Seneca Chiefs
This single address from the Committee to the Seneca Chiefs is undated but was evidently written after 1846
Address from Committee to Seneca Chiefs
Ser. 8. Legislative documents, 1839-1845
This series consists of manuscript reports of the Indian Committee of the United States Senate and manuscripts and printed Acts of the New York legislature. These documents are arranged chronologically.
Legislative documents
Creation of Legislative documents
Time of Creation of Legislative documents
Ser. 9. Poster, 1844
This series consists of a poster size public notice signed by Seneca Indians objecting to the Ogden Land Company selling lots in Buffalo Creek Reservation.
Poster
Creation of Poster
Time of Creation of Poster
Ser. 10. Clippings, 1840-1846
This series consists of clippings from contemporary newspapers about the affairs of the Seneca Indians.
Clippings