New Collection
The specific purpose of this project is to bring focus to the subject of the Native
American Deeds as recorded in Essex County and also to the Native American
population, which was living here in the 17th Century. Whereas these recorded
instruments cover the geography, now known as Essex County, these
Deeds are offered as an "historic collection". Between
the earliest Indian conveyance (of Nahant, circa 1630) and the last recorded
Indian Deed (second Boxford Deed, circa October 1701) we encounter names of a
number of important people representative of the resident Indian population during
this period. To look at the Deeds without looking at the people is only
half of the story. The Deeds and related material offered here places
the curious at the threshold of a history of our Native Americans who "treated"(i.e.,
traded, negotiated and co-habitated) with the English settlers. Many questions
and answers emerge regarding this relationship.
The Native American Deeds (the documents) are
the heart of this project and are offered in two formats: a facsimile
of the original recording and a verbatim printed translation. From
these documents, we can further explore to learn more about the
location of ancient Indian villages, their migratory life styles
and how they interacted with the English until the land they owned
was no longer their land. To stimulate additional
interest we have cited early maps, taken abstracts from well-written
local histories and well preserved town records and noted archeological
surveys to provide more details to this story.
It has been said by Will LaMoy, former Curator
at the James Phillips Library in Salem, "Essex County is,
if not the most, one of the most historically
documented places in the United States". To offer
a complete collection required locating all Indian Deeds in
the ancient records at the Registry of Deeds. They
then needed to be translated to understand the context in which
they were written and recorded at that point in time. A review
of histories written for Essex County and for each town had
to be completed to glean many scattered facts about our Native
Americans. Review of other contemporary documents written
by specialists subscribing to a variety of disciplines including
archeology, anthropology, and ethno-history rounded out the
research for this project.
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New Significance
As one reads the "Native American Deeds" it is very
clear that the English parties wanted desperately to place in a public record
(namely, the Colonial Court system) written evidence of a transaction with
a Native American(s) whereby, for certain consideration, there was a land deal
consummated and property rights were transferred. Some of these deeds included
language that, as a result of this transaction, the Indians would bring no
harm to the English. This written evidence was to secure the legal interest
in such property for the purchaser. Both parties dated and signed the
document with their respective signature, seal or mark. The legal description
of the property was vague at first, then later more detailed in its description.
There was no repository to record the information in the Indian world. Later
in this project focused attention is given to how the Native Americans understood
what land they owned and the extent of the boundaries. From the beginning of
the Mass. Bay Colony any disputes of legal interests in the land would be resolved
in the English Court system regardless of whether the plaintiff was native
or non-native.
Newly found information associated with this project has created
a solid foundation to raise
these documents to new
heights of historical importance and educational value. Simultaneously,
the research also generated a strong footing to base a new cultural
context for our Native Americans, living in the 17th century,
because it geographically located the villages on lands in Essex
County they claimed as theirs. The Native
American Deeds are just the beginning of a fascination
with the intriguing individuals
who shaped our earliest history. As
we look deeper into the
social structure of that
Native American society, as it evolved to 1600, and then as it
virtually disappeared by 1700, we find real evidence of the interaction
between two very different cultures and which resulted in a drastically
changed landscape.
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Ancient Map
An additional bonus coming out of the research was the discovery of An
Ancient Map/Survey of Merrimack River by John Gardner, reputed to be
drawn between 1639 and 1655. There will be further discussion about the importance
of this map later in this book. It was one of several 17th Century iterations
of the Merrimack River geography resulting from an edict by Governor John Winthrop
and the General Court "to survey the Merrimack River to determine the
northern most reach of the Colony’s patent" (and to using Indian
guides to determine an alternate water transportation route for the fur trade,
diverting southward the trapped furs of Northern New England, away from the
French trading posts in Maine to the East. A special dissertation on this subject
can be found in Appendix.
Teacher's Resource Guide
Ironically, a new mapping technology used at the Registry of Deeds, (referred
to as "GIS" Geographic Information Systems, links computer graphics
to multiple databases) has provided us with a special opportunity to create
a view of history and to show the spatial relationships between the landscapes
of yesterday with their respective landscapes of today. It is hoped that
by combining this technology with that of the Internet and the information
contained herein, it will used as
a teachers resource guide to supplement "Middle
School" local history (and Native American studies) curriculums. It
should also significantly help close the factual gaps in typical history
textbooks, which can't relate to every town's early history.
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New Understanding for Native American Names
It was decided that by using authentic Native American Deeds, an unusual opportunity
is created to learn more about the Indian names and place names that we still
use today such as Cochickiewick, Masconomet, Merrimack, Pentucket, Annisquam,
Saugus, Nahant, Swampscott, Chebacco, Agawam. In addition, the "Native
American Deeds", pulls together facts about a lost culture in a focused
manner, which up to now has been dispersed in libraries throughout the County.
By linking this hard to find information to the "collection" to
the Registry of Deeds Website (salemdeeds.com) it can be easily shared with
all who have interest in this subject. By increasing public access to the "Indian
Deeds" also places these documents on a much higher historically important
plane.
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