Northampton County PA Archives History - Books .....Indian Massacres 1920
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  Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 November 12, 2008, 11:43 pm
  
  Book Title: History Of Northampton County
  
  CHAPTER VII 
  INDIAN MASSACRES
  
      Though the Indians had been treated fairly by William Pcnn, it cannot be
  denied that in numerous instances, besides being cheated by the traders, they
  were in many cases abused by the settlers. The treaty of 1732 with the Delawares
  had hardly been accomplished when the Governor of Pennsylvania realized that the
  Six Nations must be placated. Two weeks after the signing of the deed with the
  Delawares, another deed was executed with the Six Nations, covering all their
  claims to the land drained by the Delaware river and south of the Blue
  Mountains. Previous to this date the Six Nations had never laid any claim to
  lands on the lower Delaware. This deed established the Iroquois' claim to all
  the lands owned by the Delaware Indians. The latter tribe never acknowledged the
  justice of the "Walking Purchase," it being contrary to their understanding of
  the original treaty. The English, to gain their point, held a conference with
  the Six Nations in 1742, to which the Delawares were extended an invitation. The
  latter were disheartened by the Iroquois orator Canarsatego, who assured the
  governor that the Delawares had misbehaved in continuing their claim and
  refusing to remove from land on the Delaware river, notwithstanding their
  ancestors had sold and deeded it for a valuable consideration to the Proprietors
  upwards of fifty years ago. The speaker condemned the Delawares as unruly
  people, that they should be chastised and in future quit the lands already sold
  to the English. The Delawares were given no opportunity to defend themselves,
  and sullenly withdrew to brood over the insult received and the wrongs they
  contended that had been perpetrated on them.
  
      The agent of the English, who consummated plans for the welfare of the
  province of Pennsylvania, was Conrad Weiser, whose full name was John Conrad
  Weiser. He was the son of John Conrad and Anna Magdalena (Ultele) Weiser. The
  Weiser family for generations resided at Gross-Aspach, County of Backnang, Duchy
  of Wurttemberg, Germany, where father and son had held the office of
  "Schuldheisz," or chief magistrate. The younger Weiser was born November 2,
  1696, and accompanied his father when the latter in 1709 emigrated with his
  family to America, locating in the province of New York. Four years later, when
  Conrad was only seventeen years of age, he paid a visit to the Six Nations, with
  whom he remained eight months and became familiar with their language and
  habits. As early as 1721 Conrad Weiser had taken a conspicuous place in
  provincial affairs, and for some ten years he stood between the Indians and
  English. He removed to Pennsylvania in 1729, locating at Tulpehockcn, one-half
  mile east of Womelsdorf. His appointment as the official interpreter of
  Pennsylvania and head of its Indian Bureau took place in 1732. In discharge of
  his duties of that office he arranged and satisfied many important treaties with
  the Indians. In 1742 he was commissioned as a justice of peace for Lancaster
  county, and after the erection of Bucks county in 1752, was the first judge of
  its courts, a position he held until his death, July 13, 1760.
  
      At the breaking out of the French and Indian war the necessity of an Indian
  alliance became apparent. The French had already secured the aid of the
  Shawnees, while Sir William Johnson had gained the assistance of the Mohawks.
  The other tribes of the Six Nations and the Delawares were still wavering in
  their alliance. There was a deadly hatred and enmity between the Delawares and
  the Cayugas, Onondagas and Oneidas, and no one knew better than Conrad Weiser
  that the existing differences must be placated. Both contending forces respected
  and trusted him; he knew the weakness of the Delawares, a conquered nation, and
  the strength of the Six Nations; that the forthcoming strife between the English
  and French must take place in the territory commanded by the Iroquois, and
  without their assistance the result would be unfavorable to the English. Weiser
  was not blind to the fact that an alliance with the Six Nations would breed
  hostility of the Delawares that would lead to death and destruction to the white
  settlers of Pennsylvania. Therefore, with his vast knowledge and experience, he
  was instrumental in obtaining the great treaty at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in
  1744, by which the Six Nations won and the Delawares thrown over and lost.
  
      The treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, signed in 1749, nominally closed the war
  between England and France, but failed to establish the boundaries between the
  respective colonies in America. The efforts to enlarge these boundaries were of
  constant irritation. In the spring of 1754 the French again began warlike
  demonstrations, which was followed by the defeat of General Brad-dock in the
  following y\ar. When the storm actually burst upon the province of Pennsylvania
  it was found to be totally unprepared. The Delaware Indians, in obedience to the
  orders of their masters, the Six Nations, had been forced to occupy the
  territory some distance north of the Blue Mountains, stretching from the
  Susquehanna to the Delaware river. Their principal villages were at Shamokin,
  near the present site of Sunbury, Pennsylvania, and were strung along to the
  east at various points in the Wyoming district. Naturally, hostilities started
  in the vicinity of Shamokin. The inhabitants of Penn's creek, in the upper part
  of Cumberland county, on October 16, 1755, were attacked by the Indians, and
  twenty-five men, women and children were killed and scalped. The Indian
  depredations extended eastward. Passing through Swatara Gap and at what is now
  Pine Grove, they massacred George Everhart and his family.
  
      The outbreak of the Indian hostilities fell heavily on Indian converts to
  the Christian religion. The whites looked on them with an evil eve, especially
  the Scotch-Irish Presbyterians. The Moravians, in their efforts to Christianize
  these Indians, were strenuously opposed by the Scotch-Irish Presbyterians, who
  displayed considerable fanaticism. They professed to believe that the Indians
  were the Canaanites of the Western World, and that God's command to Joshua to
  destroy held good with regard to the American Indians. Therefore these men were
  always ready to exterminate the red man, regardless of age or sex. Toward the
  Christian Indians their greatest animosity was shown, and these poor,
  inoffensive people were murdered whenever an opportunity presented itself. The
  Moravian experienced less difficulty in taming these savages than the government
  did in subduing the Scotch-Irish, who, discovering the weakness of the
  government, formed themselves into lawless, armed bands, murdering the Indians
  wherever they were to be found. There appeared, however, on the horizon a cloud
  at first not large, which was destined to burst on the white settlers with
  desolation and terror. Through the summer and early fall of 1755 there were
  whispers of alarming disaffection among the Indians. The air became pregnant of
  forebodings; and, like a thunderbolt, on the morning of November 25, 1755,
  couriers traversed the lower settlements, announcing a savage massacre on
  Mahoning creek. The hate and revenge of the Indians had at last culminated, and
  their onslaught fell on the Moravian brethren at Gnadenhutton. The mission-house
  was attacked on the evening of November 24th by the French Indians, the house
  was burnt, and eleven of the inhabitants murdered. The alarm was heralded by the
  uncommon barking of dogs, and when Brother Senseman went out of the back door to
  learn the cause of the disturbance he was confronted by the Indians with their
  guns ready, and they opened fire, instantly killing Martin Nitchman. His wife
  and some others were wounded, and fled to the garret for safety. The Indians,
  after making unsuccessful efforts to burst open the door of the garret, fired
  the building. The terrorized inmates jumped from the roof in their attempt to
  make their escape, but most of them were burned alive. The Indian congregation
  at Gnadenhutton hearing the report of the guns and seeing the flames and
  learning the dreadful cause from those who escaped, immediately went to the
  rescue and offered to attack the savage Indians. They were, however, advised to
  the contrary by the Moravian brethren, and fled to the woods, and Gnadenhutton
  was deserted.
  
      Fearful of the vengeance of the whites, the Indians, after committing these
  outrages, fled to the forests. The surviving brethren, with their women,
  children and the settlers, sought refuge at Bethlehem and other parts of the
  county.
  
      There was a lull for a few days, when the Indians on the morning of December
  10, 1755, attacked the plantation of Daniel Brodhead, near the mouth of
  Brodhcad's creek, in the town of Smithfield, and not far from the present site
  of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Brodhead and his sons repelled the Indians'
  attack, but the latter, proceeding to the houses of other settlers in the
  vicinity, attacked them, burning their buildings and murdering many of the
  people. The authorities promptly dispatched military companies to the scene of
  the disaster, and in less than a month over five hundred men were armed and
  actively engaged in the defense of the settlers. A line of stockades was built
  along the Northampton frontier, and Colonel (afterwards Doctor) Benjamin
  Franklin was commissioned by the governor of Pennsylvania to take charge of
  their erection, as well as the entire line of operations. The Indians continued
  their marauding all along the northern settlements, and in one of their attacks
  inflicted a heavy loss on Captain Hay's company of rangers.
  
      Colonel Franklin arrived at Bethlehem December 18, 1755. The white settlers
  were terrified by the defeat of Captain Hay's company, and the roads were filled
  with refugees fleeing to the more thickly populated settlements. The advent of
  Colonel Franklin with his imposing military array and the erection of his cordon
  of forts, or else the magnitude of the atrocities they had committed, seemed to
  appease the desire of the savages for further revenge or murder. The governor
  asked the Indians to meet his friends and advisers at Easton the following July,
  and to this proposition the copper-colored warriors assented.
  
  
  Additional Comments:
  
  Extracted from:
  
  History of Northampton County
  [PENNSYLVANIA]
  and
  The Grand Valley of the Lehigh
  Under Supervision and Revision of 
  WILLIAM J. HELLER
  
  Assisted by AN ADVISORY BOARD OF EDITORS
  VOLUME I
  1920 
  THE AMERICAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY
  HOSTON    NEW YORK     CHICAGO
  
  
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