Header img
Beyond Penn's Treaty

Committee on Indian Concerns Scrapbook

Page out of 220

No. 2

Some of the young men have acquired a
little knowledge of the Mechanic branches,
which they apply for their own convenience,
but they depend on the culture of the soil
for support. In both settlements there
are about 50 children of an age suitable
to attend school. There is a day school
taught by a female, that has been in oper-
ation about six months, with about 30
children, of both sexes, including 16 adults.
Also a first day school of pupils, from the
ages of 6 to 55 which promises to be useful
to both the old & young. The education
of these people has been very much neg-
lected. When about to leave their settlements
they deputed one of their number, who
could speak broken english, to call
upon me & inform me on behalf of the
rest, that they were much pleased with
my visit. That it reminded them of
those days, when Friends labored among them,
and that they had often been sorry that
Friends left them; but they could not blame
them, for Indian so slow to give up the custom
of their ancestors.

The Onondagas

in Onondaga County
number about 300 and occupy a tract of land
about 3 1/2 miles square, which is held in common
each having the privalege to improve, as much
as he shall have cause for, on any part of
the reservation; but not to encroach on his
neighbors possession. Their farms are estim-
ated, from 5 to 300 Acres, most of which appear
to be under pretty good cultivation, they have
some few Orchards, and they raise several kinds
of grain, and vegetables in use in that section.