A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary JemisonSeaver, James E. (James Everett)
History
A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison
Seaver, James E. (James Everett)
Jemison, Mary, 1743-1833; Seneca Indians
In 1816, Micah Brooks, Esq. of Bloomfield, Ontario county, was
recommended to me (as it was said) by a Mr. Ingles, to be a man of
candor, honesty and integrity, who would by no means cheat me out of a
cent. Mr. Brooks soon after, came to my house and informed me that
he was disposed to assist me in regard to my land, by procuring a
legislative act that would invest me with full power to dispose of it
for my own benefit, and give as ample a title as could be given by any
citizen of the state. He observed that as it was then situated, it was
of but little value, because it was not in my power to dispose of it,
let my necessities be ever so great. He then proposed to take the agency
of the business upon himself, and to get the title of one half of my
reservation vested in me personally, upon the condition that, as a
reward for his services, I would give him the other half.
I sent for my son John, who on being consulted, objected to my going
into any bargain with Mr. Brooks, without the advice and consent of
Mr. Thomas Clute, who then lived on my land and near me. Mr. Clute was
accordingly called on, to whom Mr. Brooks repeated his former statement,
and added, that he would get an act passed in the Congress of the United
States, that would invest me with all the rights and immunities of a
citizen, so far as it respected my property. Mr. Clute, suspecting that
some plan was in operation that would deprive me of my possessions,
advised me to have nothing to say on the subject to Mr. Brooks, till I
had seen Esquire Clute, of Squawky Hill. Soon after this Thomas Clute
saw Esq. Clute, who informed him that the petition for my naturalization
would be presented to the Legislature of this State, instead of being
sent to Congress; and that the object would succeed to his and my
satisfaction. Mr. Clute then observed to his brother, Esq. Clute,
that as the sale of Indian lands, which had been reserved, belonged
exclusively to the United States, an act of the Legislature of New-York
could have no effect in securing to me a title to my reservation, or in
depriving me of my property. They finally agreed that I should sign
a petition to Congress, praying for my naturalization, and for the
confirmation of the title of my land to me, my heirs, &c.
Mr. Brooks came with the petition: I signed it, and it was witnessed
by Thomas Clute, and two others, and then returned to Mr. Brooks, who
presented it to the Legislature of this state at its session in the
winter of 1816-17. On the 19th of April, 1817, an act was passed for
my naturalization, and ratifying and confirming the title of my land,
agreeable to the tenor of the petition, which act Mr. Brooks presented
to me on the first day of May following.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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