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Wheelwright Deed (1629)

Privacy Level: Public (Green)
Date: 17 May 1629 [unknown]
Location: Between the Merrimack and Piscataqua riversmap
Surname/tag: Wheelwright Hilton
Profile manager: Murray Maloney private message [send private message]
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Historical document (disputed). Wheelwright Deed, 17 May 1629.
Note: The provenance of an Indian deed to Mr. Wheelwright et al., dated 1629, has been the subject of much controversy.
From Notable Events in the History of Dover, N.H.
1629 — The "Wheelwright Deed," if authentic, belongs to this period of the town's history. This document, which purports to be dated on the 17th day of May, 1629, conveys to Wheelwright and others all that part of the main land between the Merrimack and Piscataqua rivers, and extending into the country so as to embrace that portion of the State included within a line from the present town of Amherst, and crossing the Merrimack near the falls of Amoskeag, passing through Chester, Nottingham, Barrington and Rochester, and striking the Salmon Falls river about a dozen miles above the Cochecho.
[...]
The Indians reserved to themselves free liberty of fishing, fowling, hunting and planting within these limits. This deed was signed by Passaconaway and three other Indian Chiefs, and duly witnessed and delivered by Edward Hilton, Thomas Wiggin, Ambrose Gibbons and others. It included, as will be seen, all that portion of the State then known to the English settlers, and of which Thomson and others had already received grants from the Crown. That they did not regard it as conflicting with their own rights, but rather as confirming them, is evident from their signatures as witnesses of the transaction.
[..]
From the date of this grant we must undoubtedly reckon the change of Dover from a trading and fishing post to an organized community.
From The History of New Hampshire, Appendix I, Copy of a deed from four Indian sagamores to John Whelewright and others. 1629.
"WHEREAS We the sagamores of Penacook, Pentucket, Squomsquot and Nuchawanack are inclined to have the English inhabit amongst us as they are amongst our countrymen in the Massachusetts Bay; by which means we hope in time to be strengthened against our enemy the Tareteens who yearly doth us damage. Likewise being persuaded that it will be for the good of us and our posterity, &c. To that end have at a general meeting at Squomsquot on Piscattaqua river, We the aforesaid sagamores with a universal consent of our subjects, do covenant and agree with the English as followeth:
[...]
"KNOW know all men by these presents that we Passaconawaye sagamore of Penecook, Runnaawitt sagamore of Pentuckit, Wahangnonawittt sagamore of Squomsquot, and Rowls sagamore of Nuchawanack, for a competent valuation in goods already received... grant, bargain, sell, release, ratify and confirm unto John Wheelwright of the Massachusetts Bay late of England, a minister of the gospel, Augustine Story, Thomas Wite, William Wentworth and Thomas Levet, all of the Massachusetts Bay in New-England... TO HAVE AND TO HOLD the same as their own proper right and interest without the least disturbance, molestation, or trouble of us, our heirs, ..."
Note: The provenance of an Indian deed to Mr. Wheelwright et al., dated 1629, has been the subject of much controversy.
From The Obscure History of Indigenous Exeter
"For thousands of years before the arrival of the English settlers, the Pennacook Abenaki peoples thrived here. The Pennacook led a confederacy of over a dozen tribes across New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maine." [...] "In this paper, I aim to accurately tell the story of the settling of Exeter, describe Exeter’s Native-English relations, and clarify obscure history of the deeds of Exeter." [...] "The settling of Exeter began with two land deeds; the first in May of 1629, and second on April 3rd, 1638. These two deeds were in many ways very similar. " [...] "Why are there two deeds that say nearly the same thing?" [...] "I argue that there were never two deeds—the deed of 1629 is a forgery, a fabricated legal document that roped the Pennacook into a colonial land dispute. There are significant inconsistencies about the grantees and their whereabouts, and the deed’s appearance in conjunction with a 1707 court case gives a likely explanation for the forgery. " [...] "Gaps are not uncommon in early colonial history. But the information we have is not merely limited, it simply does not align; there are uncertainties concerning the grantees’ whereabouts in 1629, their whereabouts after the deed, details about their identities, and whether some of the grantees truly existed. " [...] "A full consideration of this case clearly demonstrates the manipulation of Indigenous peoples in intra- and inter-colonial land claim battles and power struggles, a recurring theme across indigenous homelands in the Northeast." [...] "The obscure nature and probable forgery involved in the 1629 Wheelwright deed and the broader settling of the town of Exeter demonstrates how the Pennacook peoples were roped into a system of colonial disputes and manipulated to gain leverage in colonial America. The Pennacook embodied peace, commitment to forming strong relationships, neutrality in colonial disputes and even at times a desire to adopt European practices. Still, the English chose to lie, manipulate, and commit acts of violence that led to the plight of Pennacook populations in this town, and in this state. "
A link to Charles Bell's 1891 letter, with the proof that John Wheelwright was in England in 1629. https://archive.org/details/publications188socigoog/page/n11/mode/2up
Sources
  • "The History of New Hampshire : Volume I. Comprehending the events of one complete century from the discovery of the River Pascataqua." / By Jeremy Belknap, A.M. Member of the American Philosophical Society Held at Philadelphia for Promoting Useful Knowledge. Ch.V, p.121-123, (Accessed 27 Oct 2022) http://name.umdl.umich.edu/N18558.0001.001
See also:
Three generations of Penacook sagamores, Passaconaway, Wonalancet, and Kancamagus play an active role in Dover.
  • WikiTree FreeSpace: Deceit of Captain Waldron (September 1676) — Captain Joseph Syll and Captain William Hathorne, marching under orders from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, to round up 'strange Indians' who had recently fled from the southern theatre of King Philip's War, arrived at Cocheco on 6 September 1676. They enlisted the aid of the Dover magistrate, Major Richard Waldron, who had only recently signed a peace treaty with Wonolancet and Squando, with explicit provision "That none of said Indians shall entertain at any time any of our enemies..." Waldron, in turn, enlisted the aid of his compatriot, Captain Charles Frost of Kittery, to trick the Indians and then, together with the captains and their companies, to surround and capture them. This event had the effect of prolonging King Philip's War, in the north-eastern theatre of New Hampshire and Maine, until 1678.




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