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1994.PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF
CAPTAINS JONES AND PARRISH,
AND OF THE PAYMENT OF INDIAN ANNUITIES
IN BUFFALO.
By HON. ORLANDO ALLEN.*
I design to give a short account of the manner of paying
annuities to the Iroquois or Six Nations Indians residing in
New York, as I saw it nearly fifty years ago and for the
twelve or fourteen succeeding years. . . .
These annuities were in money, dry goods, agricultural
implements, such as plows, chairs, axes, hoes, etc., a certain
amount of blacksmithing and gunsmith work, together with
sustenance, to a limited amount, usually consisting of pork
and flour dealt out to them while assembled for the trans-
action of their annual business with the United States.
The money annuity to the Seneca Nation was interest on
certain trust funds held for them by the United States aris-
ing from the sale of lands; also from the State of New
York for the cession to it of the islands in Niagara River,
known as the “Grand Island annuity”; and to the Cayugas,
Onondagas, and Oneidas for the cession to the State of cer-
tain lands by those nations respectively.
The annuities in dry goods, implements, smithwork and
provisions, were from the United States to the Six Nations
♦Extract from a paper read before the Buffalo Historical Society about 1868,
Hon. Millard!"Fillmore presiding. Now first published.
539540
PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF
in accordance with certain treaty stipulation made with
them in April, 1792, and in September, 1794. The dry
goods consisted of broadcloths of different colors, what was
known in those days as Mackinaw Indian blankets, calicoes,
and green worsted yarn for making belts, white beads,
thread, needles, ribbons, etc.
Blacksmiths and gunsmiths residing near the bands of
Indians were to be served by them when designated by the
agent. Their accounts properly verified by the chief of
their bands, were rendered and paid by the agents at the
time of paying the general annuities to the Indians, and
these were due on the first day of June in each year. . . .
At that period Captain Jasper Parrish of Canandaigua
was the Government agent, title sub-agent of the New York
Indians, and Captain Horatio Jones of Leicester, Livingston
County, was the interpreter. A part of the duties of these
Government agents was to pay the annuities to the Indians,
see they were properly distributed among the several bands,
settle with the mechanics employed to repair their imple-
ments of husbandry, guns, etc., be the mediums of communi-
cation with the General and State governments, together
with a general supervision of their business and interests
particularly as between them as nations and the surrounding
whites.
The United States also paid to some of the prominent
chiefs, such as Cornplanter, Young King, Little Billy, De-
stroy Town, Pollard, Strong, Governor Blacksnake and sev-
eral others, considerable sums of money in the form of an-
nuities. The State of New York also paid one individual
annuity, and but one so far as I know, and that was an an-
nuity of fifty dollars to the celebrated Cayuga chief, Eish
Carrier, running to him and his heirs forever.* These an-
Note by Mr. Allen.—Soon after the sale of their lands Fish Carrier,
with a considerable number of his people, the Cayugas, emigrated to Canada
and settled on Grand River, near the Mohawks. The annuity was regularly
paid to him during his life and afterwards to his son, who assumed the name,
until about 1840, when the latter, becoming alarmed at the report of war be-
tween the United States and Great Britain, applied to me, I having been his
agent for several years, to procure the payment of the principal of his annuity
which the State was ready to do. This I obtained; he came to Buffalo, re-
ceived his money, returned to Canada, and died a few years later.CAPTAINS JONES AND PARRISH.	541
nuities were paid by the agents at the time of paying the
national annuities.
Parrish and Jones had been captains among the Indians
for several years during the Revolution. The former among
the Mohawks, the latter among the Senecas, and of course
were familiar with the language of their respective captors,
and in this respect as in all others in fact, were eminently
qualified to act in their several official capacities.
It is said that Captain Parrish spoke five of the Iroquois
languages fluently. I have no personal knowledge as to the
truth of this claim; whenever I heard him address the In-
dians it was always in the Mohawk tongue. Captain Jones
was considered an excellent interpreter of the Seneca lan-
guage. He spoke it like a native, and for an uneducated
man'- had a remarkable command of the English language.
His selection of words to express his ideas was happy and
his descriptions of scenes graphic.
Parrish and Jones were both large, portly men, with gray
hair and florid complexions, and as they moved about our
streets would attract notice by their dignified carriage and
gentlemanly bearing.
When here in Buffalo they usually stopped at the Phoenix
Coffee House, kept by Ralph Pomeroy, on the northeast
corner of Main and Seneca streets, now the site of Brown’s
buildings. Sometimes Parrish stopped at the Mansion
House, kept by Joseph Landon, on the south side of Crow,
now Exchange Street, midway between Main and Wash-
ington streets.
At the appointed time in the early part of June Parrish
and Jones would arrive in the stage from the East, and the
Indians would gather from all quarters. Those living at
Oneida and Onondaga were usually represented by a dele-
gation of their chiefs and head men; and those living nearer
often coming in great numbers, chiefs, warriors, women and
children, so that in the course of a day or two there would
be a large assemblage besides those belonging to the Buffalo
Creek Reservation.
The councils on these occasions were held at a council
house belonging to the Senecas, situated a few rods east of542
PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF
the bend in the road a little north of the red bridge across
Buffalo Creek, on the now so-called Aurora plank road,
then little more than an Indian trail; and here the money
was divided per capita, and the dry goods and implements
apportioned. The chiefs and head men had the numbers of
their tribes represented by a corresponding number of
notches on a stick. These were all to be examined carefully,
to see that their aggregate did not exceed the known aggre-
gate of the entire population so that there should be none
left without his or her free proportion, especially of the an-
nuity money.
The chiefs and head men represented the tribes, the moth-
ers the families. So the former was given the proportion
belonging to their tribes, which by them was divided be-
tween the families, the mothers receiving for themselves and
their children, husbands, and adults without family for
themselves. By the observance of these rules, rarely if ever,
did mistakes occur. The dry goods and implements were
divided more according to the necessities qi families, regard
being had to the more destitute and needy. To the mothers
who were here upon the ground would be divided their pro-
portions, as also to individuals without families, those re-
siding at a distance received theirs from the hands of their
representatives, on return of the latter to their homes.
Merchants doing business in the neighborhood of the sev-
eral bands of Indians, were much in the habit of trusting
them, principally for dry goods, depending mainly upon
these annuities for payment. Some of the mothers of fam-
ilies would be entitled to receive fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty
dollars, as it might be, depending, of course, upon the num-
ber of their children. This would be known to the merchant
and he would regulate the amount of his credits by the prob-
able amount to be received by the mother of the family, but
she, sharp woman, wrould not infrequently trade out the
amount of her proportion of the coming annuity with dif-
ferent merchants, each believing himself to be the sole cred-
itor.
These merchants or their clerks were always upon the
ground when the annuities were paid, sometimes in waitingCAPTAINS JONES AND PARRISH.
643
day after day. At length when the money was divided it
would be discovered by them that there were more than one,
and sometimes several claimants for the entire amount of
the annuity money of a family. Then there would be lively
times among them and probably not one of them would get
a dime. There was no way of enforcing payment of claims
against Indians, as they were not amenable to the laws, and
unless they were honest and well disposed their debts re-
mained unpaid. Some of the Indians and squaws were hon-
est and paid their just debts, but many of them were far
otherwise.
The councilings, annotations, overhauling of accounts,
auditing claims, and other preparations for the final distri-
bution of the annuities, would occupy many days. Indians
are proverbially slow in all their deliberations, much talk
and more smoking, before any definite conclusions are ar-
rived at. During these days the young men would spend
some of their time in their favorite game of ball, sometimes
nation against nation, bets running high and one side or the
other, both men and women, getting stripped of all their
finery, their bets consisting of articles of clothing or silver
trinkets. Often, however, their games were for mere
sport.* ...
The great sport of the occasion was a foot race, gotten up
for the close of the proceedings as a winding up. The mer-
chants in town would make tip a purse, consisting of various
articles of dry goods, such as coat patterns, blankets, shawls,
calico, etc., having as many prizes as contestants, each differ-
ing in value, say from one to five dollars, distance to be run
twelve miles, i. e., from where the liberty pole stands on Main
Street, up Main Street one mile, up and down six times.
Into this race would enter all who felt disposed and com-
petent to contend, and these would generally consist of from
fifteen to twenty-five of the best runners of the Six Nations.
The runners were divested of all clothing except a shirt and
breech-cloth and a belt around the loins. If wearing long
hair a band around the head confined it closely, this band
* Mr. Allen here described the game of lacrosse.544
PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF
not unfrequently consisting of some gay-colored handker-
chief or ribbon.
To the best of my recollection the time consumed in run-
ning the twelve miles was about one hour; but I cannot state
accurately. They would generally run in groups of three or
four, strung along over a distance of one to two miles, the
foremost ones being that distance ahead of the hindermost
ones, towards the close of the race.
There were some six or eight runners that for several
years came out very near together, seeming to be closely
matched, both as to speed and bottom. There was, however,
an Onondaga by the name of Sam George, who took the
first prize for several years in succession. Lie is now an old
man, head chief of the Onondaga Nation, and calls himself
Colonel Sam George. He then lived on the Buffalo Creek
Reservation, but for many years past has lived with his
people at Onondaga.
The second in the race usually was a Seneca from Alle-
gheny^ named John Titus. He was a much smaller man
than George, who was not obliged to put forth all of his
powers to distance his competitors, and this seemed to be
well understood.
On one occasion Titus achieved by strategy, what he
could not by speed, and that was by keeping close up to
George until within a few steps of the goal, and then just
before crossing the line, putting forth all of his powers,
slipped by, leaving George no time to recover the lost race,
as he probably could have done in ten strides. George was
exceedingly mortified at the result and was careful not to be
thus outwitted again. I think he was on no other occasion
beaten in these races.
During the time the Indians remained here the store of
Hart & Lay, afterwards Hart & Cunningham, and then
Hart & Hickox, was the headquarters of the agent and in-
terpreter, and there a considerable part of their business was
transacted. This naturally brought the Indians there in
large numbers. The ground between Swan and North Di-
vision streets on the east side of Main Street was then en-
tirely vacant, with here and there a large oak tree still stand-CAPTAINS JONES AND PARRISH.
545
ing. On this ground the Indians were almost always to be
seen in considerable numbers during their stay here. Capt.
Jones spent much of his time at this store, being yery so-
ciable and fond of chatting with his Indian friends, talking
of the scenes of their boyhood days.
The store in which I was employed was next door below
Hart & Cunningham’s and at such times, particularly nights,
I would sit and listen to their conversation, and if any por-
tion was not distinctly understood by the listeners as ex-
pressed in the original, Capt. Jones would explain in Eng-
lish.
On one of these occasions there was a very aged Indian
present, and taking part in the conversation, whom Captain
Jones informed us was in some way connected with his cap-
ture, but precisely how I cannot now state, though I recol-
lect distinctly his connecting him with that event. One of
these stories was the brief account that Capt. Jones gave of
his capture and some of the incidents connected with his
residence among the Indians. This was on a summer night,
whites and Indians indiscriminately mixed, sitting around
on chairs, stools, floor and counters. I made notes of these
some years ago with the aid of which and a pretty retentive
memory, I give the story as I heard it.* . . .
Unlike Captain Jones, who spent much of his time while
here in Buffalo' during these annuity-paying visits, convers-
ing with the Indians, and who seemed never happier than
when so engaged, Captain Parrish did not appear to hold
much, if any, communication with them, apart from the
business connected with his agency; therefore, there was no
opportunity afforded of gaining any information from him
concerning his captivity. I have been told by one of his
sons, the late Edward Parrish of Canandaigua, that when
at home he would spend hours at a time in conversation with
the Indians who called to see him, as they did very often,
socially and on business. I have been told also that his In-
dian mother, who resided in Canada after the Revolutionary
* The story that Orlando Allen thus preserved has been utilized in the life
of Horatio Jones by George H. Harris. A copy of Mr. Allen’s original ver-
sion is preserved by the Buffalo Historical Society.546
CAPTAINS JONES AND PARRISH.
War, sometimes visited him at his home in Canandaigua,
and seemed to look upon him with as much pride and affec-
tion as though he had been of her own blood. When she be-
came too old to visit him, he occasionally visited her at her
home.
i