Letter from Pequots of Groton to Gov. Talcott

Groton, September 22, 1735

Honorable and Worthy Sir, Governor Talcott,[1]  

Sir, after our humble respects to Your Honor these are to inform yourself of the wrongs and distress that we meet with by some people that make possessions of our land they destroy so much of our timber for fencing and for other uses that we shall in a little time have enough for firewood, and especially for fencing, for we find it is in vane to plant within their enclosures for we planted that last Spring and our corn was destroyed by the English creatures and, by fencing in of our land they take away in a great measure the privilege of our orchards for they let their own swine go in and eat up our apples and bed down and, if our swine accidentally get in, they commit them to the pound, which we could not subsist without keeping some creatures we should be glad if we could have more of the produce of the land to keep other creatures, and they removed a great part of our general field fence to erect their own fence which is greatly to our damage, for some of it had been planted but two years and the English build houses upon our land and put tenants in them and one of them makes havoc of our apples in making cider and for other use, and they sow wheat upon our land  inasmuch as we see plainly that there chiefest desire is to deprive us of the privilege of our land and drive us off to our utter ruin.  It makes us concerned for our children what will become of them, for they are about having the Gospel preached to them, and are a’ learning to read, and all our young men and woman that are capable of learning of it, and there is some of our young men would be glad to build houses upon it and live as the English do, could they have a sufficiency of the produce of the land, we crave your patience, and we will acquaint Your Honor a little farther.  The other tenant[2] puts cattle a night into our general field amongst our corn and takes them out in the morning.   And when we tell them to take care and keep out their creatures they threaten us if we done hold our tongue to beat our brains out, and some people he threaten us that we shant plant there another year, and some people cut our stalks sometime when the corn is in the milk.  We should be glad if there could be a stop put to it, the stock being our own labor we should be glad to have them for our own use, for we find that we can’t very well subsist without keeping some creatures, and we should be very thankful if there could be some ways found out and taught of wherein our land and the privilege thereof be restored to us again.  I think we have given Your Honor a true account, as near as our

memory serves, but a great deal might be added, but we would not be too tedious to Your Honor be, and so we remain your servants to Command.

Charles[3]

Abner[4]

Simon[5]

Sauk[6]

Little George[7]

Great George[8]

Tobey[9]

Palpy[10]

Daniel Quach[11]

Peter Sauk[12]

Young Simon[13]

Tom Quach[14]

Simon Quach[15]

[ illegible ]

Moses Chonks[16]

Ben Oneson[17]

Robin Oneson[18]

David Toby[19]

Zachariah Woquondam[20]

Samboa[21]

Peter Shockeat[22]

Samson Shockeat[23]

Peter Toby[24]

Gorgoyes[25]

John [ illegible ]

[ illegible ]

Sam Nees[26]

Young Achquet[27]

John Chonks[28]

Young Charles[29]

John Owaneco [ Necho ] 2603/282845

Notation:          Memorial Pequot Indians / October 1735

Pequot Indians’ complaint of their grievances by the English encroaching on

their land, etc.

                       Pequots at Groton /  1735-1742

            Cataloguing:    294