To His Excellency, Francis Bernard, Esq., Governour and Captain General-in-Chief in and over His Majesty’s Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England and to the Honorable, His Majesty’s Council and the Honorable House of Representatives in General Court Assembled
Humbly sheweth, we, the subscribers, Indian Inhabitants of the Island of
Chappaquiddick in the county aforesaid, moreover, we do make complaint to Your Excellency and Honors, we, the Indians of Chappaquiddick in the county of Dukes County of
Edgartown in the county aforesaid as Indians of said Chappaquiddick.
Humbly sheweth, against the purchasers and proprietors by trespassing on our lands on said island, in cutting and carrying off the wood and brush, which is to the damage of us all. That the inhabitants aforesaid house enclosed lands for summer pasturing of cattle and, not making their fences sufficient, their creatures do greatly damage to our corn fields. They, the inhabitants aforesaid, do practice tethering their creatures within reach of our corn when growing, which is damage of us all, breaking down and eating our corn. And also by riding through our corn fields which is greatly to our damage and it will forever. For these trespasses we, the Indians, do complain of desiring Your Excellency and Honors would not grant the prayer of the petitioner also we shall be destroyed.
And your respondents as in duty bound shall ever pray.
And the English purchasers or proprietors they never take of their creatures from Chappaquiddick Island until June and we are ruined. We humbly beg to Your Excellency and Honors. We pray to Your Excellency and Honors the prayer of petitioners may not granted.
And your respondents as in duty bound shall ever pray.
Marks
Chappaquiddick, November 20, 1767
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Endorsement:
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Chappaquiddick Indians Complaint, November 1767
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Copy:
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Edgartown / At a meeting of the proprietors of the Island of Chappaquiddick held by adjournment this twenty-fourth day of May, 1764 and then and there voted and made choice of John Norton, Esq., to be their agent for said proprietors of said island: to prefer a petition to the Great and General Court of this province to settle the rights of the said proprietors and others according to what may be just and right. / A true copy of that one record examined by me, Daniel Coffin, Proprietors’ Clerk of said Chappaquiddick
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Cataloguing:
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488, 489, 399
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