Petition of Waban and Others to the Massachusetts General Court
To the Honorable General Court Sitting at Boston
.
The Humble petition of several of your poor Indian subjects and supplicants belonging to Natick and the other towns, Ponkapog, and Wamesit, humbly pray that those that have been faithful and always friends to the English may be satisfied for their natural right in such tracts of land hereafter named, and first we certify that Waban, Piambo, John Awasamug, Anthony Tray, Thomas Tray and the kindred are the men that have the right to the land. That land is bordering upon the Indian plantation of Hassamanesset, and they affirm that John Wampus, deceased,[1] had no more rights in those lands than his uncles, Anthony and Thomas Tray, and that the said Wampas had no power to give or sell those lands,[2] without their consents, for the land has never divided. And as for such English as pretend to be John Wampus’ executors, we conceive they have no legal right to molest us. And also we certify that Peter Ephraim, Nehemiah, Eleazar Pegan, Joseph Anins, and several of their kindred have right to the land beyond Nipmuck River between Munchage and Pachoag and parts adjacent. And further, we inform that Quamipunitt, Nossawanno, Piambo, and divers of their kindred have right to land about Nashaway River. Also, we whose names are underwritten do desire and empower Peter Ephraim to make application to the Honorable General Court setting in Boston, October 12, 168, for a righteous determination hereof.
.
Waban, his mark
Piambo’s mark
John Awassamug Son
Anthony Tray, mark
Thom Tray, mark
Eleazar Pegan, mark
Zachary Anam, mark
Sosamit, his mark
Nehemiah, mark
.
Cataloguing: 262a
[1] John Wampus died of a sickness in 1678 while he was in London, England making a claim at the Privy Council. See John Wampus biography.
[2] Wampus had given parts of his Nipmuc land to different people in London shortly before his death. He bequeathed the remainder of his property to Edward Pratt and John Blake, whom he named as his executors. This began a legal fight which lasted for nearly twenty-five years. For a detailed look at Wampus’ land claims controversy, see Jenny Hale Pulsipher, Swindler Sachem: The American Indian Who Sold His Birthright, Dropped Out of Harvard, and Conned the King of England (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2018).