To the Honorable the General Assembly of this His Majesty’s English Colony of Connecticut in New England to be held at Hartford the Second Thursday of May 1738
The humble memorial of Jonathan, Nepash, and John Fanon, Indians, of Farmington, in the County of Hartford and colony aforesaid, in behalf of themselves and the rest of the tribe of Indians living in Farmington aforesaid sheweth that there is in Farmington aforesaid a very good and valuable tract of land, which of right hath always belonged and doth yet belong to the said tribe of Indians, the memorialists, being in quantity about ninety acres, be it more or less, which is bounded east and south on the river, north with part of a farm called Wells’s Farm and west with land of Daniel Lewis and lieth in the common field, and hath anciently been called and is now known by the name of the Indian Neck, which tract of land was never sold to or purchased by the English, but in all the grants and deeds made by the Indians to the English, hath been reserved and when the Town of Farmington purchased the land in their township, there is mention made that the said tract of land was not intended to pass but remained firm and good to the said Indians and their heirs forever, and the same they have formerly for many years together quietly held and possessed and have thereon raised corn, etc., for their support and subsistence.
That within a few years last past, Captain William Wadsworth, Lieutenant Giles Hooker, William Hooker, Deacon John Hart, Hezekiah Lee, Benjamin Porter, William Judd, Ensign Samuel Lee, Samuel Scott, Captain Josiah Hart, Jonathan Smith, Captain Isaac Cowles, and Ebenezer Moody, all of Farmington aforesaid, with divers other Englishmen, to the memorialists not known, have unjustly and without law entered into the said tract of land, and dispossessed the memorialists of the greatest part thereof and do continue to use and improve the same to their own profit, without any liberty from the memorialists, or rendering any rent for the same, and the memorialists do deforce and hold out of it to the great grief and damage of the memorialists, who are thereby reduced to great want for the support of their lives, etc.
Whereupon, Your Honors’ memorialists pray that this Honorable Assembly (who have always shown themselves ready to protect the helpless and relieve the Indians when wronged and their lands encroached on) would appoint a committee of wise, disinterested persons to hear and examine into and determine in and respecting the premises as to right appertains, or that this Honorable Assembly would, in their great wisdom, find out some other way for the redressing the memorialists’ grievances abovementioned, that the encroachments of the said English may be removed and the rights and properties of the poor memorialists may not be sacrificed to satisfy the avaricious humors of designing men, and the memorialists, as in duty bound, shall ever pray, etc.
Indians in behalf of their Tribe,
Jonathan
Nepash
John Tannon
Dated at Farmington, April 8, 1738
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Legislative Action:
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Memorial of the Farmington Tribe of Indians vs. Captain Wadsworth, etc. May 1738 / May 24 p.m, Read. Negatived Upper House, May 25 a.m. Negatived Lower House
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Summons:
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To either of the constables of Farmington in the County of Hartford: Greeting, in His Majesty’s name you are commanded to summon Captain William Wadsworth, Giles Hooker, William Hooker, John Hart, Hezekiah Lee, Benjamin Porter, William Judd, Samuel Lee, Samuel Scott, Josiah Hart, Jonathan Smith, Isaac Cowles, and Ebenezer Moody, all of said Farmington, to appear before the General Assembly to be convened at Hartford in the County of Hartford, on the second Thursday of May instant, viz., that they appear before said Assembly on the first Tuesday after the second Thursday aforesaid to answer to the aforegoing memorial of John Tannon and the rest of the memorialists therein mentioned and to shew, if they can, why the prayers thereof should not be granted, and you are to leave a true and attested copy of the said memorial with the said William Wadsworth, at least six days before the said Tuesday. Hereof fail not, and make due return of the said memorial and this citation and according to law, dated at Farmington, this 10th day of May in the eleventh year of his Majesty’s reign in the Year of Our Lord 1738. Signed per John Hooker, Justice Peace
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Then the foregoing memorial and citation was read in the hearing of Captain William Wadsworth, Giles Hooker, William Hooker, Benjamin Porter, William Judd, Samuel Lee, Samuel Scott, Captain Jedediah Hart, Deacon John Hart, Hezekiah Lee, Jonathan Smith, Captain Isaac Cowles, and Ebenezer Moody, the persons named in the foregoing memorial and citation, and I left a true and an attested copy of the said memorial with the said Captain William Wadsworth, per me, Joseph Hooker, Constable of Farmington. Farmington, May 10, 1738.
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Fees:
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for travel: £ 0 .3 .0
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for serving: .6 .6
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for a copy: .2 .6
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£ 0 .12 .0
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Cataloguing:
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171, 171b, 200
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