Mohawk – Wyandot Ancestry of Lt. John Young's ... - Davidkfaux.org

time of Campbell’s visit in early 1792. Hence it would be ideal to have firm evidence asto who held the chiefship of Karonghyontye in that year. Here the author presentsevidence that the successor to Karonghyontye was Isaac Brant, Joseph Brant’s step –nephew (via his step – brother Nicholas Brant), and David Hill’s nephew (via his sisterMargaret Hill), messenger and ambassador to the Western Indians, personal assistant toJoseph Brant, and translator for the Miami, Shawanee and Delaware languages.An important documentary source is the journal of the Stockbridge – Mahican chief,Hendrick Aupaumut detailing of his travels as an official emissary of the United States tothe Western Tribes. His “Narrative of an Embassy to the Western Indians” (Memoirs ofthe Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Vo. 2, 1827) unfortunately, while peppered withdays and months, does not contain the year of his journey, although it can be inferred bycomparison of events noted (see Kelsay, 1986). A former Indian Commissioner,Timothy Pickering, attested to the authenticity of the Aupaumut journal. He also notedthat he recognized some of the spelling idiosyncrasies, including a problem in renderingcorrectly those Indian names not in Hendrick’s native language. Hendrick’s journal alsoplaces him at Canandaigua on the 1 st of June, where he met Joseph Brant, and on BuffaloCreek in the second week in June 1792. Aupaumut boarded a vessel bound for Detroit onthe 18 th of June, however due to the weather he was compelled to send for his cousinDelaware Aaron to act as pilot, and followed the inland route along the Thames.Importantly, after meeting up with Delaware Aaron, the journal continues with an asidedescribing how Aupaumut was informed by Aaron that Joseph Brant sent out a party offour Indians from the Grand River (one being Delaware Aaron) in the spring (so March,April or May) of that year, taking the overland route to the rendezvous place of Miami(Ohio country). Brant before he went to Philadephia, he sent a message to the westernIndians, by this Aaron and three other Indians one of them Brant’s nephew, namedTawalooth. Part of the message was to ask the western nations whether they wouldapprove of Brant’s going among the big knives and three days after they left the GrandRiver, this Tawalooth begin to say that he is the head of that company, and that he willdeliver the messages of his uncle, to the western Indians (p.85).A letter from Joseph Brant to Alexander McKee in Detroit, dated 27 March 1792, Josephencloses a copy of the invitation to Philadelphia he received from the American Secretaryof War General Knox. He noted his hesitance of going without the approval of “ourWestern friends”, and asks McKee to help advocate for him. Brant also requests that,The Messengers I dispatch herewith I hope you’ll forward without delay (i.e., DelawareAaron, Tawalooth et al.). These were sent with wampum in order to convey theseriousness of the matter (SP, pp11-12). This scenario fits perfectly with the above.Hence, Brant’s nephew “Tawalooth” left for the west about the beginning of April 1792.Apparently in the process “Tawalooth” left many of the villages along the Thames in astate of agitation. The messengers arrived back from their mission to the Western Indiansabout the middle of May (Kelsay, 1986). No doubt “Tawalooth” would seek out hisuncle at the earliest opportunity in order to relay the news about the views of the Westernchiefs to Joseph Brant’s proposed trip to Philadelphia.14