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Description and Holding Information
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1834, Documents relative to the Marshpee Indians
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Senate No. 14 Documents relative to the Marshpee Indians. On May 21, 1833, the Governor received a letter from the Marshpee complaining that they
were constantly degraded, their property rights were ignored, and they submitted Resolves: we wish to govern ourselves, no one can take our wood, hay,
or fish without our consent, and beginning in July, we will throw out trespassers. The letter was signed by one hundred Marshpee. The Governor
viewed the letter as a threat and delegated Josiah Fiske to investigate the charges and generally smooth things over. In late June, the Marshpee took
over the government offices and dismissed all the white overseers. Mr. Fiske went to the area and was able to set up a meeting with the Marshpee. He
observed that while most of the natives present were calm and respectful, an itinerant preacher seemed to be the one with the most to say. Fiske listened
to grievances all day and eventually arrested Apes, the preacher. Fiske spent several days visiting around the area, looking at the accounts, etc.
He thought the farmers needed to understand how to improve the sandy soil, that the management of the money crop, wood, needed work, and that the
Marshpee much preferred the Baptist Church to the state church. Fiske did not see any misconduct and the accounts showed an improvement in the balance
for the last seven years. The Marshpee really just wanted to govern themselves--to be rid of the Overseers. On pp. 39-43, the overseers responded to
the points made in the original complaint. (Digitized from a microfilm copy of title originally held by the Massachusetts State Library).
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Title:
Documents relative to the Marshpee Indians.
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OCLC Number:
1401020680
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Available Volumes
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| Name | Fiche Count | Online | Paper Backup |
| Vol. 1 | | Yes | No |
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