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Digital Paxton: Digital Collection, Critical Edition, and Teaching Platform Redrawing History Redrawing History: Indigenous Perspectives on Colonial America, a two-year project funded by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, connects Native American artists with the Library Company’s rich collections and far-reaching scholarly community. Partnering with artist Weshoyot Alvitre (Tongva), author Lee Francis (Laguna Pueblo), and the indigenous publisher Native Realities Press, the Library Company will publish a graphic novel that reinterprets the Paxton massacre from the perspective of the Conestoga. Dr. Will Fenton, will serve as creative director, connecting the creative team with an advisory board of scholars, local tribal leaders, and educational specialists, and making new archival records accessible via his digital humanities project, Digital Paxton. Published, printed, and distributed by Native American businesses, the graphic novel will include a curriculum to facilitate use in secondary and post-secondary classrooms. Original artwork will be exhibited at the Library Company together with the original collection items that inspired it. And a slate of public programs, including a colloquium and public readings, will engage local audiences; conference presentations will bring the project and its model to academic audiences.

William Smith Deposition, April 3, 1765

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Contents of this path:
1. Deed from Indians on the Susquehanna (1700)
2. Edward Shippen to Joseph Shippen, March 28, 1753
3. Edward Shippen to William Allen, June 17, 1755
4. Timothy Horsfield to William Parsons, December 14, 1755
5. Memoranda, 1756 to 1761
6. Account of the Indian Complaints, 1756
7. Friends' Address to the Governor, April 1756
8. Conversation with the Indians, April 19, 1756
9. Christopher Towne to Israel Pemberton, April 25, 1756
10. Memorandum of an Account of the Indian Nicodemus, June 30, 1756
11. Passport for Joseph Peepy and Lewis Montour, January 9, 1757
13. Message to the Delaware, May 1, 1757
15. George Croghan to Timothy Horsfield, May 24, 1757
16. Nathaniel Holland to Israel Pemberton, April 13, 1758
17. Robert Strettell to Timothy Horsfield, April 14, 1758
18. Journal of Christian Frederick Post, June 20, 1758
19. General Forbes to Israel Pemberton, August 18, 1758
20. Israel Pemberton to Charles Read, September 10, 1758
21. General Forbes to Israel Pemberton, January 15, 1759
22. Samuel Lightfoot to Israel Pemberton, January 31, 1759
23. James Kenny to Israel Pemberton, February 12, 1759
24. Nathaniel Holland to Israel Pemberton, March 27, 1759
25. Samuel Lightfoot to Israel Pemberton, May 16, 1759
26. James Kenny to Israel Pemberton, June 19, 1759
27. Israel Pemberton to John Stanwix, August 24, 1759
28. Criticism of Benjamin Franklin's Historical Review [Thomas Penn?] This manuscript offers a critique of A Historical Review of the Constitution and Government of Pennsylvania (1759). A Historical review was anonymously published, but it has been credited to either Benjamin Franklin or Richard Jackson. Written in the wake of the politically divisive 1750s, the pamphlet attacked the proprietors of Pennsylvania and the proprietary nature of the colonial government and defended the actions of the Assembly and Quaker Party during the Seven Years' War. The manuscript in the APS's vault was written in 1759 or 1760, likely in London. It defends the proprietor and the government in general. Largely unknown to historians, this manuscript provides insight into the deep political divisions within colonial Pennsylvania by offering a clear view into the beliefs of the proprietors and the proprietary party. The anonymous author of the work is almost certainly Thomas Penn. The manuscript was never published.
29. Various Memoranda, 1760
30. Nathaniel Holland to Israel Pemberton, May 16, 1760
31. Account of the Return of Three White Prisoners, May 20, 1760
32. Isaac Whitelock to Israel Pemberton, June 6, 1760
33. Israel Pemberton, Captive Inquiry As the French and Indian Wars wind down, The Commissioners for Indian Affairs are negotiating to secure the release of the white settlers that are still being held prisoners by the Indians. However even before a general Treaty, Trustees of the Mennonite Church are attempting to accelerate this release by offering the Indians 'presents' if they would escort the white prisoners from their lands to Pittsburgh. This gesture is to be considered payment for the cost and inconvenience to the Indians for this journey, and not as a ransom for releasing the white prisoners...Letter written by Israel Pemberton addressed to the Indian Affairs Commission inquiring about an agreement to instruct agents in Indian towns along the frontier to look into how many captives are in each town, and their physical descriptions. He also implores the commission to ask the agents to make inquiries to the "dispositions" of the Indians holding captives, as well as their readiness to accept ransom in exchange for release of captives.
34. Nathaniel Holland to Friend, August 21, 1760
35. Christopher Schultze to Israel Pemberton, August 29, 1760
36. John and Richard Penn to the Friendly Association, September 5, 1760
37. Benjamin Lightfoot to Israel Pemberton, September 7, 1760
38. Nathaniel Holland to Israel Pemberton, September 17, 1760
39. Nathaniel Holland to Israel Pemberton, October 16, 1760
40. Christopher Schultze to Israel Pemberton, December 1, 1760
41. List of Goods Applied to Indians (1761) The Friendly Association, short for "The Friendly Association for Regaining and Preserving Peace with the Indians by Pacific Measures”, was established by a group of eminent Philadelphia Quakers in 1756. The group formed in reaction to months of horrific violence between settlers, mostly Scots-Irish and German, and Native Americans on the Pennsylvania frontier. The leaders of the Friendly Association endeavored to establish lasting and productive peace with the Native American tribes of Pennsylvania [mostly Lenape, Susquehannock], and as a consequence prove the effectiveness of Quaker pacifism. This digital record contains images that depict the entire contents of folder 13, held in box 18 of the Cox-Parrish-Wharton papers.
42. Report of the Easton Conference, August 1761
43. Christian Frederick Post to Israel Pemberton, August 8, 1761
44. James Hamilton to Timothy Horsfield, August 29, 1761
46. Timothy Horsfield to James Hamilton, September 3, 1761
47. Edward Shippen to [William Allen?], September 15, 1761
48. Papunehan to Israel Pemberton, September 15, 1761
49. Nathaniel Holland to Israel Pemberton, September 30, 1761
50. Governor Hamilton to Papunehan, October 12, 1761
51. Message to the Governor, October 12, 1761
52. Nathaniel Holland to Israel Pemberton, December 20, 1761
53. Account of presents sent to Pittsburgh, 1762
55. Francis Alison Sermons (1763) Record Group 294 consists of Alison's sermons, miscellaneous manuscripts, and miscellaneous items; also included are some family documents. Francis Alison, born in Ireland, 1705. He studied at the University of Glasgow before travelling to America in 1735. In 1737 he became pastor of Pennsylvania's New London Presbyterian Church. Ten years later he opened an academy in New London. Students included three signers of the Declaration of Independence and the Secretary of the Second Continental Congress. In 1752 Alison moved to Philadelphia to take charge of the Philadelphia Academy. He was later appointed Vice-Provost of the newly established University of Pennsylvania, as well as Professor of Moral Philosophy. He was also assistant minister at the First Presbyterian Church. Alison died in 1779.
56. James Burd Diary at Fort Augusta James Burd was well-known in colonial Pennsylvania through his role in the French and Indian War, as well as his connections to many of the colony's leading families (most notably the Shippen family). This diary from the summer of 1763 documents Burd's time at Fort Augusta. It recounts the opening of Pontiac's Rebellion and the initial reports of the Indian raid on the Connecticut settlers in the Wyoming Valley.
57. Edward Shippen to Joseph Shippen, June 6, 1763
58. Edward Shippen to Joseph Shippen, June 13, 1763
59. Benjamin Franklin to Richard Jackson, June 27, 1763
60. Thomas McKee to James Burd, July 9, 1763
61. Commission for Timothy Horsfield, July 11, 1763
62. James Hamilton to Timothy Horsfield, July 11, 1763
63. Edward Shippen to Joseph Shippen, July 21, 1763
64. James Hamilton to Timothy Horsfield, June 23, 1763
65. Edward Shippen to Joseph Shippen, July 25, 1763
66. James Hamilton to Timothy Horsfield, July 26, 1763
67. James Hamilton to Timothy Horsfield, July 27, 1763
68. Edward Shippen to Joseph Shippen, July 30, 1763
70. Edward Shippen to Joseph Shippen, August 15, 1763
71. Petition to James Hamilton, August 17, 1763
72. James Hamilton to Timothy Horsfield, August 19, 1763
73. Edward Shippen to Joseph Shippen, August 31, 1763
74. James Hamilton to Timothy Horsfield, September 1, 1763
75. Edward Shippen to Joseph Shippen, September 3, 1763
76. Edward Shippen to Joseph Shippen, September 15, 1763
77. James Hamilton to Timothy Horsfield, September 20, 1763
78. James Hamilton to Timothy Horsfield, October 10, 1763
79. James Hamilton to Timothy Horsfield, October 13, 1763
80. Adam Bernard Grube to Timothy Horsfield, October 13, 1763
81. Joseph Shippen Jr. to James Burd, October 21, 1763
82. Edward Shippen to Governor James Hamilton, October 29, 1763
83. John Penn to Timothy Horsfield, November 14, 1763
85. Thomas Penn to John Penn, December 10, 1763 Letters from Thomas Penn to nephew John Penn, lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania (Dec. 10, 1763) and Sir William Johnson, British superintendent of Indian affairs (Sept. 7, 1763), regarding Indian disturbances and colonial administration. To his nephew, Penn praises the military response of Col. John Armstrong to Indian aggression and mentions parliamentary bills to enlarge the military and end paper money disputes with the Pennsylvania Assembly. Penn praises Johnson's handling of Indian affairs and advises him on obtaining preferment. He also discusses Johnson's plan to set a boundary line between the colonies and the Indians, and notes Pennsylvania's intention to pay the Indians for any lands lost in the demarcation.
86. Edward Shippen to John Elder, December 16, 1763
87. Edward Shippen to Joseph Shippen, December 19, 1763
89. Account for Maintaining Indians at Lancaster, December 27, 1763
90. Account of the Indian murders, December 27, 1763
91. The Congregational Diary of Lancaster Moravian Church, December 27-28 , 1763
92. Letter from Matthaus Hehl to the Church Leadership, December 29, 1763
93. Epistle from Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, 1764
94. Letter from Albrecht Ludolph Russmeyer to Nathanael Seidel, January 2, 1764
95. Joseph Shippen Jr. to Colonel James Burd, January 3, 1764
96. Edward Shippen to Joseph Shippen, January 5, 1764
97. Apology of the Paxton Volunteers
98. Petition of the Inhabitants of Lancaster County
99. Sir William Johnson to Gov. John Penn, February 9, 1764 Miscellaneous collection of twelve letters written by Sir William Johnson between 1755 and 1773. The content of most of the correspondence relates to the French and Indian War, Indian treaties and conferences, the Conestoga Massacre (1763), land patents, and the appointment of Johnson's successor. Correspondents include: Cadwallader Colden, George Croghan, Thomas Gage, Peter Gilman, Richard Gridley, Hubert Marshall, John Penn, William Shirley, Henry VanSchaack, John Watts, and Thomas Wharton.
100. Benjamin Franklin to Richard Jackson, February 11, 1764
101. Manuscript Copy of Remonstrance, February 13, 1764 Manuscript copy of remonstrance from Matthew Smith and James Gibson to Governor John Penn. They position themselves as representatives of public opinion, submit nine points that decry the perceived underrepresentation of the western counties in the Assembly and bill changing trial location of persons charged with killing Indians, allege that Indians under government protection conspired with others to plan attacks, lament lack of public funds for the care of wounded frontier residents, request new bounties for Indian scalps, request embargo to effect return of captives, accuse private individuals of trading and treating with enemies of the province, and requests Fort Augusta garrison be ordered to take more proactive measures. Handwritten copy, perhaps draft. 13 February 1764. Gift of Paul and Judy Ware, 2009.
102. Thomas Penn correspondence, March 17, 1764
103. Circular on Royalization
104. Thomas Penn correspondence, May 5, 1764
105. Thomas Penn to Sir William Johnson, September 7, 1764 Letters from Thomas Penn to nephew John Penn, lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania (Dec. 10, 1763) and Sir William Johnson, British superintendent of Indian affairs (Sept. 7, 1763), regarding Indian disturbances and colonial administration. To his nephew, Penn praises the military response of Col. John Armstrong to Indian aggression and mentions parliamentary bills to enlarge the military and end paper money disputes with the Pennsylvania Assembly. Penn praises Johnson's handling of Indian affairs and advises him on obtaining preferment. He also discusses Johnson's plan to set a boundary line between the colonies and the Indians, and notes Pennsylvania's intention to pay the Indians for any lands lost in the demarcation.
106. Edward Shippen to Joseph Shippen, July 12, 1764
107. Treatise on the Indians of North America (1764) Contemporary copy of a treatise by Capt. Gavin Cochrane, tracing the history of British relations with the Indians of the Great Lakes region from 1760 to 1763, and offering suggestions as to how they might be improved. Also copies of cover letters addressed to the Earl of Halifax, then a minister in Grenville's cabinet, and to George III, for whom the essay was intended. Cochrane presents the circumstances that led to Pontiac's Conspiracy; recounts the means by which individual British garrisons were overthrown; and outlines steps the British could take to secure the Indians' loyalty.
108. Journal of Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon (1765 Excerpts) Charles Mason maintained field notes throughout the nearly 5 years it took to complete his survey. The journal includes mathematical and astronomical data, as well as the daily progress of the survey. Prior to hiring Mason and Dixon to settle a boundary line once and for all, the quarreling parties of Maryland and Pennsylvania agreed that the line separating the two provinces would be run east to west along a latitudinal arc 15 miles south of Philadelphia. The entry for June 12, 1764, reveals how Mason and Dixon located the starting point of the line that would later bear their name. Based on their calculations, the point 15 miles south of the southernmost point of Philadelphia was in a field belonging to Alexander Bryan. To access the complete diary, visit https://catalog.archives.gov/id/5821514
110. John Armstrong to George Croghan, March 26, 1765
113. John Penn to Sir William Johnson, May 23, 1765 May 23, 1765, letter to Sir William Johnson, British superintendent of Indian affairs, regarding the Indian trade, and white and Indian settlement on the west branch of the Susquehanna River. Penn remarks on a trading "scheme" of Philadelphians and George Croghan (deputy superintendent of Indian affairs for the western tribes), and on his own efforts to apprehend individuals responsible for destroying goods at Sideling Hill. Penn also states that he will act to remove white settlers on the west branch of the Susquehanna until that land is purchased from the Indians and asks Johnson to prevail upon the Munsees and other tribes to avoid that region in order to prevent bloodshed.
114. Thomas Penn to John Penn, June 8, 1765
115. Thomas Penn to Benjamin Chew, July 20, 1765
116. Sir William Johnson to Gen. Thomas Gage, July 14, 1766 Miscellaneous collection of twelve letters written by Sir William Johnson between 1755 and 1773. The content of most of the correspondence relates to the French and Indian War, Indian treaties and conferences, the Conestoga Massacre (1763), land patents, and the appointment of Johnson's successor. Correspondents include: Cadwallader Colden, George Croghan, Thomas Gage, Peter Gilman, Richard Gridley, Hubert Marshall, John Penn, William Shirley, Henry VanSchaack, John Watts, and Thomas Wharton.
117. John Penn to Thomas Gage, June 28, 1765
118. Edward Shippen to James Burd, January 19, 1768
119. William Allen to High Sheriffs, January 19, 1768
120. Edward Shippen to Rev. George Craig, January 9, 1769
121. Gov. John Penn to the Wyaloosing Indians, June 29, 1769
122. Account of the Indian Conference, October 22, 1770
123. Robert Callendar to John Pemberton and Owen Jones, April 22, 1771
124. Account of Conference between the Indians and the Friendly Association, May 10, 1771
125. William Patterson to Israel Pemberton, June 10, 1771
126. The Indians' Letter to the Representatives of Pennsylvania, May 16, 1772
127. Friendly Association's Message to the Delaware Indians, August 6, 1772
128. Minutes of Conference with Jos. Peepy and Peter Harrison, November 19, 1772
129. Philadelphia Friends to Wyaloosing Indians, November 28, 1772
130. Philadelphia Friends to Wyaloosing Indians, July 8, 1773
133. Journal of a Settlement on the Susquehanna
135. Wyoming Petition to the Governor of Pennsylvania (undated)

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