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Lot 101
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Seneca Chief Young King received his annuity for fighting for US in War of 1812
Seneca Chief Young King received his annuity for fighting for US in War of 1812
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Description:

Seneca Chief Young King signs a receipt for his "individual annuity" from the U.S. Government as per an Act of Congress for his services in the War of 1812. No other examples have appeared at major auctions in over 40 years!

(NATIVE AMERICANS) Rare Manuscript Document Signed "X", 1p, 8" x 5.5". Buffalo, June 11, 1827, additionally signed, "Chas. F. Coit," "Jellis Clute," and "Horatio Jones." as witnesses. Horizontal mid-fold expertly strengthened on verso, infill in blank upper right corner. Fine condition.

In full, "Dollars 100. Received of the United States by the hands of Jasper Parrish Sub Agent to the Six Nations of Indians, One Hundred Dollars, in full for my individual annuity for the first and second quarters of 1827, per Act of Congress of 16th April 1827 [sic]."

Young King (1760–1835) or Koyengquahtah was a "Hoyaneh" or revered traditional chief of the Seneca nation. He was born in the village of Canandaigua, Seneca nation in 1760. He was a descendent of Old Smoke or Old King who was the a leader of the war party that attached the Wyoming Valley settlements in 1778 (a.k.a. the "Wyoming Massacre.") Young King grew to adulthood during the tumultuous time of the American War of Independence during which the Seneca were allies of the British. He fled to Fort Niagara with his mother during Major General John Sullivan's 1779 Campaign. Young King was later elected war chief and was a renowned warrior, a wise counselor and was possessed of high social qualities among his own people and the Americans.

Young King was a delegate to and a reluctant signatory of the "Treaty of Big Tree" on September 15, 1797, between the Seneca nation and the United States. The treaty opened up the territory west of the Genesee River for settlement and established ten reservations, perpetual annuities, and hunting and fishing rights for the Seneca in Western New York. He then moved to the reservation at Buffalo Creek. During the War of 1812, Young King fought again, but this time on the side of the United States—for which he was awarded a $200 annuity for the remainder of his life. On April 26, 1816 (Parrish's secretary must have been in a hurry when he penned this receipt), Congress approved a $200 annuity for Young King, "as compensation for the brave and meritorious services which he rendered the United States in the late war with Great Britain, and as a provision for the wound and disability he received in the performance of those services." (The Public Statues at Large..., 1846, 6:167) A heavy drinker, Young King foreswore alcohol after an accident with a scythe resulted in the loss of one of his arms. He converted to Christianity, and during the 1830s he supported the sale of Seneca land to the Ogden Land Company.

Jasper Parrish (1767-1836), who was distributing the monies to Young King, was born in Windham, Connecticut, but by 1778 he had moved with his family to the Delaware River in the Southern Tier of New York State. That year, he and his father were captured by a band of Munsee Indians. Father and son were separated during their captivity, and while his father was exchanged as a prisoner of war and was able to return to his family, the young Jasper remained in captivity, and in 1780 was adopted into the family of David Hill, a Mohawk chief. In 1784, Parrish was surrendered with other captives, as part of the Treaty of Fort Stanwix.

During his time in captivity, Parrish had become fluent in the Delaware and Mohawk languages, and struggled to relearn his native English. In 1790, he became an interpreter for the U.S. government and assisted in a number of important treaty negotiations including the Pickering Treaty at Canandaigua in 1794 which gave the Iroquois full title and sovereignty over their lands. Parish continued in his interpretive role, as well as serving as an agent between the Iroquois and the state and federal governments handling a variety of business transactions and negotiations.

Over 50 years ago, autograph pioneer Charles Hamilton mentioned Young Chief in "Collecting Autographs and Manuscripts"(Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1961), the definitive book in the field, stating "You will occasionally find Indian signatures on annuity receipts. Little Turtle, Red Jacket, Cornplanter, Young King, and other noted chiefs of the time are usually represented in autograph collections with X marks by which they acknowledged payment of their government pensions." Fifty years later, Young King's autograph rarely appears on the market.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000