Conrad Weiser
This German pioneer became an effective interpreter and diplomat between the colony of Pennsylvania and the local Native American peoples. He was born November 2, 1696 in the small area of Affstatt in Herrenberg (Germany). After his mother passed away from fever, his father moved away from the Palatinate region on the Rhine River and settled in England because of harsh conditions in Germany. The English crown transported nearly 3,000 Germans to New York in 1710. It was intended that they would work off their passage as indentured servants. Weiser’s father made a deal with a local Schoharie Valley Mohawk Chieftan for his son to live with the local indigenous tribe at the age of sixteen. It was the winter of 1712 and young Conrad Weiser returned to the “white men” in July of 1713.
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Weiser was integral in Indian trade and began a colonial service commitment to the local area near his homestead in Womelsdorf, Berks County, Pennsylvania in 1731. In Philadelphia in 1736, Shikellamy, Weiser and the Pennsylvanians negotiated a deed whereby the Iroquois sold the land drained by the Delaware River and south of the Blue Mountains. By this formal purchase, the Pennsylvanians were favoring the Iroquois over the claims of the Lenape/Delaware for the same land. Along with the Walking Purchase of 1737, the Lenapes became disenchanted with the English colonials as a result and joined the French, but the Iroquois stayed sided with the British.
The Lenape/Delawares were engaging in land sales. He ordered them to remove their settlements to either Wyoming or Shamokin village. This accelerated the Lenape migration to the Ohio Valley, which had begun as early as the 1720s. There, they were positioned to trade with the French. At the same time, they launched raids as far east as the Susquehanna River during the French and Indian War. Early in the summer of 1754, Weiser was a member of a Pennsylvania delegation to Albany. The English government had called the meeting, hoping to win assurances of Iroquois support in the looming war with the French. Present were representatives of the Iroquois and seven colonies.
In 1756, the government appointed Benjamin Franklin to lead construction of a series of forts between the Delaware River and the Susquehanna River. Benjamin Franklin and other leaders appointed Weiser as a Lieutenant Colonel. In the fall of 1758, Weiser attended a council at Easton, Pennsylvania. Representation included colonial leaders from Pennsylvania, the Iroquois and other Native American tribes. Weiser helped smooth over the tense meeting. With the Treaty of Easton, the tribes in the Ohio Valley agreed to abandon support for the French. This collapse of Native American support was a factor in the French decision to demolish Fort Duquesne and withdraw from the Forks of the Ohio.
Throughout his decades-long career, Weiser built on his knowledge of Native American languages and culture. He was a key player in treaty negotiations, land purchases, and the formulation of Pennsylvania's policies towards Native Americans. Weiser died on his farm on July 13, 1760. Upon his death, one Iroquois Indian noted to a group of colonists, "We are at a great loss and sit in darkness...as since his death we cannot so well understand one another." Shortly after his death, relations between the colonists and the Native Americans began a rapid decline.
The Lenape/Delawares were engaging in land sales. He ordered them to remove their settlements to either Wyoming or Shamokin village. This accelerated the Lenape migration to the Ohio Valley, which had begun as early as the 1720s. There, they were positioned to trade with the French. At the same time, they launched raids as far east as the Susquehanna River during the French and Indian War. Early in the summer of 1754, Weiser was a member of a Pennsylvania delegation to Albany. The English government had called the meeting, hoping to win assurances of Iroquois support in the looming war with the French. Present were representatives of the Iroquois and seven colonies.
In 1756, the government appointed Benjamin Franklin to lead construction of a series of forts between the Delaware River and the Susquehanna River. Benjamin Franklin and other leaders appointed Weiser as a Lieutenant Colonel. In the fall of 1758, Weiser attended a council at Easton, Pennsylvania. Representation included colonial leaders from Pennsylvania, the Iroquois and other Native American tribes. Weiser helped smooth over the tense meeting. With the Treaty of Easton, the tribes in the Ohio Valley agreed to abandon support for the French. This collapse of Native American support was a factor in the French decision to demolish Fort Duquesne and withdraw from the Forks of the Ohio.
Throughout his decades-long career, Weiser built on his knowledge of Native American languages and culture. He was a key player in treaty negotiations, land purchases, and the formulation of Pennsylvania's policies towards Native Americans. Weiser died on his farm on July 13, 1760. Upon his death, one Iroquois Indian noted to a group of colonists, "We are at a great loss and sit in darkness...as since his death we cannot so well understand one another." Shortly after his death, relations between the colonists and the Native Americans began a rapid decline.