The Line of Property is the name commonly given to the line dividing
Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
lands from those of the
Thirteen Colonies
The Thirteen Colonies, also known as the Thirteen British Colonies, the Thirteen American Colonies, or later as the United Colonies, were a group of Kingdom of Great Britain, British Colony, colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America. Fo ...
, which were established in the 1768
Treaty of Fort Stanwix
The Treaty of Fort Stanwix was a treaty signed between representatives from the Iroquois and Great Britain (accompanied by negotiators from New Jersey, Virginia and Pennsylvania) in 1768 at Fort Stanwix. It was negotiated between Sir William J ...
between British officials and the
Iroquois tribes. In western
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, it is referred to as the
Purchase line The Purchase Line is the name commonly given to the line dividing Indian from British Colonial lands established in the Treaty of Fort Stanwix of 1768 in western Pennsylvania. In New York State documents it is referred to as the Line of Property; s ...
.
Treaty description of the line
As written with original spellings and place names; (modern names in parentheses):
* "Beginning at the Mouth of the Cherokee or Hogohee River" (
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names, ...
) "where it empties into the River Ohio" (at
Paducah, Kentucky
Paducah ( ) is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky. The largest city in the Jackson Purchase region, it is located at the confluence of the Tennessee and the Ohio rivers, halfway between St. Louis, Missour ...
)
* "& running from thence upwards along the South side of said River to
Kittanning, which is above Fort Pitt" (
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
)
* "from thence a direct Line to the nearest Fork of the west branch of
Susquehanna
* "thence through the Allegany Mountains along the south side of the said West Branch until it comes opposite to the mouth of a creek called Tiadaghton" (
Pine Creek just west of
Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania
Jersey Shore is a borough in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is on the West Branch Susquehanna River, west by south of Williamsport. It is part of the Williamsport, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. In the past, Jerse ...
)
* "thence across the West Branch along the South Side of that Creek"
* "and along the North Side of Burnetts Hills to a Creek called Awandae" (
Towanda Creek
Towanda Creek is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through Canton Township, Canton, Leroy Township, Franklin Township, and Monroe Township.
Course
Towa ...
)
* "thence down the same to the East Branch of
Sasquehanna" (at
Towanda, Pennsylvania
Towanda is a borough and the county seat of Bradford County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania and is located northwest of Wilkes-Barre, on the Susquehanna River. The name means "burial ground" in the Algon ...
)
* "& across the same and up the East side of that River to Oswegy" (
Owego, New York
Owego is a town in Tioga County, New York, United States. The population was 18,728 at the 2020 census. The name is derived from the Iroquois word ''Ahwaga'', meaning "where the valley widens".
Owego is in the southeastern corner of the cou ...
)
* "from thence East to Delawar River" (
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...
)
* "and up that River to opposite where Tianaderha" (
Unadilla River
The Unadilla River is a river in the Central New York Region of New York State. The river begins northeast of the hamlet of Millers Mills and flows generally south to the village of Sidney, where it converges with the Susquehanna River, which d ...
) "falls into Sasquehanna" (
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...
)
* "thence to Tianaderha" (
New Berlin, New York
New Berlin is a town in Chenango County, in central New York, United States. The population was 2,682 at the 2010 census. The town contains the village of New Berlin. The town is at the eastern border of the county and is northeast of Norwich.
...
?) "and up the West side of the West branch" (Beaver Creek) "to the head thereof"
* "& thence by a direct Line to Canada Creek, where it empties into the Wood Creek at the West of the Carrying Place beyond Fort Stanwix" (
Rome, New York
Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States, located in the Central New York, central part of the state. The population was 32,127 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Rome is one of two principal cities in the Utica–Ro ...
).
Actual line
The starting point is the confluence of the
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names, ...
with the
Ohio River
The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...
at Paducah, Kentucky. The line follows the south bank of the Ohio almost the entire length of
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
and all of
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
to Pittsburgh where the
Allegheny River
The Allegheny River ( ) is a long headwater stream of the Ohio River in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York. The Allegheny River runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border northwesterly into ...
joins the
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River ( , )—often referred to locally as the Mon ()—is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 river on the Allegheny Plateau in North Cen ...
to form the Ohio. It then follows the Allegheny River north.
For the line from
Kittanning, Pennsylvania
Kittanning ( pronounced ) is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in, and the county seat of, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Armstrong County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is situated northeast of Pittsburgh, along the east bank of the Al ...
to the "nearest fork" of the west branch of the
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...
at
Cherry Tree, Pennsylvania
Cherry Tree is a borough in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 276 at the 2020 census.
History
Cherry Tree was originally known as "Canoe Place" because its location marked the spot where the West Branch of the Susqu ...
, see the article on the Purchase line.
From Cherry Tree the line followed the West Branch on its sinuous course due north and then northeast to
Clearfield, Pennsylvania
Clearfield is a borough and the county seat of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 5,962 people, making it the second most populous community in Clearfield County, behind DuBois. The borough ...
and then meandered through the deep gorges of the Alleghenies past
Renovo, Pennsylvania
Renovo is a borough in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, United States, northwest of Lock Haven. In 1900, 4,082 people lived there, and in 1910, 4,621 lived there, but in the 2010 census the borough population was 1,228.
The borough is located on t ...
, exiting the mountains into
Bald Eagle Valley
Bald Eagle Valley is a low-lying area in Pennsylvania that drains into Bald Eagle Creek between the Allegheny Front and Bald Eagle Mountain, south of the West Branch Susquehanna River, in the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians. The valley is located s ...
at
Lock Haven, Pennsylvania
Lock Haven is the county seat of Clinton County, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Located near the confluence of the West Branch Susquehanna River and Bald Eagle Creek, it is the principal city of the Lock Haven Micropolitan Statistical Area, ...
, and then east-northeast to the confluence with Pine Creek at Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania.
The next section of the line is difficult to fix, since the "Burnetts Hills" of the treaty never been positively identified. Also, the distance to follow Pine Creek, let alone which of the forks of that Creek to follow, is not specified.
The only part of this section that can be definitely established is the lowest (easternmost) portion of
Towanda Creek
Towanda Creek is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through Canton Township, Canton, Leroy Township, Franklin Township, and Monroe Township.
Course
Towa ...
from
Monroeton, Pennsylvania
Monroe (also referred to as Monroeton) is a borough in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The population was 482 at the 2020 census.
Geography
Monroeton is located in south-central Bradford Coun ...
to Towanda, Pennsylvania.
From Jersey Shore to this point there are two competing interpretations.
The ''first interpretation'' is that the line was intended to follow the principal (west) branch of Towanda Creek which runs eastward along the base of the very prominent north face of
Barclay Mountain (which forms the northernmost range of the
Endless Mountains
The Endless Mountains are a geographical, geological, and cultural region in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The Endless Mountains region includes Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna, and Wyoming counties. The highest peak in the region is the North Kn ...
) from
Canton, Pennsylvania
Canton is a borough in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The population was 1,723 at the 2020 census.
Geography
Canton is located in southwestern Bradford County at (41.655805, -76.850706), in ...
to Towanda.
Then the question is how the line was intended to run from Jersey Shore to Towanda Creek. This creek rises a few miles south of Canton at the watershed divide that marks the tri-point between
Tioga County, Pennsylvania
Tioga County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 41,045. Its county seat is Wellsboro. The county was created on March 26, 1804, from part of Lycoming County and later organized in 1812. ...
,
Bradford County, Pennsylvania
Bradford County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, its population was 59,967. Its county seat is Towanda. The county was created on February 21, 1810, from parts ...
, and
Lycoming County, Pennsylvania
Lycoming County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 114,188. Its county seat is Williamsport.
Lycoming County comprises the Williamsport metropolitan statistical area.
About northwest ...
. Most likely, the line was intended to reach the Towanda Creek headwaters along the headwaters of
Lycoming Creek
Lycoming Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River located in Tioga and Lycoming counties in Pennsylvan ...
, which flows southwest along the base of Barclay Mountain to
Roaring Branch, Pennsylvania
Roaring Branch is an unincorporated community in Tioga and Lycoming counties, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Ap ...
, where it is joined by Roaring Branch which itself follows the base of Laurel Hill upstream in the same direction from a watershed divide at Jackson Corners on US 15. This is then the headwaters of Blockhouse Creek which flows in the same direction into Little Pine Creek, which flows into Pine Creek at Waterville; from there Pine Creek flows down to the West Branch at Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania.
A ''second interpretation'' is based primarily on the existence of a Burnett's Ridge in Lycoming County on the east of PA14 beginning at Bodines south of
Ralston, Pennsylvania and running east into
Sullivan County, Pennsylvania
Sullivan County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,840, making it the second-least populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Laporte ...
; on its plateau are the headwaters of
Schrader Creek, a major tributary of Towanda Creek which flows to the south of Barclay Mountain. The line would presumably follow Pleasant Stream upstream from Lycoming Creek at
Marsh Hill, Pennsylvania to the watershed divide near
Wheelerville in Sullivan County and then down Schrader Creek; this is the route later taken by the
Susquehanna and New York Railroad
The Susquehanna and New York Railroad Ian Cranstone(compiled from Official Railway Equipment Registers), accessed June 2009 was a short-line railroad connecting the Lehigh Valley Railroad at Towanda, Pennsylvania, with the Pennsylvania Railroad ...
and is the easiest and most direct footpath between the two branches of the Susquehanna River.
The difficulty with the second interpretation is that it would require the line to follow Lycoming Creek which flows into the West Branch just west of
Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Williamsport is a city in, and the county seat of, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States. It recorded a population of 27,754 at the 2020 Census. It is the principal city of the Williamsport Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a popula ...
, ''not'' Pine Creek. This would require the identification of "Tiadaghton" with the Lycoming, which is contrary to many other documented uses of the "Tiadaghton" name. The line would then have continued some miles down the Susquehanna from Pine Creek before turning into the hills.
The sketch map of 1768 is ambiguous and its geometry is very poor, but it seems to favor the second interpretation. It seems to show a section of the West Branch between what is labeled the Tiadaghton (Pine Creek) and the stream actually followed by the line somewhat to the east; this would appear to be Lycoming Creek.
The second interpretation would have been in favor of the Indians, adding the valley lands from Jersey Shore to Williamsport and a large hunting area at the headwaters of Pine Creek to their portion.
![Frontier of NY in Revolution2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Frontier_of_NY_in_Revolution2.png)
From Towanda, the Pennsylvania line followed the East Branch of the Susquehanna River upstream past Tioga Point (present day
Athens, Pennsylvania
Athens is a borough in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania and is located south of the New York (state), New York state line on the Susquehanna River, Susquehanna and Chemung River, Chemung river ...
) and then east to Owego, New York.
The section of the line east from Owego is also troublesome, because of the faulty geographic references of the negotiators.
The line was to follow a straight line from Owego east to the Delaware River and upriver to a point due south of the confluence of the Unadilla River and east branch of the Susquehanna River just west of
Sidney, New York
Sidney is a town in Delaware County, New York, United States. The population was 5,774 at the 2010 census. The town is at the northwestern corner of the county and contains the village of Sidney.
History
The town was formed in 1801 from the t ...
. Apparently the surveys of the day were too poor to realize that
a line due east from Owego at the Owego Creek/Susquehanna confluence (at 42° 05' 41"N) would not have intersected the Delaware River before reaching the line directly south from the mouth of the Unadilla. The sketch map of 1768 places the Delaware much too far north, and shows the projected east-west line intersecting it below the confluence of the East Branch at
Hancock Hancock may refer to:
Places in the United States
* Hancock, Iowa
* Hancock, Maine
* Hancock, Maryland
* Hancock, Massachusetts
* Hancock, Michigan
* Hancock, Minnesota
* Hancock, Missouri
* Hancock, New Hampshire
** Hancock (CDP), New Hampshir ...
, which is actually considerably to the south of the latitude of Owego. Thus at some point the line was adjusted to the Oquaga Creek/Delaware River confluence (at 42° 03' 27"N)
at
Deposit, New York, which forms a natural corner point at the big bend in the West Branch of the Delaware. It is probable that this portion of the line was never surveyed before the Revolution, but instead a north-south line (present-day boundary between the towns of Tioga and Owego in
Tioga County, New York
Tioga County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 48,455. Its county seat is Owego. Its name derives from an American Indian word meaning "at the forks", describing a meeting place.
Tioga Coun ...
) was dropped from Owego to the
New York–Pennsylvania border
The New York–Pennsylvania border is the state line between the U.S. states of New York and Pennsylvania. It has three sections:
* Along the center line of the Delaware River from the Tri-States Monument tripoint with New Jersey at the confluence ...
near the
42nd parallel north
The 42nd parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 42 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean.
At this latitude the sun is v ...
sometime after this border was surveyed in 1786, and the Delaware River was followed a few miles upstream (north) from the initial monument of this border near the 42nd parallel north to reach Deposit.
The line to the mouth of the Unadilla was then drawn straight from Deposit, a bit east of north. This is the modern-day boundary between
Broome County, New York
Broome County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the county had a population of 198,683. Its county seat is Binghamton. The county was named for John Broome, the state's lieutenant governor when Br ...
and
Chenango County, New York
Chenango County is a County (United States), county located in the south-central section U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 47,220. Its county seat is Norwich, New York ...
(west or Indian side) and
Delaware County, New York
Delaware County is a county located in the US state of New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 44,308. The county seat is Delhi. The county is named after the Delaware River, which was named in honor of Thomas West, ...
(east or Colonial side).
The Unadilla River then forms the modern-day boundary between Chenango County, New York (west) and
Otsego County, New York
Otsego County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,524. The county seat is Cooperstown. The name ''Otsego'' is from a Mohawk or Oneida word meaning "place of the rock."
History
In 178 ...
(east); the "west branch of the Tianaderha" referred to is not the modern West Branch of the Unadilla that rises near
Bridgewater, New York
Bridgewater is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 1,522 at the 2010 census.
The Town of Bridgewater is on the southern border of the county. The town has a former village called Bridgewater near the southern t ...
, but rather Beaver Creek a few miles to the west that flows through
Brookfield, New York
Brookfield is a town in Madison County, New York, United States. The population was 2,403 at the 2000 census.
The Town of Brookfield is located in the southeastern part of the county. The county agricultural fair is held here every year.
Histo ...
to join the Unadilla near New Berlin, New York; Beaver Creek rises at approximately 42° 55' 11" N, 75° 19' 01" W) near Hobin Corners on US 20.
The line then strikes out in a NW direction towards the named confluence (43° 13' 33" N, 75° 32' 39" W) west of present-day Rome, New York, near East Verona, New York. This is a few miles west of Rome, so that Fort Stanwix fell in lands assigned to the Colonials.
The line as finally surveyed went through the
Hamilton College
Hamilton College is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York. It was founded as Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812 in honor of inaugural trustee Alexander Hamilton, following ...
campus on College Hill just west of
Clinton, New York where there are two stone markers.
Consequences
The first clause effectively cedes most of modern-day Kentucky and West Virginia to the
Virginia colony
The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colonial empire, English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertG ...
.
This line substantially enlarged the Colonial area designated in the
Royal Proclamation of 1763
The Royal Proclamation of 1763 was issued by King George III on 7 October 1763. It followed the Treaty of Paris (1763), which formally ended the Seven Years' War and transferred French territory in North America to Great Britain. The Procla ...
, especially in Pennsylvania. It also included a slice of New York State east of the Unadilla and west of the previous line of settlement near Cherry Valley. Thus the
Iroquois
The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...
ceded only a small area in New York state, a larger area in Pennsylvania, and a huge tract that was in fact south of their area of control.
Maps
{,
,
![GJohnsonMap Burnetts](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/GJohnsonMap_Burnetts.jpg)
,
,
References
* "The Documentary History of the State of New York", by E.B. O'Callaghan, M.D.; Albany: Weed, Parsons & Co., 1850 (Vol. 1 pp. 379–381 text of treaty)
* "History of Tioga, Chemung, Tompkins, and Schuyler Counties, New York: with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers" by Peirce, H.; B. Hurd, D. Hamilton; Philadelphia : Everts & Ensign, 1879.
External links
Tri-Counties Genealogy & History page includes text of treaty
1769 mapfrom A Documentary History of the State of New York Vol. I, by E. B. O'Callaghan (cited in References, above)
* s:The Old New York Frontier/Part 3/Chapter 2, ''The Old New York Frontier'', by Francis Whiting Halsey; New York; Charles Scribner's Sons, 1901 (Part 3, Chapter 2 The Fort Stanwix Deed, and Patents that Followed It (1768–1770), pp. 99–105)
History of New England
Aboriginal title in New York