Neucheconeh (
fl.
''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indicatin ...
1732–1748), also known as Newcheconner, Nocheknonee, Neucheconner, Neucheconno, Neucheconer, Nowchekano, Nawchikana, Neuchconna, Nuckegunnah, Neuchyconer or Nechikonner was a
Pekowi Pekowi was the name of one of the five divisions (or bands) of the Shawnee, a Native American people, during the 18th century. The other four divisions were the Chalahgawtha, Mekoche, Kispoko, and Hathawekela. Together these divisions formed the l ...
Shawnee
The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...
chief from western Pennsylvania. From 1732 to 1745, Neucheconeh shared leadership of the Shawnee of western Pennsylvania with
Kakowatcheky
Kakowatcheky (c. 1670 - c. 1755 or 1758), also known as Kakowatchiky, Cachawatsiky, Kakowatchy, or Kakowatchey, was a Pekowi Shawnee chief believed to be among the first to bring Shawnee people into Pennsylvania. For about fifty years he and the ...
. During that time, he petitioned the
Pennsylvania Provincial Government to regulate the sale of alcohol in Shawnee communities and was involved in the migration of many Shawnees into the
Ohio River Valley
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 Illinoi ...
, away from the influence of European settlers and into a region where game was more plentiful. In 1745 he joined
Peter Chartier
Peter Chartier (16901759) (Anglicized version of Pierre Chartier, sometimes written Chartiere, Chartiers, Shartee or Shortive) was a fur trader of mixed Shawnee and French parentage. Multilingual, he later became a leader and a band chief among ...
and other Shawnees who chose loyalty to
New France
New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spai ...
, but after three years he returned to Pennsylvania and apologized. His date and place of death are unknown.
Letter to Governor Gordon, 1732
Like many Native American leaders of that time, Neucheconeh's life is only known through colonial documents, treaties and letters, as the Shawnee did not keep written records until later. His name (Noochickoneh) first appears as a chief's signature to a letter to
Governor Patrick Gordon
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...
in June 1732, sent in explanation for the sudden move of Shawnees from Pechoquealin (now
Smithfield Township, Monroe County, Pennsylvania
Smithfield Township is a township in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,001 at the 2020 census.
History
"In 1746, the first action was taken for the formation of Smithfield Township, the first municipal division nor ...
)
[George P. Donehoo, "The Shawnee in Pennsylvania," ''Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine,'' vol 7, No 3:178-87; January, 1924; Western Pennsylvania Historical Society](_blank)
/ref> to Wyomink in August, 1728. The move was so sudden that the Shawnees did not take the time to harvest their cornfields. At the time, Neucheconeh was described as "chief of the Shawnees at Allegheny."[Charles Augustus Hanna, ''The Wilderness Trail: Or, The Ventures and Adventures of the Pennsylvania Traders on the Allegheny Path,'' Volume 1, Putnam's sons, 1911](_blank)
/ref> The letter states that the Five Nations proposed that the Shawnees join them in attacking English settlements, saying, "Our land is going to be taken from us. Come, brothers, assist us. Let us fall upon and fight with the English." The Shawnee refused, and the Five Nations advised them to relocate to Wyomink, adding that the Iroquois would "look upon you as women for the future, and not as men," and that the Shawnee should "look back toward Ohio, the place from whence you came; and return thitherward." The letter also notes: "One reason of our leaving our former settlements and coming here is, several negro slaves used to run away and come amongst us; and we thought ye English would blame us for it." Starting in 1728 many Shawnees began migrating into the Ohio Valley.
Petition, 1734
In 1734 the Provincial Council received a letter dated May 1 from "Nechikonner" and other Shawnees living in "Allegania," responding to Pennsylvania's repeated requests that the Shawnees return to the Susquehanna Valley.[Stephen Warren, ''Worlds the Shawnees Made: Migration and Violence in Early America,'' UNC Press Books, 2014](_blank)
The letter complained about certain traders who sold rum to the Shawnees, and they requested that these men be "kept particularly" from trading amongst the Shawnees. They then endorsed several traders whom "we desire may have Licence to come and trade with us, as also Peter Cheartier, who we reckon one of us, and he is welcome to come as long as he pleases." They also petitioned that "no trader above-mentioned may be allowed to bring more than 30 Gallons of Rum, twice in a year and no more," as excessive drinking was starting to have social and economic effects on the Shawnee people.
Temperance pledge, 1738
Neucheconeh's name was signed to another letter of March 20, 1738, addressed to Thomas Penn
Thomas Penn (8 March 1702 – 21 March 1775) was an English landowner and mercer who was the chief proprietor of Pennsylvania from 1746 to 1775. Penn is best known for his involvement in negotiating the Walking Purchase, a contested land cessi ...
and Acting Governor James Logan, which stated:
All our people being gathered together, we held a council together, to leave off drinking for the space of four years, and we all in general agreed to it, taking into consideration the ill consequences that attend it and what disturbance it makes, and that two of our brothers, the Mingo
The Mingo people are an Iroquoian group of Native Americans, primarily Seneca and Cayuga, who migrated west from New York to the Ohio Country in the mid-18th century, and their descendants. Some Susquehannock survivors also joined them, and ...
es, lost their lives in our towns by rum, and that we would live in peace and quietness and become another people ... The proposal of stopping the rum and all strong liquors was made to the rest f the tribe
F, or f, is the sixth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ef'' (pronounced ), and the plural is ''efs''.
Hist ...
in the winter, and they were all willing. As soon as it was concluded of, all the rum that was in the Towns was all staved and spilled, belonging both to Indians and white people, which in quantity consisted of about forty gallons, that was thrown in the street, and we have appointed four men to stave all the rum or strong liquors that is brought to the Towns hereafter, either by Indians or white men, during the four years. We would be glad if our brothers would send strict orders that we might prevent the rum coming to the hunting cabins or to the neighboring towns. We have sent wampum
Wampum is a traditional shell bead of the Eastern Woodlands tribes of Native Americans. It includes white shell beads hand-fashioned from the North Atlantic channeled whelk shell and white and purple beads made from the quahog or Western Nort ...
to the French, to the Five Nations, to the Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
... to tell them not to bring any rum to our towns, for we want none ... so we would be glad if our brothers would inform the traders not bring any for we are sorry, after they have brought it a great way, for them to have it broke, and when they're once warned they will take care.
This letter was accompanied by a pledge, signed by ninety-eight Shawnees and by Chartier, agreeing that all rum should be spilled, and four men should be appointed for every town to see that no rum or strong liquor should be brought into their towns for the term of four years.[C. Hale Sipe, ''The Indian wars of Pennsylvania: an account of the Indian events, in Pennsylvania, of the French and Indian war, Pontiac's war, Lord Dunmore's war, the revolutionary war, and the Indian uprising from 1789 to 1795; tragedies of the Pennsylvania frontier based primarily on the Penna. archives and colonial records,'' The Telegraph Press, Harrisburg PA, 1929.](_blank)
/ref> Neucheconeh signed as "Newcheconneh, Deputy King," after the signature of "Loyparcowah, Opehassah's Son." He was apparently acting as vice-regent for the heir of Opessa, the chief of the Shawnees at Conestoga. Neucheconeh shared leadership of the Pennsylvania Shawnee with Kakowatcheky
Kakowatcheky (c. 1670 - c. 1755 or 1758), also known as Kakowatchiky, Cachawatsiky, Kakowatchy, or Kakowatchey, was a Pekowi Shawnee chief believed to be among the first to bring Shawnee people into Pennsylvania. For about fifty years he and the ...
until 1745.
Treaty with Thomas Penn, 1739
On 27 July 1739, Cacowatchike (Kakowatcheky
Kakowatcheky (c. 1670 - c. 1755 or 1758), also known as Kakowatchiky, Cachawatsiky, Kakowatchy, or Kakowatchey, was a Pekowi Shawnee chief believed to be among the first to bring Shawnee people into Pennsylvania. For about fifty years he and the ...
), Newcheconneh, Tamenebuck, and Meshemethequater
Meshemethequater (1690 or 1691–1758) also known as Big Hominy, Great Huminy, Misemeathaquatha, Missemediqueety, or Big Hannoana was a Pekowi Shawnee chief from western Pennsylvania. Although he was a respected warrior, he is best known for parti ...
came to Philadelphia from Wyoming
Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...
and Allegheny to hold a council with Governor Thomas Penn
Thomas Penn (8 March 1702 – 21 March 1775) was an English landowner and mercer who was the chief proprietor of Pennsylvania from 1746 to 1775. Penn is best known for his involvement in negotiating the Walking Purchase, a contested land cessi ...
. Colonial authorities were concerned about the migration of Shawnee and Lenape communities from Pennsylvania to the Ohio River valley, where it was feared that they would become allies of New France
New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spai ...
. Population pressure from increasing numbers of European colonists had reduced the availability of game for hunting, creating problems for the Indian populations which subsisted largely on game during the winter months. This westward shift of Shawnee communities led to the migration of many to the Ohio River Valley. Secretary James Logan told the Shawnee,
Since your nation first left their settlement near Paxtang
Paxtang is a borough in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 1,640. The borough is a suburb of Harrisburg and is one of the earliest colonial settlements in South Central Pennsylvania.
History ...
, on the west side of the Susquehanna, and retired to so great a distance as the River Ohio, or Allegheny, this Government has ever been desirous of a conference with some of your chiefs. Some of your older men may undoubtedly remember that about forty years ago a considerable number of families of your nation thought it fit to remove from the great river that bears your name, where your principal correspondence was with those of the French nation.
A new treaty was concluded at this council, in which it was declared that the Shawnees had moved to the Allegheny from their former home on the Susquehanna. This treaty was signed on behalf of the Shawnees on the Juniata River
The Juniata River () is a tributary of the Susquehanna River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed August 8, 2011 in central Pennsylvania. The river is ...
and 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 ...
by Kaycowockewr (Kakowatcheky), chief of those at Wyoming Valley
The Wyoming Valley is a historic industrialized region of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The region is historically notable for its influence in helping fuel the American Industrial Revolution with its many anthracite coal-mines. As a metropolitan are ...
, and by Newcheconner and Tomenebuck, for the Shawnees of Allegheny.
Peace negotiations, 1743
After a series of violent conflicts between Indians and white settlers, Meshemethequater and other chiefs from the Six Nations (including Shikellamy
Shikellamy (1680 - December 6, 1748), also spelled Shickellamy and also known as Swatana, was an Oneida chief and overseer for the Iroquois confederacy. In his position as chief and overseer, Shikellamy served as a supervisor for the Six Nations, ...
), the Tuscaroras
The Tuscarora (in Tuscarora ''Skarù:ręˀ'', "hemp gatherers" or "Shirt-Wearing People") are a Native American tribe and First Nations band government of the Iroquoian family, with members today in New York, USA, and Ontario, Canada. They co ...
, and the Lenape
The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory includ ...
met with Conrad Weiser
Conrad Weiser (November 2, 1696 – July 13, 1760), born Johann Conrad Weiser, Jr., was a Pennsylvania Dutch (German) pioneer who served as an interpreter and diplomat between the Pennsylvania Colony and Native American nations. Primarily a fa ...
and Andrew Montour
Andrew Montour ( – 1772), also known as Sattelihu, Eghnisara,Hagedorn, 57 and Henry,Montour was also called Henry, possibly due to the similarity of sound with the French ''"Andre".'' was an important mixed Language interpretation, interpr ...
at Shamokin in April 1743, and received wampum
Wampum is a traditional shell bead of the Eastern Woodlands tribes of Native Americans. It includes white shell beads hand-fashioned from the North Atlantic channeled whelk shell and white and purple beads made from the quahog or Western Nort ...
from Weiser, who was trying to persuade the Shawnees not to attack English traders living on the Allegheny, to prevent war from erupting. When the Council at Shamokin came to consider the messages sent by Weiser to the Shawnees, "then the speaker, in behalf of Cachawatsiky akowatchekythe Shawonese chief at Wyomink, and of Nochecouna eucheconeh the Shawonese chief at Ohio, related their answers to two messages that were sent with some strings of wampum by the Council held at Shamokin n February 1743 He began with Neucheconner's answer, directed to the Governor of Pennsylvania:
Brother, the Governor of Pennsylvania:
I live upon this River of Ohio, harmless, like a little child. I can do nothing; I am but weak; and I don't so much as intend mischief. I have nothing to say and do; therefore, send these strings of wampum to Kakowatcheky
Kakowatcheky (c. 1670 - c. 1755 or 1758), also known as Kakowatchiky, Cachawatsiky, Kakowatchy, or Kakowatchey, was a Pekowi Shawnee chief believed to be among the first to bring Shawnee people into Pennsylvania. For about fifty years he and the ...
, the chief man, again. He will answer your message, as he is the older and greater man.
Ultimately, the negotiations were successful. Neucheconeh may have indicated deference to Kakowatcheky because he was considering migrating to French-held territory in the Ohio Valley. Conflicts with the English traders on the Allegheny prompted Kakowatcheky himself to move to Logstown in 1744.
Association with Peter Chartier, 1745-1748
About 1730, the Shawnees from Opessa's Town on the Potomac (now Oldtown, Maryland
Oldtown is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Allegany County, Maryland, United States, along the North Branch Potomac River. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 86.
Demographics
History
It was founded in ...
) moved to the Allegheny, and they were followed during the next four years by most of the Pekowi Pekowi was the name of one of the five divisions (or bands) of the Shawnee, a Native American people, during the 18th century. The other four divisions were the Chalahgawtha, Mekoche, Kispoko, and Hathawekela. Together these divisions formed the l ...
Shawnees then living in the Cumberland Valley
The Cumberland Valley is a northern constituent valley of the Great Appalachian Valley, within the Atlantic Seaboard watershed in Pennsylvania and Maryland. The Appalachian Trail crosses through the valley.
Geography
The valley is bound to th ...
. By 1744 the principal town of the Shawnees on the Ohio was Neucheconeh's Town, also known to the traders as Chartier's Town, because at the time Peter Chartier
Peter Chartier (16901759) (Anglicized version of Pierre Chartier, sometimes written Chartiere, Chartiers, Shartee or Shortive) was a fur trader of mixed Shawnee and French parentage. Multilingual, he later became a leader and a band chief among ...
was the most influential resident trader on the Allegheny. In April 1745, Chartier, annoyed with the Pennsylvania Provincial government's failure to control the sale of rum in Shawnee communities (which was creating serious conflicts and health problems) abandoned Chartier's Town and moved to Lower Shawneetown
Lower Shawneetown, also known as Shannoah or Sonnontio, was an 18th-century Shawnee village located within the Lower Shawneetown Archeological District, near South Portsmouth in Greenup County, Kentucky and Lewis County, Kentucky. The population ...
, taking with him Neucheconeh, Meshemethequater
Meshemethequater (1690 or 1691–1758) also known as Big Hominy, Great Huminy, Misemeathaquatha, Missemediqueety, or Big Hannoana was a Pekowi Shawnee chief from western Pennsylvania. Although he was a respected warrior, he is best known for parti ...
, and about 400 Shawnees. Chartier remained at Lower Shawneetown until late June, then led his band of Shawnees into Kentucky to found the community of Eskippakithiki.[Lucien Beckner, "Eskippakithiki, The Last Indian Town in Kentucky," ''The Filson Club History Quarterly,'' Vol. 6, No. 4, Oct 1932. Louisville, KY, pp 355-382](_blank)
/ref> In 1747 Neucheconeh accompanied Chartier's band of Shawnees to Tennessee, Alabama and South Carolina.
In the summer of 1748 more than a hundred Shawnees, led by Chartier's cousin Meshemethequater
Meshemethequater (1690 or 1691–1758) also known as Big Hominy, Great Huminy, Misemeathaquatha, Missemediqueety, or Big Hannoana was a Pekowi Shawnee chief from western Pennsylvania. Although he was a respected warrior, he is best known for parti ...
, returned to Pennsylvania. Chartier's defection to the French had caused much concern among the British authorities,[Gordon Calloway, ''The Shawnees and the War for America,'' The Penguin library of American Indian history; Penguin, 2007.](_blank)
as the Provincial government feared that other Shawnee and possibly other tribes would also shift their alliance to the French. In July the Pennsylvania Provincial Council The Pennsylvania Provincial Council helped govern the Province of Pennsylvania from 1682 to 1776. The provincial council was based on the English parliamentary system and namely the Upper House or House of Lords. From the Frame of Government of Penn ...
appointed a commission to meet with the Shawnees who had returned. The commission was instructed:
As to the Shawonese you are to enquire very exactly after their conduct since the commencement of the War, and what lengths they went in favor of Peter Chartier; where he is; and what he has been doing all this time; and be careful that these people acknowledge their fault in plain terms, and promise never to be guilty of any behaviour again that may give such reason to suspect their fidelity.
In council with Scarouady Scarouady (also spelled Scarowady, Scarrouady, Scaroyady, Scarujade, Scaiohady, Skaronyade, Scaronage, Scruniyatha, Seruniyattha, or Skaruntia) was an Oneida tribe, Oneida leader at Logstown. He was sometimes referred to as Monacatuatha (also rend ...
on 20 July 1748 Meshemethequater submitted an apology for having joined with Chartier, stating:[Charles Augustus Hanna, ''The Wilderness Trail: Or, The Ventures and Adventures of the Pennsylvania Traders on the Allegheny Path,'' Volume 2, Putnam's sons, 1911](_blank)
/ref>
Grandfathers and Brethren: We, the Shawonese, have been misled, and have carried on a private correspondence without letting you or our brethren, the English, know of it. We travelled secretly through the bushes to Canada, and the French promised us great things : but we find ourselves deceived. We are sorry that we had anything to do with them. We now find that we could not see, although the sun did shine. We earnestly desire you would intercede with our brethren, the English, for us who are left at Ohio, that we may be permitted to be restored to the chain of friendship, and be looked upon as heretofore, the same flesh with them.
Although Kakowatcheky had not followed Chartier to Ohio, as had Neucheconeh and Meshemethequater, he participated in the apology and was commended by the Provincial authorities for maintaining his loyalty to the British: The Pennsylvania Commissioners agreed to take the offending Shawnees back into the English alliance, but they also sent a belt of wampum by the Six Nations chiefs, requesting them to reprimand Neucheconeh and his party for their misconduct:
Take this string of wampum and therewith chastize Neucheconneh and his party in such terms as will be a proper severity with them. Then tell the delinquent Shawnees that we will forget what is past, and expect a more punctual regard to their engagements hereafter.[Chester Hale Sipe, ''The Indian chiefs of Pennsylvania, or, A story of the part played by the American Indian in the history of Pennsylvania: based primarily on the Pennsylvania archives and colonial records, and built around the outstanding chiefs,'' Butler, Pa.: Ziegler Print. Co., Inc., 1927](_blank)
/ref>
In a letter to Conrad Weiser
Conrad Weiser (November 2, 1696 – July 13, 1760), born Johann Conrad Weiser, Jr., was a Pennsylvania Dutch (German) pioneer who served as an interpreter and diplomat between the Pennsylvania Colony and Native American nations. Primarily a fa ...
dated 23 June 1748 Anthony Palmer, President of the Pennsylvania Provincial Council The Pennsylvania Provincial Council helped govern the Province of Pennsylvania from 1682 to 1776. The provincial council was based on the English parliamentary system and namely the Upper House or House of Lords. From the Frame of Government of Penn ...
, said, "...they relented, made acknowledgment to the Government of their error in being seduced by Peter Chartier, and prayed they might be permitted to return to their old Town."
Neucheconeh's name does not appear in the records after 1748 and it is assumed that he lost influence as a result of his brief association with Peter Chartier. He may have returned to live in Lower Shawneetown.White, Richard. ''The Middle Ground: Indians, Empires, and Republics in the Great Lakes Region, 1650–1815.'' Cambridge University Press, 2010.
/ref> The date and place of his death are unknown.
See also
* Peter Chartier
Peter Chartier (16901759) (Anglicized version of Pierre Chartier, sometimes written Chartiere, Chartiers, Shartee or Shortive) was a fur trader of mixed Shawnee and French parentage. Multilingual, he later became a leader and a band chief among ...
* Meshemethequater
Meshemethequater (1690 or 1691–1758) also known as Big Hominy, Great Huminy, Misemeathaquatha, Missemediqueety, or Big Hannoana was a Pekowi Shawnee chief from western Pennsylvania. Although he was a respected warrior, he is best known for parti ...
* Opessa Straight Tail
Opessa Straight Tail (), also known as Wopatha or Wapatha, was a Pekowi Shawnee Chief. He was the son of Straight Tail Meaurroway Opessa. He is best known for signing, on 23 April 1701, the "Articles of friendship and agreement between William P ...
* Logstown
"extensive flats"
, settlement_type = Historic Native American village
, image_skyline = Image:Logstown1.jpg
, imagesize = 220px
, image_alt =
, image_map1 = Pennsylvania in United States ...
* Kakowatcheky
Kakowatcheky (c. 1670 - c. 1755 or 1758), also known as Kakowatchiky, Cachawatsiky, Kakowatchy, or Kakowatchey, was a Pekowi Shawnee chief believed to be among the first to bring Shawnee people into Pennsylvania. For about fifty years he and the ...
References
{{reflist
Shawnee history
History of Pennsylvania
History of Ohio
Native American leaders
18th-century Native Americans
Native American people from Pennsylvania
Native American temperance activists
1748 deaths