Twenty Townships
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The Twenty Townships are an area in central New York that now is largely a part of Madison and Chenango counties. The area was also known as Clinton's Purchase, for the sale by the
Oneida Nation The Oneida Nation is a federally recognized tribe of Oneida people in Wisconsin. The tribe's reservation spans parts of two counties west of the Green Bay metropolitan area. The reservation was established by treaty in 1838, and was allotted to ...
to New York in 1788 was made under Governor George Clinton. In the late twentieth century, the
United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
ruled the sale had been unconstitutional, as the state had no authority to deal directly with the Native Americans, and never had its treaty ratified by the US Senate.


Background

This area had been part of the
Oneida people The Oneida people ( autonym: Onʌyoteˀa·ká·, Onyota'a:ka, ''the People of the Upright Stone, or standing stone'', ''Thwahrù·nęʼ'' in Tuscarora) are a Native American tribe and First Nations band. They are one of the five founding ...
's homeland since their emergence as a culture in the fourteenth century. After the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
, the United States government allocated a reservation in this area for the
Oneida Nation The Oneida Nation is a federally recognized tribe of Oneida people in Wisconsin. The tribe's reservation spans parts of two counties west of the Green Bay metropolitan area. The reservation was established by treaty in 1838, and was allotted to ...
, who had been allies of the Patriots. But land pressure continued as European-American settlers poured into central and western New York seeking land to purchase and develop for farming. The state wanted more land available for sale. On September 22, 1788 at Fort Schuyler, a treaty between Governor George Clinton and the Oneida Indians ceded this land from the tribe to the state of New York. The southern part of the Twenty Townships became a part of Chenango and the northern part was included in Madison County when it was created from Chenango County in 1806. The northern townships that became a part of
Madison County, New York Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 68,016. Its county seat is Wampsville. The county is named after James Madison, the fourth president of the United States, and was fir ...
were: *1.
Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
*2. Eaton *3. Madison *4. Hamilton *5.
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
*6. Georgetown *18. south part of Brookfield *19. north part of Brookfield In 1829, the southern townships that became a part of
Chenango County, New York Chenango County is a county located in the south-central section U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 47,220. Its county seat is Norwich. The county's name originates from an Oneida word meaning 'large bull-thist ...
were: *7. Otselic *8.
Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...
*9. Sherburne *10. north part of
Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
*11. Plymouth *12.
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*13.
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*14. Preston *15. south part of
Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
*16. New Berlin (also includes parts of 10 and 15) *17. Columbus Township 20 became the Town of Sangerfield and the western part of Bridgewater in Oneida County. In the late twentieth century, the Oneida Nation pursued a land claim against New York State to recover its lands or compensation. The
United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
ruled that, as this treaty and sale were never ratified by the
United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...
, it was unconstitutional. After the Revolution and the formation of the United States under a written constitution, New York State had no legal authority to negotiate separately with American Indian tribes.


Sources

*''Child's Gazetteer and Directory''
Map of the County of Chenango by David H. Burr, 1829. David Rumsey Map Collection; shows towns and lot numbers

J. H. French, ''Gazetteer of the State of New York: Embracing a Comprehensive View of the State, and a Complete History and Description of Every County, City, Town, Village, and Locality with Full Tables of Statistics''
1860, p. 224 History of New York (state) Geography of Madison County, New York Geography of Chenango County, New York Geography of Oneida County, New York