Wonohaquaham also known as Sagamore John was a Native American leader who was a Pawtucket Confederation Sachem when English began to settle in the area.

Early life

Wonohaquaham was the oldest son of

Nanepashemet Nanepashemet (died 1619) was a sachem and ''bashabe'' or great leader of the Pawtucket Confederation of Abenaki peoples in present-day New England before the landing of the Pilgrims. He was a leader of Native peoples over a large part of what i ...

and the

Squaw Sachem of Mistick Squaw Sachem of Mistick (c. 1590-1650 or 1667) was a prominent leader of a Massachusett tribe who deeded large tracts of land in eastern Massachusetts to early colonial settlers. Squaw Sachem was the widow of Nanepashemet, the Sachem of the Pawtu ...

. A few years after his father's death, Wonohaquaham became sachem of Mishawum, which consisted of the land near the Mystic River, including present-day

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament const ...

, Charlestown, Malden, Everett, Revere, Somerville, Woburn, and Stoneham as well as parts of Medford,

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge becam ...

, Arlington, and

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling) ...

. He resided in Rumney Marsh (now known as Chelsea). In 1631, Thomas Dudley wrote that Wonohaquaham led around 30 or 40 followers and that they moved locations often.

Relationship with English colonists

Wonohaquaham was described as having a "gentle and good disposition" towards the English. In 1627, he gave them permission to settle in Charlestown. He was known to warn the colonists of impending attacks by unfriendly Indians. As early as 1631, Wonohaquaham, who was called Sagamore John by the colonists, spoke English wore English clothing, lived in English-style housing, and showed interest in Christianity. According to Dudley, this resulted in Wonohaquaham receiving the "scoffes of the Indians". Edward Howes wrote that he had "greate hopes" that Wonohaquaham become "civilized and a christian", however, Wonohaquaham chose to remain with the Pawtucket rather than joining the settlers. Wonohaquaham attempted to use the English court system to resolve disputes with mixed results. Many cases never made it to court, however in 1631 he received seven yards of cloth from Richard Saltonstall and fifty shillings sterling from Saltonstall's servant after the servant burnt two Pawtucket wigwams.

Death

On or just before December 2, 1633, Wonohaquaham and thirty of his people died of smallpox, part of an outbreak that had also killed

Massachusett The Massachusett were a Native American tribe from the region in and around present-day Greater Boston in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name comes from the Massachusett language term for "At the Great Hill," referring to the Blue Hil ...

sachem

Chickatawbut Chickatawbut (died 1633; also known as Cicatabut and possibly as Oktabiest before 1622) was the sachem, or leader, of a large group of indigenous people known as the Massachusett tribe in what is now eastern Massachusetts, United States, during th ...

the previous month, and would go on to devastate the native population of

Piscataqua Piscataqua, believed to be an Abenaki word meaning ''rapid waters'', may refer to: * Piscataqua River, a fast-moving estuarine river dividing coastal New Hampshire and Maine in the United States * Piscataqua River (Presumpscot River), a tributary ...

. Prior to his death, Wonohaquaham asked Reverend John Wilson to raise his two sons (only one of which survived the outbreak) and teach them of the Christian faith. He left his wampum and personal items to his mother and his land on Powder Horn Hill in Chelsea to his son. He also left gifts for

John Winthrop John Winthrop (January 12, 1587/88 – March 26, 1649) was an English Puritan lawyer and one of the leading figures in founding the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the second major settlement in New England following Plymouth Colony. Winthrop led ...

and other colonists. In 1888, workers in West Medford discovered the remains of 18 Native Americans, which were believed at the time to be those of Wonohaquaham and some of his followers. A 10 foot high monument was erected near the site in what is now known as Sagamore Park. However, John Winthrop's report of Wonohaquaham's death suggests that he was cared for during his final days and buried by

Samuel Maverick Samuel Augustus Maverick (July 23, 1803 – September 2, 1870) was a Texas lawyer, politician, land baron and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. His name is the source of the term "wikt:maverick, maverick," first cited in 1867, whic ...

of Winnesimmet, current day

Chelsea, Massachusetts Chelsea is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, directly across the Mystic River from the city of Boston. As of the 2020 census, Chelsea had a population of 40,787. With a total area of just 2.46 square miles, Chelsea is the sm ...

. In contrast, Wonohaquaham's father

was known to have been killed in a siege of his palisade fort in 1617 in Medford, where his burial site was discovered in 1619 by Edward Winslow. As such, Sagamore Park may be Nanepashemet's final resting place and not Wonohaquaham's.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wonohaquaham 1633 deaths 17th-century Native Americans Native American leaders People from Chelsea, Massachusetts Native American people from Massachusetts Deaths from smallpox Native American history of Massachusetts Massachusett people