August 18, 2025 • 9 mins
In 1755, twelve-year-old Mary Jemison was captured by Native Americans, marking the beginning of a remarkable journey that would define her life. This compelling narrative recounts the tragic murder of her father and family, her profound struggles, and the complexities of her marriages to two Native men. Mary’s account reveals the harsh realities she faced, the brutalities of the French and Revolutionary Wars, and the historical truths that have long remained untold. Join us as we explore her extraordinary story, as narrated by James Seaver.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter fifteen of a narrative of the Life of Missus
Mary Jemison. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings
are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer,
please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Lynn Carroll. A
Narrative of the Life of Missus Mary Jemison by James E. Seaver,
(00:23):
Chapter fifteen. In eighteen sixteen, Mica Brooks, esquire of Bloomfield,
Ontario County, was recommended to me, as it was said
by a mister Ingalls, to be a man of candor, honesty,
and integrity, who would by no means cheat me out
of assent. Mister Brooks soon after came to my house
(00:46):
and informed me that he was disposed to assist me
in regard to my land by procuring a legislative act
that would invest me with full power to dispose of
it for my own benefit, and give as ample a
title as could be given by any citizen of the state.
He observed that as it was then situated, it was
(01:09):
of but little value, because it was not in my
power to dispose of it. Let my necessities be ever
so great. He then proposed to take the agency of
the business upon himself, and to get the title of
one half of my reservation vested in me personally, upon
the condition that as a reward for his services, I
(01:30):
would give him the other half. I sent for my son, John, who,
on being consulted, objected to my going into any bargain
with mister Brooks without the advice and consent of mister
Thomas Clute, who then lived on my land and near me.
Mister Clute was accordingly called on to whom mister Brooks
repeated his former statement, and added that he would get
(01:54):
an act passed in the Congress of the United States
that would invest me with all the rights and immunities
of a citizen, so far as it respected my property.
Mister Clute, suspecting that some plan was in operation that
would deprive me of my possessions, advised me to have
nothing to say on the subject to mister Brooks till
(02:15):
I had seen Esquire Clute of Squawky Hill. Soon after this,
Thomas Clute saw Esquire Clute, who informed him that the
petition for my naturalization would be presented to the legislature
of this state instead of being sent to Congress, and
that the object would succeed to his and my satisfaction.
(02:36):
Mister Clute then observed to his brother, Esquire Clute, that
as the sale of Indian lands which had been reserved
belonged exclusively to the United States, an act of the
Legislature of New York could have no effect in securing
to me a title to my reservation or in depriving
me of my property. They finally agreed that I should
(02:59):
sign a petition to Congress praying for my naturalization and
for the confirmation of the title of my land to
me my heirs, et cetera. Mister Brooks came with the petition.
I signed it, and it was witnessed by Thomas Clute
and two others, and then returned to mister Brooks, who
presented it to the Legislature of this State at its
(03:21):
session in the winter of eighteen sixteen seventeen. On the
nineteenth of April eighteen seventeen, an Act was passed for
my naturalization and ratifying and confirming the title of my land,
agreeable to the tenor of the petition, which act mister
Brooks presented to me. On the first day of May following,
(03:43):
Thomas Clute, having examined the law told me that it
would probably answer, though it was not. According to the
agreement made by mister Brooks and Esquire Clute and himself
for me, I then executed to Micah Brooks and Jealous
Clute a deed of all my land lying east of
the picket line on the Guardo Reservation, containing about seven
(04:06):
thousand acres. It is proper in this place to observe,
in relation to mister Thomas Clute, that my son John,
a few months before his death, advised me to take
him for my guardian, as I had become old and
incapable of managing my property, and to compensate him for
his trouble by giving him a lot of land on
(04:28):
the west side of my reservation, where he should choose it.
I accordingly took my son's advice, and mister Clute has
ever since been faithful and honest in all his advice
and dealings with and for myself and family. In the
month of August eighteen seventeen, mister Brooks and Esquire Clute
(04:49):
again came to me with a request that I would
give them a lease of the land which I had
already deeded to them, together with the other part of
my reservation except apt and reserving to myself only about
four thousand acres. At this time I informed Thomas Clute
of what John had advised and recommended me to do,
(05:11):
and that I had consulted my daughters on the subject,
who had approved of the measure. He readily agreed to
assist me. Whereupon I told him he was entitled to
a lot of land and might select as John had mentioned.
He accordingly, at that time took such a peace as
he chose, and the same has ever since been reserved
(05:33):
for him in all the land contracts which I have made.
On the twenty fourth of August eighteen seventeen, I leased
to mic of Brooks and Jealous Clute the whole of
my original reservation except four thousand acres and Thomas Clute's lot.
Finding their title still incomplete on account of the United
(05:54):
States government and Seneca chiefs not having sanctioned my acts,
they solicited me to renew the contract and have the
conveyance made to them in such a manner as that
they should thereby be constituted sole proprietors of the soil.
In the winter of eighteen twenty two to three, I
agreed with them that if they would get the chiefs
(06:16):
of our nation and a United States Commissioner of Indian
Lands to meet in council at Moscow, Livingstone County, New York,
and there concur in my agreement, that I would sell
to them all my right and title to the Guardo Reservation,
with the exception of a tract for my own benefit
two miles long and one mile wide, lying on the
(06:40):
river where I should choose it, and also reserving Thomas
Klute's lot. This arrangement was agreed upon, and the council
assembled at the place appointed on the third or fourth
day of September eighteen twenty three. That council consisted of
Major Carroll, who had been appointed by the President to
(07:00):
dispose of my lands, Judge Howell, and N. Gorham of Canandagua,
who acted in concert with Major Carroll, Jasper Parish Indian Agent,
Horatio Jones interpreter, and a great number of chiefs. The
bargain was assented to unanimously, and a deed given to H. B. Gibson,
(07:21):
Mica Brooks, and Jealous Clute of the whole Gardo Tract,
accepting the last mentioned reservations, which was signed by myself
and upwards of twenty chiefs. The land which I now
own is bounded as follows, beginning at the center of
the great slide and running west one mile, thence north
(07:43):
two miles, thence east about one mile to Genesee River,
thence south on the west bank of Genesee River to
the place of beginning. Footnote. The great Slide of the
bank of Genesee River is a curiosity worthy of the
attention of the traveler. In the month of May eighteen seventeen,
(08:05):
a portion of land thickly covered with timber, situated at
the upper end of the Guardo Flats on the west
side of the river, all of a sudden gave way,
and with a tremendous crash, slid into the bed of
the river, which it so completely filled that the stream
formed a new passage on the east side of it,
(08:26):
where it continues to run without overflowing the slide. This slide,
as it now lies, contains twenty two acres and has
a considerable share of the timber that formerly covered it,
still standing erect upon it and growing. And footnote. In
consideration of the above sale, the purchasers have bound themselves
(08:48):
their heirs assigns et cetera, to pay to me my
heirs or successors three hundred dollars a year forever. Whenever
the land which I have reserved shall be sold, the
income of it is to be equally divided amongst the
members of the Seneca Nation, without any reference to tribes
(09:09):
or families. End of Chapter fifteen,
Chapter fifteen of a narrative of the Life of Missus
Mary Jemison. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings
are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer,
please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Lynn Carroll. A
Narrative of the Life of Missus Mary Jemison by James E. Seaver,
(00:23):
Chapter fifteen. In eighteen sixteen, Mica Brooks, esquire of Bloomfield,
Ontario County, was recommended to me, as it was said
by a mister Ingalls, to be a man of candor, honesty,
and integrity, who would by no means cheat me out
of assent. Mister Brooks soon after came to my house
(00:46):
and informed me that he was disposed to assist me
in regard to my land by procuring a legislative act
that would invest me with full power to dispose of
it for my own benefit, and give as ample a
title as could be given by any citizen of the state.
He observed that as it was then situated, it was
(01:09):
of but little value, because it was not in my
power to dispose of it. Let my necessities be ever
so great. He then proposed to take the agency of
the business upon himself, and to get the title of
one half of my reservation vested in me personally, upon
the condition that as a reward for his services, I
(01:30):
would give him the other half. I sent for my son, John, who,
on being consulted, objected to my going into any bargain
with mister Brooks without the advice and consent of mister
Thomas Clute, who then lived on my land and near me.
Mister Clute was accordingly called on to whom mister Brooks
repeated his former statement, and added that he would get
(01:54):
an act passed in the Congress of the United States
that would invest me with all the rights and immunities
of a citizen, so far as it respected my property.
Mister Clute, suspecting that some plan was in operation that
would deprive me of my possessions, advised me to have
nothing to say on the subject to mister Brooks till
(02:15):
I had seen Esquire Clute of Squawky Hill. Soon after this,
Thomas Clute saw Esquire Clute, who informed him that the
petition for my naturalization would be presented to the legislature
of this state instead of being sent to Congress, and
that the object would succeed to his and my satisfaction.
(02:36):
Mister Clute then observed to his brother, Esquire Clute, that
as the sale of Indian lands which had been reserved
belonged exclusively to the United States, an act of the
Legislature of New York could have no effect in securing
to me a title to my reservation or in depriving
me of my property. They finally agreed that I should
(02:59):
sign a petition to Congress praying for my naturalization and
for the confirmation of the title of my land to
me my heirs, et cetera. Mister Brooks came with the petition.
I signed it, and it was witnessed by Thomas Clute
and two others, and then returned to mister Brooks, who
presented it to the Legislature of this State at its
(03:21):
session in the winter of eighteen sixteen seventeen. On the
nineteenth of April eighteen seventeen, an Act was passed for
my naturalization and ratifying and confirming the title of my land,
agreeable to the tenor of the petition, which act mister
Brooks presented to me. On the first day of May following,
(03:43):
Thomas Clute, having examined the law told me that it
would probably answer, though it was not. According to the
agreement made by mister Brooks and Esquire Clute and himself
for me, I then executed to Micah Brooks and Jealous
Clute a deed of all my land lying east of
the picket line on the Guardo Reservation, containing about seven
(04:06):
thousand acres. It is proper in this place to observe,
in relation to mister Thomas Clute, that my son John,
a few months before his death, advised me to take
him for my guardian, as I had become old and
incapable of managing my property, and to compensate him for
his trouble by giving him a lot of land on
(04:28):
the west side of my reservation, where he should choose it.
I accordingly took my son's advice, and mister Clute has
ever since been faithful and honest in all his advice
and dealings with and for myself and family. In the
month of August eighteen seventeen, mister Brooks and Esquire Clute
(04:49):
again came to me with a request that I would
give them a lease of the land which I had
already deeded to them, together with the other part of
my reservation except apt and reserving to myself only about
four thousand acres. At this time I informed Thomas Clute
of what John had advised and recommended me to do,
(05:11):
and that I had consulted my daughters on the subject,
who had approved of the measure. He readily agreed to
assist me. Whereupon I told him he was entitled to
a lot of land and might select as John had mentioned.
He accordingly, at that time took such a peace as
he chose, and the same has ever since been reserved
(05:33):
for him in all the land contracts which I have made.
On the twenty fourth of August eighteen seventeen, I leased
to mic of Brooks and Jealous Clute the whole of
my original reservation except four thousand acres and Thomas Clute's lot.
Finding their title still incomplete on account of the United
(05:54):
States government and Seneca chiefs not having sanctioned my acts,
they solicited me to renew the contract and have the
conveyance made to them in such a manner as that
they should thereby be constituted sole proprietors of the soil.
In the winter of eighteen twenty two to three, I
agreed with them that if they would get the chiefs
(06:16):
of our nation and a United States Commissioner of Indian
Lands to meet in council at Moscow, Livingstone County, New York,
and there concur in my agreement, that I would sell
to them all my right and title to the Guardo Reservation,
with the exception of a tract for my own benefit
two miles long and one mile wide, lying on the
(06:40):
river where I should choose it, and also reserving Thomas
Klute's lot. This arrangement was agreed upon, and the council
assembled at the place appointed on the third or fourth
day of September eighteen twenty three. That council consisted of
Major Carroll, who had been appointed by the President to
(07:00):
dispose of my lands, Judge Howell, and N. Gorham of Canandagua,
who acted in concert with Major Carroll, Jasper Parish Indian Agent,
Horatio Jones interpreter, and a great number of chiefs. The
bargain was assented to unanimously, and a deed given to H. B. Gibson,
(07:21):
Mica Brooks, and Jealous Clute of the whole Gardo Tract,
accepting the last mentioned reservations, which was signed by myself
and upwards of twenty chiefs. The land which I now
own is bounded as follows, beginning at the center of
the great slide and running west one mile, thence north
(07:43):
two miles, thence east about one mile to Genesee River,
thence south on the west bank of Genesee River to
the place of beginning. Footnote. The great Slide of the
bank of Genesee River is a curiosity worthy of the
attention of the traveler. In the month of May eighteen seventeen,
(08:05):
a portion of land thickly covered with timber, situated at
the upper end of the Guardo Flats on the west
side of the river, all of a sudden gave way,
and with a tremendous crash, slid into the bed of
the river, which it so completely filled that the stream
formed a new passage on the east side of it,
(08:26):
where it continues to run without overflowing the slide. This slide,
as it now lies, contains twenty two acres and has
a considerable share of the timber that formerly covered it,
still standing erect upon it and growing. And footnote. In
consideration of the above sale, the purchasers have bound themselves
(08:48):
their heirs assigns et cetera, to pay to me my
heirs or successors three hundred dollars a year forever. Whenever
the land which I have reserved shall be sold, the
income of it is to be equally divided amongst the
members of the Seneca Nation, without any reference to tribes
(09:09):
or families. End of Chapter fifteen,
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