Republished by Digital Antiquaria Inc., 1996

History of Union and Middlesex Counties

by W. Wendford Clayton

Everts & Peck, Philadelphia 1882

excerpt ...

Indian Hostilities

page 47

The Pompton Indians were engaged with the Delaware Minsies in the war of 1755, under Teedyuscung. This war was waged on account of the deception practiced upon the Indians in procuring the lands in Northampton and Pike Counties, Pa., and was carried across the Delaware into New Jersey. During the year 1757 and the first part of 1758 the western borders of the province were in much alarm on account of the Indians raiding upon the settlers across the Delaware. From May, 1757, to June, 1758, twenty-seven murders were committed by the Indians in Susex County (See History of Sussex and Warren Counties).

Final Disposal of the Delawares - In June, 1758, Governor Bernard, of New Jersey, consulted with Gen. Forbes and Governor Denny, of Pennaylvania, as to the measures best calculated to put a stop to this unpleanant warfare and, through Teedyuscung, king of the Delawares, he obtained a conference with the Mininink and Pompton Indians, protection being assured them. . . . The conference took place at Burlington, Aug. 7, 1758. . . . The result was that the time was fixed for holding another conference at Easton, at the request of the Indians, that being, as they termed it, the place of the "old council-fire."

At the treaty of 1758 the entire remaining claim of the Delawares to lands in New Jerney were extinguished, except that there was reserved to them the right to fish in all the rivers and bays north of the Raritan, and to hunt on all uninclosed land. A tract of three thousand acres of land was also purchased at Edge Pillock, in Burlington County, and on this the few remaining Delawares of New Jersey (about sixty in number) were collected and settled. They remained there until the year 1802, when they removed to New Stockbridge, near Oneida Lake, in the State of New York, where they joined their "grandsons," the Stockbridge tribe. Several years afterwards they again removed, and settled on a large tract of land on Fox River, Wis., which tract had been purchased for their use from the Menominee Indians. There, in conjuuction with the Stockbridges, they engaged in agricultural pursuits, and formed a settlement which was named Statesburg. There, in the year 1832, there remained about forty of the Delawares, among whom was still kept alive the tradition that they were the owners, of fishing and hunting privileges in New Jersey.