Ely Samuel Parker Papers
1794-1946
(1.75 linear feet)

497.3 P223

© American Philosophical Society
105 South Fifth Street * Philadelphia, PA 19106-3386
 American Philosophical Society 105 South Fifth Street Philadelphia, PA 19106-3386
Table of contents Abstract
A Sachem and Civil War adjutant to Ulysses Grant, Ely Samuel Parker was an important figure in the Seneca Indian nation during the first half of the nineteenth century. Trained as an engineer, Parker was deeply involved in the Senecas' land disputes with the Ogden Land Company and he played an important role in interpreting Seneca culture for a white audience, most notably as a consultant for Lewis Henry Morgan.

The Parker Papers include correspondence, manuscripts, and printed materials relating primarily to Seneca affairs, history, language, and culture, as well as politics, education, engineering, and the Civil War. Among Parker's correspondents were Henry Clay, Millard Fillmore, Henry M. Flagler, Lewis Henry Morgan, Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, Daniel Webster, and Asher Wright. Several letters relate to Parker's service as engineer of public buildings in Galena, Ill., and to his Masonic activities. Among the noteworthy items in the collection are several essays on Seneca history and culture, a fragment of Parker's diary, 1847, and a significant quantity of material on the Seneca language assembled by Asher Wright.
Background note
Ely Samuel Parker
Ely Samuel Parker

A sachem of the Seneca nation, adjutant to Ulysses S. Grant during the Civil War, and a political and cultural intermediary, Ely Samuel Parker (Hasanoanda) was a pivotal figure in the Seneca nation during the second quarter of the 19th century. Born on the Tonawanda Reservation in western New York in 1828, the son of Elizabeth Johnson and William Parker, Ely Parker was educated at a Baptist mission school and at the Cayuga Academy in Aurora, N.Y. A bright and articulate young man, he was well respected by his elders and was rewarded with positions of responsibility early in life. His teenage years were a time of crisis for the Seneca nation, which was beset on all sides by white settlers and by the specious claims on their land by the Ogden Land Company. Parker took on the struggle, serving as an intermediary with the federal government during negotiations over the Buffalo Creek treaties of 1838 and 1842, and he represented the Senecas in other legal and political affairs. Parker was elevated to sachem in 1852, assuming the name Donehogawa previously held by John Blacksmith.

Parker's name in the white world was also established early. Before he turned 20, he met the protoethnologist Lewis Henry Morgan and became a principal consultant in preparation of the League of the Ho-Dé-No-Sau-Nee (Rochester, 1851), and through Morgan he gained access to the wider white world of intellectuals and politicians. With training as an engineer, Parker garnered positions on public canal projects throughout the state, seeing his circle of acquaintances steadily expand. He took a warm interest in partisan politics in New York, joining both the freemasons and the militia as well as Morgan's Grand Council of the Iroquois to further himself. Both he and his brother Nicholas were also regularly engaged to lecture on Seneca history and culture to white audiences, becoming recognized as authorities.

In 1857, Parker was hired to assist in the construction of the new custom house in Galena, Ill., where he befriended a relatively obscure army officer, Ulysses S. Grant. The Grant connection would serve Parker well. Although Parker's attempts to join the army at the outbreak of the Civil War were repeatedly rebuffed, first because of his engineering obligations and later because he was an Indian, he finally succeeded in securing a commission as Captain of Engineers in 1863. By the end of that year, he was assigned to duty on Grant's staff. Following Grant from Chattanooga to Virginia, Parker was given the honor at Appomattox of writing down the terms of surrender for the Army of Northern Virginia, and was brevetted Brigadier General for his services in 1865. He married a white woman, Minnie Sackett, on Christmas day, 1867.

William Parker, father of Ely S. Parker
William Parker, father of Ely S. Parker

Following Grant's election to the presidency, Parker was appointed Commissioner of Indian Affairs on April 13, 1869. During a controversial three year tenure, he spearheaded Grant's "peace plan," essentially abolishing the treaty system in favor of Christianization and assimilation and emphasizing the mutual responsibility of the federal government and the Indian nations in preserving peace. Political opposition to these policies plagued Parker, however, and his opponents leveled charges of fraud against him in congress. Although he was acquitted, Parker resigned his post in 1871, and with his finances damaged in the Panic of 1873, he spent the last years of his life in Fairfield, Conn., in relative obscurity and poverty.

Having suffered for years from diabetes, Parker died after a lengthy decline on August 30, 1895. He was buried at Oak Lawn Cemetery in Fairfield, Conn., but was reinterred in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo on January 20, 1897, and is now situated near several other Seneca notables, including Red Jacket. Ironically, forty five years previously Parker had vehemently protested the reinterment of Red Jacket's bones in this same cemetery.


Scope and content
The Ely Parker Papers provide outstanding documentation for one of the best known Seneca leaders of the 19th century. Rich in information on Seneca history, culture, and language and on Parker's varied activities in both the Indian and white worlds, the collection is a major resource for examining the land and political struggles of the Seneca nation during the 1840s and early 1850s. Comprised of a mix of personal and professional correspondence augmented by a smaller quantity of printed materials, notes, and manuscripts, the collection is arranged chronologically. It is richest for the period 1845-1860, with only a few letters pertaining to Parker's Civil War service, and even fewer for the post-war period.

From 1843 through 1848, the Parker Papers provide excellent documentation of the legal battles to resolve the Ogden Land Company's claims to Seneca lands and Seneca efforts to prevent white encroachment. Several letters in 1847 describe the misfortunes of those Senecas who agreed to migrate to the West. Although Parker remained deeply involved in Seneca legal and political affairs after 1848, he appears to have become increasingly consumed with his engineering duties.

Through his interest in Seneca history and culture, Parker accumulated a number of manuscripts of Asher Wright, the missionary at Tonanwanda, a student of the Seneca language, and a long acquaintance of Parker's. These deal primarily with Seneca grammar, conjugations of verbs, vocabulary, and orthography, but also include translations of scripture, an address interlineated in English and Seneca on the mission boarding school, and most importantly, an 1840 census of the Senecas residing at Buffalo, organized in tabular form by clan. Most of Wright's monographs on the Seneca language are available in the Printed Materials Department. Parker's correspondence with his siblings Caroline, Nicholas, and Newton, provides insight into their education and their personal relationships, and includes a brief essay written by Caroline Parker in 1850 on the prophet Handsome Lake.

As an major consultant to Lewis Henry Morgan and a correspondent of Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, Parker's correspondence includes a number of letters pertaining to Seneca culture and to the early culture of American ethnography. While his Civil War experiences are not particularly well documented, there are three letters and a map from Newton Parker, serving in the 132nd New York Infantry at New Bern, N.C., and half a dozen letters from Ely Parker, including two written during the Chattanooga Campaign.

Finally, the collection also contains a manuscript copy of a work said to be Seth Newhouse's Legend of Dekanawida, 1885.

Administrative information
Restrictions
None.

Provenance
Gift of Arthur C. Parker, 1950.

Preferred citation
Cite as: Ely Samuel Parker Papers, American Philosophical Society.

Additional information
Related material
See also the Ely Samuel Parker Papers (A.P24), Rare Books and Special Collections Department, University of Rochester.

References
Arthur C. Parker, The Life of General Ely S. Parker: Last Grand Sachem of the Iroquois and General Grant's Military Secretary (Buffalo, N.Y., 1919).

Armstrong, William H., Warrior in Two Camps: Ely S. Parker, Union General and Seneca Chief (Syracuse, N.Y., 1978).

Added entries
Subjects
  • Canals--New York (State)
  • Cattaraugus Indian Reservation (N.Y.)
  • Engineers--New York (State)
  • Freemasons--New York (State)
  • Handsome Lake, 1735-1815
  • New York (State)--Politics and government--19th century
  • Ogden Land Company
  • Seneca Indians--Missions
  • Seneca Indians--New York (State)
  • Seneca Indians--Religion
  • Seneca language
  • Society of Friends--Relations with Indians
  • Tonawanda Indian Reservation (N.Y.)
  • United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865

    • Contributors
  • Clay, Henry, 1777-1852
  • Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874
  • Flagler, Henry M.
  • Morgan, Lewis Henry, 1818-1881
  • Mountpleasant, Caroline Parker
  • Newhouse, Seth
  • Parker, Caroline
  • Parker, Ely Samuel, 1828-1895
  • Parker, Newton
  • Parker, Nicholas
  • Parker, Spencer Cone
  • Schoolcraft, Henry Rowe, 1793-1864
  • Webster, Daniel, 1782-1852
  • Wright, Asher, 1803-1875

    		•
    Contact information
    American Philosophical Society
    105 South Fifth Street
    Philadelphia, PA 19106-3386
    [http://www.amphilsoc.org/]

    ©9/2000

      Sponsor:Encoding made possible by a grant by the Gladys Kriebel Delmas Foundation to the Philadelphia Consortium of Special Collections Libraries
    Detailed inventory

    		 Series I. Correspondence 1794-1946 1.5 linear feet

    		[U.S. Secretary of War?].
    LS to Handsome Lake and Cornplanter     		[1794?]
    		Box 1

    		Transcript of part of an address delivered on the occasion of presenting "a written instrument, which is to be considered as a General Guarantee of all the lands within the United States to which you are entitled..."

    		Roster of Tonawanda veterans War of 1812 1812
    		Box 1

    		Typed copy of original in the Huntington Library.

    		Iroquois Chiefs.
    LS to Secretary of War     		1815 Feb. 20
    		Box 1

    		Communication listing losses of men and property in the War of 1812. Typed copy of original in the University of Rochester library.

    		Fellows, J..
    ANS to John Greig     		1829 May 7
    		Box 1

    		Brief note stating "on the 18 May at noon the books will be opened for subscriptions," written on verso of printed announcement concerning estimated revenue to be derived from Sodus Canal.

    		Sodus Canal Subscribers.
    Pr. Memorial to U.S. Congress     		1829 Nov.
    		Box 1

    		Printed memorial from inhabitants of Wayne, Cayuga, Seneca and Ontario counties, concerning advantages of a connection between Erie Canal and Great Sodus Bay.

    		[Wright, Asher].
    Linguistic exercises     		1833 Jan. 7
    		Box 1

    		Seneca "verb to love, ganoongwaseh, conjugated through all its variations and tenses."

    		[Wright, Asher].
    Linguistic exercises     		1833 Jan. 16
    		Box 1

    		Conjugation of the verb `redeem' in Seneca.

    		[Wright, Asher?].
    Linguistic exercise     		1833 Jan. 28
    		Box 1

    		Conjugation of the Seneca verb ohgadeies, to learn, study or teach.

    		[Wright, Asher?].
    Notebook     		1833 Aug. 22
    		Box 1

    		Notebook containing partial conjugations in Seneca of the following verbs: come, live or abide, walk, arise and awake.

    		[?] and [Asher Wright?].
    Linguistic exercise     		[1833?]
    		Box 1

    		Conjugation of the verbs 'repent' and `punish' (1) in Seneca, and (2) in Seneca with English. The latter is in two handwritings.

    		Harris, Thompson S..
    Memorandum of hours spent at the Seneca Mission... Oct. 14-21     		1834 Oct. 22
    		Box 1

    		Verso contains a brief Seneca text without English translation.

    		James Harris, Thompson S. Harris, Joseph A. Sanford et al..
    LS to Chiefs of the Cattaraugus Reservation     		1834 Nov. 27
    		Box 1

    		Part of a letter in the Seneca language. Two signatures are not fully decipherable.

    		[Wright, Asher?].
    		 1835 June 5
    		Box 1

    		Seneca and English names for months, inscribed at "Seneca Mission House."

    		Seneca word list and text 1836 Apr. 5
    		Box 1

    		Single sheet, inscribed at Cattaraugus Mission, containing brief Seneca-English word list and a Seneca text without translation.

    		[?].
    AL to Sister Stone     		1836 June 23
    		Box 1

    		Unfinished letter from a lonely missionary at Buffalo Reservation, in which mention is made of Brother Wright, Father Williams, and Sister Lee. Verso contains Seneca-English vocabulary and notation about cost of trip from Buffalo to Tuscarora, Rochester, Syracuse and other points.

    		Hill, J..
    DS to S. Bliss and J. Tuttle     		1836 Nov. 10
    		Box 1

    		I.O.U.for $11.00.

    		Schermerhorn, I. F..
    ALS to Asher Wright     		1837 Dec. 7
    		Box 1

    		Letter accusing Wright of interfering with treaty and discouraging Seneca emigration.

    		O. Allen, H. P. Wilcox, J. Stryker and H. P. Potter.
    TLS Cy to T. L. Ogden and J. Fellows     		1838 June 23
    		Box 1

    		Typed copy of letter re. expenses connected with securing title to Indian lands.

    		Potter, H. B..
    TLS Cy to Thomas L. Ogden     		1838 June 24
    		Box 1

    		Typed copy of a letter requesting $5,000 for services as an agent of the Ogden Land Co. over a 15 year period.

    		Ogden, Thomas L..
    TLS Cy to Joseph Fellows     		1838 June 27
    		Box 1

    		Typed copy of letter concerning payments to agents.

    		Fellows, Joseph.
    ALS to Spencer H. Cone     		1838 July 3
    		Box 1

    		Letter concerning treaty ratified on June 11, 1838

    		Two Guns.
    LS to Henry Clay     		1838? 2p. Box 1

    		Letter in handwriting of Asher Wright asking help that treaty may not be ratified.

    		[Wright, Asher].
    "Missionary Notes"     		1838 ? 30p. Box 1

    		A Seneca word book, arranged alphabetically, with English equivalents.

    		Seneca Indians.
    Petition to U.S. Congress, 25th, 3d session.     		1839 Jan. 30
    		Box 1

    		Printed "petition of a delegation of the Seneca Indians, stating that unfair means had been used to obtain the assent of the Indians to the treaty as negotiated with the New York Indians, and amended by the Senate, and praying that the Senate may suspend action upon the said treaty."

    		Seneca Indians.
    Memorial to U.S. Congress, 25th, 3d session.     		1839 Feb. 9
    		Box 1

    		Printed "Memorial of a delegation of the Seneca Indians, protesting against the ratification of the treaty made with the New York Indians, as amended by the Senate..."

    		Tonawanda Chiefs.
    DS with David Finly     		1839 Mar. 21
    		Box 1

    		Agreement, selling rights to gypsum.

    		Wright, Asher.
    Minutes at Council of the Six Nations     		1839 July 17 21p. Box 1

    		Minutes, and list of chiefs elected and inaugurated, at a Council of the Six Nations, held at the Onondaga Council House.

    		[Wright, Asher].
    Notebook     		1839?
    		Box 1

    		Notebook with a number of blank leaves, containing about 4p. of Seneca-English words and phrases, and about 8p. of brief comments on the organization of the Iroquois League.

    		[Wright, Asher].
    Notebook     		183? 23p. Box 1

    		Notebook on the Seneca language containing names for days of the week; terms for God; numerals 1 to 30; an English-Seneca word list; pronouns; and miscellaneous notes on the article "ne" and on prefixes and suffixes denoting person, gender, quantity, etc. Notebook was made by folding and cutting sheets of paper, on one of which appears the first line of a letter dated Aug. 27, 1837, at Andover Theological Seminary.

    		T. Hartly Crawford to George Jimseon 1840 May 27
    		Box 1

    		Letter refusing petition for money to be applied toward the education of Jimeson's son, John.

    		Council of the Seneca Nation.
    TDfS Cy to U.S. Government     		1840
    		Box 1

    		Typewritten copy of a draft of a petition giving Indian views of treaty.

    		[Wright, Asher?].
    Notebooks     		1840 27p. and 22p. Box 1

    		Two notebooks, each containing English and Indian names of over 300 Senecas residing at Buffalo, arranged by clans, and giving the following information in tabular form: place of birth, age, number of children, sex, religion and rank.

    		[Parker, Nicholson H.?].
    Address     		ca.1842
    		Box 1

    		Part of an address dealing with proceedings at various councils held prior to ratification of treaties of 1838 and 1842.

    		[Wright, Asher].
    A Spelling Book (part)     		1842
    		Box 1

    		Manuscript for Lesson XXXII, p. 25 and part of Lesson XXXIII, p. 26 of the 1842 edition of "A Spelling Book..."

    		Wright, Asher.
    A Spelling Book in the Seneca Language     		1842 Disbound Box 1

    		"A Spelling-Book in the Seneca Language: with English definitions." Buffalo-Creek Reservation, Mission Press, 1842.

    		Parker, Ely S..
    ALS to Nicholson Parker     		1843 Feb. 23
    		Box 1

    		Letter listing Indian objects which Ely would like to have sent to him at Yates school.

    		Parker, Ely S..
    AMs     		1843 Feb. 28
    		Box 1

    		Fragment of an address at Yates Academy.

    		Parker, Ely S..
    AMs     		1843 Sept. 20
    		Box 1

    		An address to the Englopian Society.

    		Tonawanda Chiefs.
    LS to James B. Porter     		1843 Oct. 24
    		Box 1

    		Letter to the Secretary of War, stating that Thomas C. Love and Ira Cook were prevented from appraising Tonawanda improvements and incorporating remarks passed at a council on Oct. 23.

    		Parker, Caroline.
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1843 Oct. 29
    		Box 1

    		Letter containing news of studies and school friends and thoughts on Christianity.

    		Moseley, William A..
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1843 Nov. 28
    		Box 1

    		Brief acknowledgement of Parker's letter of November 24, and of the accompanying papers, stating "I shall take pleasure in laying them before the Secretary of War and commending your application to his favor."

    		Crawford, T. Hartly..
    ALS to Thomas C. Cook and Ira Love     		1844 Jan. 4
    		Box 1

    		Letter stating official view of the Office of Indian Affairs on the legal implications of the Seneca strategy in preventing an appraisement of the improvements on their land.

    		Moseley, William A..
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1844 Jan. 6
    		Box 1

    		Letter reporting interview with Commissioner of Indian Affairs and enclosing reply from Commissioner, asking Ely to make copy of same and return original.

    		Moseley, William A..
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1844 Jan. 19
    		Box 1

    		Letter stating President must enforce treaties.

    		Parker, Ely S..
    ALS to William Parker     		1844 Jan. 29
    		Box 1

    		Letter advising his father that since the Government has no power to enforce treaty, the Indians should repel those who attempt to remove them from their present homes.

    		Parker, Ely S..
    Address     		1844 Feb. 6
    		Box 1

    		Address before Englopian Society.

    		Parker, Ely S..
    Ams essay     		1844 Apr. 29
    		Box 1

    		"There is nothing so harsh upon the ear...as the simple word composition," written at Yates Academy.

    		Morgan, Lewis Henry.
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1844 May 8 and 22
    		Box 1

    		Letter with postscript and photostat of same stating that Parker has been elected member of the Grand Order of the Iroquois.

    		Bouck, William C..
    ALS to Chiefs Blacksmith and Jimmy Johnson     		1844 June 17
    		Box 1

    		Letter from Governor of New York stating he has no power to interfere in Ogden dispute and advising legal procedure to follow in contesting the land company's schemes.

    		Ogden Land Company.
    Map     		1844 Aug. 19
    		Box 1

    		Map of the 12,800 acre tract on the Tonawanda Reservation, with location of lots to be sold at auction in Batavia.

    		Palfrey, John G..
    ALS to [Tonawanda Chiefs?]     		1844 Sept. 5
    		Box 1

    		Acknowledgment by the Secretary of State's Office of a letter dated Aug. 27 addressed to the Governor of Massachusetts, and requesting more specific details concerning complaint.

    		Palfrey, John G..
    ALS to John Blacksmith, James Johnson and others.     		1844 Oct. 12
    		Box 1

    		Handwritten copy of a reply to their letter of Sept. 30 requesting an interview with the Governor, stating the government of Massachusetts had no right to intervene between the Indians and the Ogden Land Co.

    		Tonawanda Chiefs.
    DS to John Bigfire and H. Nicholson Parker.     		1844?
    		Box 1

    		Power of attorney signed by chiefs and warriors.

    		Bronson, Judge.
    AMs Cy     		1844?
    		Box 1

    		Transcript of the remarks of the Judge of the Supreme Court of New York, concerning title to Indian lands on which timber was out.

    		Tonawanda Chiefs.
    to Silas Wright     		1845 Feb. 22
    		Box 1

    		An appeal to the Governor of New York for justice to prevent Whites from settling on Indian lands until difficulties with the Ogden Co. are settled.

    		Warren, R. B..
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1845 Feb. 25
    		Box 1

    		Letter from a school friend chatting about the writer's return to Yates, injustice to the Indian, etc.

    		Parker, Ely S..
    School accounts     		1845 Mar. 31
    		Box 1

    		Accounting of expenses at Yates, first quarter. Verso has essay on "the study of man."

    		Parker, Caroline.
    Poem, "My Brother Solomon"     		1845 May?
    		Box 1

    		A poem about a dead brother.

    		Parker, Levi(?).
    Minutes of meeting of Baptist churches     		1845 June 28
    		Box 1

    		Minutes of meeting of Baptist churches at Tuscarora, Tonawanda, and Grand River.

    		Schoolcraft, Henry Rowe.
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1845 Aug. 8
    		Box 1

    		Letter reporting on cooperation accorded the writer at Tuscarora.

    		Parker, William and Williams, James..
    ALS to Spencer H. Cone     		1845 Aug. 30
    		Box 1

    		Letters to Spencer who has emigrated to Missouri from his father and uncle. William Parker's letter states "your youngest brother...Solomon...died the 23rd of last May." Both letters contain family and reservation news and hearty endorsements of Christianity.

    		Parsons, S..
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1845 Oct. 19
    		Box 1

    		Flowery letter acknowledging a note of Oct. 9th, in which Parker informed Parsons fate had decreed against his attending Wilson Collegiate Institute.

    		Parker, Ely S..
    AL to W.H.C. Hosmer     		1845 Oct. 30
    		Box 1

    		Incomplete letter giving part of the myth of creation.

    		Fellows, Joseph.
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1845 Nov. 7
    		Box 1

    		An acknowledgment of Parker's letter of the 4th inst., in which Fellows states the Ogden Co. stands ready to carry out the treaty in good faith and that litigation must result in disappointment to the Indians.

    		Schenandoah [i.e. Morgan, Lewis Henry].
    ALS to Hasanoanda [i.e., Ely S. Parker]     		1845 Nov. 14
    		Box 1

    		Letter, addressed to Hasanoanda and signed Schenandoah, recommending that an official statement of the Indian view of the treaty be made public.

    		Parker, Ely S..
    AMs, "If the Savage Life..."     		1845 Nov. 18
    		Box 1

    		An address delivered at Cayuga Academy on happiness to the savage and the delights of Indian life.

    		Green, L. S..
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1845 Dec. 8
    		Box 1

    		Chatty letter from a former school friend now teaching school.

    		Parker, Ely S..
    AMs, "Live for something noble"     		1845 ?
    		Box 1

    		Essay, a plea for Christianity.

    		Parker, Ely S..
    AMs, "Melancholy Decay of the Indians"     		1845 ?
    		Box 1

    		Part of an essay.

    		Jeminay, Alexander.
    AMs, "Give Place to New Ideas"     		1846 Jan. 14
    		Box 2

    		Composition written by a student of Genesee Wyoming Seminary and signed "Wannisheyo."

    		Porter, Charles Talbot.
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1846 Jan. 20
    		Box 2

    		Letter advising that the meeting Parker is to address must be postponed a week.

    		Parsons, Sylvester.
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1846 Mar. 9
    		Box 2

    		Letter from a school friend, urging Parker to join him at Wilson Collegiate Institute next term and to enter Williams College with him in the Fall.

    		Parker, Ely S..
    Accounts     		1846 Mar. 28
    		Box 2

    		Expenses incurred attending school at Aurora Oct. 1845 to Mar. 1846.

    		[U.S. Congressional Globe] 1846 Apr. 2
    		Box 2

    		Clipping reporting that petitions of Tonawandas re. Treaties of 1838 and 1842 were ordered referred to Committee on Indian Affairs.

    		Brown, William Linn.
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1846 Apr. 5
    		Box 2

    		Letter reporting on progress in Senate of Tonawanda petition re. Treaties.

    		Flagler, Henry M..
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1846 Apr. 12
    		Box 2

    		Letter from a school friend describing a prank at Yates.

    		Wright, Silas.
    ALS to Tonawanda Chiefs     		1846 Apr. 18
    		Box 2

    		Parker's copy of a letter from the Governor of New York, stating he has no power to prevent the execution of the Treaties which were made with the authorities of the U.S. and advising the Indians against the use of force.

    		Brown, William Linn.
    LS to Tonawanda Indians     		1846 Apr. 22
    		Box 2

    		Letter signed by W.L. Brown enumerating facts, documents, testimony, etc. that will be needed for "the full and final hearing" before the Senate in regard to Treaties.

    		Schoolcraft, Henry Rowe.
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1846 May 7
    		Box 2

    		Letter answering Parker's questions of the 2nd inst., stating that in his opinion the Cattaraugus and Alleghany reservations "are insufficient in extent to accommodate permanently the entire Seneca population," and that in obtaining the vote of an Indian council "in former times the majority principle was not known... the objection of a single chief operated... as a veto."

    		Parker, Ely S..
    Diary (excerpt)     		1846 May 18 to 21
    		Box 2

    		Single page of a diary, commenting on interviews with Commissioner Medill and on Mr. Fellows' efforts to get an appraisal made of the Tonawandas' improvements.

    		Shanks, Isaac, Doctor, Isaac, and Parker, Nicholson.
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1846 May 19
    		Box 2

    		Letter stating that as a result of following Parker's advice to retaliate against White settlers they have been arrested for trespassing and will be defended in Batavia by Martindale and Verplink [!].

    		Parker, Ely S..
    AL to "Friend Davis"     		1846 May 27
    		Box 2

    		Incomplete letter describing the Washington scene, with comments on the National Fair, an assembly of Odd Fellows, and James K. Polk, "the curious, unknown critter."

    		Morgan, Lewis Henry.
    ALS to Caroline G. Parker     		1846 May 28
    		Box 2

    		Original of slightly mutilated letter, with photostat of same, inquiring about her progress at school in Aurora and asking her to write and send him Indian place names with definitions.

    		Brown, William Linn.
    AL to Senator A. H. Sevier     		1846 June 2
    		Box 2

    		Letter written from Havana stating that "the Charleston packet has just arrived without the communications anticipated" and enclosing a formal request for an extension of time to July 1st for his appearance before the Committee on Indian Affairs for the hearing of the Tonawanda Indians' case.

    		Warren, R. B..
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1846 June 7
    		Box 2

    		Friendly letter containing comments on whether Warren is elected to the Grand Confederacy of the Iroquois, the suits for trespassing, possible delaying tactics for removal of the Indians, Governor Wright's participation in the matter, etc.

    		Parker, Ely S..
    ALS to Spencer H. Cone     		1846 June 8
    		Box 2

    		A letter from Washington to his brother in Enterprise, Mo., reporting on developments in the Tonawandas' struggle to keep their land, concluding with a brief reference to the death of Solomon, their youngest brother, and to Ely's hope "to visit the West this summer and if I could get a profitable berth anywhere, I don't know but I would stay."

    		Parker, Nicholson H..
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1846 June 11
    		Box 2

    		An acknowledgment of Ely's letter of May 23. Nic attended a council at which not more than 10 Indians expressed a desire to go West, Geo. W. Clinton, Quaker representatives, and Judge Love were present. Latter believes Ogden Co. would rather pay full value of improvements ($30,000) than take the matter to court, warns Indians against accepting Company offers without consulting competent lawyers like Verplanck and Martindale, and suggests ways to evict Woldren and other intruders.

    		[Parker, Nicholson H.].
    Memorandum     		1846 June 12?
    		Box 2

    		Memo on conferences at Batavia and Albany with attorney Martindale, State Senator Clark, and the Governor, on course of legal action for removing White settlers.

    		Parker, Ely S..
    ALS to Nicholson H. Parker     		1846 June 14
    		Box 2

    		A reply, discussing Judge Love's advice as reported in his brother's letter of June 11. Ely is weary of waiting for Brown's return and finds Washington dull and expensive.

    		Parker, Ely S..
    ALS to Nicholson H. Parker     		1846 June 21
    		Box 2

    		Ely acknowledges his brother's letter of the 15th, expressing regret at the lack of unity among the Tonawandas, which he ascribes to Stephen's envy, tracing an analogy between himself and Stephen and David and Goliath. Ely encourages Nic to go away to earn money to continue his studies, even though this means deserting the Indians, stating "I have positively been made poor in serving them so faithfully... I do think they have abused our family enough.

    		Hurd, I. S..
    ALS to [Caroline Parker?]     		1846 June 22
    		Box 2

    		Letter from an older correspondent, urging her to continue making an effort in her studies. He prays she and Sarah will be faithful to the word of God. No word from Ely since his return to Washington, but he is not worried about payment of note. Asks to be remembered to mutual friends in Aurora.

    		Martindale, J. H..
    ANS to Ely S. Parker     		1846 June 30
    		Box 2

    		Brief letter transmitting draft for $70.00.

    		Warren, R. B..
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1846 July 6
    		Box 2

    		Acknowledges Ely's letter of June 25. Remarks on death of Mr. Herrick and Gen. Scott who "next to Henry Clay is my choice for President in 1848." Mary F. Robinson was married June 30 to S. L. Love and Mr. Barrows married Love's sister July 1. Received letter from Governor Wright saying state government has no authority in Ogden matter. Indians have sued Waldron for rent of saw mill.

    		Parker, Ely S..
    ALS to Nicholson H. Parker     		1846 July 15
    		Box 2

    		Ely believes a commission will be appointed to adjudicate Ogden matter. Mr. Brown returned July 14 and they have had a talk with the Commissioner of Indian Affairs. Osborn has been replaced by Angel as New York sub-agent, to which Quaker Thomas "a d---n rascal who interferes too much in Seneca affairs" objected. Gossip about his manner of living, contestants in a forthcoming foot race, etc., etc.

    		Tonawanda Chiefs.
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1846 July 15
    		Box 2

    		Letter signed by 15 chiefs urging speedy action in getting Tonawanda case before the Senate, authorizing Ely to work alone toward this end in the event of Mr. Brown's continued absence, and stating that following Waldron's eviction, a Deputy Sheriff, frightening the Indians with a pistol, took the sawmill out of their possession before three hours had expired.

    		Warren, R. B..
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1846 July 22
    		Box 2

    		Letter acknowledging Ely's of the 17th. Warren discusses a pending tariff bill; states Asa Cutler has been to see Mr. Fellows, who says every effort will soon be made to move the Indians west; and accuses Governor Wright, "a snake in the grass," of being on the side of the Ogden Co.'s interests.

    		Dole, Benjamin..
    ALS to George Jamerson and Thompson S. Harris.     		1846 July 24
    		Box 2

    		Letter to two Seneca chiefs, acknowledging theirs of June 29 from Fort Scott, Mo. States Mr. Fellows is considering Schedule D and that the writer realizes their need for funds. Osborn has been replaced as sub-agent by Angel of Ellicottville, who will favor emigration. Urges them to write a favorable report of the country, so as to encourage others to follow. Sorry to learn of their complaints against Dr. Hogeboom who has returned and reported they are in good spirits.

    		National Intelligencer 1846 Aug. 6
    		Box 2

    		Clipping headed "Reports from Committees with statements by Mr. Sevier and Mr. Jarnagin, members of the Committee on Indian Affairs, outlining the Committee's reasons for postponing a decision on the Tonawanda case until the next meeting of Congress.

    		Parker, Ely S.(?).
    ALS to Martha(?)     		1846 Aug. 7
    		Box 2

    		First page of an unfinished reply to Martha's letter of July 22, mentioning his disappointment that the Tonawandas' case has been "referred to the action of the next Congress."

    		Parker, Ely S..
    ALS to W. P. Angel     		1846 Aug. 18
    		Box 2

    		Letter to the New York Indian sub-agent, giving the number of Tonawandas entitled to annuity money and goods as stipulated by treaties and contracts.

    		U.S. Office of Indian Affairs.
    Indian Census form     		1846 Aug.?
    		Box 2

    		Printed form for use in taking Indian census.

    		Tryon, I. S..
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1846 Oct. 6
    		Box 2

    		A request for Seneca equivalants of some English words to be used in selecting a name for a textile factory.

    		Angel, W. P..
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1846 Oct. 11
    		Box 2

    		The Indian agent acknowledges Parker's letter of September 29 and regrets that some Tonawandas have refused to supply information Parker has been authorized to obtain. Angel instructs Parker to assure the chiefs the "proposed census has no concealed or hostile object" and applies to all Indians within the U.S. and its territories. Hopes to visit reservation soon to present in Council matter of importance concerning annuity money wasted by a preceding agent.

    		Dole, Benjamin..
    ALS to George Jamerson and Thompson S. Harris     		1846 Oct. 11
    		Box 2

    		Acknowledges letter of Sept. 5, stating Mr. Fellows has not yet paid their claim, but if matter is not settled soon he "will endeavor to force collection by a course of law." Regrets reports of sickness, but writes "it is a calamity which has been common to the whole country." There has been no appropriation from Congress to pay schedules. Asks them to let him know if they are receiving provisions from the government as stipulated and to send him names of the deceased.

    		Parker, William H..
    ALS to Spencer H. Cone     		1846 Oct. 13
    		Box 2

    		Somewhat mutilated letter, giving news of the family and expressing hope his son will come East for a visit. Father believes mortality rate among those who went West is sufficient grounds for doing all he can "to save our lands from grasp of iniquitous Ogden Land Co." He has renounced liquor and adopted Christianity.

    		Avery, Benjamin F..
    ALS to William Medill     		1846 Oct. 15
    		Box 2

    		Typed copies of letter enclosing receipts amounting to $46.00 [?], covering E.S. Parker's expenses incurred on business in Washington on behalf of the Seneca Indians and of a petition from the Chiefs requesting that "the said Ely S. Parker may not lose the allowance he receives to assist him in his education" which was interrupted in March 1846 because they "have had and still continue to have great use for his services."

    		Parker, Levi.
    ALS to Spencer H. Cone     		1846 Oct. 27
    		Box 2

    		Acknowledges his brother's letter received Oct. 2. Levi's dog is dead. Family is all together and well, and even though they lose their lands they will not go West to such "mean country."

    		Tonawanda Chiefs.
    LS Cy to Silas Wright     		1846 Nov. 9
    		Box 2

    		Photostat of letter requesting the Governor of New York "to enter proper complaints...under the Law of 1821" against White intruders. Indians have been informed by Wm. Brown of Philadelphia, who has had an interview with Wright, that State will protect them.

    		Mental Elevator, No. 13 1846 Dec. 24
    		Box 2

    		One 8 p. issue, published in the main in Seneca, but partly in English, by the Mission Press, Cattaraugus Reservation, N.Y. Contains census returns for 1845-46 and "Results of Emigration." Latter article lists name of Thompson S. Harris and of other deceased members of the party who left for the West in May 1846.

    		Parker, Ely S..
    Diary     		1847 Jan. 1-13
    		Box 2

    		Twenty-two pages of a diary with comments on New Year's Day calls on President Polk, Dolly Madison and others; paintings of Indians in the Capitol; Sunday sermons on Christianity; a fire at Jackson's Hall during a celebration in honor of Jackson's victory at New Orleans; funeral of Senator Pennybacker; meetings with sympathetic senators; Ely's efforts on behalf of the Tonawanda Indians' land case, etc.

    		Parker, Levi.
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1847 Jan. 11
    		Box 2

    		Levi has received a letter from Benjamin Williams informing him that two thirds of the Indians who went West in the Spring have died.

    		Parker, Nicholson H..
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1847 Jan. 15
    		Box 2

    		Letter advising that Cattaraugus Seneca have refused to sign a petition drafted by Tonawanda Senecas and enclosing statement of losses in money and goods for Ely's corrections.

    		Blacksmith, John and Johnson, James.
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1847 Jan. 25
    		Box 2

    		Decision has been reached in Council to send Chiefs Blacksmith and Shanks to be with Ely in Washington, so that "the blame might not rest upon him so strongly if we should happen to loose our lands." The full authority vested earlier in Ely is not to be affected by this decision.

    		Parker, Ely S..
    ALS to Nicholson H. Parker     		1847 Feb. 2
    		Box 2

    		Brief letter advising brother not to include languages in his studies at Alexander.

    		Parker, Ely S..
    ALS to Nicholson H. Parker     		1847 Feb. 17
    		Box 2

    		Letter reporting briefly on the progress of the Tonawanda case before Congress.

    		U.S. Congress, 29th, 2nd Session.
    Senate Document 156.     		1847 Feb. 19
    		Box 2

    		The Committee on Indian Affairs has refused to exempt the Tonawanda Band from the provisions of the Treaty, on the grounds that it was ratified May 20, 1842 by the Senate, in spite of the same evidence of fraud, etc.

    		Parker, Caroline.
    ALS to Nicholson Parker     		1847 Feb. 28
    		Box 2

    		Spencer has returned home and he and other members of the family are not well. Caroline has had another letter from L.H. Morgan and fears he is disappointed in her knowledge of Indian grammar.

    		Harlin, D. M..
    ALS to Spencer H. Cone     		1847 Mar. 18
    		Box 2

    		A letter from Enterprise, Mo., stating that Isaac Love, who has been substituting as miller for Cone during the latter's absence, is to be superseded in April by a Mr. Britten who has apparently bribed the Chiefs to consent to his appointment.

    		Porter, Charles Talbot.
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1847 Mar. 20
    		Box 2

    		Acknowledges letter from Ely, stating he and Goodwin have no money to send him. Suggests that Ely call on Mr. Yates and A.B. Street in Albany, who "are well off." Street is writing a poem on the Iroquois and Porter a history of the Ogden matter, and both authors will need Ely's help.

    		Parker, Ely S..
    ALS to William Parker     		1847 Mar. 22
    		Box 2

    		A letter to his parents requesting that they send him $20.00 at once as a loan. Ely has stopped for a few days in Albany to see the new Governor.

    		[Albany Newspaper] 1847 Mar. 29
    		Box 2

    		Clipping mentioning Indian lobby with names of delegates, the adoption by the Seneca of Lewis Henry Morgan, C. T. Porter and Thomas Darling, and other news items.

    		Parker, Ely S..
    [Rochester Daily Democrat?]     		1847 Apr.1(?)
    		Box 2

    		Two clippings dealing with Bills introduced before the State Legislature, one appropriating $2,000 to provide for the return East of the surviving emigrants, and another allowing $300 for school purposes.

    		Wilson, Peter.
    AMs Cy extract     		1847 May 28
    		Box 2

    		Abstract by Ely S. Parker of an address by an educated Indian delivered before the New York Historical Society, which contrasts the part played by the Iroquois in the development and history of the Empire State with their present unhappy position.

    		Harlin, D. M..
    ALS to Spencer H. Cone     		1847 May 29
    		Box 2

    		Letter enclosing a petition to the Secretary of War, signed by 25 customers of the mill, setting forth Cone's "claims as Seneca miller." Letter states the present incumbent, John Britton, is incompetent.

    		Tonawanda Indians.
    ALS to William L. Marcy, Secretary of War     		1847 June 7
    		Box 2

    		Document with 2-1/2 pages of signatures in double columns, denying the existence of an "emigrationist party" and stating the Band is unanimous in preferring their lands to the Ogden Land Co.'s money for improvements.

    		Porter, Charles Talbot.
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1847 June 10
    		Box 2

    		Letter requesting Ely to submit promptly Indian names, etc. for the 4 degrees of the "Hodenosonnee" secret society so that plans can be completed for an organization meeting in August.

    		Parker, Ely S..
    AMs, "New Initiation of the Wolf Tribe of the Cayuga Nation..."     		1847 [June?]
    		Box 2

    		"...one of the Confederate Nations of the Grand Confederacy of Iroquois." [i.e. Morgan's secret society.]

    		Cone, Spencer H..
    AL to [Commissioner of Indian Affairs]     		1847 July 5
    		Box 2

    		First page only of a letter written from Pembroke, N.Y., contesting his replacement as Miller within the Nosho sub-agency, by John Britton, a white man, and explaining that his absence since December was due to the appointment of himself and George Jemison as delegates to plead the cause in Washington of the emigrants and that their traveling funds gave out when they reached Buffalo.

    		Tonawanda Band of Seneca Indians.
    Accounts     		1847 Oct. 30
    		Box 2

    		Brief statement, signed by 15 chiefs, of expenditures totaling $5,079.31, spent in defense of national rights from 1838 to 1847.

    		Moseley, W. A..
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1847 Nov. 12
    		Box 2

    		Letter written from Buffalo, advising he can exert no further influence with regard to Ely's application for admission to Harvard University, and suggesting that he approach some Quaker friends.

    		Hurd, I. S..
    ALS to [Caroline Parker?]     		1847 Nov. 14
    		Box 2

    		A pious letter on the joy of living close to God, with a few brief references to mutual friends.

    		Street, Alfred B..
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1847 Nov. 15
    		Box 2

    		Letter asking advice on the use of Indian words in a poem he is writing, and promising that he and Mr. Yates will do their best to find a position in Albany for Ely.

    		Angel, W. P..
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1847 Dec. 16
    		Box 2

    		Letter from the Indian agent concerning arrangements for the payment of $400 to the Tonawanda chiefs and requesting a statement signed by them concerning "their wishes and determination in regard to the census."

    		Warren, N. S..
    AMsS to Caroline [Parker?]     		1847(?)
    		Box 2

    		A poem about faithful friends, inscribed at Tonawanda Mission.

    		Tonawanda Band of Seneca Indians.
    DS to Ely S. Parker     		1848 Jan. 5
    		Box 2

    		Original and typed copy of Power-of-Attorney, authorizing Ely S. Parker and Isaac Shanks to act on behalf of the Band. Document bears names and marks of 2 witnesses, 9 warriors and 16 chiefs.

    		Parker, Ely S..
    Diary, "Notes on the Road"     		1848 Jan. 8 to 18
    		Box 2

    		An 8 page diary entitled "Notes on the Road," covering incidents and personalities encountered in New York, Philadelphia and Washington.

    		Shanks, Isaac and Parker, Ely S..
    ALS to Tonawanda Chiefs     		1848 Jan. 15
    		Box 2

    		The delegates report they gave $50 to Brown in Philadelphia as instructed, and that they have learned the Tonawandas' case died with the unfinished business of the last Congress. Shanks is ill.

    		Parker, Ely S. and Shanks, Isaac.
    ALS to William Medill     		1848 Jan. 21
    		Box 2

    		A summary statement by the delegates to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs of the difficulties between the Tonawanda Senecas and the Ogden Land Co. They will not accept any part of the payment for the improvements on their land, nor permit an appraisement of these improvements, as they were dissenting parties to the treaties which so provided.

    		Parker, Ely S..
    ALS to the Treasurer of the State of North Carolina     		1848 Feb. 1
    		Box 2

    		A request for information about funds held in trust, resulting from the sale of land formerly owned by the Tuscarora Indians.

    		Hinton, C. L..
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1848 Feb. 11
    		Box 2

    		A reply from the Treasurer of North Carolina, stating that the sale of Tuscarora lands yielded $3,220.71, which amount was paid to their agent in 1832.

    		Angel, W. P..
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1848 Feb. 20
    		Box 2

    		The Indian agent advises he believes the district attorney, under the Statute of 1813, can compel the county judge to issue warrants for removal of White intruders. Angel offers to pay Ely's board in exchange for services in Ellicottville. Would like to have Tonawanda census as soon as "your brother... gets it completed."

    		Van Horn, Burt.
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1848 Feb. 27
    		Box 2

    		An invitation to visit a friend, with expenses paid, so that they can practice "a dialogue" for an "exhibition" in Newfane in March.

    		Cone, Spencer H..
    ALS to Ely S. Parker     		1848 Mar. 31
    		Box 2

    		Instructions to Parker in Ellicottville to be at Cattaraugus April 5 to witness the signatures