The 1845 Land Claims

In 1845, inspired by treaty efforts in the southeastern United States, desires for justice and independence began to stir among the survivors living with the Oneida in New York. Peter Doxtater, a 2nd generation Conestoga descendant through his grandparents, filed land claims seeking the return of the property at Manor township that had been set aside for his ancestors. Census records enumerate Peter, his wife, and his son Cornelius as American Indian and they had specific knowledge of the boundaries of the land tract passed down from his ancestors. At this time in history that knowledge would have not only been generally inaccessible, it would have also been interrupted by the formation of the United States as an independent nation. Yet still, Peter knew where the land was located, and stated he had been given this information through his ancestors, who never forgot the land set aside for them by treaty in Lancaster county.

Alongside him were 6 other descendants who were actively seeking their collective rights as Conestoga people. These descendants lived in the same community of Lenox, Madison county, New York and lived so closely that several are listed on the same page of census records, indicating they were neighbors. This illustrates how Conestoga people remained in touch with their history while also integrating with the Haudenosaunee tribes that had offered their ancestors refuge. Research into these claimants to determine their common ancestors is ongoing but highly complex due to the difficulties of researching colonial records pertaining to American Indians. Nonetheless 100 years after the supposed extinction of our people there still existed descendants who not only still identified themselves as Conestoga-Susquehannock, but also gathered together to assert their rights collectively, having specific knowledge of those rights. These Conestoga descendants were:

• Chris John Beachtree

• Peter Doxtater

• Jacob Powlis (Powless)

• David Johnson