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Treaty of Lancaster 1744, Printed by Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin · 1744

A 1744 printed treaty between colonial officials and the Six Nations, held at Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The Six Nations ceded control of the Shenandoah Valley.

Shows the land pressures on the Six Nations before Brant's birth, though it does not mention him.

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Title page of a printed document: 'A Treaty, Held at the Town of Lancaster, in Pennsylvania, by the Honourable the Lieutenant-Governor of the Province and the Commissioners for the Provinces of Virginia and Maryland, with the Indians of the Six Nations, in June 1744.' Imprint reads Philadelphia, printed and sold by B. Franklin, at the New-Printing-Office, near the Market, MDCCXLIV. Ornamental double-ruled border, aged cream paper.
Benjamin Franklin, printer, A Treaty Held at the Town of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, June 1744. Title page scan.

About this source

What it is

This is the title page of a printed document, A Treaty, Held at the Town of Lancaster, in Pennsylvania, in June 1744, with the Indians of the Six Nations. It was printed and sold by B. Franklin in Philadelphia in 1744. The printed folio has ornamental double-ruled borders on aged cream paper, and some copies carry handwritten marginal notes. The Lancaster record is held in a collection and was offered for sale through Christie's.

Why it matters

The treaty was held in June 1744 under Lieutenant Governor George Thomas of Pennsylvania, with commissioners from Virginia and Maryland. Representatives of the Seneca, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga and Tuscarora attended, but the Mohawk were noticeably absent. After Governor Gooch of Virginia threatened war, the Six Nations agreed to cede control of the Shenandoah Valley, opening it to European settlement and land speculation. Brant was not yet born, but the treaty shows the pressures his people faced in his lifetime.

Look closer

  • Who signed or attended the treaty on each side, and who was missing?
  • What did the Six Nations give up, and what did the colonial governments gain?
  • Whose voice is missing from a document printed by a colonial printer?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Joseph Brant (Thayendanegea) on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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