Petition of Sarah and Aaron Poquiantup to the Connecticut General Assembly Requesting Leave to Sell Land
To the Honorable General Assembly of the State of Connecticut to Be Holden at New Haven in Said State on the Second Thursday of October AD 18081
The petition of Sarah Poquiantup and Aaron Poquiantup, late of Lyme in the County of New London but now of Brothertown in the Oneida Country in the State of New York, humbly sheweth that Isaac Poquiantup, one of the Niantic Tribe of Indians in said Lyme, while living, purchased a certain tract of land of Silas Champlin of said Lyme, containing about twenty acres lying and situate in said Town of Lyme as may fully appear by said Champlin's deed of sale dated January 2nd AD 1787, and said Isaac, who was husband to said Sarah and father to said Aaron, died some years ago at said Lyme,2 and left several children who are all since dead except said Aaron, one of your petitioners, and that one of said Isaac's daughters3 at the time of her death left a small child, which is now about four-years old, who now lives with your petitioners at said Oneida, and your petitioners, who have moved from said Lyme since the death of said Isaac, have purchased some land at said Brothertown and wish to purchase more.4 Wherefore your petitioners pray that Your Honours would be pleased to grant leave to your petitioners to sell said tract of land to some person who may appear to purchase the same for the use and benefit of your petitioners and said child, or order and direct as to the part belonging to said child, as Your Honours shall think best, and as your petitioners are also great a distance from where this tract of land lyeth, we would wish if Your Honours think best to sell the whole as it is wood land, and if the wood is once destroyed, the part of the land belonging to said orphan, being rocky broken land, will be but of small value when said child comes of age to sell it right, or if Your Honours should think otherwise about the sale, we wish to have the land divided by proper persons, and your petitioners hope Your Honors will take our case into your consideration and grant them such relief in the premises as Your Honours shall think best.
And your petitioners as in duty bound shall ever pray,
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Witness: |
Witness present Andrew Griswold, Eunice Griswold |
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Endorsement: |
Joseph Latham / $250 / Cut 12 loads logs / 50 Acre Land / Saw mill partly finished |
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Legislative Action: |
October Session 1808. In House of Representatives, granted the prayer of the within petition with liberty for a bill. Attest, Samuel Rowland, Clerk. Concurred in the Upper House. Test, Samuel Wyllys, Secretary |
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Sarah Poquiantup, etc. Petition / Granted House of Representatives / Granted Upper House / Bill / Passed House of Representatives / Passed Upper House with alteration / Committee House of Representatives / |
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Concurred Upper House / Bill / Passed House of Representatives / Passed Upper House / Copy Within / Paid / Entered |
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Cataloguing: |
98 a, 98 b, 137 |
- 1. The second Thursday of October in 1808 was the 13th.
- 2. Isaac Poquiantup died in late November 1789 and was buried in Lyme, Connecticut on the 25th of that month. Moses Warren Diary, Black Roots, 314.
- 3. The identity of this daughter is unknown. It may have been Lucy Poquiantup who married Jacob Cooper in 1799. Black Roots, 92.
- 4. Aaron Poquiantup acquired Lot 130 at Brothertown in 1795. His property there was sold for his benefit in 1832. Samson Occom, 3587-358.