Letter from Lurea Dick to the Superintendent of the Niantic Tribe
Respected Sir,
I have taken the liberty to address these few lines to you by way of application to you as superintendent of the Niantic tribe of Indians for certain lands or money arising from the sale thereof.1 I am a legal heir to the lands or estate of Philip Occuish. I am one of his great grandchildren. My mother’s name was Dimiss Occuish who has been dead upwards of thirty years. I have been informed that some portion of said estate is kept for the benefit of remote heirs and John Occuish, a son of Anna Occuish, (my mother’s sister) informs me that he has received ten dollars from the estate, and says he is coming down in the course of this season to get his full share. I hope, Sir, from what I have written, you will be enabled to trace out my claim satisfactorily to your mind, and that you will take the proper steps, in relation to what remains of the estate, to preserve my share of the same and forward the amount to me. I must request the favor that you will write me on the subject at your earliest possible convenience. Do not send the money by any one until I order it. Below you will find the names of two persons who testify that they know me to be the heir that I have represented myself to be. Please to direct to me at ― Manchester, Calumet Co. Wisconsin Territory, Pequot P.O.
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Certification: |
We, the undersigned, do hereby certify that we do know that the above named Lurea Dick is the great grandchild of the above mentioned Philip Occuish and is therefore a legal heir to the Occuish estate in the Niantic reservation, Connecticut. In testimony where of we have here unto subscribed our names this the twentieth day of July A.D. 1844. |
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Olive Charles, her mark |
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Martha Palmer |
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Post script: |
Martha Palmer wishes to inform her two sisters and brothers that she and her sister Lucy are alive and well and wishes them to write to her soon. Thomas Commuck wishes to be remembered to Mary Paul and George Waukeet. |
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Notation: |
See next page |
- 1. From 1840-1849 the acreage and value of Niantic Indian property remained constant. It consisted of 340 acres, valued at $3600. The land sale to which Lurea Dick was referring might have occurred years earlier as there were a handful of Niantic descendants who sold their interest in property in and around the Niantic reservation from 1805-1815. (Tax Abstracts/Town Assessments, East Lyme, Niantic Indian Property, CT State Archives, Connecticut State Library; Niantic Land Sales, CT Archives, Indians, Series 2, Volume 1, Docs. 94-95, 98-99, 102-103 and 105-106, Connecticut State Library).