Joseph Brant (Thayendanagea)

Written and researched by Margaret Odrowaz-Sypniewska, B.F.A.

http://www.angelfire.com/mi4/polcrt/JBrant.html

Joseph Brant. as painted by Gilbert Stuart (1755-1828), in 1789.

Courtesy of the New York Stare Historical Association, in Cooperstown, New York.

Joseph Brant, a Mohawk, was the grandson of a recognized leader (one member of "The Four
Indian Kings"). His grandfather, Sagayeathquapiethtow (portrait below), went to England, in
1710, to visit Queen Anne, and they were all well received. Sagayeathquapiethtow was painted
by four different British artists, in his regalia, and copies of these paintings hang in art museums
still today.

Another one of the Four Indian Kings was Tiyanoga or King Hendrick, as he was called by the
Dutch (Germans).

Joseph Brant's mother's family lineage is not known. She was known as "Owandah" or
"Sagetageatat." There are some myths about his mother being English. These myths are not true.
We do know that Joseph's mother Margaret married four times to men of various stature within
Mohawk society. Margaret's fourth husband was a sachem. Her third husband, Lykas (d. 1750),
was a well-known Mohawk. Lykas was called a "Principall man," [sic], in war records, and he
died fighting the Catawbas.

Margaret Brant was widowed four times and later in life she had to enter the local liquor trade.
She sold liquor, in her village, to pay for her and her children, this was before husband four.
Then in 1752, when gingseng became popular in world trade, Margaret Brant collected all the
wild ginseng that grew on Mohawk land and sold it. Ginseng was highly prized, at this time. This
was a cash crop.
Ginseng is a herb, a shrub, whose aromatic roots are used in medicine. American ginseng (Panax
quinquwfolium) is the variety she harvested. The Chinese imported large quantities of the wild
American variety of ginseng to supplement their own diminishing supplies in the orient. "The
trading began as a direct consequence of correspondence between two Jesuit priests. A Canadian
priest was living in China. He sent a sample Chinese root to a fellow Jesuit, Father Lafiteu, in
Montreal" (Kruger). Father Lafiteu then began exporting American gingseng, to China, in 1718.
This trade was lucrative until the end of the nineteenth century when the American supply also
became scarce.

The Chippewa and Ojibway used the gingseng root to relieve nausea, and as an ingredient in
love potions. Wild American gingseng was native to cool wooded areas in the north east. Today
American gingseng is cultivated commercially in Marathon, Wisconsin. The Chinese thought
their own Oriental gingseng was more potent.

Margaret's involvement in the gingseng trade raised no eyebrows, but the Anglican clergy did
frown upon Margaret's livelihood, of selling liquor, as being sinful. Margaret, a former Huron,
did not have a family to help her live, so she had to do what she could to remain alive, while she
was a widow. The Iroquois and the Church both had issues, as alcohol ruined many native's
lives.

The Anglican Church refused to baptize Margaret's last son, until she confessed, repented, and
shunned her sinful ways. Margaret and Brant were already married in the Indian way. Margaret,
a devout Christian, then was able to marry, in the church, to her last husband, Sachem Brant
Canagaradunska. Brant was responsible for aiding in the education of Margaret's children.
However, he was supposed to marry his deceased wife's sister, as is custom, since she was a
widow. This tainted their marriage in the eyes of the tribe.

Apparently, later Brant later made amends? Brant Canagaraduncka died during the mid-1760's,
but the family remained in his home. Joseph lived in his stepfather's home for some time. The
house was always full of people. relatives, and friends (both white and Indian). The only thing
that remained of this home was a cellar, which still stood there until 1878. The house was located
on a hill near the home of William Johnson. This was in the village of Canajoharie. Canajorie
Castle, as it was called by the English, was run by Seth Tekarihoga, head chief/sachem of the
Turtle Tribe.

Near the mouth of Schoharie Creek was the Indian village of Tiononderoga (Fort Hunter). My
Crysler family lived in Schoharie for some time. Margaret Brant's death is not clear. She did not
ask for compensation, after the war in 1784, so it is thought that she died before this. Guy
Johnson (a nephew of William Johnson) mentions Margaret Brant, in his records, on January 8,
1780. Colonel Guy succeeded William as Indian Superintendent. It was noted that Guy gave
Joseph Brant's mother some "handsome clothing." Margaret Brant was said to have given her son
her courage and indomitable character. She left her son, Joseph, her old Mohawk prayerbook,
which Joseph later gave to the Moravian Missionary, Gottlieb Sensemann. The prayerbook was
cherished by Margaret even though she could not read it, and it was passed among her children.

Joseph Brant rarely spoke in the idiom of his people, since he was schooled in English schools.
His tuition was paid for by Brant Canagaraduncka. Brant Canagaraduncka gave him his surname.
One must remember that in Mohawk society that it is the mother that has the hereditary gene, not
the father. Matrilineal societies are run by women. Hereditary chiefs were chosen from certain
leading Mohawk families. Since his mother's family were not really Mohawk, she had no
standing within the tribe. Joseph's mother, baptized Margaret, told him that his Wyandot
(Huron)grandmother was captured by the Mohawks and lived her entire life there. Joseph's
grandparents were influenced by the French and became Catholics. His grandfather was said to
have worn a crucifix around his neck. While Joseph's parents were influenced by the British and
thus embraced the Anglican faith.

Joseph's father was named Tehowaghwengaraghkwin, which meant "Man taking off his
snowshoes." His father took the Anglican and was baptized as "Peter."

This is a painting by Jan Verelst (1710)

of Sa Ga Yeath Qua Pieth Tow, the
grandfather of Joseph Brant. This painting
is now in the National Archives of Canada.

Thayendanagea (1742-1807) means "bundle of sticks tied together," a name which signifies
strength. Later this famous leader was known as Joseph Brant. Thayendanagea was born about
March 1742 in Northeastern Ohio, and died in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. He was a Mohawk
of the Wolf Clan (his mother's clan). He went to English schools, and became a Christian. In
1775 he went to England to represent the Mohawk Nation. Joseph dedicated his life to fighting
for the rights of the Five Nations to be free. He was an intellectual, a military strategist, and a
translator of religious documents. Joseph Brant was one of the most famous men of the Five
Nations. The Mohawk's fought, on the side of the British in the Revolutionary War. The war
began after Brant's fact-finding mission to England. Joseph Brant was no stranger to
Washington, D.C. and he was known for his eloquence and good sense. He died in battle on
November 24, 1807, and is buried in the graveyard of the Chapel of the Mohawks (near
Brantford, Ontario, Canada) on Six Nations Reserve (Oshweken).

Joseph Brant, Hero or Sellout?:

"Critics of Joseph Brant have said that he was 'too English' and adopted British dress and
customs, and turned his back on Iroquois traditions, and the Old Religion. Many have said that
Brant was wrong to sell thousands of hectares of reserve lands to non-Indians. They felt that all
the original grant to the Six Nations People should have been preserved" (Hill, Bruce, Ian Gillen, Glenda
MacNaughton, Six Nations Reserve, Markham, Ontario: Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 1987, 39).

"Arrogant, noble, principled, devout, courageous, and legendary, a warrior and a sellout-in such
contradictory terms did the Six Nations of Grand River use to describe Joseph Brant or
Theyendanegea, as he was called by the Mohawks" ( "Brant: A Six Nations Perspective" by Tom hill. Portraits of
Thayendanega, Joseph Brant. published by the Burlington Cultural Centre, 1993 and the Government of Canada).

Other legendary heroes such as Hiawatha, Deganawidah, and Handsome Lake are far more
respected in the community than Joseph Brant.

. Sir William Johnson. William was born an Irishman. His father was Christopher Johnson was
born to minor gentry. Sir William Johnson (Warraghiyagey) was the British Superintendant of
Indian Affairs. His name meant "a man who undertakes great things." He married Joseph Brant's
half-sister, Molly Brant, in forest fashion. He was then Joseph's brother-in-law. Molly was the
daughter of Margaret's first husband, Cannassware. Molly Brant and William Johnson lived at
Johnson Hall. They never married but they had eight children. Johnson's married (1) Catherine
Weisenburg, his German housekeeper, and she died in 1759. Their marriage produced two
children.

Joseph Brant married (1) Margaret or "Peggy," the daughter of Isaac "Dekayenensere" and his
wife known as Sophia Nugea, on July 22, 1765. Peggy died in 1771 of TB. (2) Joseph married
Suzanna "Dekayenesere" (Peggy's sister) in the winter of 1773. Their children were A.
Karaquantier (christened Isaac)who died in 1796, and Christina. (3) Joseph married Catherine
"Adonwentischen" Crogham in late 1779, in Ft. Niagara, Ontario, Canada. Their son was born in
1784.

As I said previously, Brant was the descendant of a Huron captive. His father was born
Tehonwaghwengaraghkwin (baptized Peter). Joseph's mother, Margaret, was said to be a
"woman of high status." This status came after marrying Lykas, her third husband. Her first
husband, Cannassware, died young, and they had a daughter, Mary Degonwadonti (meaning
"Several Against One"), who was baptized in April 13, 1735. She was later known as "Molly
Brant" (they lived in Canajoharie). Joseph's half-brother was born in 1741 and his half-sister in
1742. Both of his half-siblings died young, and are not named in most chronicles of the family.

A sachem, later named Brant of the Turtle Clan, was born Canagaraducka and he fathered a child
called Jacob Brant, who was christened on March 4, 1753. Brant Canagaraduncka married
Margaret on September 9, 1753.

People say that Margaret's second husband (Joseph's father), Peter Tehowaghwengaraghkwin
was a nobody, and so was Margaret, although she raised in tribal standing with each new
marriage. This is shown by the fact that none of the high-ups in Mohawk society attended their
wedding or the baptisms of their children.

Some records say that Peter Brant was a hero within his tribe, however, we know that Peter was
too young to have fought the French in Queen Anne's War of 1702-1713, nor was Peter recorded
as having fought in King George's War of 1744-1748. Again, even if Peter had been a hereditary
Tekarihoga, the leading sachem of the Mohawks, that would not have helped his son Joseph.

Joseph Brant's mother and father, Margaret and Peter Brant's children were:

1. Christina Brant - born February 1742.

 2. Joseph Brant was born, in Ohio in March 1743. His name was Thayendanegea ("two
sticks of wood bound together"). Many think that both of Joseph's parent's lineage came
from Huron captives who married Mohawks. No one knows what status his ancestors
might have had among the Hurons. Joseph is thought to have been baptized by German
clergy. I do know that Joseph Brant was a childhood friend of many of the Cryslers (my
own family line.) Adam Crysler, the famous loyalist, in particular. Peter Brant died of an
epidemic and left Margaret a widow.

Timeline Relating to the Life of Joseph Brant:

1715 was the birth of William Johnson, in Ireland.

1718 -the start of importation of American gingseng to China.
1735 - Molly Brant (Joseph's half-sister) is christened on April 13, 1735. Molly is the
daughter of her mother's first husband, Cannassware.
1738 - William Johnson emigrates from Ireland to America.
1740 - Brant Johnson is born to William Johnson and another Indian woman.
1742 ... the birth of Joseph Brant (Thayendanegea) on the banks of the Ohio River. He
was a member of the Wolf Clan. He was born in Ohio because his parents were on a
hunting trip there.

Although he is often referred to as a chief, Thayendanegea was not a hereditary chief of

the Mohawks, nor was he chosen as sachem.
Later Joseph and his family will be driven out of the Mohawk Valley (upper New York
State).

1750's (late) Willian [Johnson] of Canajoharie is born to William Johnson and an Indian
women.
March 4, 1753, was the christening of Joseph's youngest half-brother, Jacob, by John
Ogilvie. Jacob died as an infant.
September 9, 1753 Joseph's mother, Margaret married her fourth husband, Brant
Canagaraduncka.
1754, February 17 - Margaret had to confess aultery with Brant before their marriage.
Margaret and Brant lived in the best house in Canajoharie.
 1755 ... Joseph Brant fought the French at Fort George, (17755-1759) during the French
and Indian War (1754-1763).
1759 - Molly Brant was a presence in Sir William Johnson's household. Molly gives birth
to (1) Peter Warren Johnson. William already had three children by Catherine
Weisenberg, named John, Ann (Nancy), and Mary (Polly) Johnson.
1761 ... August 1, 1761, Sir William Johnson sends Joseph to Moore's Charity School in
Lebanon, Connecticut, the future Dartmouth College. He learns to read and write English
here. Birth of (2)Molly and William's second daughter. She died young.

While attending the school, Joseph is converted to Christianity and remains a devout
follower of the Church of England for the rest of his life.

1762 Isaac "Karagiantier" Brant was born to Joseph Brant and his first wife
Margaret/"Peggy."
1763 - Johnson Hall was built, and (3) Elizabeth Johnson was born to Molly Brant.
1765 - (4)Magdalene Johnson was born to Molly Brant.
1766 - Christina Brant is born to Joseph and Margaret/Peggy.
1767 - (5)Margaret Johnson was born to Molly Brant.
1768 ... Joseph Brant returns home to Canajaharie and marries (1) the daughter of an
Oneida chief. She is referred to as "Peggy" to distinguish her from Brant's Mother, who is
also named Margaret. They met at school. Margaret Christine dies of TB about 1771.
They had two children: Isaac (who is killed by Joseph in a fight between father and son)
and Christina.
1760's The late Sir William's health first begins to fail. A musket ball is still lodged in his
leg from the Battle of Lake George. The old wound gives him pain and becames infected
from time to time.
1769 - Sir William Johnson builds a Anglican Church at Canajoharie.
1771 - (6)Mary Johnson is born to Molly Brant.
1772 - (7)Suzanna Johnson born to Molly Brant.
1773 ... Joseph Brant marries (2) wife, Suzannah (Wonah). sister of Christine. She dies a
few months later of TB. There are no issue from this marriage. (8)Ann Johnson is born
to Molly and William.
1775 ... Joseph Brant makes his first trip to England. Joseph, Molly, and the Johnsons are
all loyalists.

February 29, 1776, Joseph Brant was presented to King George III and his queen at court.
According to league, he proudly refused to kiss the hand of the king, stating that he was
an emissary of the Six Nations, who were the King's allies and their own sovereign
nation, thus not royal subjects. He did, however, gallantly kiss the hand of the queen.

1776 ... April 26, 1776, Joseph Brant was initiated into the Falcon Lodge of the Masons.
His initiation document was signed by the king himself. When he was asked about
England, Brant reportedly said he liked the ladies and horses very much.
1776 ... July 1776, Brant returns home to fight in the American Revolutionary War.
1776 ... Brant becomes the principal war chief of the Six Nations as elected by Johnson.
He was NOT elected by his nation or tribe.
1776 ... Brant denounces the Iroquois decision to remain nuetral in the Revolutionary
War, and labels Americans the enemy of all Indians. He offers a chance for his fellows
 to:
"feast on a Bostonian and to drink his blood."
1776 ... The Battle of Long Island.
1776 ... Sir William Johnson dies in July. His son-in-law, Col. Guy Johnson becomes the
new Superintendant of the Indian Department, and his son, Sir John Johnson inherits his
estate. His will included all his children.

Molly Brant leaves Johnson Hall and takes her children to the village of Canajoharie.

1776 - after his father's death, William Johnson's first born son, Peter, is made chief.
1777, August 6 - Molly Brant and her children are forced to leave Canajoharie after the
Battle of Oriskany. Molly and her family then live, a short time, with her relatives within
the Cayuga tribe. Peter Johnson dies.
1778, July 3 - the Wyoming Massacre takes place on the Susquehanna River, and even
though Brant took no part in that battle, it was assumed that he led the warriors. He was
named "The Monster Brant" by the Republicans.
1778 ... November 10, 1778, was the Cherry Valley Massacre. It was said that Little
Aaron, Captain Jacobs, and Joseph Brant were there.

General Haldimand, a British commanding officer, stated:

"Mr. Brant with his Indians from Captain Butler's account, as well as every report ot me,
behaved with great humility to all those who fell into his hands at Cherry Valley."

1779 ... American General Sullivan, also a Freemason, ambushed the Indians and
Loyalists at Newtown, New York. The Indians flee and Sullivan decides to destroy
Indian villages, thus limiting the power of the Iroquois Confederacy, who have sided with
the British. Brothers and cousins of the Iroquois and white nations fight each other. The
British capture a few Americans and have them "drawn and quartered." Many of the
Germans have married Native American Indians and they are angry with the way they
have been treated by the British. It is noted that the Germans displayed less prejudice
than the French and English. My own branch of the Crysler family remained loyal to the
American side while some of their cousins were Loyalists.
1779 ... Joseph Brant marries his third wife, Catherine Croghan (age 23). Catherine is the
niece of the Sachem Tekarihoga, a leading sachem of the Mohawks. She was a Clan
Mother of the Mohawk aristocracy. In the matriarchal traditon of the Iroquois, upon the
Sachem Tekarihoga's death, Catherine named her half-brother, Henry, as sachem.
Women participated actively in the political life of Iroquois society.
1780 ... Joseph Brant is made "Captain" by General Haldimand.
January 8, 1780, Joseph Brant's mother, Margaret, dies somewhere after this date and
before 1784.
1782 ... This is the date that another source gives for Brant's marriage to (3) his third
wife, Catherine Crognan. Catherine is the daughter of an Irishman and a Mohawk.
Perhaps they were married twice? Once in the Church and once in the tribe?

Children of this marriage:

Margaret Brant was born in 1782.

Joseph Brant, Jr.(1784-1830).
Mary Brant was born in 1786.
 Jacob Brant (1768-1846)
Catherine Brant was born in 1791 and died January 31, 1867.
Chief John Brant (Ahyouwaigha) was born September 27, 1794, in Brantford, Ontario,
Canda, and died of cholera on August 27, 1832 in Brantford. John Brant never married
Elizabeth Brant (1796-1844)

1783 - A "Peace Treaty" ends the hostility between American and British families.
1784 ... October 23, 1784 the Six Nations Confederacy was awarded two tracts of land
from papers signed, in Quebec City, Quebec Province, Canada, one piece of land is on
the Bay of Quinte and the other is on the Grand River.

"I do hereby in His Majesty's name Authorize and permit the said Mohawk Nation, and
such other of the Six Nations Indians as wish to settle in the Quarter to take possession of
and settle upon the banks of the River commonly called Ouse, or Grand River, running
into Lake Erie Alotting to them for that purpose six miles deep from either side of the
River beginning at Lake Erie, and Extending in that proportion to the Head of the said
River, which them and their posterity are to enjoy for ever."

1784 ... Joseph Brant (Thayendanega) founds the city of Burlington, Ontario Canada. His
home is built on Wellington Street and is the present site of the Joseph Brant Museum.
This land was purchased from the Mississauga tribe. The Mississauga were hostile to the
Six Nations.

Brant built this home for his (3) wife, Catharine Brogham, and his family.
When the Six Nations moved to "Brant's Ford," he was responsible for the construction
of a second church, Her Majesty's Chapel of the Mohawks, near present-day Brantford,
Ontario, Canada, north of today's Six Nations tract. The first church was destroyed in the
Mohawk Valley.
It is said that Brant hired "three black slaves."
The Six Nations are composed of Mohawk, Onondaga, Seneca, Oneida, Cayuga and
Tuscarora. They called themselves Houdensaunee (people of the Longhouse). Today this
Canadian Reserve is called Ohsweken and is located near Brantford, Ontario, Canada.

1785 Gilbert Charles Stuart (1755-1828), an American painter, living in London, is

commissioned to paint Joseph Brant's portrait.
1786 ... Joseph Brant makes his second trip to England, regarding title to Canadian
Reserve lands, and compensation for Mohawk loses in the U.S. War for Independence.
1790 ... the 999 year terms were eventually settled by whites, thus shrinking the size of
the Six Nations Reserve. These sales were negotiated by Brant himself, in many
cases...which is why he is considered a "traitor" to his people.
1793, June 5 - Molly Brant is in Fort Niagara for her daughter Susanna's wedding.
Susanna and her sister Elizabeth both die shortly after the wedding.
1795 ... Brant's son Isaac, by his first wife, Peggy, makes a drunkened attack on his
father. Joseph draws his dagger and kills his own son. He is brought before the Council of
Sachems and Warriors, and they rule that he acted in self-defense.
1796, April 16 - Molly Brant dies in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, at age 60 years. She is
buried in St George's Churchyard. St George is now called St. Paul's.
1807 ... November 24, 1807, Thayendanega (Joseph Brant) dies (at age 65), in his
Burlington Bay house. His final words are:
 "... it seem natural to Whites, to look on lands in the possession of Indians with an aching
heart, and never to rest "till they have planned them out of them ... the interests of the
Indians has ever and I hope Ever shall be my greatest aim ... and remain a free
people...God willing"

1950, November - the body of Thayendanegea was brought back to Grand River, and his
second legal wife, Catharine Crogham, is buried besides him at Her Majesty's Chapel of
the Mohawks, located on land near the present day Brantford and Oshweken Six Nations
Reserve.

*****

BOOKS ON JOSEPH BRANT:

(1)Ethel Brant Monture, a great, great-grandaughter of Joseph Brant wrote a biography

about her ancestor in 1960. It was called Famous Indians. She viewed Brant as a bridge
between the white and Iroquois Nations, and between power and the powerless.

(2)Six Nations Indians, Yesterday and Today by Norman E. Lickers (1942) describes
Brant as a devoted Loyalist to the British Crown, with an interest to the well-being of the
Six Nations. Brant's life straddled both cultures. Brant was never condoned as a chief by
his own people. However, his Mohawk village was given priority in government
assistance in the form of a saw mill and grist mill. a school, a council house, and a church
while other villages were a loose bunch of log homes, built in European fashion (Kenyon, Ian
and N. Ferris. "Investigations at Mohawk Village." published in Arch News, a newsletter of the Ontario Archaeological Society, Inc. Jan/Feb
1983.

(3)One of the most complete books on Joseph Brant is Joseph Brant 1743-1807: Man of
Two Worlds by Isabel Thompson Kelsay. This book is published by Syracuse University
Press, 1984.

(4)In regards to American gingseng the following book was used:

Kruger, Anna. An Illustrated Guide to Herbs: Their Medicine and Magic. New York:
Modern Publishing, 1997.

*****

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