Sassoonan
[3]: 98 Sassoonan's name first appears in the colonial records on July 25, 1709, when he attended a conference in Philadelphia together with Passakassy, Owechela and Skalitchy, all four of whom were then described as "chiefs of the Delaware Indians settled at Peshtang, above Conestogoe, and other adjacent places."
The next conference was on 14 June, 1715, when he arrived with the Shawnee chief Opessa Straight Tail (his son-in-law) and met with Deputy Governor Charles Gookin.
In the minutes, Sassoonan is reported as saying "that their [the Lenape's] late king, Skalitchy, desired of them that they would take care to keep a perfect peace with ye English."
[6]: 91 At a conference in Philadelphia on 4 June, 1728 Sassoonan complained that the German Palatines (immigrants from Germany) were settling in the Tulpehocken Creek Valley, in Berks and Lebanon counties, which, as he claimed, had not been purchased from the Indians.
Governor William Keith had invited a group of German immigrants to move from the Schoharie Valley in New York to Tulpehocken,[1] but the Lenape already living there had objected that they had not given up the rights to that area and wanted payment.
He writes: "These poor People were much disturbed at this, yet finding they could no longer raise Corn there for their Bread, they quietly removed up the River Sasquehannah, though not without repining at their hard usage.
The matter dragged along until 1732, when Sassoonan and six other Lenape chiefs, in consideration of 20 brass kettles, 20 fine guns, 50 tomahawks, 60 pairs of scissors, 24 looking glasses, 20 gallons of rum, and various other articles acceptable to the Indians, handed over the rights to all those lands "situate, lying and being on the River Schuylkill and the branches thereof, between the mountains called Lechaig (Lehigh) to the south, and the hills or mountains, called Keekachtanemin, on the north, and between the branches of the Delaware River on the east, and the waters falling into the Susquehanna River on the west" to John Penn, Thomas Penn, and Richard Penn, proprietors of the Province.
[4]: 24 On 2 August, 1731, James Logan wrote to Thomas Penn: It has most unhappily so faln out, that Opekasset the eldest and next heir died last Spring of the Small pox, and Shachatawlin the truest, honestest young fellow I ever knew amongst the Indians...was lately kill'd by a sudden Stab from the old King Sassoonan's own hand in his liquor, So that none of that family but the unhappy old man who sorrows almost to death of the Accident, is now left for us to treat with.
The Pennsylvania authorities also wanted to keep the Lenape from moving into the Ohio Valley, where they would be more likely to become French allies, therefore Sassoonan was presented with frequent gifts.
"[6]: 97–98 Sassoonan visited Philadelphia again in August, 1740, stating "Your young men have killed so many deer, beavers, bears, and game of all sorts that we can hardly find any for ourselves."
"[12] Present at the conference were 230 Iroquois, whose leader Canassatago rebuked the Lenape, calling them women and ordering them to move westward to "Wyomink or Shamokin" and leave their traditional homeland along the Delaware River, adding: "We charge You to remove instantly.
After a series of violent conflicts between Indians and white settlers, Meshemethequater, Sassoonan and other chiefs from the Six Nations (including Shikellamy), the Tuscaroras, and the Lenape met with Conrad Weiser and Andrew Montour at Shamokin on 4 February, 1743, and received wampum from Weiser, who was trying to persuade the Shawnees not to attack English traders living on the Allegheny, to prevent war from erupting.
Goods that were taken from Armstrong were returned to his brother Alexander, and Mussemeelin and one of the two accomplices were handed over to Weiser, to stand trial in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
The bishop wrote: "[Myself] and Conrad crossed the river to visit the Indian King [Sassoonan] who lives there, and had the honor to smoke a pipe with him."
"[15] Conrad Weiser wrote from Tulpehocken, July 20, 1747: "Olumapies would have resigned his crown before now, but as he had the keeping of the public treasure (that is to say, the Council Bag), consisting of belts of wampum, for which he buys liquor, and has been drunk for these two or three years, almost constantly, and it is thought he won't die as long as there is one single wampum left in the bag.
"[3]: 104 In another letter Weiser writes: "The Delaware Indians last year [1746] intended to visit Philadelphia, but were prevented by Allumapees' sickness, who is still alive, but not able to stir.
Pisquetomen was initially designated by Sassoonan himself as his successor, however he was intelligent, strong-willed, spoke English, and was not easily manipulated, and so Pennsylvania officials refused to recognize him as "king.
"[17]: 71 James Logan also wanted a leader with the determination to bring those Lenape who had migrated to Ohio back to the Susquehanna region, and felt that Pisquetomen would be unable and unwilling to attempt this.
