The Mississaugas: The Treaty Period
Internship Research Project through the University of Toronto
Mississauga
By Meaghan Fitzgibbon
For Heritage Mississauga
2007
SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1
Summary of Project
This report was completed for Heritage Mississauga to obtain a greater
understanding of this area‟s First Peoples, the Mississauga First Nation for its
Outreach Programs and for use as a reference in the Heritage Resource Centre.
This report includes:




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
An Introduction of Ontario‟s First Nations
An Introduction of the Mississauga People
A Chronological Overview of the development of Peel County and Toronto
Township (now City of Mississauga)
From 1805-1818
From 1818-1820
Land Surrenders:
Treaty 19
Treaty 22
Treaty 23
The Credit Indian Reserve:
From 1820-1825
Peter Jones
The Credit Mission, from 1826-1847
The New Credit Reserve
Conclusions
First Nation/ European Settlement relations
Recommendations for Further Study
The information for this project was assembled between September 2006 and
April 2007.
1
1.2
Scope and Purpose of the Project
In 2005, in preparation for the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the
City of Mississauga being opened for settlement, Heritage Mississauga began an
in-depth research project of the “First Purchase” or Treaty 13a. This was the first
treaty to involve land in what would become the City of Mississauga. The
subsequent treaties had not been as well documented. The purpose of this project
was to investigate and document the treaties between the Mississauga First
Nation and the British Crown, which were signed in 1818 and 1820. The intention
was to provide a greater understanding of the historical developments
surrounding these treaties and to determine how the signing of these treaties and
cession of land affected the Mississauga before their relocation in 1847. This
information will assist in gaining a greater understanding of the historical
development of the City of Mississauga, the Mississauga of the New Credit First
Nation and modern treaty claims. The finished report and PowerPoint®
presentation will provide the basis for a greater understanding of the First
peoples in this area and are to be used as an education and resource tool in
Heritage Mississauga‟s Resource Centre
1.3
Research Process
This project began with reading previously written works to provide
background information for the project. The majority of this project was
completed at various Archival institutions and Libraries including: the Region of
2
Peel Archives, the Mississauga Central Library, the Land Registry, the Archives
of Ontario, and Victoria University‟s E.J. Pratt Library. I also spent time at the Six
Nations Reserve, near Brantford and the New Credit Reserve, in Hagersville.
Also, some in office work was required at Heritage Mississauga‟s office in the
Robinson-Adamson Grange, located at 1921 Dundas Street West. Specifically, I
was accessing their files on the Mississauga peoples and digitized collections, for
example, one of Peter Jones‟ books, History of the Ojebway Indians: with especial
reference to their conversion to Christianity and the Memoir of Elizabeth Jones have
both been digitized for Early Canadiana Online. The research process was simply
trying to get to as many resources as possible in the time allotted. I had a list of
Collections and books I wanted to view, for example, the Life and Journals of
Kahkewaquonaby [Peter Jones]; Egerton Ryerson‟s, The Story of My Life; the
Magrath Papers, the Paudash Papers, the Peter Jones Collection, the Credit
Mission baptismal Records, the Land Registry Record for the Credit Indian
Reserve, the William Perkins Bull Collection Aboriginal Fond, the Census
records and the Ontario Archives holdings of the National Archives RG 10 series
(Indian Affairs). I was not able to complete everything I originally intended due
time constraints but have laid the ground work for continued study. In my
search for information I also came across other collections that need to be
studied, such as, the James Givins Papers at the Toronto Metropolitan Library.
3
SECTION 2: INTRODUCTION TO THE MISSISUAUGA NATION
2.1
Overview of First Nations in Ontario
At the time of first contact between the First Nations and Europeans, there
were two large linguistic families in Ontario, the Iroquoian and the Algonquian.1
The Algonquian linguistic family consisted of smaller groups, such as the
Algonkin, the Cree, the Ojibwa, and the Ottawa. The Iroquoian linguistic family
included the Huron, Neutral, and Petun. The Five Nation Iroquois Confederacy,
also part of the Iroquoian language family, lived on the other side of Lake
Ontario, in modern day New York State (see the map on the next page). The Five
Nation Iroquois Confederacy consisted of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga,
Cayuga, and Seneca and became the Six Nations when the Tuscarora joined after
1722.2 The Mississauga, the focus of this project, are part of the Ojibwa Nation, in
the Algonquian language family.3
2.2
Homelands of the Mississauga
The Mississauga came to the Lake Ontario area around 1700. Prior to this
move, the Mississauga First Nation lived in Northern Ontario near Sault Ste.
Marie. 4 The story of their relocation actually begins in the mid-1600s. At the time
of first contact, the Iroquois were at war with the Huron. In 1649-50, the Iroquois
1
Donald B. Smith, “The Mississauga, Peter Jones, and the White man: The Algonkians’ Adjustment to the
Europeans on the North Shore of Lake Ontario to 1860”. Ph.D. Thesis. University of Toronto, 1975, 2.
2
Ibid, 3.
3
Ibid, 5.
4
Dr. Alexander von Gernet, “Ontario Algonquians: Ottawa Valley Algonquin,” Lecture. January 8, 2007.
4
conquered and dispersed the Huron and attacked Huron allies: the Neutral, Erie,
Pétuns and the Great Lakes Algonquians.5 The Five Nations (not yet Six Nations)
set up trading posts in southern Ontario to secure furs to trade with the Dutch
and later the English.6 It is believed, however, that they never lived in Southern
Ontario.7 The Mississauga in the north were not directly involved in the war
between the Iroquois and the Huron but according to the French interpreter,
Nicolas Perrot, continued Iroquois pressure did force many of the Mississauga
farther north in 1656.8 Then in 1695, war broke out between the Iroquois and the
Mississauga. By July 14, 1701, peace had been secured, 9 however, animosity still
existed between the two groups even into the nineteenth century. Many of the
elders during Peter Jones‟ childhood believed that the Iroquois “were lurking
about for the purpose of killing some of the Ojebways.” 10 As a result of the war
with the Iroquois, the Mississauga began moving south. Between 1700 and 1720,
the Mississauga had established themselves on the north shore of Lake Ontario.11
5
Smith, “Thesis,” 15. and Donald B. Smith, Sacred Feathers: The Reverend Peter Jones
(Kahkewaquonaby) & the Mississauga Indians (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1987), 19.
6
Ibid, 19.
7
von Gernet, “Ojibwa (Mississauga)” Lecture. January 22, 2007. It is his belief that the Iroquois set up
trading posts but did not necessarily live in the area.
8
Smith, Thesis, 14.
9
Ibid, 20 and 22.
10
Peter Jones, Life and Journals of Kah-ke-wa-quo-na-by (Rev. Peter Jones). (Toronto: Anson Green,
1860), 5.
11
von Gernet, “Ojibwa (Mississauga),” Lecture. January 22, 2007.
5
2.3
Origins of the Name “Mississauga”
Where did the term Mississauga come from? In 1640, the Jesuits recorded
for the first time that the term oumisagai or Mississauga, as the name of the
Ojibwa Nation still living near the Mississagi River on the north-western shore of
Lake Huron. Only a tiny portion of the group, later termed “Mississauga,” were
from the Mississagi River area.12 The term “Mississauga” confused the Ojibwas
on the north shore of Lake Ontario, who called themselves as Anishinabeg,
which means “human beings.”13 Those Ojibwa who lived on the eastern end of
Lake Ontario near the Bay of Quinte (present-day Kingston) thought the name
was derived from their word “Minzahgeeg” which means “many mouths of
rivers” or “river of many mouths” because of the Rivers: Trent, Moira, Shannon,
Napanee, Kingston, and Gananoque in that area.14 The French historian, Le Roy
de la Potherie supported this meaning when he stated that “Missisakis” meant
“many river mouths.”15 The “Mississaugas” living on the western end of the lake
had a different explanation for the origin of the word. They believed that the
name came from their word Ma-se-sau-gee which was their pronunciation of
their Eagle totem, to which one quarter of all Ojibwa belonged.16 Mississauga,
however, also sounds like the Ojibwa word for “large lake”, “Missi Sakiegun.”
The most likely origin of the word, however, appears to be connected with the
12
Smith, Sacred Feathers, 19-20.
Ibid, 17.
14
Smith, “Thesis,” 15.
15
Ibid, 23.
16
Smith, Sacred Feathers, 20.
13
6
original homelands of those Ojibwa specifically living on the “Missisakis” River,
on the north shore of Lake Huron, near Sault Ste. Marie. Not all the people that
were to eventually acquire the name Mississauga came from that area.17 By the
early eighteenth century, the French referred to all Algonkian-speaking peoples
who lived between Lakes Ontario, Erie and Huron and those on the north shore
of Lake Huron as “Mississauga.”18
After the British took control of French possessions in North America in
the 1760s, English-speaking settlers started to apply the term Mississauga to a
smaller group.19 Peter Jones summarized, “Messissauga, a term commonly used
by the English when speaking of the Indians residing at the River Credit, Rive
Lake, Grape Island [in the Bay of Quinte], Mud [Curve] Lake, and those in the
vicinity of Kingston.”20 In the mid-nineteenth century, the Mississauga referred
to themselves as “Ojibwa” or the American pronunciation, “Chippewa.”21 Peter
Jones, however, clearly stated that “Chippewa” was a deviation of the word
“Ojibwa.” 22
17
Smith, “Thesis”, 23.
Ibid, 11.
19
Smith, “Thesis,” 11.
20
Peter Jones. History of the Ojebway Indians: with especial reference to their conversion to Christianity.
(London: A.W. Bennett, 1861), 138.
21
Smith, “Thesis,” 5.
22
Jones, History of the Ojebway Indians,
18
7
SECTION 3: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
3.1
The Mississauga Nation Before 1805
The first land purchase involving the British Crown and the Mississauga
Nation was in 1781, before the end of the American Revolution. This involved
land in the Niagara Region. After the American Revolution, the British Crown
began purchasing large tracts of land in British North America for the incoming
Loyalists.23
In 1784, the Mississaugas surrendered their land at the Grand River for
those members of the Six Nations Confederacy who had lost their land because
they had sided with the British during the American Revolution. The
Mississauga, however, were initially concerned with the proposal of the Iroquois
coming into British North America and originally refused the suggestion of
giving them land. In early 1783, the Mississauga expressed this concern to Sir
John Johnson, the Indian Superintendent:
A report prevailed as if several of the Six Nations intended
shortly to come, & plant on their Ground, on the North side
of the Lake, that it had alarmed them greatly, as they
apprehended it would be followed by disputes between
them, and must terminate in the One of the other leaving the
Country…24
This opinion of the Iroquois changed when the Mississauga discovered that
thousands of American Loyalists were coming north. On May 22 1784, at
23
24
von Gernet, “Current Events” Lecture. April 2, 2007.
Smith, “Thesis,” 62-3.
8
Niagara, Pokquan the spokesperson are the Mississauga announced that they
would welcome the Confederacy:
Your request or proposal does not give us that trouble or
concern, that you might imagine from the answers you
received from some of our people the other day, that
difficulty is entirely removed, we are Indians, and consider
ourselves and the Six Nations to be one and the same people,
and agreeable to a former, and mutual agreement, we are
bound to help each other. Brother Captain Brant, we are
happy to hear that you intend to settle at the River Oswego
[Grand] with your people, we hope will keep your young
men in good order, as we shall be in one Neighbourhood,
and to live in friendship with each other as Brethren ought
to.25
The Mississauga surrendered to the British Crown all the area, from the head of
Lake Ontario to the Grand River, to Long Point on Lake Erie. The Iroquois settled
along the Grand River. They were given six miles on either side of the River. The
British made several purchases between 1783 and 1788. The Mississauga
surrendered land on the north-eastern shore of Lake Ontario, from Etobicoke
Creek just west of Toronto, to the St. Lawrence River.26
In 1787, the British Crown completed the “Toronto Purchase” and in 1792,
purchased land on the western shore of Lake Ontario.27 By 1800, all that
remained of the Mississauga‟s territory was the “Mississauga Tract” which
covered the land, from Etobicoke Creek to Burlington Bay.28 Beginning in the
1790s, the Mississauga began to understand the meaning of treaty agreements
25
Smith, “Thesis,” 63.
Ibid, 63- 64.
27
Canada. Indian Treaties and Surrenders: Treaties 1-138. vol.1, 1891, reprinted 1992, 32-35. The Toronto
Purchase was completed in 1787, however, it was not verified until August 1, 1805 in Treaty 13.
28
Ibid, 36.
26
9
and believed that the British had misled them. They thought that the British were
going to establish a few settlements along Lake Ontario but by 1791, 20,000 nonaboriginal settlers had arrived in Upper Canada.29 In August 1805, in a meeting
with the Deputy Superintendent of Indian Affairs, William Claus, the
Mississauga Chief, Quinipeno complained about the new settlers:
…Colonel Butler [the Indian Agent who negotiated the surrenders
in the Niagara area] told us the Farmers would help us, but instead
of doing so when we encamp on the Land they drove [sic] us off
and shoot our dogs and never give us any assistance as was
promised to our old Chiefs. Father—The Farmers call us Dogs and
threaten to shoot us in the same manner when we go on their
land…30
Also, beginning in the 1790s, the Mississauga population began to drastically
decrease as these new settlers brought diseases. Smallpox, tuberculosis, and
measles killed almost one-third of the Mississauga at the western end of Lake
Ontario between 1790s and 1820s. 31
On November 3, 1798, Quinipeno reported to William Claus that the band
consisted of three hundred and thirty members, with three additional families at
the Credit River. A decade earlier, their population was over five hundred. There
were at least two epidemics in the 1790s. A disease broke out in the communities
of Lake Simcoe in 1793, and in 1796, smallpox killed many in Kingston32
epidemics were not limited to these areas. In December 1797, some settlers had
29
Smith, Sacred Feathers, 26.
Smith, “Thesis,” 67. Quote comes from the Proceedings of a meeting with the Mississagues at the River
Credit, August 1, 1805, CO 42, 340:51.
31
Donald B. Smith, “Their Century and a Half on the Credit.” In Mississauga: The First 10,000 Years. ed.
by Frank A. Dieterman (Toronto: Mississauga Heritage Foundation, 2002), 110.
32
Smith, “Thesis,” 81-3 Quinipeno quoted at a meeting with William Claus [Burlington Beach, November
3, 1798], RP, 2:30. Clause mentions that there were also three families at the Credit, RP, 2:304.
30
10
begun to pillage Mississauga burial sites forcing authorities to issue a
proclamation.33
3.2
Mississauga Nation from 1805-1818
In 1805, the British began negotiations for the last tract of Mississauga
land, from Etobicoke Creek to Burlington Bay.34 Prior to this treaty, the
Mississauga had allowed the British to establish the boundaries. This time,
however, when asked to surrender the entire tract, the Mississauga refused.35
The Mississauga now understood that the Europeans rarely shared the same
understanding of treaty promises.36 Quinipeno, speaking for Wahbanosay and
the other chiefs, explained the Mississauga‟s concerns about surrendering more
land:
Now Father when Sir John Johnson came up to purchase the
Toronto Lands [1787], we gave then without hesitation and we
were told we should always be taken care of, and we made no
bargain for the Land but left it to himself. Now Father you want
another piece of Land—we cannot say no; but we will explain
ourselves before we say any more… I speak for all the Chiefs &
they wish to be under your protections as formerly, But it is hard
for us to give away more Land: The young men and women have
found fault with so much having been sold before; it is true we are
poor & the women say we will be worse, if we part with anymore;
but we will tell you what we mean to do.37
33
Ibid, 83.
Canada, Treaties and Surrenders, 35-6.
35
Smith, Sacred Feathers, 32.
36
Smith, “Thesis,” 117.
37
Smith, Sacred Feathers, 32.
34
11
Quinipeno also suggested that they only surrender the portion of the
Mississauga Tract that is along the water. On August 2, 1805, the Mississauga
and the British Crown signed Treaty 13a, commonly referred to as the First
Purchase. The British acquired a strip of land, from the Etobicoke Creek west, to
Burlington Bay north six miles to modern day Eglinton Avenue.38 This became
the Township of Toronto (now the City of Mississauga).39 The Mississauga kept
three portions of land: one mile on either side of the Credit River, the land on
either side of the Twelve and Sixteen Mile Creeks40 and the interior of the
“Mississauga Tract” north of Eglinton Avenue41 (see the map on the next). The
fact that they retained the interior of the “Tract” enabled them to preserve their
traditional means of subsistence.42
Almost immediately, non-aboriginal people began settling in the newly
opened area. With the arrival of white settlers, encroachment also became an
issue. In 1806, for example, Mrs. Sheehan took possession of one of the banks of
the Credit River. Quinipeno explained their concerns to William Claus, “We have
already mentioned to you, that our Waters in this River are so filthy & disturbed
by washing with Sope & other dirt, that fish refuse coming into the River as
usual, by which are [sic] families are in great distress for want of food.”43 The
38
Canada. Treaties and Surrenders, 35-6.
When the “Second Purchase” was complete in 1818, Toronto Township was expanded to include land
north of Eglinton Ave.
40
Canada. Treaties and Surrenders, 38
41
Smith, Sacred Feathers, 32
42
Donald Smith, Peter Jones, the Mississaugas of the Credit and the Indian Department of Upper Canada,
1825-1847, 3-4.
43
Ibid, 123.
39
12
Indian Department did intervene and removed Mrs. Sheehan. In 1810,
Quinipeno expressed this concern again, explaining that white people still come
“to make us drunk and then cheat us of our fish.”44 A retired army officer,
Malcolm MacGregor also noticed white encroachment on the Credit River,
explaining that Mississauga control was “merely nominal, as the River has been
constantly and at pleasure, encroached upon and plundered of its Fish by the
Whites.”45 The Mississauga population also continued to decline. Their numbers
fell from over 500 in the late 1780‟s, to 350 by 1798. By 1827, the population
would decline to only 191.46
SECTION 4: LAND SURRENDERS
4.1
Treaty 19
The Mississauga First Nation and the British Crown signed Treaty 19 on
October 28, 1818.47 In this treaty, the British acquired the rest of the “Mississauga
Tract” which was the land north of modern day Eglinton Avenue. This area
would include the “New Survey” in Township of Toronto (now the City of
Mississauga) and would include the villages of Streetsville, Malton and
44
Ibid, 125.
Smith, Sacred Feathers, 39.
46
Smith, Peter Jones, the Mississaugas of the Credit and the Indian Department of Upper Canada, 3-4.
45
47
Canada, Treaties and Surrenders, 47-8.
13
Meadowvale (see map on next page).48 The description of the land surrendered
in Treaty 19 is as follows:
A tract of land in the Home District, called the Mississagua [sic],
bounded southerly by the purchase made in 1806; on the east by
the Townships of Etobicoke, Vaughan and King; on the southwest
by the Indian purchase, extending from the outlet at Burlington
Bay, north forty-five degrees west fifty miles, and from thence
north seventy-four degrees east or thereabout to the north-west
angle of the Township of King, containing by computation six
hundred and forty-eight thousand acres; and the said Adjutant,
Weggishigomin, Cabibonike, Pagitaniquatoibe and
Kawahkitahquebi, as well for themselves as for the Mississagua
[sic] Nation inhabiting and claiming the said tract of land as above
described, do freely, fully and voluntarily surrender and convey
the same to His Majesty without reservation of limitation in
perpetuity. …”49
For this land the Mississaugas received a yearly sum of five hundred and
twenty-two pounds, ten shillings “to be well and truly paid yearly and every
year by His said Majesty to the said Mississagua [sic] Nation inhabiting and
claiming the said tract.” William Claus, Deputy Surveyor General signed the
Treaty on behalf of the Crown. It was witnessed by William Hands, Junior Clerk
with the Indian Department and William Gruet, Interpreter with the Indian
Department. The Treaty was signed on behalf of the Mississauga Nation by the
Adjutant, Chief of the Eagle Tribe, Weggishigomin of the Eagle Tribe,
Kawwahkitshqubi of the Otter Tribe, Cabibonike of the Otter Tribe and
48
Pope, J.H., Historical Atlas of Peel County, (Toronto: Walker and Miles, 1877. Facsimile reprinted in
1971). The Old Survey would be those parts of Toronto Township surrendered in the 1805, Treaty 13a.
49
Canada, Treaties and Surrenders, 47-48. The Home District includes the County of York and the County
of Peel - although Peel County was not created until 1851. It also included all of what is known as the Gore
District (Halton and Wentworth Countries).
14
Pagitaniquatoibe of the Otter Tribe.50 Weggishigomin, also known as John
Cameron, was the Chief at the Credit River until his death in 1828. Cameron was
also Peter Jones‟ brother-in-law; he married Peter‟s half-sister,
Wechekewekapawiqua or Catherine Cameron.51
Ajetance (alias Acheton, Adjetons, and Adjitance) was known to nonaboriginal settlers as James Adjutant. He was elected as Chief of the Credit River
in 1810, when his brother Chechalk died. 52 Chechalk had signed Treaty 13a.53
When Peter Jones was a child his mother sent him to live with a Mississauga
named “Captain Jim” who had recently lost a child with the same name as Peter
Jones, Kahkewquonaby. It is believed that Captain Jim was actually Adjutant.
„Captain‟ was apparently another name for „chief‟. Also Adjutant was only one of
two chiefs at the Credit during the time of Peter‟s adoption, the other one being
John Cameron. Kahkewquonaby is an Eagle totem name and Adjutant was a
member of the Eagle totem, therefore it is possible his son had the same name as
Peter Jones. Also, Adjutant was known as James Adjutant by the settlers before
his conversion to Christianity in 1826. It is quite possible that he would have
been known as “Captain Jim” in the early 1800s when Peter was a child. It is
therefore likely that Adjutant was also known as Captain Jim.54
50
Canada, Treaties and Surrenders, 47.
Smith, “Thesis”, 160.
52
Ibid, 135.
53
Canada, Treaties and Surrenders, 37.
54
Thesis 158-9
51
15
In the negotiations for the rest of the “Mississauga Tract,” William Claus
explained, “Your great Fathers wish, is it to make you comfortable, but I much
fear you will not benefit by it. I see a number of Boats about your River with
white people in them. They are here for no other purpose but to make you drunk
& to get your clothing from you.”55 The Indian Department did little to assist the
Mississauga who had only retained the three portions of land on the Credit
River, and the Twelve Mile and Sixteen Mile Creeks. 56 Little is known about the
Mississauga‟s life between 1818 and the last treaties in 1820, but it is reasonable
to assume that encroachment continued to interfere in their daily lives.
4.2
Treaties 22 and 23
The Mississauga fought to keep their land on the Credit River and the
Sixteen and Twelve Mile Creeks but two years later, the Government negotiated
for those lands as well. The recent settlers in the area wanted access to the creeks
and river to establish mills in the area. On February 28th, 1820, treaties 22 and 23
were signed.57 Both these Treaties were signed on behalf of the Mississauga
Nation by Acheton,58 who also signed Treaty 19. Other signators representing the
Mississauga were: Newoiquequah, Woiqueshequome, Paushetawnouquitohe,
and Wabajagige. William Claus, signed these Treaties, on behalf of the Crown, as
55
Smith “Thesis,” 120. William Claus quoted in the “minutes of the proceedings of a Council held at the
Riviere au Credit,” on October 27, 28, 19, 1818, RG 10, 790:66. (120)
56
Ibid, 12.
57
Canada, Treaties and Surrenders, Treaty 22, 50-53 Treaty 22, 53-4.
58
Ajetance’s name has had various spellings in official documents in Treaties 22 and 23 it was spelled
Acheton.
16
he did Treaties 13a and 19 previously. These treaties were witnessed by James
Givins, Superintendent of Indian Affairs; D Cameron; N. Coffin; J.P. Catty,
Lieutenant Royal Engineers Commanding; D.J. Skene, Lieutenant 68th Light
Regiment; Arthur Mair, Ensign 68th Light Regiment; J.L. Tighe, Assistant Surgeon
to the Forces; Alex McDonell, Assistant Secretary Indian Affairs and William
Gruet, Interpreter for the Indian Department.59
The land in question was the one mile on either side of the Credit River,
on either side of Twelve Mile Creek and Sixteen Mile Creek. The Mississauga
retained only two hundred acres on the east side of the Credit River. The „two
hundred acres‟ was never surrendered and became a land claim in the 1980s, for
which the Mississauga received twelve or thirteen million dollars. The
description for Treaty 22 is as follows:
all that parcel or tract of land situate, being and lying in Township
of Toronto, in the County of York, in the Home District and
Province of Upper Canada and marked “D” on the plan...And also
all that certain other parcel or tract of land, situate, lying and being
in the said Township of Toronto and marked “F” on the plan of this
Indenture …And also all that other certain parcel or tract of land
situate, lying and being in the Township of Trafalgar, in the County
of Walton, in the District of Gore and Province of Upper Canada
marked “B” in the plan to this Indenture …. And also all that
certain other parcel of tract of land situate, being and lying in the
Township of Trafalgar aforesaid and marked “G” on the
plan…Saving and reserving, nevertheless, always to the said
Acheton, Newoiquiquah, Woiqueshequome, Pausetawnouguetohe
and Wabakagige and the people of the Mississagua [sic] Nation of
Indians and their posterity for ever a certain parcel or tract of land
59
Canada, Treaties and Surrenders, 53.
17
containing two hundred acres, being part of the before-mentioned
tract marked “D”60 (see the map on the next page).
In Treaty 23 the land surrendered included:
All that parcel or tract of land situate, lying and being in the Township of
Toronto, in the York61, in the Home District and Province of Upper
Canada, and marked “E” on the plan (see the map on the next page). 62
For the land included in Treaties 22 and 23, the Mississauga received the sum of
twenty shillings and fifty pounds respectively.63
In summary, the land on the Credit River was divided into four parcels.
Two parcels, the southern and northern sections of land were surrendered in
Treaty 22, along with the lands at the Twelve and Sixteen Mile Creeks. The third
parcel or the middle section, which was situated on either side of Dundas Street,
was surrendered in Treaty 23 (see the map on the previous page).64 The
Mississauga retained the fourth parcel; the two hundred acres on the east side of
the Credit River. One possible explanation for the division was provided by
Donald B. Smith, historian who suggested that the middle portion was
negotiated a year earlier in 1819.65 It is possible that the land was surrendered
earlier and the treaty was not written and signed immediately. The importance
of the middle section to the British is understandable because it would include
Dundas Street. The majority of the middle section was given to Major Thomas
60
Ibid, 50-2. Those sections marked in green on the map located on the next page
Peel County was created in 1851.
62
Canada, Treaties and Surrenders, 53. Marked in yellow on the map located on the next page.
63
Ibid, 50 and 53.
64
Canada, Treaties and Surrenders, 50-54.
65
Smith, Peter Jones, the Mississaugas of the Credit and the Indian Department of Upper Canada, 18251847, 5.
61
18
Racey to establish a village and mill.66 This section is still known as the Racey
Tract within the City of Mississauga. This land was surveyed and settled almost
immediately while the northern and southern were retained. One explanation
may be because the Government intended to retain the land as a reserve.
SECTION 5: CREDIT INDIAN RESERVE
5.1
Mississauga Nation From 1820-1825
In the early 1820s, both the government and the Mississauga themselves,
believed they would soon be extinct. Their population had been declining and
they were divided among many tiny settlements situated along the lake and the
various rivers that flowed into the lake. In fact, there was reason to believe that
the Mississauga were living at the mouth of the Credit River and not on the 200
acres they kept in the 1820 Treaties.67 For the most part, the Mississauga were
still supporting themselves by hunting and fishing, and continued to sell fur and
fish to the settlers. Unfortunately, both game and fish populations were depleted
and as a result, they began to make baskets, brooms, wooden bowls, and ladles
to sell to the settlers. They purchased food, and some purchased alcohol, with the
money they made from their furs, fish and handmade items.68 In 1825, the
Mississauga living on the Credit River gained support in their dealings with the
66
Part of the Township of Toronto shewing The Mississagua Indian Reserve. Surveyor General’s Office,
19th April 1843.
67
Donald Smith, First 10,000 Years, 119.
68
Smith “Thesis” 113-14.
19
government, when Peter Jones, a Mississauga and a Christian convert who spoke
English, arrived at the Credit River.
5.2
Peter Jones (Kahkewaquonaby)
Peter Jones or Kahkewaquonaby was born on January 1, 1802, the second
son of his Welsh father, Augustus Jones, a government surveyor and his
Mississauga mother, Tuhbenahneequay, who was the daughter of Wahbanosay,
the Mississauga chief involved in the signing of Treaty 13a. Peter Jones had an
older brother, John Jones (Thayendanegea) who was born July 10, 1798.
Augustus Jones also had a Mohawk wife, Sarah, daughter of Tekarihoken.
Augustus married Sarah in April 1798, in an Anglican ceremony at the Mohawk
Village on the Grand River. Augustus and Sarah raised five girls and three
boys.69 Peter and John Jones were raised by their mother, Tuhbenahneequay
except for the short time Peter spent with “Captain Jim”. Peter and John were
members of the Eagle clan, through their grandfather‟s line, like previous Chiefs
of the Credit River, Okimapenesse and Chechalk. In 1816, Peter and John Jones,
at the ages of fourteen and eighteen respectively, left the Mississauga Nation to
live with their father at Stoney Creek.70 While at Stoney Creek, they learned
farming practices. Augustus Jones sent Peter to a local school. Augustus Jones
and his sons moved to the Grand River area in 1817 and settled on land he
already owned there. It was not until 1823, when he and his half-sister Polly
69
70
Ibid, “Thesis,” 95.
Smith “Thesis,” 95-97.
20
attended a Methodist camp meeting in Ancaster, that he accepted Christianity.
Peter became Chief of the Mississauga in 1829. On September 8, 1833, Peter Jones
married Eliza Field a native of Lambeth, England.71 They had four sons that
survived to adulthood: Charles, Frederick, Peter Edmund, and George.72. In 1847,
he and his family moved to Muncey Town, a First Nation settlement near
London, before coming to Brantford in 1851. Peter and Eliza built Echo Villa near
Brantford in 1851 and they stayed there until Peter‟s death in June 1856.73
5.3
Credit Mission, 1826-1847
The story of the Credit Mission actually began in Davisville near the
Grand River in 1824. Thomas Davis, a cousin of Joseph Brant, farmed a short
distance away from the Augustus Jones‟ farm in the Grand River area. In the fall
of 1822, Davis began to read the scriptures and offer morning prayers to his
neighbours in the Mohawk language. The Mohawk named the area around his
farm Davisville. The lessons being taught in this community attracted Peter Jones
and strengthened his ties to Methodism.74 Peter returned to the Credit River in
1824 to tell his people, the Mississauga First Nation about his acceptance of
Christianity and encourage them to return to the Grand River with him. His
mother, Tuhbenahneequay was one of the first Mississauga converts. She was
71
“Copy of Marriage Certificate,” The originals of letters between Eliza and Peter Jones, Peter Jones
Letterbook (letters to Eliza Jones, 1833-1848), Box 3 File 4, Peter Jones Collection Vault. E.J. Pratt
Library, Special Collections, Victoria University (microfilm).
72
Canada. Census of Canada 1851-2. Brant County.
73
Smith, “Thesis,” 296.
74
Smith, Sacred Feathers, 52-53.
21
baptized Sarah Henry. During the autumn of 1823, more of Peter‟s Mississauga
relatives came to the Grand River including Peter‟s brother, John; his Aunt and
Uncle, Jane and Joseph Sawyer and his cousin, David Sawyer.75 In 1824, John
Cameron, the Credit River Chief came to Davisville and became a Methodist. He
had wanted the Mississauga to start farming and accept Christianity for several
years. Joseph Sawyer (alias Nawahjegezhegwebe) and John Cameron had been
baptized in 1801 or 1802, and 1810 respectively, most likely in an Anglican
service.76
The next spring, Peter returned to the Credit River, and welcomed more
converts. In March 1825, Peter officially joined the Church as an “exhorter.”77 By
mid-June 1825, fifty Mississauga had converted.78 Peter also started to teach the
Mississauga farming methods. He wanted the Mississauga to be self-supporting
and independent.79
By the request of Capt. John [Cameron] and others of the
Missessagues in those parts. I take the liberty to write a few lines to
you wishing you to send an information respecting their presents
to what times to come down, there are about fifty of the Nation
who have planted corn and potatoes, and who have embraced
Christianity, and are attending to the means of education; they do
not wish to come down till they get a sure word from you, for they
are at present busy hoeing their corn.80
75
Ibid, 62-63.
Smith, “Thesis,” 130.
77
Smith, Sacred Feathers, 64.
78
“Letter From Peter Jones to Col. Givins” Peter Jones Letterbook, Paudash Papers, Library and Archives
Canada, viewed at Region of Peel Archives.
79
Smith, Sacred Feather, 65.
80
“Letter From Peter Jones to Col. Givins” Peter Jones Letterbook, Paudash Papers.
76
22
Smith believes that this was the first letter James Givins had ever received from a
member of a First Nation that was written in English. Jones knowledge of the
English language would greatly help the Mississauga Nation in their dealings
with the government.81 July 13, 1825, Peter Jones met the Honourable Dr.
Strachan, who according to Peter Jones suggested that “it would be best for us to
settle on the Credit and erect a village, saying he thought the Government would
assist us, and wished us to consult about the matter”82 In late 1825, Lieutenant
Governor Sir Peregrine Maitland agreed to build Peter Jones and the Mississauga
converts, a village near the Credit River, agreeing to construct twenty houses. On
October 30, 1825, Peter Jones wrote in his journal that “Col. Givins and Mr.
Chewett, of the Surveyor General‟s Office, came up and laid out our town-plot.83
In April 1826, Peter Jones left Davisville and headed for the Credit River with the
other converted Mississauga, believed to number 107. The majority of the
Mississauga were originally from the Credit River and had followed Peter Jones
to Davisville over the last year. Almost immediately they began to build a school.
Peter Jones wrote on April 28, 1826 that he “went with a party to Mr. Racey‟s
mills to raft down boards for our school meeting house.”84 John Jones, Peter‟s
brother became the school teacher. 85 By the fall of 1826, the Mississauga moved
into their twenty new homes at the Credit River. The site of the village would
81
Smith, Sacred Feather, 66.
Jones, Life, 38.
83
Ibid, 45.
84
Ibid, 64.
85
“Letters to John Jones,” Box 3, File 7. Peter Jones Collection Vault.
82
23
have been on Mississauga Road, on land that was already surrendered, where
the Mississaugua Golf and Country Club is today (see the map on the next page)
and became known as the Credit Mission. Almost all of the men and women of
the Mississauga Nation at the Credit had accepted baptism by the end of the
1825. Ajetance and his family were one of the last families at the Credit River to
accept Christianity when they were baptised in June 1826.86
In 1838, Peter‟s wife, Eliza Jones penned a description of the village. She
provides insight as to the location of various buildings and evidence that there
was a cemetery at the Credit Mission:
This little village…is situated on the high and healthy banks of a
fine river, whose beautiful flowing waters, well supplied with
fish…This village consists of about forty houses; some of these are
called log, others frame; each surrounded by half an acre of land, in
which the Indians plant every year either potatoes, peas, or Indian
corn. In the centre stands, on one side the chapel and school-house,
on the other the Mission-house; near which is reserved a lovely
spot just on the brow of a sloping bank, sacred to the memory of
the dead.87
Eliza Jones‟ description of the village was remarkably similar to a map drawn in
the 1930s, by George W. Gordon. Gordon‟s drawing was completed almost one
hundred years after the Mississauga left the Credit River, and includes several
features specific to its time, for example, the Mississaugua Golf and Country
Club‟s semi-circle driveway and club house.88 When the 1930s sketch was
86
Smith, “Thesis,” 158.
Eliza Jones, Memoir of Elizabeth Jones: A Little Indian Girl who lived at the River-Credit Mission Upper
Canada (London: John Mason, 1838), 12-13.
88
George W. Gordon, “Map of Indian Village”
87
24
compared to Eliza Jones 1838 description, the similarities are evident. Both Eliza
and George portray the school and the chapel on one side of the street (most
likely the original course of Mississauga Road). Eliza said that “on the other the
Mission-house,”89 while George Gordon illustrated two buildings, the Chief‟s
and the Deputy Chief‟s houses, opposite the school and chapel. It is possible that
either building could have been used as the Mission-house as well. Peter Jones
had been both Missionary and Chief (after 1829) for the Mississauga people. Both
Eliza and George intimate that the cemetery was on the banks of the Credit River
(see the map on the next page). Elizabeth Jones, John Jones‟ daughter was one of
those buried on the bank of the Credit River. She was born in June 183090 and
died in November 1837 at the age of seven. It was believed that she fell into the
Credit River while crossing a bridge at Port Credit because of missing board.91
According to Peter Jones, every family at the Credit Mission received fifty
acres to farm on. They also had half an acre around their house to garden. In
1844, Benjamin Slight, who had been their missionary in the 1830s stated:
They raise grain of all kinds, hay, potatoes, and other roots, apples,
and vegetables. They also raise pork and beef, have milk and
butter. They possess cattle, horses, and pigs. They own two public
stores, in which they receive produce and goods as forwarding
merchants—two saw mills, one blacksmith‟s shop, one carpenter‟s
shop… They had built eight or nine barns and twenty-four or
twenty-five houses, since Government commenced their settlement
89
Jones, Elizabeth Jones Memoir, 12-13.
Jones, Elizabeth Jones Memoir, 13.
91
Ibid, 29.
90
25
at the Credit village. The village had been improved in appearance,
having boarded the side-walks through the village.92
In a petition to the Indian Department in 1829, John Jones and Joseph Sawyer
wrote about the progress of the Mission saying, “We are also building a
Blacksmith shop, a house for the girls to learn and work in, and a house for our
sick people”93 They built a hospital and Peter Jones wrote several letters to the
Government asking for money from their funds be provided to Dr. Joseph
Adamson for his medical services on the Reserve.94
The Mississauga were also two-thirds shareholders in the Credit Harbour
Company. The President of the company was Edgar Neave.95 As the majority
shareholders, the Mississauga had the port at the mouth of the Credit River
constructed. It is possible that they also were responsible for having the town
plot laid out for Port Credit. Peter Jones and Joseph Sawyer wrote to the Land
Commissioner Peter Robinson in 1835 requesting a survey of a village at the
mouth of the Credit, “At a full Council held at this Village at the 25th of April last
it was unanimously agreed that a number of lots be laid out at the mouth of the
Credit.96 Later, after the survey was complete, the Mississauga referred to two
separate funds whenever they were requesting money from the Government.
They would stipulate from which fund they wanted the money extracted; either
92
Benjamin Slight, Indian Researches or, Facts Concerning the North American Indians; Including
Notices of their Present State of Improvement, in their Social, Civil, and Religion Condition; with Hints for
their future Advancement. (Montreal: J.E.L. Miller, 1844), 152-53.
93
“Petition to Queen Victoria, October 19, 1944.” William Perkins Bull Collection, Aboriginal Fonds,
Region of Peel Archives.
94
“Letter From Peter Jones to Mr. L. Mudge” March 19th 1830. Peter Jones Letterbook, Paudash Papers.
95
Letter dated Feb 24, 1835, Peter Jones Letterbook, Paudash Papers.
96
“From Joseph Sawyer and Peter Jones, Chiefs to Col. James Givins” Paudash papers, May 25, 1835.
26
from the “proceeds of lands sold at the Twelve Mile Creek and at Port Credit”97
or from their “annual payments”98 from Treaty obligations.
Today there is no visible evidence of the village. The last building
standing was believed to be the Chief‟s house which was demolished some time
in the 1950s. The village was originally located on either side of Mississauga
Road. Between 1954 and 1966, however, the Mississaugua Golf and Country
Club had Mississauga Road re-routed99 so that they could utilize land they
owned on the other side of the street.100 Now any remnants of the village would
be entirely within the Golf Club‟s property (see the maps on the next page).
Although there is no evidence above the surface, somewhere on the property,
likely remains the Methodist Cemetery. The Mississauga were Christians when
this cemetery would have been in use, therefore, they would have been buried in
a Christian method. Peter Jones‟ journals, letters to his wife, and the letters to the
Indian Department all mention numerous deaths at the Credit Mission. It is
unlikely that the Mississauga took their dead with them when the left the
Mission in 1847 as would have been the traditional method.101 First, Peter Jones
worked hard to limit First Nations traditions at the Mission. Also, there does not
97
“Letter From Joseph Sawyer and Peter Jones to Col. James Givins, dated September 9, 1835.” Peter
Jones Letterbook, Paudash papers.
98
“Letter From Joseph Sawyer, Peter Jones and Wabbahneeb Chiefs to Col. James Givins,” dated
December 15, 1835. Peter Jones Letterbook, Paudash Papers.
99
Aerial Photography 1954 and 1966, the City of Mississauga. www.mississauga.ca. April 13, 2007.
100
Archivist, the Mississauga Golf and Country Club.
101
Matthew Wilkinson. Historian, Heritage Mississauga
27
appear to have been any reburials at the New Credit Reserve near Hagersville.102
Using both Eliza Jones description and George W. Gordon‟s map, the
approximate location, on a high bank overlooking the river valley, has been
estimated using modern aerial photography. Its location would be within an area
of the Mississauga Golf and Country Club that has never been excavated, only
re-filled. It would be truly an intriguing undertaking to determine if the
cemetery‟s location could be verified.
5.4
Credit Indian Reserve
The Mississauga were not using the Mission site exclusively. It appears
they were using much more land than originally believed. The Mississaugas
were living on about 3,500 acres of land in the southern portion of the mile on
either side of the Credit River. This amounts to essentially all the land within the
mile of either side of the Credit, from the Queensway to the shore of Lake
Ontario.103 There were several pieces of evidence that support the theory that the
Mississauga were utilizing about 3,500 acres (see the map on the next page).
First, in 1844, Benjamin Slight, a Methodist missionary who lived on the Credit
Indian Reserve in the 1830s, stated in his Researches and Facts Concerning North
American Indians:
The Credit Indians had nearly nine hundred acres enclosed
for pasturage and tillage. The whole Reserve is, I am
102
Trip to New Credit near Hagersville. The Cemetery at New Credit appears to be rather small, probably
not large enough to rebury everyone who passed away at the Credit Reserve from 1826-1847.
103
Part of the Township of Toronto shewing The Mississagua Indian Reserve, 19 th April 1843.
28
informed, three thousand acres in extent. This, therefore,
forms nearly one-third of the whole Reserve. 104
A map was discovered that shows where this land was located. The map shows
that most of the land south of the modern-day Queensway, within the mile on
either side of the Credit River, was still not granted at the time of its drawing on
April 19, 1843. This area amounted to approximately 3,500 acres (see the map
from previous page).105 The Mississauga Nation were still living on the Credit
River in 1843. This is supported by Land Registry records which revealed that
most of the land south of the Queensway was granted in the mid-1850s, after the
Mississaugas left.106 In addition, John Stoughton Dennis who was reportedly the
person responsible for the survey of the southern portion of the Credit Indian
Reserve, did not survey the area until 1846. A map dated 1846, which was drawn
by Dennis, is believed to be the survey map.107 Perhaps, this was in preparation
for the Mississaugas‟ departure. Dennis was also responsible for setting the
prices for the lots when the land was finally sold in 1847. The question then
becomes - why were the Mississauga living on land that had already been
surrendered?
The answer may lay in the Treaties signed in 1820. As already mentioned,
the land within the mile on either side of the Credit River was divided and
surrendered in two separate treaties. Treaty 22 surrendered the land from the
104
Slight, 152.
Part of the Township of Toronto shewing The Mississagua Indian Reserve. 19th April 1843.
106
Land Abstracts, Region of Peel Land Registry, see Appendix 2
107
John Stoughton Dennis. Credit Indian Reserve. Surveyor General’s Office, 1846.
105
29
Queensway south to the shore of Lake Ontario and the land from the northern
entrance of the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) north to Eglinton
Avenue. Treaty 23 surrendered the middle section known today, in the City of
Mississauga, as the Racey Tract. This land is situated on either side of Dundas
Street (see the map on the next page), from the northern entrance of UTM to
Queensway. There are at least three explanations as to why the land was divided
the way is was and why the Mississauga were given use of the southern portion
of the land surrendered in Treaty 22. The first explanation could be that the land
was given to the Mississauga when the Credit Mission was founded. The
Mississauga at the Credit River had just converted to Christianity and were
interested in learning to farm. This would have been compatible with the
Government policy of assimilation at the time. The Credit Mission was later used
as the model for modern-day Reserves.108 In fact, the government, in Treaty 22,
stated that the proceeds from the sale will be used for the “maintenance and
religious instruction of the people of the Mississauga Nation of Indians and their
posterity according to His Majesty‟s gracious intention.” This, however, does not
explain why the land was not surveyed and sold between 1820 and 1825, before
Peter Jones arrived at the Credit.
Another explanation was suggested earlier, and that was, that the focus of
the Treaties was not on the land in Treaty 22 but on the land in Treaty 23. The
108
John F. Leslie, “James Givins Biography,” Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online.
www.biographi.ca. April 10, 2007
30
land in Treaty 23 is just the middle portion on either side of Dundas Street.
Donald Smith suggested that the land involved in this treaty was surrendered
earlier in 1819 and just not written down until the negotiations for the remainder
of land on the Credit began. This, however, does not explain why the
Mississauga were given the southern portion to cultivate.
The last explanation may be that the land was surrendered for the
purpose of a reserve. All reserves, even today, are government owned and under
federal jurisdiction. Donald Smith has suggested that before Peter Jones arrived
at the Credit, the Mississauga were living near the mouth of the Credit River.109 If
this was the case, this land would have already been surrendered in 1820. The
Mississauga had reserved 200 acres of land in Treaty 22 but this land was not at
the mouth; it was about two miles north of the river mouth. This would suggest
the Mississauga Nation at the Credit were using land already surrendered which
would happen if it was a reserve. The southern portion of land at the Credit was
not the only land involved in Treaty 22. The northern portion, of the mile on
either side of the Credit and the lands at the Twelve and Sixteen Mile Creeks
were also surrendered in Treaty 22.110 Does this mean that they too were
reserved for the Mississaugas? It seems probable that this was the case. The lands
on the Twelve and Sixteen Mile Creeks were held as a Crown Reserve.111
109
Smith, First 10,000 Years, 119.
Canada, Treaties and Surrenders, 50-3.
111
Hazel C. Mathews, Oakville and the Sixteen: The History of an Ontario Port. (Toronto: University of
Toronto Press, 1953), 10-11.
110
31
Throughout the 1820s and 1830s, white settlers were eager to purchase land
on the water for the purpose of establishing mills. In the 1820s, the Mississauga
wrote to the Indian Department giving their permission for settlers to occupy the
Twelve Mile Creek. Evidently the settlers who wrote the Mississauga asking for
their permission, and the Mississauga who then wrote the Crown giving their
permission, both thought the land belonged to the First Nations. During this
period, settlers wrote to the Lieutenant Governor, such as this letter from
William Chisholm, asking permission to settle on the Creek:
York 2 May 1827
Sir—Being desirous to purchase the Tract of Land situated on the
16 Mile Creek… called the Indian Reserve, for the purpose of
Building and improving thereon, should it be the intention of the
Government to dispose of the same, I beg permission to request
that you would be pleased to bring the subject under the
consideration of His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor For His
Excellency‟s pleasure thereon.
I have the honor to be
Sir
Your most obedient
Humble Servant
W. Chisholm.112
Sir Peregrine Maitland, Lieutenant Governor agreed to sell the land on Sixteen
Mile Creek, in the same manner as the northern section of land at the Credit was
sold. He thought the land should be offered for “public competition, in the same
manner as those lately sold at the Credit—the proceeds of which sale have not
sufficed to meet the expense of the Indian Huts and the lands now applied for
112
Ibid, 11.
32
appearing… to be applicable to the same object.” The proceeds were held by the
Commissioner of Crown Lands, Peter Robinson for the Mississauga living at the
Credit River. The proceeds from the sale of the land on the Sixteen Mile Creek
and the Credit River were used to complete the building of the Credit Mission at
the Credit River.113 When the northern section, land from the northern entrance
of UTM to Eglinton Avenue at the Credit River, was sold in 1827, the
Mississauga were troubled by the fact that they were not consulted. They
believed that the land was still theirs, again, suggesting their continual use of the
land.
When the land was sold at the Twelve and Sixteen Mile Creeks, and the
northern section on the Credit River, the only remaining portion of land was the
southern part, on which the Mississauga were living. The issue of which land the
Mississauga actually surrendered became apparent in several petitions and
inquiries to the Government regarding ownership rights. In 1829, John Jones and
Joseph Sawyer sent a petition to the Government about the status of their land:
Father we have great confidence in your good feelings towards us
and that you will do for us everything that is right and for our
good. It is this that makes us wish to tell you some things that have
been in our minds a long time and have troubled us very much.
Several years ago we owned land on the twelve mile creek, the
Sixteen and the Credit. On these we had good hunting and fishing,
and we did not mean to sell the land but to keep it for our Children
for ever- Our Great father sent to us by Col. Claus and said The
white people are getting thick around you and we are afraid they,
or the Yankees will cheat you our of your land, you had better put
it into the hands of your very Great father the King to keep for you
113
Ibid, 12.
33
till you want to settle. And he will appropriate it for your good and
he will take good care of it; and will take you under his wing, and
keep you under his arm, and give you schools and build houses for
you when you want to settle… Our great-father then thinking it
would be best for us sold all our land on the Twelve the Sixteen
and the upper part of the Credit to some white men. This made us
very sorry for we did not wish to sell it.114
This illustrates the difference of opinion between the Mississauga and the British
Crown about the meaning of the land surrenders. In 1837, the Mississauga sent
another petition, this time directly to Queen Victoria, requesting to know the
status of their title to the land:
Our people are now very few in number, the white people have settled all
around us but our Great Father, King George the third allowed us to
reserve a tract of the land at the River Credit; and the parliament of this
nation has acknowledged this tract of land to be ours and forbids white
people from disturbing our fisheries. Our good queen will be pleased to
hear that many of our children have been taught to read and to write.
Some time ago, our people in council said it was proper now to divide the
land so we gave some of them our small farms of about fifty acres to be
held by them and their posterity for ever. Our people have begun to
improve their farms, they sell the produce at market and buy goods from
the white people, but they are afraid to clear much ground, because they
are told by evil-minded persons that their farms can be taken away from
them at any time. These people say the land is not our own, but belongs to
your majesty. Did your majesty buy it from us or from our forefathers?
We know that our people in times past have sold lands to our late father
the king, but we never sold our lands at the Credit.115
The Mississaugas had in fact surrendered their land at the Credit in Treaties 22
and 23 but their continued to be much confusion over their title. The reason for
this confusion could be because the Mississauga Nation continued to live on the
land after it was surrendered. This would happen if it was a Reserve.
114
“Petition on behalf of the Mississauga Nation,” dated April 1829. William Perkins Bull, Aboriginal
fonds.
115
“Petition to Queen Victoria, October 4, 1837.” Peter Jones Letterbook, Paudash Papers.
34
SECTION 6: NEW CREDIT RESERVE
6.1
New Credit Reserve
As early as 1840, the Mississauga decided to leave the Credit River because of
white encroachment and also because they could not secure title to the land they
were living on. Another reason was that the natural resources at the Credit River
had been exhausted. The Mississauga had cut down the trees around their
village. Non-aboriginal trespassers from the villages around the Mississauga
village also chopped down trees on the Reserve. In addition, the salmon run had
almost completely depleted.116 Chief Joseph Sawyer explained the situation to his
fellow chiefs at the general Council:
We have been living twenty years in the same place, and
now the wood is all gone; we cannot get black stones to
make fire, as the white people do. There are four little
villages of the whites now in sight of our place, which shows
the necessity of removal.117
Muncey Town was their first choice. They purchased 450 acres and asked
Samuel Peters Jarvis (who was Givins‟ replacement) to exchange their 3,500 acres
at the Credit for 5,000 at Muncey. Jarvis, instead of giving them the land at
Muncey Town, insisted they move to Manitoulin Island118 which was a location
that Lieutenant Governor Maitland had promoted.119 This location was not to the
Mississauga‟s liking. The land was not suitable for farming and therefore they
116
Smith, First 10,000 Years, 118.
Smith, “Thesis,” 275.
118
Ibid, 274.
119
Marian M. Gibson, In the Footsteps of the Mississaugas. (Mississauga: Mississauga Heritage
Foundation, 2006), 35.
117
35
feared, rightly so, that they could not support themselves on the island. When
Jarvis did not support their move to Muncey Town, the plan for a mass move
was abandoned. Some Mississauga from the Credit River, however, did move
individually to that area. On February 1, 1844, Peter Jones wrote in his journal:
“The Credit Indians have for the present abandoned the idea of removing from
the Credit, on account of the difficulties thrown in the way of their removal by
Mr. Jarvis & his agents.”120 In July 1845, a new location had been suggested. The
Ojibwa, living at the Saugeen River near Owen Sound, had invited others to
settle in their territory. By this time, T.G. Anderson had replaced Jarvis as their
Indian Agent. Early in 1847, the Mississauga at the Credit River received some
troubling news about their new location. The men who had gone to the new
location returned and reported that the land was rocky and not suitable for
settlement. James Young stated:
…saw how stoney and rocky the land was his heart began to
faint and when he thought of the long winters and the
quantity of fodder it would take to feed his cattle and the
scarcity of water on the Tract… he resolved not to remove to
Owen Sound.121
This news was unfortunate because they now had to move. They had
already placed their land “in the hands of the government to be sold.”122
J.S. Dennis had also already surveyed the land. It was at this point, that
the Six Nations, after hearing about their predicament, offered them land
120
“Peter Jones to Eliza Jones, February 1, 1844,” Peter Jones Collection Vault.
Smith, “Thesis,” 276.
122
Ibid, 277.
121
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on their reserve on the Grand River. The Six Nations remembered “that
when their fathers came down from the Mohawk River” the Mississauga
had given them “the Tract they now owned.”123 This was a reference to
the 1784 treaty which gave the Six Nations on the Grand River. The
Mississauga originally turned down their offer, still holding onto their
hope for land at Muncey Town. On April 7, 1847, once it was clear that
moving to Muncey Town was not an option, they accepted the Six
Nations‟ offer. The Six Nations also had another reason for offering the
Mississauga land. The Mississauga would add to their numbers and
hopefully counter-act their own white encroachment problems. The
Mississauga were given 4,800 acres on the south-western corner of
Tuscarora Township, thus evicting four white families who were
squatting on the land124
Even before the Mississauga officially accepted the Six Nations‟
offer, the Government was preparing to sell the lands around the Credit
River. A notice appeared advertising an auction of the “Mississaugas of
the Credit land at Port Credit” including the “Mill Block, Park and Town
Lots,” to take place Tuesday April 27th 1847. The auction notice stated that
there were “Indian Lands for sale under the direction of the Indian
123
124
Ibid.
Ibid, 277-78.
37
department.” J.S. Dennis, who surveyed the land in 1846, established the
prices.125
In 1847, 266 people left the Credit River for the Six Nations Reserve.
Not all the members of the Mississauga Nation left the Credit River that
year. When the 1851 census was taken, twelve “Indians” were still living
in Peel County.126 Eleven people, designated as “Indians”, were found
living in the southern portion of Toronto Township but not necessarily
within the mile one on either side of the Credit River. It is impossible to
know for sure, if these eleven people were part of the Mississauga First
Nation. There is, however, one exception; a man named Lawrence
Heckmere (Hackamor) was listed in the census and it is likely, that he is
Lawrence Herkimer, the brother of William and Jacob Herkimer also from
the Credit Mission. Lawrence was a widower living with his son David.
His wife, Mary was also listed as having died in the year 1851 from water
on the brain. Lawrence and David were also listed in the 1851 Tuscarora
Census. This could be because they moved to the Grand River in 1851 or
they were just listed in both censuses. Being listed in two censuses can
happen.127 Also, living in Toronto Township, according to the Census,
were the Fonger family and James Brant. Beside their names, it was stated
125
Smith, First 10,000 Years, 118. Auction notice held at Library and Archives Canada.
Canada. Censuses of Canada 1608- 1876: Statistics of Canada, vol V. Ottawa: MacLean, Roger and Co.
1878.
126
127
Canada, Census, 1851-2, Toronto Township, and Tuscarora Township.
38
that “these Indians about to remove to the Grand River.”128 Therefore, 266
Mississauga First Nations may have left in 1847, but this was not all of the
Mississauga Nation that lived in Toronto Township at the time and more
continued to leave after 1847.
SECTION 7: CONCLUSION
7.1
Conclusion
The City of Mississauga has generally believed that the Mississauga
surrendered their land in three separate treaties over the course of the 15 years
from 1805 to 1820 with the exception of the 200 acres they kept on the Credit
River where they set up a village. It was discovered first that there were actually
four treaties.129 The most intriguing aspect of this project has been the connection
between the structure of the treaties and the impact on the lives of the
Mississauga at the Credit River including their decision to leave the area in 1847.
The Mississauga were not living exclusively on the 200 acres they had retained
but on land they had already surrendered. This was a strange turn of events,
considering the reason the government wanted the land to begin with, was for
the use of the river and creeks. Yet, for years the government held the majority of
the land on the Credit River and the Twelve and Sixteen Mile Creeks as a Crown
128
129
Canada, Census 1851-2, Toronto Township.
Canada, Treaties and Surrenders, Treaties 13a, 19, 22 and 23.
39
Reserve.130 Only a portion of the land on the Credit River, situated on either side
of Dundas Street, was sold for the purpose of building a village for nonaboriginal settlers. The main question remains why? Why were the Mississaugas
given land to settle on that they had already surrendered? Several options have
been proposed: It was set aside for an “Indian Reserve,” owned by the
government, or the government gave the Mississauga the land when they
converted to Christianity. This also caused confusion among the Mississauga
themselves. They sent several petitions to the government requesting the status
of their title to the land and requesting permanency to the land, which the
government denied.131 This denial, along with continued white encroachment led
directly to their decision to leave the Credit River in 1847.
7.2
Recommendations for Further Study
The greatest wealth of information regarding First Nations in Canada is to
be found at the Library and Archives Canada, especially their RG 10 collection,
Indian Affairs. I would be very interested in the negotiations for the 1818 land
surrender. A trip to the National Archives in Ottawa was not an option for this
project but would be extremely beneficial. Although the Ontario Archives has a
portion of that collection, unfortunately, their holdings could not be viewed in
their entirety during this project. Another collection that should be viewed, are
130
Mathews, 10-11 and Part of the Township of Toronto shewing The Mississagua Indian Reserve, 19th
April 1843.
131
Various petitions, Peter Jones Letterbook, Paudash Papers.
40
the James Givins papers. The location of these papers at the Toronto Public
Library was only discovered recently, and therefore, could not be viewed for this
project. An e-mail requesting entry to the United Church Archives was not
returned, therefore, arrangements could not be made to view their Credit
Mission records which contain baptismal records. This is a shame because they
could potentially be an amazing source. Not only could the names of the
residents of the Credit Mission be discovered but also their parents‟ names,
which would have helped to determine relationships on the Reserve.
SECTION 8: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
8.1
Acknowledgements
I would like to express a sincere thank you to everyone who contributed
to this project. First, I would like to thank Matthew Wilkinson, Historian at
Heritage Mississauga and Project Supervisor, for envisioning this project. His
advice and guidance were invaluable. I would also like to express my gratitude
to Jayme Gaspar, Executive Director and Doreen Armstrong, Administrative
Assistant, both of Heritage Mississauga for their encouragement.
In addition, I would like to express my appreciation to Dr. Barbara Murck,
Program Coordinator and Jennifer Storer-Folt, Internship Support Officer, both
of the University of Toronto Mississauga for this opportunity. I would also like
to express a special thank you to Brain Gilchrist, Reference Archivist, Region of
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Peel Archives; Virve Wiland, Librarian, Woodland Cultural Centre; Lisa
Sherlock, E.J. Pratt Library; Dorothy Kew, Canadiana Room, Mississauga Central
Library; Margaret Sault, New Credit Reserve and Dr. Alexander von Gernet,
University of Toronto Mississauga for their assistance and expertise in the
research process. Thank you to all the staff members who offered their assistance
at the Region of Peel Land Registry, the Archives of Ontario, the E.J. Pratt
Library, Victoria University and the Canadiana Room, Mississauga Central
Library.
42