Conditions Governing Access
Conditions Governing Use
Preferred Citation
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Biographical / Historical
Scope and Contents
Processing Information
Arrangement
Existence and Location of Copies
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Walking Purchase collection
Identifier/Call Number: mssWalking
Physical Description:
4.92 Linear Feet
(2 boxes and 1 oversize box)
Date (inclusive): 1700-1962
Date (bulk): 1727-1762
Abstract: A collection of correspondence and
documents related to the Walking Purchase and the 1756-1758 Councils of Easton retained by
the office of Pennsylvania's governor William Denny.
Language of Material: Materials are in
English.
Conditions Governing Access
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information.
Conditions Governing Use
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from
or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The
responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining
necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item]. Walking Purchase collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino,
California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Donald A. Heald Rare Books and Fine Art by the Library Collectors' Council,
January 18, 2020.
Biographical / Historical
The Walking Purchase was an alleged agreement between the Penn family, the original
proprietors of the Province of Pennsylvania in the colonial era, and the Lenape Native
Americans (also known as the Delaware Indians). In 1737, Thomas and John Penn, Proprietors,
presented the Delaware Indians with what they said was the 1686 treaty that entitled them to
a tract extending "as far as a man can goe a day and a half." They then hired several men
who ran, not walked, for a day and a half along a set course in the Lehigh Valley; this
yielded a territory the size of Rhode Island (nearly 1,100 square miles or 1.2 million
acres). The Delaware Indians tried to challenge the deal, only to be forced off their
ancestral land in 1742. Their land was quickly sold off to settlers who poured into
Pennsylvania, netting the Penn family a considerable fortune. Despite several inquiries at
the Councils of Easton (1756-1758) as to the legality of the original Walking Purchase
treaty it was declared authentic and on June 23, 1762, Chief Teedyuscung signed a statement
acknowledging the legality of the Walking Purchase.
Scope and Contents
A collection of correspondence, documents, and maps related to the Walking Purchase and the
Councils of Easton retained by the office of Pennsylvania's governor William Denny (in
office from August 1756 to October 1759). The bulk of the collection consists of the records
of the Council of Easton (August 1757) and the inquiry into the legality of the Walking
Purchase authorized by Denny. It contains affidavits, sworn testimony, exhibits, memorandum,
correspondence, and notes; this material includes original documents dating back to the time
of the fraudulent land deal as well as some military correspondence. The collection also
includes several documents and letters concerning Native American troubles on the frontier
in the 1740s, along with their protests to the Proprietors over rum being sold to their
people. Important persons in the collection include, among others, William Allen, Benjamin
Chew, George Croghan, William Denny, Benjamin Franklin, James Hamilton, William Markham,
Israel Pemberton, Thomas Penn, Richard Peters, Nicholas Scull, Teedyuscung (Delaware Chief),
George Thomas, and Conrad Weiser. Almost all of the material in the collection is docketed
and bears the initials or signatures of W. H. Rolph, followed by hyphenated numbers. The
collection also contains oversize material and a small group of 20th century newspaper
clippings about the Walking Purchase and the material in this collection.
Processing Information
The collection was processed by Gayle Richardson in 2021. The decision was made to retain
the original spelling of place names, as written on the documents, in the titles on the
folders and in the finding aid. Also, the documents and letters most often use the term
"Indian" to refer to Native Americans. The original terms have been preserved in the titles
of the material listed within the collection. The Native American tribes mentioned in the
documents include Delaware, Shawnee, Lenape, Mingo, and Six Nations. The tribe names are
preserved in item titles below as they appear in the documents; as of 2021, the peoples
described refer to themselves as Delaware Tribe of Indians; Shawnee Tribe; Delaware Nation,
Delaware Tribe of Indians, Stockbridge-Munsee Community; Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma;
and The Iroquois Confederacy.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Existence and Location of Copies
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Delaware Indians -- History -- 18th century
Delaware Indians -- Land tenure -- Pennsylvania -- History
Indian land transfers -- Pennsylvania -- History
Indians of North America -- Pennsylvania -- History
Indians of North America -- Pennsylvania -- Government
relations
Quakers -- Pennsylvania -- History -- 18th century
Pennsylvania -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
Pennsylvania -- Politics and Government -- Colonial period, ca.
1600-1775
United States -- History -- French and
Indian War, 1754-1763
Clippings (information artifacts) -- United States -- 20th
century
Legal documents -- United States -- 18th century
Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 18th century
Manuscript maps -- United States -- 18th century
Allen, William,
1704-1780
Chew, Benjamin,
1722-1810
Croghan, George, 1720?-1782
Denny, William, 1718-
Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790
Hamilton, James, 1710-1783
Markham, William,
1635-1704
Pemberton, Israel,
1715-1779
Penn, Thomas, 1702-1775
Peters, Richard,
1704-1776
Scull, Nicholas,
1686?-1761?
Tatamy, Moses Tunda, approximately 1690-1760
Teedyuscung, Delaware chief,
1700-1763
Thomas, George, 1695?-1774
Weiser, Conrad,
1696-1760
Pennsylvania. Militia.
Pennsylvania Regiment
Pennsylvania. Office of
Lieutenant Governor