The Pell Treaty

Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum and Carriage House, a historic New York City landmark located the Bronx, NY

Plain English Text of Pell Treaty
Deed from the Indians to Thomas Pell

Know all men by these present that we Shawanarockquot, Poquorum, Anhooke, Wawhamkus and Mehumow: being the true owners and the only lawful heirs and proprietors of a piece of land bounded by the Sea to the South, with the tract of land called by the English Long Island to the west, and west and by South with the Bay and Hutchinson River, with all the Islands that are in the salt water to the South, Southeast & Southwest against the Tract of Land which is before expressed; with all trees, meadows and all land within the tract of land which is before expressed: do sell and deliver to Thomas Pell, now living in Fairfield, his heirs and assignees to hold, enjoy, improve, plant as they shall see best, to be improved for and to him and his heirs forever, without any molestation on our part. And do hereby engage ourselves to make good ourselves against all claims entailed either by the Dutch or Indians and do deliver it into the possession of Thomas Pell & his assignees. The bounds are marked to the main Land which is and shall be the present bounds to the main Land: only Liberty is freely granted for the feeding of cattle and the cutting of timber beyond those bounds; and we do acknowledge to have reserved in full for it, the true value and just satisfaction according to our estimate to which we set our hands before these witnesses of English and Indians this twenty-seventh of June 1654.

English Wittnesses Saggamores (Markes)
Richard Crabb Magistrate + Shawanorockquot
Thomas Lawrence + Poquorom
John Ffinch + Anhooke
+ Wawhamkus
+ Mehumow

Articles of Agreement
We also, as loving neighbors and friends, do mutually agree to send two men off each year, one day in the Spring every year to mark the bounds of the land so that a right knowledge may be kept, without injury to either side, so that a mutual peace and love may be maintained. 2nd ....We also promise each other that if any plots againest either side are discovered, as loving neighbours and friends, they may be timely exposed so that peace and love may be mutually preserved.
Indyan Wittnesses
+ Cockho
+ Kamaque
+ Cockinsecawa

This writing was signed and witnessed before a great multitude of Indians and many English.
We who signed below do testify.

Henry + Accorly
William Newman

This is A True Copy of the Original
Thomas Pell