The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1876-04-28

of the Oneidas. 1t is agreed on ali hands
that her first husband was Roland Montour,
brave of the Senecas. She had no children
by her second husband, who was killed in
war with the Catawbas as early as the year
1929.
Madame Montour is by some writer's al
legged to have been the daughter of one of
the French Governors of Canada, and to
have been lady in Manners style and edu
cation. That she mingled in the best socie
ty of Philadelphia and possessed great at
fractions of mind and person. But when we
remember that she had a sister, married to a
brave of the Miamis, and was herself twice
married to Indians of the Five Nations, it is
more than likely that her claims to beauty,
education and refinement were not so posi-.
tive as her admirers have asserted, yet far
in advance of her husbands and her swarthy
CON panions.
An examination Of the authorities seems
to bring us to the conclusion that Madame
Montour was French Canadian without
any admixture of Indian blood-that she
was educated-that she preferred the Indian
custom and rowing and unsettled habit of
life-aud that the family into which she
married were the French hslfbreeds who
had French Governor of Canada for their
father, if, indeed, they were entitled to make
any such claim. That in early life she mar
ried Roland Montour, brave of the Sene-
cas-, who had brother John, and q sister
who was varously known as Catharine, Kate,
Catrina, Catreen and Queen Esther.
BY her husband Roland Montour she had
certainly four and possibly five children.
Andrew, Henry and Robert are we'll known.
We hear of Lewis also; and at council in
Philadelphia, June ls, 1893, before Thomas
Penn, Esquire, Shekellamy, then at Shamo-
kin as the head of the tribes, speaks Of an
Indian "named Katarionecha, who is mar
ried to one Margaret, a daughter of Mrs.
Montour," as living ain that neighborhood."
Whatever Roland Montour may have
been, Madame had always been the friend
of the Proprietary government. And that
reputation is enhanced, if possible, after her
second marriage. In some instructions CIV
en- in 1928 by Gov. Gordon to Henry Smith
and John Petty, then about to visit the Sus-
quehanna Indians, the Governor says
"Give my kind love also to Carundowana
and his wife and speak to them to the same
purpose. Lett him know expect of him,
that as he is great Captain, he will take
Care that all the People about him shall
show themselves good Men & truehearted,
as he is himself, and that hope to see him
at the Treaty" And again, in the same
year, there is the following memorandum
"It was afterward considered by the Board
what Present might be proper to be made
to Mistress Montour & her husband, Caran-
dowana, & likewise to Shikelima, of the Five
Nations, appointed to reside among the Sha-
nese, whose services had been and may yet
be Of great advantage to this Government;
And it was agreed that Five Pounds in Bills
of Credit should be given to Mistress Mon
tour and her husband"
After the death of her second husband in
1929 she probably spent a good deal of her
| time in Philadelphia; and in 1874 several
of the Oneidas and others coming to town,
Mrs Montour, now in town but not men,
Der of the delegation" was inquired of as to
their standing and importance and they
were entertained and rewarded with some
| reference to her information concerning
them.
| That such was the uniform character Of
/ Al LII =, H..
evidenced by the fact that at least Two of her
sons received large grants of 'donation
lands" from the Government. Henrys lay
on the Chillisquaque, and Andrews on the
Loyal Sock where Montoursvile now stands.
| In September 1742 Shikelimus the great
Cayuga chief was living at Shamokin, and
was there then visited by Conrad Weiser,
Count Zinzendorf, Martin Mack and his
wife and several other persons. After spend
ing some time at Shamokin the "Count and
part of his company forded the Susquehanna,
and went to Ostonwackin on the West
Branch This place was then inhabited mot
only by Indians, of different tribes, but by
Europeans, who had adopted the indian
manner Of life. Among the latter was a
Frenchwoman, Madame Montour, who had
married an Indian warrior (Carondowana,
alias Robert Hunter but lost him in war
against the Catawbas. She kindly enter
tanned the Count for two days. The Count
went soon after to Wyoming"
| The location of the town of Ostonwackin
has not been definitely ascertained. Let us
see if we cannot locate it from the given
facts. In the first place it was on the West
Branch, in the second it was a short distance
above Shamokin, in the third, in order to
reach it the Susquehanna, that is the North
Branch, was forded. We are justified in
placing Ostonwackin, Madame Montour's
residence at about the mouth of Chilisqua-
que Creek, and rear the mountainous ridge
which hears her name. Near there on the
same stream her son Henry subsequently
obtained large tract of land, and there she
probably died, though of the time or place
of her death no sufficient and certain infor.
nation has been obtained. But in October
1884, she is spoken of by Chief and Mes.
senger from the Six Nations, as an old wo,
mah. We do not hear Of her after the yeal
l742, and then as living at Ostonwackin, il
the neighborhood of,and no doubt on friend
ly terms with the great and good Shikellimu,
the father of the more celebrated Logan ,anc
the steady friend of our people, Shekell
mus died in l749, and we hear nothing o
Madame Montour after l742. There is nj
authority Tor believing that she was alive
much less present, thirty six years later, a
the massacre of Wyoming. No history, no
no authentic tradition connects Madam
Montour with the shedding of any blooC
white or Indian the whole tenor of her lif
forbids it, and the attempt 10 enhanc
the romance of locality or a tragedy b,
naming her in connection with it, must be