[NATIVE AMERICANS]. PIERCE, Maris Bryant (1811-1874). Autograph letter signed ("M. B. Pierce") as "Chief of the Seneca Nation." Dartmouth College, 4 August 1837.

One page, on bifolium, 8 x 10 in., creased at folds, with some staining/discoloration to creases and a small area of loss to back leaf. Addressed on integral leaf, postally used.

In this letter to Mrs. H. R. Storrs, Pierce writes, in full: "Here meets me the afflicting intelligence of the sudden death of your beloved husband and our most faithful friend. I cannot let this lamentable divine providence passed [sic] without having assured you & your family the deep sensation which we, the Senecas feel of our loss and I can say with certainty that all the Indian Nations East of Mississippi will lament & mourn of his departure. He has been our brother. He did not sit in silence when our destiny was about to be sealed in Congress but he stood up & with his strength defended our rights. This breach of the ranks of good men cannot be repaired, no one can fill his station. He therefore claims from us our expression of condolence for his loss and gratitude for his services."

Maris Bryant Pierce was born on the Allegany Reservation, attending the Quaker-run Fredonia Academy and eventually graduating from Dartmouth College in 1840. During his time at Dartmouth, Pierce was appointed (along with 3 other attorneys) to legally represent the Senecas in opposing the Second Treaty of Buffalo Creek, which called for the sale of Seneca lands to the Ogden Land Company and the removal of the tribe to Oklahoma. Pierce went on to serve as an interpreter between the Senecas and the federal government, and to help the Seneca Nation to form an elective government before his death in August of 1874.

Henry Randolph Storrs (1787-1837) represented the state of New York in the US House of Representatives from 1817-1821 and 1823-1831, and was an outspoken critic of Andrew Jackson's dealings with Native American tribes.

Property from the James Milgram, M.D., Collection of Broadsides, Ephemeral Americana, and Historical Documents