Fonds consists of the correspondence, 1774-1783, of Sir William Johnson, Bart. (1715-1774) and his son, Sir John Johnson, Bart. (1742-1830) (ff. 1-37v). Included are: Proceedings at a congress with all the chiefs and warriors of the Six Nations at Johnson Hall, 19 June - 16 July 1774 (f. 9). The material relates primarily to transactions with Indian tribes and to the American revolutionary war. This material is located on microfilm reel A-908.
Johnson, William, Sir, 1715-1774 : Sir William Johnson, Bart. (1715-1774) was born in Smithstown, County Meath, Ireland in 1715. He was the son of Christopher Johnson and his wife Anne, née Warren. Early in 1738, he came to the colony of New York to oversee the estate of his uncle, Vice-Admiral Sir Peter Warren, on the south side of the Mohawk River near the mouth of the Schoharie. With capital supplied by his uncle, he built one of the largest fortunes in colonial America and acquired great influence over the Indians. In 1755, he was created a baronet and appointed superintendent of Indian affairs for New York. He died at Johnson Hall, near Schenectady, New York, 11 July 1774.
Sir William was succeeded as superintendent of Indian affairs by his nephew and son-in-law, Guy Johnson (1740?-1788). Guy Johnson who was married to Sir William's daughter Mary, held the post until 1782. Sir William's daughter Anne married Daniel Claus, who also held offices in the Indian department.
Johnson, John, Sir, 1742-1830 : Sir John Johnson, Bart. (1742-1830) was the only son of Sir William Johnson and his wife, Catherine Wissenberg (Wisenberg) (d. 1759). He was born, 5 November 1742, in the Mohawk Valley. He married Mary Watts of New York in 1773. She became known as Lady Polly Johnson (1750?-1850). Sir John succeeded to his father's estates in New York in 1774 but was forced to flee to Canada in 1776 because of his Loyalist sympathies. Lady Polly and two of her children were captured by American soldiers but they later escaped and joined Sir John in Canada.
In Canada, Sir John organized and commanded two battalions of the King's Royal Regiment of New York, and played an important part in the border forays that marked the later stages of the War of the American Revolution. After the war, he and his family settled in Montreal and, in 1783, he was appointed superintendent-general of Indian affairs in British North America. He died at Mount Johnson, near Montreal, on 4 January 1830.
