Ephraim Webster facts for kids

Ephraim Webster (born June 30, 1762 – died October 16, 1824) was one of the first European-American settlers in Central New York. He arrived in 1786 in an area that later became Syracuse. For about 30 years, the Onondaga people trusted him more than any other non-tribe member.

Webster worked as a translator and helped the Onondagas with several land agreements with the State of New York. He played a big part in the eventual settlement of Syracuse, New York by white pioneers. However, some Onondagas later felt that he had betrayed their trust.

Ephraim Webster's Life Story

Ephraim Webster was born on June 30, 1762, in Hampstead, New Hampshire, United States. He grew up in Newbury, Vermont. His parents were Ephraim Webster Sr. and Phebe Tucker. He had nine brothers and sisters.

Serving in the Revolutionary War

In 1777, when he was 15, Ephraim joined the Continental Army as a soldier during the American Revolutionary War. One time, commanders at Fort Ticonderoga in New York asked him and another soldier to swim across Lake Champlain. They needed to carry important messages to General Lincoln.

The swim was about 2 miles (3.2 km) long and happened in late autumn, so the water was very cold. They were afraid they might not make it. Webster completed the task, but he almost drowned and had to be saved by his friend, Wallace.

Becoming a Frontiersman

At 21, in 1783, Webster tried being a shoemaker, a skill his father wanted him to learn. But he didn't like it and left after a year. He wanted to be a frontiersman, someone who explores and lives in wild areas. He traveled to cities like Boston, Philadelphia, and New York City, but he didn't find what he was looking for there.

Webster then went to Albany, New York, and continued into the wilderness. There, he met a group of Native American hunters. He eventually joined the Six Nations people, about 150 miles (240 km) west of Albany, at Onondaga. For the next four years, he believed he was the only white person in that area. He learned to live like the Native Americans and became very good at their language.

One night, he overheard some people planning to harm him because they thought he had destroyed their homes in the past. Two men came and sat on each side of him. One held his arms, and the other held a hatchet, saying he would kill him. But Webster, who understood their culture and language, asked for a final drink of rum. He drank a toast to their chiefs, naming them. This deeply moved the men. The one with the hatchet threw it down, showing he would never harm Webster. He said, "You no enemy, my brother," and hugged him. From that day on, they treated him like a brother. Webster often said his "Indian brothers" would do anything for him.

First White Settler and Trader

In 1786, when he was 24, Webster arrived in Onondaga Hollow to trade with the Onondagas. He became the first white person to live permanently in what later became Onondaga County.

He built a trading post near Onondaga Creek, close to Onondaga Lake. He traded things like rum and ammunition with the Native Americans. Webster married an Onondaga woman in the late 1780s, and they had a son.

In 1788, Webster moved inland to Onondaga Hollow and started the first permanent settlement in Onondaga County. He used his good relationship with the Onondagas to get their permission for Major Asa Danforth to move to the area. Danforth became the second white man to settle there.

Becoming an Indian Interpreter

Webster decided to move to Upstate New York during the last part of the American Revolutionary War. He met a Mohawk man named Peter Gain. Webster went to Gain's home and stayed there for three months without speaking any English. By the time he left, he was fluent in the Native American language. Webster learned to speak or write six different Native American languages. He worked as an interpreter, earning two dollars a day.

People who knew him, like Calvin Jackson, said that in 1793, Webster dressed in Native American clothes and had jewels in his nose and ears. He was with his Onondaga wife and their young son, who was called William but later went by Harry.

Helping with Land Treaties

Webster was an interpreter for the Haudenosaunee and Onondaga languages. In 1793, he helped as a translator during land agreements where the Onondagas sold about 70,000 acres (280,000,000 m²) of land to New York State. This was 75 percent of their original land. They received a payment of $410 and other benefits.

By 1796, the Onondagas liked Webster so much that they convinced the governor of New York to give him a square mile of the land they had sold. This was so Webster could build a home there. The state gave this land to Webster as a "free and voluntary gift" because he had helped as a translator for the Onondagas. The land was in an area later called Onondaga Hollow, south of where Syracuse is today.

His Family Life

Webster's first Onondaga wife passed away. He later married another Native American woman. For the Onondagas, giving land to Webster meant they believed he would become a permanent part of their community.

There are different stories about what happened to his Onondaga wife. Some say they divorced, others say she died. She returned to live with the Onondagas with their son Harry and died later.

On November 19, 1795, Webster married a young white woman named Hannah Danks. They built a home on the land he received, near Webster's Pond in Syracuse. They had five children together.

A historian named Richard Wright said in 1962 that Webster stopped living the Native American lifestyle when his brother, Asahel Webster, arrived and encouraged him to do so.

Webster eventually sold most of his square mile of land in smaller pieces. The last part was bought by Joseph Forman in 1805. Joseph Forman's son, Joshua Forman, later founded the village of Syracuse.

The original home Webster built stood for many years in Syracuse until it was destroyed by fire in the late 1890s.

Continuing Friendly Relations

In 1795, Webster was elected as a supervisor in Onondaga, and in 1798, he became a justice of the peace. He also served as a lieutenant and captain in the New York military.

Even after he rejoined white society, he remained on good terms with the Onondagas. In 1811, he was chosen to be the state's agent to live with the tribe. During the War of 1812, he offered Onondaga soldiers to President James Madison and led the tribe in battles against the British twice.

When Trust Was Broken

The trust the Onondagas had for Ephraim Webster was broken in 1817. This happened after he acted as the state's agent and translator for them in a land treaty. In a treaty from July 28, 1795, the Onondagas sold 4,000 acres (16,000,000 m²) to the State of New York.

This treaty included a part that required the Onondagas to give Webster 300 acres (1,200,000 m²) of their land. The tribal leaders did not like this. Disagreements over this land led the Onondagas to accuse Webster of betraying them. Their disagreement was settled when Webster gave up his ownership of a saw mill on the Onondagas' land. The Onondagas then agreed not to make any more land claims against him.

The Onondagas wanted Governor Clinton to choose a new agent, but this never happened. In 1822, Webster was the interpreter for the Onondagas' last land treaty with New York State. In this treaty, they sold more of their land for $1,700.

After this, the Onondagas refused to sell any more land. They were left with 7,300 acres (30,000,000 m²), which they still own today.

Later Life and Legacy

Webster died on October 16, 1824, at age 62 from Typhoid fever. He was at the Seneca Indian Reservation in Tonawanda, New York.

In his will, he left all his belongings, including a large amount of money, to his second wife, Hannah, and their children. The Onondagas believed the land should return to them. Webster did not leave anything to his son Harry Webster.

After Webster's wife died, his son Harry Webster tried to claim some of the land in 1837, but he did not win the lawsuit. Harry Webster later became a spiritual leader for the Iroquois Confederacy before he died in 1864.

For many years, people debated whether Harry was truly Ephraim Webster's son. However, a lawsuit confirmed their relationship.

Webster's Pond in Syracuse, New York, is named after him.

Images for kids

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  Original home of Ephraim Webster on Valley Drive in Syracuse during the late 1890s