A Lenape among the Quakers: The Life of Hannah Freeman

Chapter 5. Kindness Extended

chapter five Kindness Extended The Lenape people had many stories handed down from generation to generation that told of their history and culture. Elders told stories of the creator, Kishelemukong, who caused a giant turtle to rise from the depths of the ocean to become the land upon which all beings lived: Turtle Island. First Man and First Woman sprouted from a tree that grew on the turtle’s back.1 They learned to live in a world populated with seen and unseen forces, dealt with loss, faced danger, and enjoyed abundance. As a young girl Hannah probably heard these stories, which merged the Lenapes’ identity as a people with the lands they called home. Not only did the stories teach each new generation about the past, they also instructed Lenapes on how to live their lives everyday. Through these stories Hannah Freeman probably learned about the hardships her people had endured along the way. According to their ancient history, Hannah’s people crossed lands fraught with danger and peril, sometimes starving and sometimes at war with other peoples, who challenged their right to pass. The story is one of sacrifice and endurance, change and resilience.2 Before the ancient Lenape found their new homeland, they lost family and kin through separation and death, but they would find new alliances and form new kinships that increased their numbers and strengthened their culture. It is a story of long ago, yesterday, and today. In 1763 Hannah crossed the Delaware River into New Jersey because her safety, like that of all Indians in Pennsylvania, was threatened. Did Hannah look back across the river that day and 136 Kindness Extended wonder if she would ever return to her home on the Brandywine River? Did she think about the stories told by her elders of the strength of her ancestors and their determination to find a good place to live? What a trial this journey must have been for Hannah and her family. However, knowing her people’s history and the oral traditions passed down from generation to generation , she probably drew on the strength and resolve of her ancestors under adversity. Hannah was a Lenape woman, and the wisdom and power of all her grandmothers served her well during this time of hardship. There is little evidence that tells us precisely what Hannah did during her seven years of exile from her home, but there are some indications that her Quaker friends on both sides of the Delaware River encouraged and supported her departure. New Jersey was not unlike Pennsylvania in the hysteria that gripped the colonial settlements as war raged in the backcountry. Rumors of enemy Indians “skulking” through their communities spread fear and anxiety throughout the region at regular intervals . New Jersey’s citizens demanded protection from their own provincial government, calling for a militarized response. On some occasions, as was the case with the Conestoga Indians, local governments would lock their Indian neighbors in the local jail to prevent them from “committing any Outrages upon the People” and also for their own protection.3 The fears of New Jersey’s settler population were not unfounded. The same Delawares who led the attacks along Pennsylvania’s frontier borders found allies across the Delaware River who had their own grievances to exercise. Consequently, settlers in the northern and southern reaches of the New Jersey colony, whether neighbor or enemy, perceived all Indians as a threat. Random attacks on settler farms, especially in the northern part of the colony, confirmed their worst fears. Unprovoked crimes against innocent Indian families and the threat of losing legal control of the colony’s frantic citizens spurred the governor to enact legislation that he hoped would Map 4. Brandywine River valley. PENNSYLVANIA DELAWARE West Chester Concord Kennett Square George Harlan Farm Old Kennett Meetinghouse Abraham Marshall Farm Chester County Alms House Humphry Marshall Home Poorhouse Potter's Field Stargazer's Stone Hannah Freeman Home (approximation) Indian Hannah Historic Marker Chandler Farm Centre Meetinghouse R W e s t Branch East B r a n c h Bran d y w i n e R i v e r Bennett’s Run 0 2 miles 1 138 Kindness Extended prevent further unchecked violence. Governor Jonathan Belcher ordered the mustering of a militia, which found many enthusiastic participants, and ordered, with the assembly’s support, the building of a series of blockhouses for the defense...