Mrs. Jemison is informed that she has a Cousin in the Neighborhood,
by the name of George Jemison.--His Poverty.--Her Kindness.--His
Ingratitude.--Her Trouble from Land Speculation.--Her Cousin moves off.
A year or two before the death of my husband, Capt. H. Jones sent me
word that a cousin of mine was then living in Leicester, (a few miles
from Gardow,) by the name of George Jemison, and as he was very poor,
thought it advisable for me to go and see him, and take him home to live
with me on my land. My Indian friends were pleased to hear that one of
my relatives was so near, and also advised me to send for him and his
family immediately. I accordingly had him and his family moved into one
of my houses, in the month of March, 1810.
He said that he was my father's brother's son--that his father did not
leave Europe, till after the French war in America, and that when he
did come over, he settled in Pennsylvania, where he died. George had
no personal knowledge of my father; but from information, was confident
that the relationship which he claimed between himself and me, actually
existed. Although I had never before heard of my father having had but
one brother, (him who was killed at Fort Necessity,) yet I knew that
he might have had others, and, as the story of George carried with it a
probability that it was true, I received him as a kinsman, and treated
him with every degree of friendship which his situation demanded.
[Footnote: Mrs. Jemison is now confident that George Jemison is not
her cousin, and thinks that he claimed the relationship, only to gain
assistance: But the old gentleman, who is now living, is certain that
his and her father were brothers, as before stated.]
I found that he was destitute of the means of subsistence, and in debt
to the amount of seventy dollars, without the ability to pay one cent.
He had no cow, and finally, was completely poor, I paid his debts to the
amount of seventy-two dollars, and bought him a cow, for which I paid
twenty dollars, and a sow and pigs, that I paid eight dollars for. I
also paid sixteen dollars for pork that I gave him, and furnished him
with other provisions and furniture; so that his family was comfortable.
As he was destitute of a team, I furnished him with one, and also
supplied him with tools for farming. In addition to all this, I let him
have one of Thomas' cows, for two seasons.
My only object in mentioning his poverty, and the articles with which I
supplied him, is to show how ungrateful a person can be for favors, and
how soon a kind benefactor will, to all appearance, be forgotten.
Thus furnished with the necessary implements of husbandry, a good team,
and as much land as he could till, he commenced farming on my flats, and
for some time labored well. At length, however, he got an idea that if
he could become the owner of a part of my reservation, he could live
more easy, and certainly be more rich, and accordingly set himself about
laying a plan to obtain it, in the easiest manner possible.
I supported Jemison and his family eight years, and probably should
have continued to have done so to this day, had it not been for the
occurrence of the following circumstance.
When he had lived with me some six or seven years, a friend of mine told
me that as Jemison was my cousin, and very poor, I ought to give him
a piece of land that he might have something whereon to live, that
he would call his own. My friend and Jemison were then together at my
house, prepared to complete a bargain. I asked how much land he wanted?
Jemison said that he should be glad to receive his old field (as he
called it) containing about fourteen acres, and a new one that contained
twenty-six.
I observed to them that as I was incapable of transacting business of
that nature, I would wait till Mr. Thomas Clute, (a neighbor on whom I
depended,) should return from Albany, before I should do any thing about
it. To this Jemison replied that if I waited till Mr. Clute returned,
he should not get the land at all, and appeared very anxious to have the
business closed without delay. On my part, I felt disposed to give him
some land, but knowing my ignorance of writing, feared to do it alone,
lest they might include as much land they pleased, without my knowledge.
They then read the deed which my friend had prepared before he came from
home, describing a piece of land by certain bounds that were a specified
number of chains and links from each other. Not understanding the length
of a chain or link, I described the bounds of a piece of land that I
intended Jemison should have, which they said was just the same that the
deed contained and no more. I told them that the deed must not include
a lot that was called the Steele place, and they assured me that it did
not. Upon this, putting confidence in them both, I signed the deed to
George Jemison, containing, and conveying to him as I supposed, forty
acres of land. The deed being completed they charged me never to mention
the bargain which I had then made to any person; because if I did,
they said it would spoil the contract. The whole matter was afterwards
disclosed; when it was found that that deed instead of containing only
forty acres, contained four hundred, and that one half of it actually
belonged to my friend, as it had been given to him by Jemison as a
reward for his trouble in procuring the deed, in the fraudulent manner
above mentioned.
My friend, however, by the advice of some well disposed people, awhile
afterwards gave up his claim; but Jemison held his till he sold it for a
trifle to a gentleman in the south part of Genesee county.
Sometime after the death of my son Thomas, one of his sons went to
Jemison to get the cow that I had let him have two years; but Jemison
refused to let her go, and struck the boy so violent a blow as to almost
kill him. Jemison then run to Jellis Clute, Esq. to procure a warrant to
take the boy; but Young King, an Indian Chief, went down to Squawky hill
to Esq. Clute's, and settled the affair by Jemison's agreeing never
to use that club again. Having satisfactorily found out the friendly
disposition of my cousin towards me, I got him off my premises as soon
as possible.