Originally published in 1908 and titled Annals of the Susquehannocks and Other Lancaster County, PA Indians 1500-1763, this book is a treasure house on the Indian history of Pennsylvania. This scholarly collection about the Indian history of Pennsylvania in general and the Susquehannocks in particular, is unparalleled in the books written before the founding of the United States and the Revolutionary War. 416pp paperback with full color cover and complete index. $29.95 Click on book for more info.
From a personal letter we have in our possession, written by the author to a friend in 1911, Mr. Eshleman states that he gathered his facts about the 250 years of Indian history of Central and Eastern Pennsylvania from nearly 300 different books and sources.The Susquehannocks lived mainly on the Susquehanna River and its tributaries from the north end of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland up the river into southern New York. The number of Susquehannocks is uncertain, but the best guess is that they numbered somewhere between 5,000 and 7,500 at their peak in the 1600’s and their rapid decline into the 1700’s culminated with the massacre of the last 20 members by the Paxtang Boys at the jail in Lancaster, PA. Although almost completely forgotten today, the Susquehannock were once one of the most formidable tribes in the mid-Atlantic region. At the time of first European contact, they dominated the Susquehanna and Potomac River valley areas but little was known about them as they lived inland far from the coast. And by the late 1600’s, these once noble and heroic Indians had their number so decimated by disease from the white man and wars with their bitter enemies the Iroquois, that their numbers were probably no more than 300-400. They must have been impressive physical specimens as both John Smith in 1608 and the Swedes thirty years later commented on their size and physical attributes. Their constant warfare with the Iroquoian speaking tribes in the region made these people superior warriors. Using the rivers of the mid-Atlantic region as their highway, they routinely attacked the Delaware, Nanticoke, Conoy and Powhatans living on their borders. Their large stockaded forts (villages) afforded them great protection as they dominated the Pennsylvania area in the 1500 and 1600’s and evidence of their presence in the Susquehanna River Valley will remain on the rocks and in caves until the end of time. This exhaustive and interesting series of historical papers describing the Pennsylvania Indians prior to and during the early days of the white man populating Pennsylvania gives the reader a thorough and complete year by year analysis of Indian activity in the Commonwealth prior to the forming of the United States. You will find the details fascinating and lengthy as Eshleman puts much effort into uncovering the real and true details of this early time period.