King Hendrick

thumb|right|250px|Tee Yee Neen Ho Ga Row (baptized Hendrick), Emperor of the Six Nations, 1710">

John Verelst (circa 1648-1734)

Library and Archives Canada, C-092415.

Acquired in 1977 with the assistance of a special grant from the Government of Canada.

Theyanoguin or King Hendrick (c.1680 – 8 September 1755) was an important Mohawk leader and orator in the Mohawk Valley of colonial New York who had a close association with Sir William Johnson, the administrator of Indian affairs for Great Britain, and was influential among other American leaders such as Benjamin Franklin.

King Hendrick was born to a Mohawk woman and a Mohegan man living in Massachusetts, probably between the years 1680 and 1690. His given name, "Theyanoguin" means "the western door is open." A number of years after his birth, when Native Americans were being forced out of New England, his family settled the Mohawk Valley.

In 1710 under the leadership of Peter Schuyler, King Hendrick sailed to England with a group of other "Kings of America." One of these men was "Sagayonguaroughton", known as Brant, who became Joseph Brant's step-grandfather when his son, Brant Canagaraduncka married Joseph's mother.

During the French and Indian War, Hendrick led a group of Mohawk warriors accompanying Sir William Johnson through the Hudson Valley in his expedition to Crown Point. He was killed on September 8, 1755 on a mission to stop the southern advance of the French army at the Battle of Lake George.

King Hendrick's niece, Caroline, was the second wife of Sir William Johnson, but she lived for only five years after their marriage. They had a son, "William of Canajoharie"{see reference below}, and two daughters who married British military officers.

References

* [http://www.rootsweb.com/~nyherkim/danube/kinghendrick.html "King Hendrick, the Great Sachem of the Mohawks" by L. D. MacWethy.]
* [http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/research_collections/research/history/hendrick/index.html "Taverns, Forts & Castles: Re-Discovering King Hendrick's Village" by Philip Lord, Jr.]
* [http://www.paulkeeslerbooks.com/Iroqouis-KingHendrick.html "Iroquois–King Hendrick" from "Discovering the Valley of the Crystals" by M. Paul Keesler.]
* [http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=1681 Biography at the "Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online"]
* [http://www.alexanderstreet2.com/EENA/bios/A8587BIO.html Biography at Early Encounters In North America]
* [http://www.collectionscanada.ca/virtual-vault/4-kings/index-e.html Biography at The Virtual Vault : The Four Indian Kings]
* [http://www.buffalonian.com/history/articles/%3C1800/whitebjoe.html First White Settlement and Black Joe article of William Johnston {William of Canajohrie?} died 1807 Buffalo NY age 65 - for reference only]