Cornell University Library in association with Professor Jon Parmenter of the Cornell University History Department is providing digitized and transcibed Native American manuscript records. These materials are from the records of the Albany Commissioner of Indian Affairs and covers the period of 1678-1755.

The image displayed is of Thayendanegea or Joseph Brant (1743 - 1807). Joseph Brant was of the Wolf Clan of the Mohawk Tribe. He was the most well-known Native American of his generation who allied himself closely with Great Britain. He met many important people of his time including George Washington and King George III.

Joseph Brant became a prominent political and military leader of the Iroquois League. He was helped by Sir William Johnson, the British Indian agent of the province of New York and his brother-in-law.

During the American Revolutionary War, Brant sided with the British and fought against American Revolutionaries on the New York frontier. After the war, Joseph Brant, continued the struggle for his people. He moved to Canada where he died.

This illustration is originally from Brownell, Charles de Wolf The Indian Races of North and South America. Hartford: American Publishing Company, 1873. (Hatzigeorgiou, Karen J. U.S. History Images. 2011. Online. Internet. http://ushistoryimages.com)

Transcripts of these records can be found at https://albanyindiancommissioners.com.