Sir William Johnson, an Anglo-Irish nephew of Admiral Peter Warren, was sent to manage an estate his uncle had purchased in the Mohawk forests of upstate New York.. Young William was courageous and a quick study. He carefully observed the Mohawk Culture and taught himself their language. Their tribal relationship with the other five nations of the Iroquois was also of great interest to him .
He took a Mohawk woman as a mistress, a common practice at the time. A socially allowed relationships if the man could afford it. The indigenous populations in Northeastern America at the time were matri-lineal, and having a native woman accept him was a wise political move. It put him in a position of influence with the tribe because they were interested in having a trusted alliance with the English.
His unique position with the Mohawks made him land wealthy and did not go unnoticed by the British hierarchy.. He was treated as an ex-officio Indian Agent for the Crown.
Later in 1756 he was formally appointed Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the northern Colonies.
He, combined his Official Diplomatic efforts with his desire for wealth, and become very rich in the process.
In 1755, The French and Indians moved against the new Fort Lyman, at the Carrying Place on the Hudson River and Johnson was put in command of the Colonial Militias and the Indian Warriors for the
defense of the area. The Militia, with the Regular British Troops , continued their building while the Mohawks patrol the outer defenses Johnson renamed Fort Lyman to Fort Edward and decided to build
a road to Lake George, build a Fort there, and close off a route down the lake the French might use.
In this effort he had an astute kindred spirit in the Mohawk war Chief named Hendrik He had been Johnson’s counterpart in many negotiations with the British.
Hendrik, had been named by the Dutch in Albany. His father a Mohegan, a long, time friend of the English, and his mother a Mohawk, an influential woman in the tribe..
Sir William and Hendrik had grown to be great friends. Johnson took him to England where he met Queen Ann. Thereafter, he was called king Hendrik and led many attacks against the French.
Like Johnson, Hendrik was an independent thinker. In 1753 he had led a group of a sixteen warriors to New York City to see Governor Clinton concerning abuses of the Iroquois tribes by the British Colonists. They were violations of the “Covenant Chain” they had mutually agreed to.
Hendrik told the Governor the Mohawks would henceforth fight on the side of the French if the abuses did not stop. The Governor agreed and gave orders ,with Johnson’s help, to control all abuses.
Johnson made sure the British continued supplying the English goods at cheaper prices, that the traders move closer to the tribes, the six nations of the Iroquois Confederation would continued to get free smithing for their metal tools and weapons, and Johnson arranged for free gifts to the Chiefs of the tribes.
Thereafter, Hendrik supported the British in their campaigns against the French and their Huron and Abenaki allies.
Show Portraits of Sir William Johnson and King Hendrik
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