Oct 17

Oct 17 Samuel Wharton and the Suffering Traders

During the French and Indian War, several wealthy merchants had lost their wares to attacks by Native Americans in the Ohio River Valley.

In Pontiac’s Rebellion which followed soon thereafter, these same people lost even more goods.

In 1768, the Treaty of Fort Stanwix was signed in Upstate New York and put an end to this turmoil.

It was here that these ‘suffering traders,’ as they were known, attempted to recoup their losses.

Samuel Wharton

Samuel Wharton was one of the men whose business had been set back from the French and Indian War.

Seeing an opportunity, he was sent to the negotiations at Fort Stanwix to represent the merchants.

Wharton was able to win a large land grant from the Native Americans in the Treaty. The area, which composes a large chunk of modern West Virginia, was to be used as a base of trade operations as well as sold off to settlers.

Unfortunately, the ‘suffering traders’ still had a long way to go before their land could be utilized, and it would cause Wharton decades of trouble.

The Ohio Valley

In the aftermath of the French and Indian War, Parliament had forbidden colonists from moving too far west into Indian territory. This was an important cause of the Revolutionary War from the perspective of many southern colonies.

Keep in mind, such notable Founders as George Washington, Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee and literally dozens of others owned property in the Ohio Valley which they were suddenly halted from making a profit on.

The ‘suffering traders’ decided to do what many other groups were doing…sending a representative to London.

Samuel Wharton was again chosen as their representative.

London

Wharton went to England to petition the Crown for the right to use this new land.

While there, the decision was made to form a legal organization. In doing so, they decided to include several influential men in the business in an effort to add legitimacy to their presence.

Among these men was Thomas Walpole, a nobleman who was a member of Parliament and a former director of the East India Company.

Additionally, Wharton recruited a famous American who had been living in London for quite some time…Benjamin Franklin.

Revolutionary

Although this group wrote a charter and petitioned the government, they were never allowed to take control of their property.

While he was in London, Wharton wrote a slew of letters criticizing the Crown.

It just so happens that, about this time, the Revolutionary War broke out.

Wharton quickly fled to the safety of France before returning to the United States…a nation that was created while he was overseas.

Suffering For Nothing

Samuel Wharton was shortly thereafter elected to represent Delaware at the Continental Congress.

Although his efforts were still geared at gaining control of the land owed to the ‘suffering traders’ his mission ended unsuccessfully.

After the passage of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, all of this land was ceded to the Congress of the Confederation.

Twenty years of hard work ended with nothing to show for it.

Here are some other original Founders involved with the Ohio Valley:

Daniel Boone - Founder on the Frontier

Daniel Brodhead and the Coshocton Expedition

Thomas Worthington Fathers Ohio

The Ohio Valley is an amazingly important part of the American Revolution.

‘Border Life’ takes an in-depth look at the settlement and struggles of this area of the young United States.

If you’d like a copy you can get one through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).