Wamsutta

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Wamsutta

Wamsutta (b. c. 1634 - d. 1662), also Alexander Pokanoket as he was called by New England

New England

New England is a region of the United States located in the northeastern corner of the country, bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, Canada and New York State, and consisting of the modern U.S....
colonists, was a leader (sachem

Sachem

Sachem may refer to:* Sachem, a Native American leader* A leader of Tammany Hall* The Sachem award, which replaced the Sagamore of the Wabash as Indiana's highest civilian honor...
) of the Wampanoag

Wampanoag

The Wampanoag are a Native Americans in the United States nation which currently consists of five tribes.In 1600 the Wampanoag lived in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, as well as within a territory that encompassed current day Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and the Elizabeth Islands....
native American

Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii....
tribe

Tribe

A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups ....
.

utta was the eldest son of Massasoit

Massasoit

Massasoit Sachem or Ousamequin ,was the sachem, or leader, of the Pokanoket, and "Massasoit" of the Wampanoag Confederacy. The term Massasoit actually means Great Sachem....
and brother of Metacomet

Metacomet

Metacomet , also known as King Philip or Metacom, was a war chief or sachem of the Wampanoag Indians and their leader in King Philip's War....
. He married Weetamoo

Weetamoo

Weetamoo , also referred to as Weetamoe, was a Pocasset Wampanoag Native Americans in the United States woman who was born c. 1635 in Mettapoiset, village of the Pokanoket, and died at Taunton River in 1676....
. He received the name "Alexander" from English settlers in 1656.

660, Massasoit died and Wamsutta assumed leadership of the Wampanoag, becoming leader of all the Native American

Native Americans in the United States

Charles River

The Charles River is a river in Massachusetts, United States. It travels through 22 cities and towns in eastern Massachusetts, from Hopkinton, Massachusetts to Boston, Massachusetts on the Atlantic Ocean....
in Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. It borders Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north....
and Narraganset Bay in Rhode Island

Rhode Island

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Encyclopedia

Wamsutta (b. c. 1634 - d. 1662), also Alexander Pokanoket as he was called by New England

New England

Sachem

Wampanoag

Native Americans in the United States

Tribe

Family

Wamsutta was the eldest son of Massasoit

Massasoit

Metacomet

Metacomet , also known as King Philip or Metacom, was a war chief or sachem of the Wampanoag Indians and their leader in King Philip's War....
. He married Weetamoo

Weetamoo

Leadership and death

In 1660, Massasoit died and Wamsutta assumed leadership of the Wampanoag, becoming leader of all the Native American

Native Americans in the United States

Charles River

Massachusetts

Rhode Island

Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a U.S. state in the New England region of the United States....
, including the tribes in eastern Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts. He substantially increased the power of the Wampanoag by selling land to other colonies (as a result of a collapse of the fur trade

Fur trade

The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur....
), and in 1662 this resulted in his being summoned to and seized by the Plymouth

Plymouth Colony

Plymouth Colony was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 until 1691. The first settlement was at New Plymouth, a location previously surveyed and named by John Smith of Jamestown....
Court. After being questioned Wamsutta became ill and soon died.

The cause of death was disputed, and Wamsutta's brother Metacomet (who now assumed leadership of the Wampanoag) suspected that he was poisoned. Wamsutta's death was one of the factors that would eventually lead to the 1675 King Philip's War

King Philip's War

King Philip's War, sometimes called Metacomet's War or Metacom's Rebellion, was an armed conflict between indigenous peoples of the Americas inhabitants of present-day southern New England and English colonists and their Native American allies from 1675–1676....
.

Wamsutta was likely poisoned or tortured by Governor Bradford,who saw him as a threat. He was in perfect health before being summoned at gunpoint by Bradford and died shortly after being held involuntarily by Bradford for 3 days. Nan Apashamen,Wampanoag historian at Plymouth Plantation in Massachusetts, was working on research which heavily suggested that Wamsutta's name had changed to "Moanam" and that the frequently referred to "Moanam" was in fact Phillips' father, not brother.

Wamsutta and Pometacom(Alexander and Phillip, respectively)both studied at the newly established Harvard College.

Legacy

The name, Wamsutta, has been used in a number of areas:

In 1846, the Wamsutta Company
Wamsutta Company

Wamsutta Company, also known as Wamsutta Mills, was located in New Bedford, Massachusetts, a port known for its whaling ships. The company was named for Wamsutta, the son of an Native Americans in the United States chief who negotiated an early alliance with the English settlers of the Plymouth Colony in the 17th century....
's textile
Textile

A textile is a flexible material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by Spinning raw wool fibres, linen, cotton, or other material on a spinning wheel to produce long strands known as yarn....
mill opened in New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford, Massachusetts

New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, United States, located about 51 miles south of Boston, Massachusetts, 28 miles southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Rhode Island, and about 12 miles east of Fall River, Massachusetts....
.
In 1861, 20 year old Henry H. Rogers
Henry H. Rogers

Henry Huttleston Rogers was a United States capitalism, businessman, industrialist, financier, and philanthropist. ...
and his partner Charles Ellis of Massachusetts named their tiny venture near Oil City, Pennsylvania
Oil City, Pennsylvania

Oil City is a city in Venango County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania noted especially in the instrumental exploration and development of the petroleum industry....
the Wamsutta Oil Refinery
Wamsutta Oil Refinery

Wamsutta Oil Refinery was established around 1861 in McClintocksville, Pennsylvania in Venango County, Pennsylvania near Oil City, Pennsylvania in the United States....
. Rogers later became a principal in John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller

John Davison Rockefeller was an United States industrialist and philanthropist. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of modern philanthropy....
's Standard Oil
Standard Oil

Standard Oil was a predominant United States integrated petroleum producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as an Ohio Corporation, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational corporations until it was broken up...
empire.
USS Wamsutta
USS Wamsutta (1853)

USS Wamsutta was a Steamship constructed for service with the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy as a gunboat in support of the Union Navy blockade of Confederate States of America waterways....
was the name of a United States Navy
United States Navy

The United States Navy is the navy of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy currently has approximately 331,682 personnel on active duty as of 31 December 2008 and 124,000 in the United States Navy Reserve....
steamer
Steamboat

A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam engine, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels....
in commission from 1863 to 1865.
In 1866, the Wamsutta Club
Wamsutta Club

The Wamsutta Club is an exclusive club in New Bedford, Massachusetts, founded in 1866. It was a club for the affluent members of New Bedford's community, which at the time was supported by the flagging whaling industry as well as the up-and-coming textiles....
was founded in New Bedford. It was a club for the affluent members of New Bedford's community, which at the time was supported by the flagging whaling
Whaling

Whaling is the hunting of whales and dates back to at least 4,000 BC. The evolution of traditional Arctic whaling developed with increasing rapidity with early organized fleets in the 17th century; competitive national whaling industries in the 18th and 19th centuries; and the introduction of factory ships along with the concept of whale "har...
industry as well as the up-and-coming textiles for which the club was named.
In 1997, the Wamsutta Middle School was built in Attleboro, Massachusetts
Attleboro, Massachusetts

Attleboro is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, United States and is immediately north of Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Once known as "The Jewelry Capital of the World" for its many jewelry manufacturers, Attleboro had a population of 42,068 at the United States Census, 2000....
for Attleboro Public Schools.
In modern times, Wamsutta is a brand name of textile products marketed by Springs Industries, Inc.