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“There evidently appears to be a real and unaccountable error caused by Patrick McNiff land Surveyor to the prejudice of the said Indian tribe.”

Excerpt from Survey Report by Jeremiah McCarthy, Senior Surveyor of Upper & Lower Canada 1809

My dad told me there was a survey map with Robert’s signature somewhere at the Ontario Archives that had been in Aunt Hester’s attic forever. The survey had been commissioned by the Chiefs of the St Regis to dispute a mistake made on the original survey. The Chiefs recognized this flaw, which resulted in approximately 6,000 acres of the Nutfield Tract being granted to setters instead of held as Reserve land. Though not officially the Indian Agent at the time, Robert had witnessed the signing of this document by Senior Surveyor Jeremiah McCarthy and ten Chiefs of the “St. Regis Tribe.” It turns out ROBERT HAD DONE MORE than just witness this document …

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