The most important treaty in the history of the Geneseo area is the Treaty of Big Tree (1797). This treaty was so important, because it effectively caused the Seneca nation to sign away rights to the land West of the Genesee River to the US Government. However this treaty was signed prior to any survey of the lands, so the treaty was agreed upon through general terms and assumed understandings of natural land boundaries. It was because of these general terms that Mary Jemison was granted a much larger amount of land than any one of the white settlers expected once surveys of the land were actually taken.

Resources:

Amrhein, Cindy. History of Native American Land Rights in Upstate New York. History Press (US), 2016.