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Peter
Wraxall
 Peter Wraxall was born about 1720, the son of John Wraxall of Bristol, England. Coming of age in a once-substantial business family that had fallen on hard times, Peter left home to seek his fortune. In 1745, he was identified as a mariner and was on his way to Virginia on the ship David. Prior to that, he may have spent time in Holland and also in Jamaica. In 1746, he was on Long Island where he was raising a company to serve in an expedition against Canada. A year later, he returned to England to seek a commission or other preferment.
In
1750, he received two royal commissions. First, he
was appointed "Secretary or Agent for the Government of New York to the Indians." Then, he was commissioned "Town Clerk of the Peace, and Clerk of the Common Pleas in the County and City of Albany." Armed with these strange but official documents, he returned to America - arriving in New York to find that the governor had recently appointed Albany's Harmen Gansevoort to the Albany clerkship.
Wraxall
sought legal recourse to validate his claim to the
clerk's office. Failing in that, he did succeed in
becoming Secretery of the Commissioners of Indian
Affairs. In that position he served the Albany Commissioners
and also their nemesis, Sir William Johnson, faithfully
and well for the remainder of his life.
Understanding
the critical and delicate nature of Indian relations
during the 1750s, Wraxall sought to provide a historical
perspective on more than a half-century of Indian
diplomacy by compiling an abridged version of the
existing Indian records that had been kept by his
predecessors, the Livingstons. Although the manuscript
was ignored by Wraxall's contemporaries, the exercise
made him one of the best informed officials of his
time. He also served as secretary at the Albany Congress
held during the summer of 1754.
 When
William Johnson superceded the Albany Indian Commissioners
in 1755, Wraxall continued as the secretery to the
now Superintendent of Indian Affairs. Wraxall's duties
were expanded when he became Johnson's aide-de-camp
and accompanied Sir William on the battlefield, to
Indian conferences, and also to New York. During
that time, Wraxall had taken up residence at Albany
- perhaps in Sir William's Albany house. In recognition
of his service, Wraxall was commissioned a captain
in the New York regiment of the British army in 1755.
But poor health prevented him from assuming a command.
In 1756, he married Elizabeth Stilwell and retired
to New York City to live with his wife. During his
final years, he was able to attend some Indian conferences
as Johnson's aide.
Peter
Wraxall died in New York City on July 10, 1759 and
was buried in the cemetery of Trinity Church. His
will left bequests to his "honored father and friend," two sisters and a neice in England, and to William Johnson. The rest of his estate went to his "most excellent and dearly beloved wife, Elizabeth," who was made exectutor. Also acknowledged was his wife's sister Anne Dewine of New York City, who cared for him during his final illness.
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Notes: The
life of Peter Wraxall is CAP biography number 6943.
The most comprehensive biographical study of him
is Charles Mc Ilwain's sketch in the introduction
to "Wraxall's Abridgement", c-cxviii. He also has
been the subject of a biographical profile published
in American National
Biography.
Portrait of unknown origin from a private collection. Printed
in Sir William Johnson Papers 13, facing page 86.
Although
travelling to England on "urgent private business," he carried dispatches
for New York Governor George Clinton that asked the recipient to "permit the
bearer Capt. Wraxal to acquaint you with what he knows . . . He raised a Company
in this Province on the Expedition intended last year against Canada. As he behaved
well on all occasions, and is well acquainted with many transactions as well
Civill as Military in this Province." Printed
in NYCD VI, 377.
Livingston: Robert Livingston, Robert Livingston, Jr., and Philip
Livingston held the secretary's office until his
death in 1749.
By Stefan Bielinski, Colonial Albany Social History Project [http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/albany]
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