Conrad Weiser and the Indian Policy of Colonial Pennsylvania

Quaker scholar Joseph Walton compiled an excellent record of the discourse between the colonists and the various native nations during the colonial period in the Mid-Atlantic from primary sources. Conrad Weiser's interactions are the focus as the proprietors sought westward movement while maintaining the peace, This book follows the Indian agent from his arrival at Tulpehocken until his death and is an excellent reference for the various natives encountered, the treaties negotiated, and the political intrigue between colonies and officials. Weiser's friendship with Shikellamy was key to the peace, but upon his passing, Weiser found it harder to guide events. Regardless, he was always respected by all parties involved.

Originally published in 1900, Walton's work was the first full-length biographical work on Conrad Weiser, surpassing the prior family history written by a Weiser descendant, Clement Zwingli Weiser, in 1876. Arthur Graeff and Paul A. W. Wallace used Walton's work in their biographies written half a century later. Walton's approach provides more direct quotations of the primary sources versus the interpretations later written by Graeff and Wallace.