Essay by Donald Soctomah
Description of Pagan and Chipman’s Meetings with Francis Joseph Neptune, 1796
Maine Historical Society
Francis Joseph Neptune (1760-1834) grew up in a hereditary chieftain family, born in 1760 during some of the most turbulent years for the Passamaquoddy Tribe and the whole region. He watched and listened to his elders and father during council meetings which decided on the future of the Tribe. He watched the French and British come to the village and talk about war, trade and alliances. When Francis was a young man, his father Chief Jean Baptiste Neptune worked helping the American colonists in Machias during the American Revolutionary War but died during period around 1780. The succession of chief was now Francis Joseph Neptune’s duty. His first duty was to protect the Passamaquoddy people and becoming allies with the colonists at the time protected most. Chief Francis Joseph Neptune became famous for his long shot during the Battle of the Rim in Machias, turning the tide of the war in this area.
The Treaty of Paris was written in 1783 ending the War with Great Britain which recognized the United States.
After the Revolutionary War dignitaries visited the Chief to discuss place names and indigenous knowledge. In September 29, 1796 James Sullivan, an agent for the United States, wanted to hear stories from the elders of the Tribal community about the location of the St. Croix River. In the Passamaquoddy language the river was known as the Skutik River. Several testimonies were given about the location of the true St. Croix River but Commissioners from both sides of the river wanted to extend the border line in their favor. Chief Francis Joseph Neptune was stuck in the middle of this battle of words for an invisible line.
The Treaty of Ghent 1815 was drafted to determine the boundary lines between the United States and Great Britain Canada. A few years later in 1820 Maine separated from Massachusetts to become a state and agreed to continue the Treaty obligations set in the 1794 treaty between the Tribe and Massachusetts.
On March 7, 1834 Chief Francis Joseph Neptune died at the age of 74, some say from a broken heart because his wife Mary passed just a few days before him.