Sally Ainse
| Sally Ainse | |
|---|---|
| Oneida diplomat, interpreter, and fur trader leader | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1728 |
| Died | 1823 |
| Spouse(s) | Andrew Montour |
| Children | Nicholas Montour |
| Known for | Helped with peace negotiations after the Battle of Fallen Timbers; liaison for Joseph Brant |
| Nickname(s) | Sally Montour, Sara Montour, Sara Hands, Sara Hains, Sara Willson, and Sarah Hance |
Sally Ainse (also known as Sally Montour, Sara Montour, Sara Hands, Sara Hains, Sara Willson, and Sarah Hance) (c. 1728–1823) was an Oneida diplomat and fur trader, who was most commonly known as Sally throughout her life. As a youth she lived near the Susquehanna River, likely near the Pennsylvania and New York border. She was married to Andrew Montour when she was a teenager. They became separated in 1756. He received custody of most of their children who were sent to live with people in Pennsylvania. Around the time of the separation, she was pregnant with her youngest child, Nicholas, who was raised by Ainse. He was by baptized at Albany, New York on October 31, 1756. She lived with Nicholas in an Oneida settlement near the Mohawk River.
She became owner of a deed for the land where Fort Stanwix was located, receiving the deed from the Oneida. However, Ainse was unsuccessful in having the colonial government of New York honor her land claim. In 1772, Sir William Johnson rejected her Oneida deed and procured the land for a cartel of his friends. She expanded her trade west into the Great Lakes, trading with the Mississauga on the north side of Lake Erie in 1766 and living at Michilimackinac, where she traded in rum and other goods. She regularly traveled between Michilimackinac, Detroit, and New York for trade and had a relationship with William Maxwell, the fort's commissary.
She moved to Detroit around 1775, during the time of American Revolution. She expanded her business, trading in furs, cider, and other goods, and became more commonly known as Sally Ainse. She apurchased a house and lot for 120 pounds New York Currency in 1778. The lot was sixteen feet wide, and the following year, Ainse bought the neighboring lot for 80 pounds New York Currency, making her lots a total of thirty-two feet wide. In the 1779 census she owned cows, horses, one hundred pounds of flour and four slaves, likely of African and native descent. In the 1782 Detroit census, she was recorded as owning one female slave, an increased number of livestock, flour, and corn.
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