Sir William Johnson’s Seal or Rufus Grider’s Imagination?: A Short Story on Historical Authenticity

In a collection of Rufus Grider’s drawings at the New York State Library is the tracing of a document attributed to Sir William Johnson, acquired from the Senecas of western New York in 1898. An undated version appears in the published Johnson papers. The tracing is of interest as it contains Grider’s reconstructed sketch of Johnson’s wax seal, the elements of which wend their way into present-day discussions of the “two row wampum” and the Covenant Chain. Once examined, however, Grider’s wax seal is found to be an invention, rendering contemporary accounts of its historical relevance dubious.