Letter to the editor

I am writing this “open” letter to the community because of recent events which include an act of arson. This arson is related to a current land dispute on my grandmother’s estate, namely the Rose and John Terrance Sr. estate. I know that many of you will roll your eyes and say “Not another Terrance land dispute” and go right to the sports section or the want ads, but for those of you who choose to stick around, I appreciate your time. This issue has been ongoing for several months, and all of our discussions have been within the family, 1st generation cousins, two surviving uncles, and close door meetings with the Tribal Council, chiefs and sub-chiefs, the file will reflect this. During one of these meetings, a remark made by one of the sitting sub-chiefs about my grandmother I found to be ‘horrendous’ and ‘biased’, and I knew my family was not going to get a fair ‘hearing’.

The problem is not that my grandmother’s will is being “broken” and my father’s land is being stolen, I enjoy a good fight as much as anybody else, the problem is that nobody is speaking up for my grandmother so that people can arrive at an accurate conclusion. The time has come to exercise my right of “free speech” and use the “freedom of the press,” I am sure there will be a response to my letter and I will be looking forward to it.

The issue itself is very detailed, but it involves a tract of land that is approximately 50 acres with about 1200 ft. of river front and 1100 ft of road front. My grandfather, John Terrance, Sr., died in Jan. 1964 but he wrote a will in 1963 that pretty much left my grandmother penniless and gave the entire estate to his oldest son, Jack Terrance. Almost immediately the fight was on because my grandmother help restore the estate during the 1940’s, after her brother in-law Frank Terrance sold 30 acres. After my grandfather’s death, there were two meeting during 1965 and there was a witness who came forward to testify on my grandmother’s behalf that Rose had the money to pay for this transaction. The file at the clerk’s office will reflect this fact.

Many people questioned where Rose got the money for this transaction, the fact of the matter is that she worked as a seamstress in a stitching factory in Syracuse, NY and was the breadwinner in the family. It is also a fact that my grandparents were still legally married at the time of my grandfather’s death, and together, they had a family of six boys but her constant absence while away turned their home into a tumultuous one. This was part of the wedge that drove my grandmother, Rose and her oldest son, Jack, apart and it never really went away. My grandmother and her son never had a relationship the way God intended, even till the day they departed.

Those two meetings in 1965 were adjourned, in order to give Rose enough time to produce papers, and no decision was ever made for either party. The file will reflect this.

It wasn’t until the Tribal Council of 1973 that this dispute was ended wherein they decided to give Rose the land, probably by simple possession alone. At the time of this decision, she lived on the property for the last ten years and she remained there until she died in 1987. She also told the Council that she intended to divide the land up among all of her sons, in equal shares. In order to prove our point, we secured a notarized statement from the last survivor of this administration. He still stands by his signature from that era, in that the land was divided up among all the boys in the family. In our eyes this individual is a ‘hero’, a man with backbone and enough tenacity to help, even during his present day health issues.

The ink was barely dry when two months after this decision, my uncle sold his share of the estate, in Sept of 1973. He sold it to a third party outside the family which only drove mother and son farther apart. My uncle was the type of person that would not take “no”, for an answer, he wanted it all, not for sentimental reasons or the” love for the land,” he simply wanted to sell it all. Seven years later my uncle approached the Tribal Council of 1980, he lied to them and led them to believe that there was a decision in 1965 giving the land to him and my grandmother was trespassing on his property.

How do we know this? Because a review of the file produced a letter written by my uncle in Nov. of 1980, which is probably the “smoking gun.” In my opinion, this letter is really a confession; it answered a lot of questions, especially method. Since the Tribal Council of 1980, a whole series of adverse events have taken place against my grandmother’s name and the survivors of her Will, these events include eviction notices, harassment, criminal trespass charges and negative public opinion and now arson. The actions that my uncle took to steal this land, doesn’t surprise me, but the reaction of the present Council after we presented this evidence, now that surprises me! For some reason that we cannot understand, James Ransom has decided to ignore this evidence, pretend it doesn’t exist, and he signed a deed this past April, giving the entire estate to Jack’s son. This deed is a product of “deception” in our eyes and is fraudulent; we are not going to let our father’s land be stolen.

Signed 10/14/09

Louis R “Terry” Terrance

Keith Terrance

Darman W Terrance

Mike J Terrance