Tuscarora Baptist minister.
Following an 1838 treaty (modified in 1842), in which the New York Iroquois agreed to sell much of their state property and accept land directly west of Missouri in Indian Territory, James N. Cusick and other tribal representatives visited Washington in 1845 to gain government support for their emigration to the west. The delegation was promised assistance if a group of 250 could be raised. In 1846 an emigrant party, superintended by Dr. Abraham Hogeboom and including about 40 Tuscarora Baptists led by Cusick, departed hastily without the requisite 250 recruits and the authorization of the Office of Indian Affairs. Although the government made efforts to provide subsistence, the group suffered severly. About one-third of the Tuscaroras died in Kansas, and the rest, including Cusick, eventually returned to New York.
From the description of Account of a conference in Washington relative to the removal west of Iroquois Indians : Utica, [N.Y.] : report, 1845 Sept. 24. (Newberry Library). WorldCat record id: 36763578
