As closely as can be determined, Sally Ainse was born around 1728, and grew up in the region of the Susquehanna River. She was to become famous as a fur trader, land owner and diplomat; all notable achievements for her time and place in history. She was known by a number of names, but there is no explanation in my resource for these changes in name.
At age 17, she married an Indian interpreter for the British named Andrew Montour. She was married to him for several years, and had several children with him. However, as was the custom in some areas and tribes, Montour apparently became tired of Sally. He returned her to the Oneida people where she began her career as an active trader. From the Oneida, she secured a deed to lands in the Fort Stanwix area, now known as Rome, New York. At this time, she was well known as Sally, or Sarah, Montour.
Shortly after the onset of the American Revolution, Sally abandoned her land holdings in New York and moved to the Detroit District which was under British control. In Detroit, records show that she was referred to as Sally Hands, Hains and Willson, but she was best known as Sally Ainse. She was back in business in very short order, trading cider and other goods to nearby Natives. She prospered in her endeavors, and the 1779 Detroit census shows her assets as a house and lot in Detroit, four slaves, three cows, four horses and one hundred pounds of flour.
Because of her knowledge of both British and Native ways, Sally quickly made her mark as a diplomat and intermediary of the woodlands areas. Following the defeat of the Allied Indian Tribes by U.S. Forces in 1794, she became active in peace negotiations, and relayed messages and speeches on behalf of Chief Joseph Brant to the various Native nations and the British.
Her acquisition of land holdings continued with a deed from the Ojibwa to an area along the north shore of the Thames River in current Chatham, Ontario. Within a few years, she sold her land and home in Detroit and concentrated on settling in her new area. Her purchases were quite extensive and included three improved farms, an orchard, and a house referred to as the "mansion". Sadly, Sally's life was not to be a peaceful one.
In 1790, the British Crown purchased the remaining Ojibwa lands in this area by an agreement known as the McKee Purchase. Specific conditions were deliberately placed in the McKee agreement which exempted the lands then owned by Sally. The British Land Board supervising the sale and distribution of the new lands chose to ignore Sally's rights. Once it became known that Sally's lands were threatened, seven Ojibwa chiefs, Mohawk chief Joseph Brant, Lt. Governor Simcoe, and the powerful head of Indian Affairs Sir John Johnson all verified Sally's ownership of the lands, her exemption from the McKee purchase, and her rights as a landowner. It all failed. This began a battle for Sally to retain control of her lands that lasted for 23 years.
In the early 1800s, Sally left her land in Chatham, and moved to Amherstburg, Ontario. Finally, in 1813, she gave up the battle and relinquished her Chatham holdings. She continued to live in Amherstburg until her death in 1823.