Onesipherous Marsh - 52 Ancestors #39

The optional theme for 52 Ancestors this week is "unusual" and I can't think of a better name to write about than Onesiphorus Marsh. The name Onesiphorus comes from the New Testament and is found in Second Timothy. Onesiphorus was one of seventy disciples chosen to preach and Onesiphorus was a bishop in Asia Minor and later in Corinth. He died a martyr in the city of Parium, near Ephesus. Both the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches consider him a Saint.

Onesiphorus Marsh was the second son of George & Elizabeth (__) Marsh. The other children had very common names: Mary, Thomas, and Elizabeth. Onesiphorus was born about 1630 and died on May 15, 1713 in Haverhill, Massachusetts. He was married three times. His first marriage was to Hannah Cutler, his second marriage was to Elizabeth Parrott (Parrat), and his third marriage was to Sarah Travers. Elizabeth was the widow of Samuel Worcester and Sarah was the widow of Nicholas Wallingford.

While living in Haverhill, the town came under attack on March 15, 1697. Nine houses were burned, twenty-seven people were killed, and thirteen people were taken prisoner. One of those prisoners was *Hannah (Emerson) Duston. Although she was taken prisoner after her baby was killed, her husband was able to take the other children to safety in the garrison house of Onesiphorus Marsh. Hannah would later kill and scalp her captors and escape. She has been both praised and condemned for her actions. Onesiphorus Marsh's daughter, Hannah (Marsh) Kimball, and young grandson, John Kimball, also lost their lives in the attack.




Children of Onesiphorus & Hannah (Cutler) Marsh

1. Onesiphorus was born on November 5, 1655, and married Sarah Ladd. He died in 1732. 
2. Hannah was born on June 28, 1657, and married Henry Kimball. It is reported that she and her son, John, were killed in the attack on March 15, 1697. John would have been about five and a half years old and Hannah would have been just shy of her 40th birthday. 
3. Mary was born on May 12, 1659, and married Cornelius Page on January 16, 1684. She had five children before she died on November 12, 1697.  
4. John was born on August 19, 1663, and married Lydia Emerson. Lydia died in February 1720. John married second, widow Mary Eaton. 
5. Thomas was born on October 20, 1666, and died in November 1690.
6. Sarah was born on February 26, 1669, and married a man named Pike. She died on July 9, 1738. 
7. Abigail was born on February 21, 1671, and married Abiel Mercer. Abigail was raised by her uncle, John Page. Abiel was the of Richard & Hannah (Shatswell) Mercer, another set of ancestors. 

Onesiphorus & Hannah (Cutler) Marsh

Abigail (Marsh) Messer

Thomas Messer
Daniel Messer
Hannah (Messer) Blake
Micajah Blake
Galen Blake
Charles G. Blake
Harriet May Blake
Clayton Leonard Blake - my grandfather

Richard & Hannah (Shatswell) Mercer
Abiel & Abigail (Marsh) Mercer/Messer - see above

*Hannah (Emerson) Duston - 6th great-aunt of Clayton Blake - my grandfather. Her brother, Joshua Emerson was my grandfather's 6th great-grandfather. Joshua Emerson - Joshua Emerson, Jr., Sarah (Emerson) Messer, Hannah (Messer) Blake - see the rest of this line above.

Left for Dead at Bloody Brook

"Bloody Brook Monument. South Deerfield, MA" by Tom Walsh - Own work.
Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons 

On September 17, 1675, a band of Indians attacked a train of wagons traveling from Deerfield to Hadley and loaded up with the wheat and corn harvest. This attack was part of King Philip's War. The colonists were led by Capt. Thomas Lothrop. When the news reached Deerfield, Capt. Mosely rushed to the scene with reinforcements and they engaged the Indians for about five hours with little progress. Only the arrival of Major Treat from Connecticut with his force of 100 men and 50 Mohicans turned the tide. 

From The History of Deerfield, George Sheldon, 1895:

"The soldiers crossed the brook and halted, while the teams should slowly drag their heavy loads through the mire; 'many of them,' says Mather, 'having been so foolish and secure as to put their arms in the cart and step aside to gather grapes, which proved dear and deadly grapes to them' ... 'This was a black and fatal day, wherein there was eight persons made widows, and six and twenty children made orphans, all in one little Plantation.'  Of the seventeen men of Pocumtuck who went out in the morning as teamsters, not one returned to tell the tale." 

The battle actually resulted in the deaths of between sixty and seventy men. Many were buried in a mass grave and a memorial marker was erected in Deerfield. The stream which was previously unnamed became known as Bloody Brook. 

Only a handful of men survived the attack at Bloody Brook. One of the survivors was Robert Dutch, son of Osmond Dutch and my 9X great-granduncle. 

Robert Dutch - only surviving child of Osmond Dutch's first marriage 

"As Mosely came upon the Indians in the Morning, he found them stripping the Slain, amongst whom was one Robert Dutch of Ipswich having been sorely wounded by a bullet that rased to his Skull and then mauled by the Indian Hatchets, was left for dead by the Salvages, and stript by them of all but his skin..."

In 1838, after confirming the location of the remains, a flagstone with Lothrop's name was put in place to mark the mass grave and a monument was erected nearby. Killed in the battle was my 8X great-granduncle, Joseph Balch. 

Osmond Dutch - father of Robert                         Osmond Dutch - father of Robert

Esther Dutch - half sister of Robert                     Grace Dutch - half sister of Robert
Robert Elwell                                                            Samuel Hodgkins
John Elwell                                                               Jonathan Hodgkins
Rhoda Elwell                                                             Rachel Hodgkins
Thomas Edgecomb                                                  Elizabeth Moody
Mary Edgecomb                                                       William Ackley
Benjamin Perley Philbrick                                     Sarah Ackley
Lizzie Philbrick                                                         Mary Jane Abbott
Ray Everett Cotton                                                  Fannie May Capen
Fern Lyndell Cotton - my grandmother              Thomas Richard Carter - my grandfather

John Balch
Benjamin Balch - father of Joseph Balch
Mary (Balch) Stone - sister of Joseph Balch
Ruth (Stone) Morgan
Luke Morgan
Samuel Morgan
Martha (Morgan) Yates
Moses Yates
Gilbert W. Yates
Estes G. Yates
Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother

A Friend Delivers a Warning - 52 Ancestors #8

A Good Deed - Indeed! 

John Perkins was the son of John & Judith (Gater) Perkins. He was baptized on September 14, 1609 in Hillmorton, Warwickshire, England and died in Ipswich, Massachusetts on December 14, 1686. 

Hillmorton, Warwickshire, England

In September 1633 was living on a island that belonged to his father when he was warned by a friendly Indian, named Robin, that he was being targeted for an ambush. A small group of Indians were planning to come to see him as if they wanted to trade with him. However, there were forty canoes of Indians just waiting for him to come forward so they could attack. 

John decided that he didn't want to face this alone and sought the advice of John Winthrop. Winthrop told John that when the small group arrived, John should "carry it roughly towards them, and threaten to shoot them, if they would not be gone, and, when their backs were turned, to strike the drum he had with him, besides his muskets, and to discharge them; so that six or eight young men, who were in the marshes hard by a mowing, having their guns ready charged, might take alarm, and the Indians would perceive their plot discovered, and hast away to sea again." 

And it worked! He did as instructed and was happy to see the forty canoes go "fast as they possibly could to sea..." (History of Ipswich).

I guess he was pretty happy that Robin gave him a warning of what was supposed to happen. I hope he was able to repay the favor in some way. 

John Perkins

Mary Perkins

Abigail Wells

Joshua Bartlett

Lydia Bartlett

Nancy Ripley

Galen Blake

Charles Galen Blake

Harriet May Blake

Clayton Leonard Blake - my grandfather

Martha Glenn - One Tough Woman - 52 Ancestors #3

Martha Glenn was married on June 11, 1730 to David McClure, an immigrant from Scotland, possibly Edinburgh. They married in Boston and then moved to the frontier of Candia, New Hampshire. The History of Candia, Once Known as Charmingfare, says that Martha came from a family of Scottish Covenanters who fled from Papal persecution. The same book gives a vivid description of Martha's bravery, although I can't help but wonder how the author came by the information about the comment of the Indian spy...

About the year 1740, Mr. McClure and his wife moved to Chester, N.H., at a time when fear of Indians compelled the inhabitants to seek the security of a garrison. It so happened, on a certain occasion, that the men were obliged to be absent, leaving the women and children alone. No one among them, but the courageous Martha Glenn, dared to act as sentry. With the confidence which inspired her, when she offered up her prayer to God, among the misty mountain caves of Scotland, she kept the dangerous watch with a loaded musket. It turned out that the place was actually being reconnoitered for an attack. The spy is said to have reported, "Me see nothing but de one white squaw." A superstitious fear, or the hand of Providence kept the Indians from their design.














Martha Glenn - 8th great-grandmother
Jane McClure - 7th great-grandmother
Elizabeth Simpson - 6th great-grandmother
David Philbrick - 5th great-grandfather
Oliver Smith Philbrick - 4th great-grandfather
Benjamin Philbrick - 3rd great-grandfather
Lizzie Philbrick - 2nd great-grandmother
Ray Everett Cotton - great-grandfather
Fern Lyndell Cotton - grandmothe

History of Candia, once known as Charmingfare, accessed on Archive.org
The McClure Family, accessed on Google Books
History of Candia, accessed on Archive.org
History of the Town of Antrim, New Hampshire, accessed on Google Books

52 Ancestors #51 - Thomas Bull & the Pequot War

Thomas Bull came from England on the Hopewell and settled in Hartford, Connecticut with the followers of Thomas Hooker. He spent much of his time as a soldier. In the Pequot War of 1637, his exploits are found among the notes of Governor John Winthrop. 

Winthrop wrote:
Bull of Hartford Church filled with faith in entering the Pequot fort, he put off his arms, he was attacked by 3: Indians he laid hold of one of their arrows &c. & cut the other 2: bowstrings, & cleft one of their heads, & broke his sword, & by that occasion rescued a wounded man out of the fire, & used his sword, his piece of hard cheese received an arrow he killed 22.

In 1639, Thomas Bull testified in the colonial courts "that a musket with 2 letters I W was taken up at Pequannocke in pursuit of the Pequatts which was conceived to be Jno. Woods which was killed at the river's mouth." 

Author of this image is unknown - Source: Wikipedia

The Pequot War was the first major conflict with the Native Americans in New England. One of the most brutal aspects was the massacre of 400-700 men, women and children in the Pequot fortification at Mystic, Connecticut. The attack was over quickly and the death toll so high, in part, because the colonists set fire to the village. A few years ago a documentary was made about the conflict. Unfortunately, I have been unable to find a place to view this film but the trailer makes it look pretty amazing. The website for that film has this to say:

"It is a moonlit pre-dawn in May 1637. English Puritans from Massachusetts Bay Colony and Connecticut Colony, with Mohegan and Narragansett allies, surround a fortified Pequot village at a place called Missituck (Mystic). In the village, the Pequots sleep. Suddenly, a dog barks. The awakened Pequots shout Owanux! Owanux! (Englishmen! Englishmen!) and mount a valiant defense. But within an hour, the village is burned and 400-700 men, women, and children are killed.

Captain John Underhill, one of the English commanders, documents the event in his journal, Newes from America :

Down fell men, women, and children. Those that 'scaped us, fell into the hands of the Indians that were in the rear of us. Not above five of them 'scaped out of our hands. Our Indians came us and greatly admired the manner of Englishmen's fight, but cried "Mach it, mach it!" - that is, "It is naught, it is naught, because it is too furious, and slays too many men." Great and doleful was the bloody sight to the view of young soldiers that never had been in war, to see so many souls lie gasping on the ground, so thick, in some places, that you could hardly pass along.

The massacre at Mystic is over in less than an hour. The battle cuts the heart from the Pequot people and scatters them across what is now southern New England, Long Island, and Upstate New York. Over the next few months, remaining resistors are either tracked down and killed or enslaved. The name "Pequot" is outlawed by the English. The Puritan justification for the action is simply stated by Captain Underhill:

It may be demanded, Why should you be so furious? Should not Christians have more mercy and compassion? Sometimes the Scripture declareth women and children must perish with their parents. Sometimes the case alters, but we will not dispute it now. We had sufficient light from the word of God for our proceedings."

Thomas Bull was married to a woman named Susanna. She died at Hartford on August 12, 1680. Thomas died between April 20 and October 24, 1684. 

The eight children of Thomas & Susanna Bull were:

1. Mary, born about 1639, no further record.
2. Joseph, born about 1641, married first about 1671 Sarah Manning and married second Hannah Humphrey about 1697. 
3. Ruth, born about 1643, married Andrew Bordman on October 15, 1669. 
4. Susanah, born about 1645, married Thomas Bunce. 
5. Thomas, born about 1647, married first Esther Cowles on April 29, 1669 in Farmington, CT and married second Mary (Cheever) Lewis on January 13, 1692 in Farmington, CT. 
6. Jonathan, baptized March 25, 1649, married Sarah Whiting on March 19, 1684/5. 
7. David, baptized February 9, 1650/1, married Hannah Chapman on December 27, 1677 in Saybrook, CT. 
8. Abigail, born about 1653, married in Salem, MA, Rev. Thomas Barnard on April 28, 1696. 

My line is:
Thomas Bull
Joseph Bull
Nathaniel Bull
Tabitha Bull
Samuel Ackley
William Ackley
Sarah Ackley
Mary Jane Abbott
Fannie May Capen
Thomas Richard Carter - my grandfather

This week was interesting for me. Between the revision of the DNA matches on Ancestry.com and the deep discount that allowed me to place my DNA on Family Tree DNA, I am finally getting matches that are meaningful. This week I connected with a man who grew up on Maine but now lives in Florida. He is also a descendant of Thomas Bull. We share the line through Samuel Ackley, making us 5th cousins, once removed. We discovered some other common ancestors too. 

Additional Source:
Great Migration 1634-1635, A-B (online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.)

52 Ancestors #43 - Thomas Cousins - Attack at Black Point

In the late 17th century, settlers on the frontier suffered greatly from Indian attacks. Those settlers on the Maine coast were not part of the spread of settlers from Massachusetts and the Indians were seeking to halt the expansion and maintain their lands. The area that is now Scarborough encompassed a number of settlements including Black Point and Dunstan. From October 10-13, 1675, the settlers battled with the Wabanaki. Those at Dunstan were critical of the lack of support from Joshua Scottow's garrison at Black Point. Mary Beth Norton notes that several key figures in the Salem Witchcraft hysteria had connections to the area (see In The Devil's Snare, p. 141-143). 

My grandfather, Clayton Blake descends from Thomas Cousins who was serving in the company of Captain John Wincoll and gave the following deposition accusing Joshua Scottow of cowardice and failure to help those under attack. 

"The deposition of Thomas Cousens aged about 30 yeares makes oath that being with Capt. Winckoll when he was ingaged with the Indians neere Blackepointe and faire within sight of the garrison. Capt. Winckoll sent two men to Mr. Scottow for some reliefe, being then likely to have bene overthrowne, by the enimy, but the said Scottow would not send any help to us, he had at that time upward of forty men in his garrison, but from Mr. Foxwels garrison, which was as farr from us as Mr. Scottows garrison was, we have five men which did us a great pleasure, and they left but two men in the garrison, which if we had had releife from Mr. Scottows garrison, in an ordinary way with gods blessing, we might have given the enimye a great overthrow, and after the fight was over, this deponent went to Mr. Scottows garrison, and heard Souldiers generally say, that they see Capt. Winckoll ingaged with the enimy, and would have gone to have releived them. but Mr. Scottow would not suffer them, but charged them to Keepe the garrison, and further this deponent saith that it was generally reported at Blackpoint, that in theire great distress they could have no help from Mr. Scottows garrison, he being the comander thereof, and further saith not. 

Taken upon Oath the 16th January 1679

before me Sam'l Wheelwright

Comiss.

In answer to the charge, Capt. Joshua Scottow accused Thomas Cousins of perjury and although Thomas was acquitted, he was found guilty of a different charge, "presumptuous and reproachfull expressions" against Scottow. 

Thomas Cousins & Hannah Goodale
Hannah Cousins & George Jacobs
Priscilla Jacobs & Joshua Bartlett
Lydia Bartlett & Joshua Ripley
Nancy Ripley & Micajah Blake
Galen Blake & Dolly Moody
Charles G. Blake & Isabelle Brown
Harriet May Blake & ?
Clayton Leonard Blake - my grandfather


Sources: 
Norton Mary Beth, In The Devil's Snare
Davis Walter Goodwin, The Ancestry of Lydia Harmon

52 Ancestors #33 - Capt. Anthony Brackett

Capt. Anthony Brackett lived at Falmouth (now Portland), Maine. 

History of Hampton, New Hampshire, Joseph Dow
"On the 9th of August, 1676, some Indians killed one of his cows, and he complained to a chief, named Symon, who promised to bring the culprits to him. Two days later Symon appeared, early in the morning at the head of a party, and said: 'These are the Indians that killed the cow.' Then they entered the house, seized the guns, and asked Capt. Brackett whether he would go into captivity, or be killed. He preferring captivity, the Indians bound him, his wife, and a negro, and carried them and five children away as prisoners. In November following, Captain and Mrs. Brackett, one child and the negro made their escape in a leaky canoe. The wife, Ann, died soon after, and the remainder of Capt. Brackett's life is identified with Hampton."

"When Col. Church had the memorable fight with the Indians at Casco, Sept. 21, 1689, Capt. Brackett was killed. After this, his wife and children went to her father's at Hampton, but finally returned to their possessions." 

Children with Ann Mitton:
Anthony, Seth, Zachariah, Mary, Eleanor, Keziah, and Jane

Children with Susannah Drake:
James, Zipporah, Zachariah, Anne, Sarah, and Susannah

9th GG
Capt. Anthony & Susannah (Drake) Brackett
Zachariah Brackett
Sarah Brackett
Thomas Sawyer
Hannah Sawyer
Catherine Hilton
Loann Churchill
Anna J. Rowe
Eva D. Hayes
Linona A. Yates - my grandmother

9th GG
Capt. Anthony & Susannah (Drake) Brackett
Zachariah Brackett
Sarah Brackett
Amy Sawyer - sister of Thomas
Samuel Hilton
Catherine Hilton - see above

9th GG
Capt. Anthony & Susannah (Drake) Brackett
Sarah Brackett
Samuel Proctor
Humility Proctor
Hezekiah Moody
Dolly Estes Moody
Charles G. Blake
Harriet May Blake
Clayton L. Blake - my grandfather

52 Ancestors #14 - John Hayes of Dover

Tradition says that John Hayes came from Scotland about 1680. He is one of my Piscataqua Pioneers - He settled in Dover, New Hampshire. His estimated date of birth is 1660 and he died on October 25, 1708, "seized of a malignant fever four days after he was taken sick; began with a violent pain in his shoulder" (Richmond, 28). He married Mary Horne, probably the daughter of William & Elizabeth (Clough) Horne. William Horne was killed by Indians on June 28, 1689 and Elizabeth (Clough) Horne was killed by Indians on September 30, 1707. Ironically, just months before his father-in-law's death, John Hayes joined 370 other New Hampshire residents in petitioning the colonial government for more protection from the Indians. In March 1693/94, John Hayes was granted twenty-five acres of land near the Tole-End or Tolend and Barbados sections of Dover, New Hampshire, adjacent to John Ham, Jr. Family tradition says John Hayes, the immigrant, was buried on family land and his grave marked by stacked field stones. I found a picture of a memorial plaque placed by his descendants near where his farm was located on Findagrave with the inscription, "John Hayes, the Scotsman, came to Dover about 1680, married Mary Horne, and established a family on the surrounding acres. Their integrity and industry are held in memory by their descendants. 1934."

Signature from 1689 petition

 Children of John & Mary (Horne) Hayes: 

1. John born about 1687 and died July 3, 1759. He was buried in the Pine Hill Cemetery in Dover, New Hampshire. John married Tamsen (Wentworth) Chesley, widow of James Chesley. Her first husband was killed by Indians on September 17, 1707. She died December 30, 1753 and he married second, Mary (Roberts) Wingate, widow of Samuel Wingate. His profession is listed as housewright and carpenter in deeds. he was a deacon of the First Church of Dover from March 1731 to his death in 1759.
2. Peter born about 1688 and died 1757. He married Sarah Wingate. 
3. Robert 
4. Ichabod born March 18, 1691/92 and died June 1, 1734. He was killed by a mill log. His widow, Abigail (Evans) Hayes, married second, William Twombley. 
5. Samuel born March 16, 1694/95 and died 1770. He married Leah Dam. 
6. William born September 6, 1698 and married Hannah Sanborn on November 23, 1720. 
7. Benjamin born September 6, 1700 and died May 16, 1756. He married Jane (Snell) Heard, widow of Tristram Heard, Jr. 
8. Abigail married Nathaniel Fitts on May 10, 1720 and died on June 12, 1738. 
9. Mary married Henry Ambrose.
10. Elizabeth married John Ambrose. 

Used by permission of 1_might_b_1 at findagrave.com

Although the stone is sunken, the inscription is recorded in Richmond's book as follows: "Dea. John Hayes the 1st born of the pilgrim fathers of the N.E. Hayes family Died July 3rd 1759 aged 73 years."

From John, my line of descent is:
John Hayes & Tamsen Wentworth
Hezekiah Hayes & Margaret Cate
William Hayes & Olive ? 
Isaac Hayes & Alice Garland
Richard Hayes & Rebecca Greenwood
Sydney Hayes & Apphia Delphinia Cole
George Hayes & Anna Rowe
Eva Delphinia Hayes & Estes Gilbert Yates
Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother

Sources:
Piscataqua Pioneers: Selected Biographies of Early Settlers in Northern New England.Portsmouth, NH: Piscataqua Pioneers, 2000. Print.

Richmond, Katharine F. John Hayes, of Dover, New Hampshire; a Book of His Family... Vol. I. Tyngsboro, MA: n.p., 1936. PDF.

Surname Saturday - Rand

I am going to make an attempt to post about one surname each Saturday as part of the geneabloggers.com prompt series. I've been having trouble finding/making time to work on and write about my genealogy and maybe having a goal will help.

Francis Rand came to New Hampshire with Capt. John Mason, who had been given a land grant by King James I of England. This would be the King James who commissioned the popular King James Bible. Captain Mason sent several shiploads of settlers and supplies but never came to New Hampshire himself. 

Today's story comes in part from the Hampton Memorial Library page and involves the Brackett's Lane Massacre that occurred on the 29th of September 1691. An estimated 20-40 Indians landed at Sandy Beach and attacked some families who were not protected by the garrison. Some of the men were out cutting hay. After an alarm was sounded and word sent to the nearest militia, a group of men was dispatched the next day. By then, the attack was over. Overall, about twenty people were lost including two old men and some women and children. Ten bodies were found and three were found burned in their houses. Seven were missing and presumed carried into captivity. Children who were too young to be taken to Canada were "dashed against a large rock that stood on what is now Wallis Road, near Brackett Road." The account on the library page says this rock was removed to make way for a new road. One of my favorite genealogy bloggers, Heather Wilkinson Rojo, also wrote an account of this event and has pictures of the memorial markers that commemorate this event.

Francis Rand's wife, Christina/Christian, was also killed by Indians prior to this event. She was old and nearly bind and one day she had a premonition. She begged her husband not to go to the mill because she sensed Indians around and was scared to be alone. He didn't take her seriously because he didn't believe there were any Indians in the area. He took his corn to the mill and upon returning, he found his wife had been killed and scalped. The death of Francis wasn't the end of the family members being killed by Indians.  The History of Durham states that their son, John Rand and his wife, Rembrance Ault, were probably killed by Indians in 1694.

The other family that lost their patriarch that September day was Anthony Brackett and the attack is called the Brackett's Lane massacre because it was concentrated near his house. He is my 9th great-grandfather on my mother's side. Brackett's Lane is now known as Brackett's Road. But I'll save the Bracketts for another day.

Picture from ancestry.com submitted by arch0945

Francis Rand & Christina/Christian

John Rand & Remembrance Ault

Nathaniel Rand & Elizabeth Marden

Joshua Rand & Ruth Philbrick

Philemon Rand & Sarah Rand - Yes, they are first cousins according to my research but I'm still checking sources to verify it.

Lazarus Rand & Elizabeth "Betsey" Clark

Eunice Rand & Timothy Cox

Christiana Cox & John H. Cotton

Francis Llewellyn Cotton & Nina K. Ellingwood

Ray Everett Cotton & Annie Florilla Gibbs

Fern Lyndell Cotton - my grandmother


Sources:
http://www.hampton.lib.nh.us/hampton/history/military/brackettslanemassacre.htm
http://archive.org/details/historyoftownofd02stac

What If?

The first husband of my 8th great-grandmother, Tamsen Wentworth, was killed by Indians in Dover, New Hampshire. His name was James Chesley and he was the son of Philip Chesley.

The History of New Hampshire by Belknap says "A party of French Mohawks, painted red, attacked, with a hideous yell, a company who were in the woods, some hewing timber, and other driving a team, under the direction of Capt. Chesley, who was just returned the second time from Port Royal. At the first fire, they killed seven and mortally wounded another. Chesley with the few who were left fired on the enemy with great vigor, and for some time checked their ardor; but being overpowered he at length fell. He was much lamented being a brave officer. Three of the scalps taken at this time were soon recovered at Berwick, Me."


Recorded in the Journal of Rev. John Pike:
Sep 17, 1797. Capt. Samuel Chesley - his bro. James Chesley, & 6 more stout young men were slain by the Indians, as they were Cutting and halling timber, not far from Capt. Chesley's house. The Indian yt killd James Chesley was slain upon the spot by Robt.Thompson. Philip Chesley and 3 more escaped. 

After the death of James Chesley, Tamsen married John Hayes. What if James Chesley was not killed that day? My family tree would be very different. When John Hayes married Tamsen Wentworth, he was marrying into a very important and influential New Hampshire family.

Hand Hewing Timber

John Hayes & Tamsen Wentworth

Hezekiah Hayes & Margaret Cate

William Hayes & Olive

Isaac Hayes & Alice Garland

Richard Hayes & Rebecca

Sydney Hayes & Aphia Delphinia Cole

George H. Hayes & Anna J. Rowe

Eva Delphinia Hayes & Estes Yates

Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother

Josiah Winslow - Governor of Plymouth Colony

My mother's ancestry goes back to the Winslow family who were some of the earliest settlers of Plymouth. Edward and Gilbert were passengers on the Mayflower, brother John came on the Fortune in 1621 and the two younger Winslows, Josiah and Kenelm came about 1631. My family descends from Kenelm so this Josiah is my first cousin, 11 times removed.


Josiah Winslow, shown here was the 13th Governor of Plymouth Colony, serving from 1673 to 1680. He was born in 1628 to Edward Winslow and Penelope Pelham (daughter of Herbert Pelham, the first treasurer of Harvard College). Josiah was the first governor of Plymouth born in the New World. By the time he took office, the colony was well established and no longer reliant on Native Americans to teach the colonists survival skills. The expanding British settlements of Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay were expanding and putting pressure of the lands of the Native Americans. Chief of the Wampanoag, Metacom (or King Philip) and Josiah did not have a good relationship and this contributed to the outbreak of King Philip's War. Josiah's half-brother was Peregrine White, the first English child born in New England.

The Case of the Barking Dog that Saved the Garrison

My ancestor - awoken by the dog to save the garrison

For many years the settlers of Cocheco (present-day Dover, NH in the Dover Neck area) enjoyed a peaceful co-existence with the local Native Americans, the Penacook tribe. The Cocheco community was led by Richard Walderne (Waldron), who built a sawmill and later opened a trading post. Over the years there were a few minor problems, as when Walderne was charged with selling liquor to the Indians despite laws forbidding such sales. However, overall the two groups had peaceful interactions with each other. 

During King Philip's War, many Indians fled the fighting in Massachusetts and ended up in New Hampshire, living among the Penacooks. Massachusetts sent troops to round up the fleeing Indians and fearing a battle that would end the peace in Cocheco, Major Walderne arranged a trick to separate the Massachusetts Indians from the locals. The Massachusetts Indians were sent back to Boston for punishment - some were hanged and others were sold into slavery. 

Needless to say, this did not sit well with the Penacooks and the bitterness from this incident and the pressures of the colonists on Indian land kept building during the next decade. To guard the safety of the colonists, every neighborhood built a fortified blockhouse where people could go in case of attack. On the north side of the river, there were three garrisons - the homes of Richard Walderne, Richard Otis and Elizabeth Heard and on the south side the homes of Peter Coffin and his son, Tristram. These garrisons had foot-thick squared logs that bullets could not penetrate and a second story that extended over the first floor by two to three feet. In the overhang, a loose board could be pulled up so boiling water could be poured on attackers and fires could be fought as well. For additional protection, each garrison was surrounded by an 8 foot palisade. Settlers would spend each night within the protection of the garrison and kept their guns nearby during the day. 

It is now 1689... Walderne was cocky and sure they could repulse any attack. He ignored warnings and a letter from Governor Bradford giving him more specific information arrived the day after the massacre. (Maybe that's why a postal system was important enough to be provided for in the Constitution.) When several Indian women asked to spend the night in each of the garrisons, no one thought too much of it since it was a common occurrence. The settlers felt safe enough to go without a night guard and in the wee hours the women opened the gates and let in several hundred Penacooks. 

The Penacooks had special animosity towards Mr. Walderne and he suffered greatly. His ears and nose were cut off and stuck in his mouth and he was forced to fall upon his own sword. The garrison was burned to the ground and the rest of the family was taken captive. The Otis garrison fell and Otis and two of his children were killed. This garrison was also burned and his remaining family taken to Canada. 

At the Heard garrison, Elder William Wentworth was in charge since Elizabeth Heard was away. He was awakened by a barking dog and managed to close the gates and fend off the attack. The Wentworth Geneaology paints a vivid picture of this 73 year old man's heroism; "Elder Wentworth was awakened by the barking of a dog. Suspicious, he hastened to the door and found the Indians entering. Alone, and seventy-three years of age, he pushed them out, shut the door and falling on his back held it until the inmates came to his assistance. While he was lying in this position, two bullets passed through the door and over him. It was the only garrison saved. Twenty-three persons were killed and twenty-nine carried away captive."  

Signature 1654

Signature 1696

It's a colorful story, if a bit incredulous and possibly embellished by time. Evidently the settlers neglected to make the door as thick as the walls - since the walls were supposed to stop bullets from penetrating the structure. But since Elder William Wentworth is my ancestor, I am going to believe it (well mostly). It's like when someone can lift a car to save the person trapped beneath it, right? 


William Wentworth & Elizabeth
Ezekiel Wentworth & Elizabeth Knight
Tamsen Wentworth & Hezekiah Hayes
William Hayes & Olive
Isaac Hayes & Alice Garland
Richard Hayes & Rebecca
Sydney Hayes & Aphia Delphinia Cole
George H. Hayes & Anna J. Rowe
Eva Delphinia Hayes & Estes G. Yates
Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother

Sources for info and images:
The Wentworth Genealogy: English and American by John Wentworth. 1878. Accessed on openlibrary.org. 2012
http://www.dover.lib.nh.us/doverhistory/cocheco.htm

Danger on the New Hampshire frontier

This has been a busy week and not much writing got done. However, I have continued to do some research and gather ideas for the blog. Here is the first of those stories. 

When we think of the frontier and confrontations and conflict between settlers and Indians, most of us who were raised in New England think of the Great Plains. However, long before the wars on the Great Plains, the same conflict was happening much closer to home. 

Philip Huntoon (Hunton), my 9th great-grandfather, first appears in New Hampshire records in 1689. His origins seem a bit muddled with one story involving his family fleeing France after the Edict of Nantes was revoked and another story that he was the younger son of an English gentleman and he came to seek his fortune in America. I find the Edict of Nantes story intriguing and will have to do more research on that. 

 King Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes in 1685

Philip received land in Exeter in 1697 and 1699. He then proceeded to move to Kingston in 1703 but had to flee in 1707 with others from the town because of danger from the Indians nearby. A year later, Philip is back in Kingston but apparently things were still not going well with the Indians. On the morning of July 22, 1710, Philip (age 46) and his oldest son, Samuel (age 21), were working in the field near his house when they were surrounded by a band of Indians. Samuel was shot and then scalped but reports say he lived another 24 hours in "great agony" (Belknap). Fortunately Philip's two younger sons, my 8th great-grandfather Philip Jr.(age 16) and John (age 14) were not in the field with their father and brother. Belknap says this is because their mother, Betsy, wouldn't let them go until they completed their morning prayer with her. Philip and his neighbor, Jacob Gilman, were taken prisoner and made to "run the gauntlet" (Huntoon, 20). They were marched to Canada and arrived in bad shape, having been little food during the trip and their feet bruised and bloodied. The Indians sold their captives to the French. This was part of Queen Anne's War (1702-1713), a precursor to the more well-known French & Indian or Seven Years War. You may be more familiar with the story of the raid on Deerfield, MA which was also part of Queen Anne's War. 

 Illustration of the raid on Deerfield, MA in 1704.

Philip and Jacob were ordered to build a saw mill and teach the French how to saw lumber the way the English did. They reportedly did this and were granted their freedom after two years. I can only imagine how surprised their families were when they returned. Philip went on to have one or two more children - the birth dates of two daughters are unknown to me as is the date of his wife, Betsy's death. It would seem that after Betsy died, Philip married a woman named Hannah and had a daughter, Sarah and it's possible that his daughter Elizabeth was also born after his captivity. I'm not sure of her birth date or which wife was her mother. 

 A waterwheel powered a vertical saw for colonial saw mills

Questions I'd like to research further - 
Where did Philip come from? 
Was Philip a Huguenot fleeing France after the Edict of Nantes was revoked? 
When did Betsy die? Specifically, did she die during Philip's captivity?  
Who is Jacob Gilman? I have Gilmans in my family tree and he is possibly another relative. 

Philip & Betsey (Hall) Huntoon
Philip & Anna (Eastman) Huntoon
Josiah & Hannah (Huntoon) Judkins
Philip & Miriam (Hunt) Judkins
Moses & Aphia (Perry) Judkins
Calvin & Betsy (Judkins) Cole
Sydney & Aphia (Cole) Hayes
George & Anna (Rowe) Hayes
Estes & Eva (Hayes) Yates
Linona Alice Yates

Sources: 
Belknap, Jeremy, and John Farmer. The History of New Hampshire. Dover: S. C. Stevens and ELA & Wadleigh, 1831. PDF. 

Huntoon, Daniel T. V. Philip Huntoon and His Descendants. BiblioBazaar, 2009. PDF.