USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Rehoboth > Early Rehoboth, documented historical studies of families and events in this Plymouth colony township, Volume III > Part 16
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Joshua, Caleb, Isaac, and Mary. Dorothy, b. 6 Nov. 1670, m. 20 Nov. 1688, Joseph Otis. He m. (2) at Boston 3 Nov. 1697 Elizabeth, wid. of Capt. William Condy (but the m. certificate by Cotton Mather is of Eliz. Dolberry) who d. 11 Oct. 1713, if we believe the inscription on the gravestone; deputy 1672, and seven years more, also at Boston, under the new charter 1692. He served in Philip's war as a captain on the first outbreak, and was of the Massachusetts Council [Savage's Gen. Dict., vol. IV, p. 281].
On 31 Oct. 1682, Capt. Nathaniel Thomas was licensed by the Plymouth Colony Court "to draw and sell stronge liquors vnto his neighbors by the gallon, or not less than a gallon att a time to one person" [Plymouth Colony Records, vol. VI, p. 97].
*This letter, signed "N. T.", first printed by Samuel G. Drake in his 1862 edition of Mather's Brief History, Appendix, pp. 227-234, is from a copy of the original which Mr. Drake received from Mr. George Livermore on 1 May 1855. The copy is in the handwriting of Judge John Davis, who published an annotated edition of Morton's Memorial in 1830. On his copy Judge Davis made this endorsement: "Original found among J. Winslow's papers at Marshfield, at ye family seat (1792). The signature N. T. indicated William [?] Thomas, a Capt. in ye expedition to Mt Hope. It gives a full detail of ye purst of Philip after his escape from Pocasset, July 29th, 1675".
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King Philip's Two Escapes
Monthopp diguft11 Musti (Honour) Sir Saft might at 12 ors of the Clock I Korra Mr smith's Potter Dizerhad to our Conavall , acording to Rie avler apone the fame, wing the contents ther of font a Copy Phirot. to him by natore, itake it miers him who is fugle is at Janton Here to besent by woff your Honour from Janton e formy that I hold mis of Coming to his or your hand I have but the original by god; together It an amount of the Cat stirnaught (2 ) before you take into your Grows Configuration What Uppropgary Chang Cont HinRman is drawing on our Colony By his Hoping on Still by his Cofforant of fort of To foot syvar Last Hanfors in two Long hours i il bolics a farm houses, a smithe forge o aring the most chargable way to work a Bout the fame topics what Pitiful my so fath varroa that I duda one of our not to Be alone Hon & of his who aw active to swap e quand e do minore at .. Little oliv that good is
mithing fuller ( won't make bold to offer my admin mo, that is that although the fat of war is at Iwent romowe got the war is Likely to continue it the Noor muge p Kharroganfets us as the net who no Lled to thom as I Sup of you how the ground of goliout why it is Lifly to auto Now if in Shout Prow So MM. it ropfor the nor maintain a fling doany food foro . the Colony to ynwon't any enemy for compro aquins info our bowels
My are in Doubl of Left Grove LA Re, his mon ass. Cut off by the Indians as he went from us at the scoprug. Cuniting to horwith This is my Humble Gruis to your for it Duonglook to all my friendsescribours & romaine yours font
Moff Hanble Fel N Thomas
8 Pray woomber moto my mfi & kau not Kime to writ to for now but y rofintor to write forma By the Fire
A two-thirds size photostatic reproduction of a letter written from Mount Hope on 11 Aug. 1675, by Lieut. Nathaniel Thomas to Governor Josiah Winslow, in which he mentioned a report [dated 10 Aug. 1675] of the "late skirmish" at Nipsachuck.
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Early Rehoboth
though stated by later historians to have been to Thomas Winthrop. With the finding of the original report, together with the Thomas letter of 11 August, we now know for the first time that the letter of 10 Aug. 1675 was Lieutenant Thomas' official military report to the Governor of Plymouth Colony.
Lieutenant Thomas made it very plain that Philip would have been captured but for the arrival of Captain Henchman, who took over command of the English troops, delayed the pursuit for twenty-four hours and thereby allowed Philip to escape. Drake said that "this letter may have been the cause of the Captain's resigning his place not long after, though his resignation was not accepted by the Gov- ernment". The report follows:
Mounthop Agust the 10 1675
An acount of the fight wt the Indians Agust the first 1675
on the 29th day of July Generall Cudworth 1 marched toward Darthmoth wt 112 men left 20 wt mee in the Garison at Mount hope, & on ye 30th day I went to Rehoboth & at Mr. Newmans2 I herd the news that Tanton Post brought thither of Philips flight & with aduice from Left [Peter] Hunt 3 & his Towne Consell 4 hasted back againe to our garison to goe to Capt [Daniel] Henchman & in the way met w Mr Jams Browne 5 who at my Reqet went back wt me to Capt Hinksman to desire him wt what force he could to come to Rehobath to Join wt there forcses in prsutt of the enemy who Came to him at Pocaset about 2 hours after sunset who redyly imbraced the motion Caused an alarm to be made to bring his Soldiars together, & next moring early being the Last of July in Mr Almys boat 6 wt 6 files 7 of Enlish & i6 Indians wafted toward Rehoboth. Mr [James] brown & my self imediatly Returned to Monthope where I on the said Last of July early in the moring marched wt 11 from our garison & one from Mr [John] Miles Garison being 12 in all in Persute of the enenemy Left [James] brown wt 12 more of Swanz marched with me: at Rehoboth I sent to Capt Hinshman by some prouidence men web were there to waft to Prouidence & march from thence who did so; there were
1 James Cudworth-see note ante, page 52.
? Mr. Newman's house was the new parsonage built for him just before the outbreak of the war, throughout which it was used as the principal garrison house in Rehoboth. It stood on the north side of what is now Newman Avenue between the present Congregational Church and the Meeting House pond.
3 Lieut. Peter Hunt was in command of the Rehoboth military company.
+ By the "town council" is probably meant the "selectmen". At a Rehoboth town meeting held 17 May 1675 Mr. Stephen Paine, Lieut. Peter Hunt, and Ensign Henry Smith were elected select men; Mr. Paine, Sr., Deacon Cooper, Lieut. Hunt, Ensign Smith, John Read, Sr., Nicholas Peck, and Daniel Smith, townsmen; Ensign Henry Smith and Daniel Smith, deputies [Rehoboth Town Meetings, Book II, p. 10].
5 James Brown was lieutenant in command of the Swansea military company and also an As- sistant at the Plymouth Colony Court.
6 This was undoubtedly Capt. Christopher Almy of Portsmouth, R. I. He was born in England in 1632 and in 1635 came to New England in the ship Abigail with his father and mother, William and Audrey, and sister Ann (who later m. John Green). On 9 July 1661 he m. Elizabeth, d. after 1708, dau. of Thomas and Rebecca Cornell. On 17 Mar. 1656 he was ordered to be recompensed in part for a vessel he had bought of William Dyer which had been seized in Massachusetts, his father engaging with him to make no further claim. He was a freeman in 1658; in 1667, with others, he bought lands of the Indians at Monmouth, N. J., where he lived for a time. On 5 Mar. 1680 he and seven others bought Pocasset (Tiverton) lands for £1,100 from Gov. Josiah Winslow. There were 30 shares, of which he owned 334.
He was a deputy and assistant in 1690, and on 27 February of the same year was elected governor of Rhode Island but refused to serve for reasons satisfactory to the Assembly. This was the first election for governor since the deposition of Governor Andros. On 24 Aug. 1693 he was in England as messenger from Rhode Island and delivered the address from the state and his own petition to Queen Mary stating that "he was sent over to represent their grievances and that he had come above 4,000 miles to lay these matters before her and prays that she may grant such encouragement therein as she see fit, etc." The address showed that some men thought that those commissioned by Gov- ernor Andros should continue in office until some immediate order from the crown of England. On 28 Oct. 1696 the assembly voted him £135 10s. 8d. for his charge and expense in England as the
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King Philip's Two Escapes
northward of the west from Rehoboth. * Nipsachick is about 20 miles to the
marched from Rehoboth Just before us 30 of Stonetunnes & men ; 40 or more of Vncas his Indians & about 30 of Prouidence men [under Capt. Andrew Ed- monds] whom we ouertook about sun sett Joined with them Called A Counsell of Warr sent out some Indians first & after some English & Indians as scouts who made some discouery of the enemy by hering them Cut wood & we left our horses there upon A Plaine wt some to keep them in the night marched on foott about 3 mils to an Indian feild 9 beloning to Philips men Called Nipsa- chick * 10 & at dawning of the day marched forward about 40 rod made a stand to Consult in what form to surprise the enemy with out danger to on another & in the intrim while it was so dark as we could not see A man 50 yards 11 wt in 30 yards 11 of us there Came up towards us 5 IndiaIns from Witamosos 12 Camp (we supos to feth beans & from the said feild) 13 prceiving nothing of us at whom we were Constraned to fire slew two of them the other fled whrby Wittamas & philips Camps wer alarmed
witamas Camp then being within about on 100 rod of us whom we had vndoubtedly surprised while they were most of them one slepe & secure had it not ben for the said Alarm who imediatly fled & dissperced whom we Persued slew some of them but while we were in persutt of them Philips fighting men showed themselues vpon a hill vnto us who were retreated from their Camp near half a mile to fight us (Philips Camp was Piched about 3 quarters of A mile beyond witamas) Philips men vpon our runing toward them disperced them selues ffor shelter in fighting & so in like maner did we the ground being
Colony's representative. He d. at Portsmouth 30 Jan. 1713 [Austin's Gen. Dict. of R. I., p. 236]. 7 According to Samuel G. Drake, six files equals 68 men.
8 These Stonington men were undoubtedly "Quartermaster Swift and a ply of horse" who con- ducted the fifty Mohegan Indians under command of Oneko. Lieutenant Thomas spoke of thirty men, but Bodge in his search of John Hull's Account Books could find only eighteen credited to "Corporal Swift and his ply of horse" as follows: Thomas Swift, corporall, 13s. 6d., and the follow- ing seventeen men at 7s. 6d. each,-Martin Sanders, Samuel Hayden, Ebenezer Hayden, Benjamin Badcocke, Samuel Whiting, Nathaniel Bullard, William Hawkins, Thomas Toleman, Joseph Pen- neman, Joseph Crosbey, Thomas Smith, Thomas Blighe, Samuel Blighe, William Harris, Asaph Elliott, James Barrett, and Moses Pain. The Mohegan Indians apparently received their pay in the plunder they obtained from Weetamoe's camp [Bodge, p. 94].
Major Gookin told of Uncas' sending a company of fifty of his Mohegan Indians to Boston under command of his eldest son and successor Oneko, to help the English fight against Philip; also of his sending two of his sons to be kept by the English as hostages for the faithfulness of his Indians. These Mohegan Indians were sent to Plymouth Colony under the conduct of "Quartermaster Swift and a ply of horse". They arrived at Rehoboth at an opportune time to join the Rehoboth men in the pursuit of Philip and demonstrated their fighting ability and loyalty to the English in the sub- sequent fight.
9 Philip claimed Sachemship over the Indians in this Louisquisset country in the northern part of Rhode Island, and it is important to note that Lieutenant Thomas reported finding at Nipsachuck an Indian planting field owned by Philip's men. Ousamequin (Massasoit), Philip's father, appears to have claimed Sachemship over the Nipmuck Indians and during the later years of his life to have lived with this tribe. Roger Williams, writing to Gov. John Winthrop under date of 14 Aug. 1638, said that "Ousamequin, coming from Plymouth", told him that the "four men who had murdered [Penowanyanquis] shortly before that time [cf. Early Rehoboth, vol. II, p. 35] were all gilty. I an- swered, but one [Arthur Peach]; he replied, true, one wounded him, but all lay in wait two days and assisted. In conclusion: he told me that the principal must not die, for he was Mr. Winslow's man: and also that the man was by birth a Neepmuck man so not worthy another man should die for him " [Narr. Club Publication, vol. VI, p. 116].
10 When Samuel G. Drake printed John Davis' copy of Lieutenant Thomas' letter in the Ap- pendix to Mather's Brief History in 1862, he added as his own foot-note to Nipsachick "about 20 miles to the northward of the west from Rehoboth". Lieutenant Thomas made this note on the margin of his letter, which, of course, is much more important, for it makes the statement an original source record.
11 In the original letter this reads "yards" and not "rods".
12 Weetamoe,-see ante, page 79.
13 This is apparently the same planting field owned by Philip's men. Philip in steering his course cross country clearly depended on these planting fields for feeding his company.
14 Tokomona was Awasunk's brother.
15 Tuspaquin, alias Watuspaquin, called the Black Sachem, was chief of the Assawamsets, a tribe of Indians occupying an extensive territory in which were located what are now the towns of Lake- ville, Middleborough, and the old town of Rochester. The sachem's residence was in Assawamsett Neck lying between Assawamsett and Long Ponds. Tuspaquin is said to have married Amie, sister of King Philip [Mitchell's History and Biography of Sachem Massasoit (1878), p. 189].
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Early Rehoboth
A Hilly plaine with some small swamps betwen as aduantagus for us as for them where we fought vntell about nine of the Clock slew divers of them who the Monhegins stript & scined their heads; also one of them being shot was taken aliue & was examined who made the following relation Vid, (that Wit- tama that night before had Piched her Camp as I said before & about 3 quarters of a mile farther Philip wt Tokomona 14 & as I think the black sa- chem 15 also; had Piched their Camp
I asked him Concirning Awasunks 16 he said she went to Narrowganset when the wars begun I asked what store of Powder the Indians had he said they had uery little Powder but shot enough) & it semeth true for the first Indian wch was shot downe being a stout fellow & one of them wch shot old Tisdell 17 of Tanton & them wt him & had his gun; although he had his Horn
On 16 Mar. 1664/5, Quateashit, living at Monamat and at Kawamasuhkakamid, made a deed of gift of land, near Breakheart hill, to Pompmunet. An Amy, so-called, together with the wife of Queteatahshit testified as to the deed. Testimony concerning the lands of Watuchpoo of Sepecan showed six generations of Indian ownership. This genealogy was testified to by the Black Sachem and his wife, King Philip, and six other Indians [Plymouth Colony Records, vol. XII, p. 236].
On 29 Oct. 1668, Pamantaquash, alias the Pond Sachem, made his last will and testament be- queathing all his lands at Assawamsett and elsewhere to his son Tuspaquin, alias the Black Sachem, for life and after his decease to Soquontamonk, alias William his son [Ibid., vol. XII, p. 229].
The Black Sachem deeded much land. On 17 July 1669, for £10 he sold to Experience Mitchell, Henry Sampson, and others, a tract of land near Assawamsett pond. On 30 June 1672, described as "sachem of Namasskett" he sold to Edward Grey and Josias Winslow land on the easterly side of Assawamsett. In 1673 by deed of gift he and another Indian conveyed to John Sassamon alias Wassasoman 27 acres of land at Assawamsett Neck. On 11 Mar. 1673, the same grantors deeded 5812 acres to an Indian named Felix, son-in-law to John Sassamon. On 3 July 1673, Tuspaquin and his son William for £15 sold to Benjamin Church of Duxbury, house carpenter, and John Tom- son of Barnstable, lands in Middleborough.
At a court held at Plymouth 5 July 1671 three Indians, including the Indian William, son of the Black Sachem, were charged by John Rogers, Sr., of Duxburrow with taking up his mare, marking and detaining it. All were fined by the court [Plymouth Colony Records, vol. V, p. 69].
On 1 Nov. 1673, the son William Watuspaquin and Indians Tobias and Bewat sold lands bounded in part on Quetaquash pond. On 23 Dec. 1673, old Tuspaquin and his son William made a deed of gift to Assawetough (daughter of John Sassamon) of Nahteawamet Neck at Assawamsett [Ibid., vol. V, p. 194].
16 Auasunks the Squaw Sachem of the Sogkonates, at Seaconnet, went to the Narragansetts at the outbreak of the war. Later she returned to Plymouth colony and with about 90 other Indians sub- mitted to Major Bradford about June 1676.
17 John Tisdale was killed by the Indians at Taunton 27 June 1675. They also burned his house and carried away his gun and powder horn. He was of Marshfield and later of Taunton, where he married Sarah Walker of Taunton, probably sister to Philip Walker of Rehoboth and known niece to Mr. John Brown, the Plymouth Colony Assistant of Rehoboth and Swansea. John Tisdale was the owner of the original lot No. 23 in the "Freeman's Purchase at Taunton River". After his death his third son, Joshua, settled on this lot in what is now Assonet Village and it is from him that the profile rock on the property derives its name, "Old Man of Joshua's Mountain". For picture, see Early Rehoboth, vol. I, page 86.
The following letter written from Taunton by Capt. John Freeman is our source record for this Indian attack on Taunton:
Honored Gouerner
We are a destresed peopell we here nothing sence from the army we fere the Enimi is de- spersed through the willdernes thay are as we Judge round about us this mor ning three of ourr men are sllaine Close by one of our Cortes of gard houses burnt in oure sight oure men being so pect off out of eueri boosh and so fue of them: dare not Ishu out I hafe sent to Gouer- ner Leuerit for 40 or 50 men and armes we are forsed to keepe oure Cortes of gard and are not Capabell to with- stand the Enimi though we see houses burning before oure Eyes I pray send som armes to us if you Can and som to oure sothorne tounes Eastham hath as I think not 20 good armes in it I pray giur them Instruction hou to manage things for there security for thay mutch want hellp: we expect this night to be farther surprised by the Enimi we see ther desine is not to fase the army but to kepe afllieng armi about the woods to waite on us and our armi as thay hafe aduantage I Judge there should be what Indians may be ingaged in the quarill for us which must hunt them out for us or Ellse our Ing llish will be dishartened to trauill about in the woods and get nothing but a Clapp with abulit out of eueri bush, the Lord humbell us for our sins which are the procuring Cases of gods Judments and remember marsy and bestow it on us is the prayer of your unworthy seruant
John ffreeman
Tanton the 3: of the 5m 1675
I hafe resaiued youres this instant with mutch thankfullnes hoping wee shall improje your instructions
-
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King Philip's Two Escapes
by his side had no more Powder but that in his gun & Nimrod 18 being ther slain had but 3 or 4 charges of powder & the rest found slain was as badly Prouided ;- near the issue of that engagment Mr James Browne Mr Newman & others came to us wt Prouisions; one of Prouidence men: & two of our gari- son Soldiars that marched out with me namly Sarj: John Barker 19 & Wm Pery 20 were wounded & about ten of the clock Capt Hinshman with his 6 files & i6 Indians Came to us who went to the Monehegins & showed them an order in a leter from Capt Gugins [Gookin] that he was to take the care & command of them so that we expected his uigorus prossecution of the persute of the enemy whose fighting men were Just then fled.
Prouidence men returned to carry Home their wounded man21 & my self & the rest wt me returned to Prouidence to Carry our wounded men not ques- tioning but Capt Hinksman & Ensign [Henry] smith & the rest would have per- sued the enemy we Promising them to be wt them wt all speed with a new suply of more Prouisions & amonition; we got to Prouidence that night about 12 or 1 of the Clock I sent the wounded men that were wt mee to Road Island
The men that are sllain was John Tisdill senior of tanton John Knolles and Samuell Adkinse of Eastham John tesdills house burned and James Wallkers as we Judge
To Governor Josiah Winslow.
[indorsed]: ffrom Capt ffreeman
to Gov Winslow
July 3d. 75
[Original Letter, Massachusetts Historical Society, Winslow Papers.]
This letter, in a modernized form, is printed in the Mass. Hist. Soc. Collections, 1st Series, vol. VI (1800), p. 91. The date is incorrectly given as 3 June instead of 3 July 1675. A foot-note says that John Freeman "is supposed to be a member of the Council of War". This was Capt. John Freeman, one of the Plymouth Colony Assistants, in command of the Eastham company of soldiers stationed at Taunton, of whom two were killed on 27 June 1675. On 6 Mar. 1676/7 he had charge of the "Irish Donation" for Eastham; on 5 June 1678 the Court sent a warrant to Taunton for "a bill not paid for billeting Capt. Freeman, his men, and horses during the late war " [Plymouth Colony Records. vol. V, pp. 222, 263].
18 Woonashum, alias Nimrod, was one of Philip's council of four captains who signed the covenant at Taunton on 10 Apr. 1671, agreeing to give up to the government all his English arms if Philip should again fail in faithfulness [Hubbard's Narrative (Drake Ed. 1865), vol. I, p. 55]. As one of Philip's council he was again a signer to the second agreement made 29 Sept. 1671 [Ibid., vol. I, p. 67].
19 This name is John Barker and not John "Parker" as printed in 1862 by Drake in the appendix to his Mather's Brief History. The General Court held at Plymouth 4 Oct. 1675 ordered that "Sergeant Robert Barker to be leiftenant of his pticlulare companie" [Plymouth Colony Records, vol. V, p. 175]. He appears to have been a better soldier as a sergeant than he was as a lieutenant, for at a Council of War held at Plymouth the following spring, 10 Mar. 1675/6, we find the following record:
"In reference vnto the offenciue fact of Robert Barker in breaking away from the army when they were on theire march in a mutinous way, and by his example alureing others to come away with him, to the great scandoll, prejudice, and disparragement of the collenie, and inpticularly vnto the comaunder in cheiffe, viz, the generall-Forasmuch, as vpon his late examination, hee doth in some measure take to his great offence, the councell doe centance him heerby to be degraded from the honor and office of leiftenant, and to pay a fine of fifteen pounds to the vse of the collonie in currant silver mony of New England, and to defray the charge of his late im- prisonment.
"The councell doe also order that all such as came away from the army with the said Robert Barker, or followed him in a disorderly way, shall likewise forfeite their wages as to that ex- pedition" [Ibid., vol. V, pp. 189, 190].
20This name is William Pery, and not "Porey " as printed in 1862 by Drake in the appendix of his Mather's Brief History. At a court held at Plymouth 5 June 1678, "William Perrey of Scituate de- claring to the Council of War that he is much disabled in the body by reason of a wound received in the countryes service in the late warr and thereby vnfitt to bear armes in training, desiring to be freed from publicke exercyse in that kind the Councill sees cause therefore, heereby to free him from publicke training in the milletary companie of Scituate" [Ibid., vol. V, p. 261].
21 The original Thomas letter reads Providence "man" and not "men" as printed in 1862 by Samuel G. Drake in the appendix to his Mather's Brief History, and we now know definitely that only one Providence man was wounded in this fight. This man could have been none other than Eleazer Whipple, housewright, son of John, who on 11 Mar. 1676 gave a receipt to the town of Providence for £6 "for what the town paid for his curing, he having been wounded". At a General Assembly held at Newport, R. I., 2 May 1682, upon the petition of Eleazer Whipple, he was granted £10 in or as money [Bartlett's Rhode Island Colony Records, vol. III, p. 115]. There is no record showing that he ever received this money.
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Early Rehoboth
to Capt fuller22 that night next morning returned wt 5 men & in Company wt 12 prouidence men Carriing amonition & Prouisons after Capt Hinksman marched that day being the 2d of Agust Lay in the woods that night marched erly next morning after the track & met wt Ensigne Smith and Left Browne Coming Home Leaueing Capt Hinchman wt the monhegens marching after the enemy; Rehoboth men blaming Capt Hinksman for his neglect to persue the enimy the first day we fought them giuing them a days march before them
Left Browne who was going Home wt Rehoboth men returned back wt us with four men of Swanzy after we had gone about 15 mils from the plane where we fought the Indians the monhegins & Capt Hinchman had Left the track of Phillip & his; on the right hand & went the west way to a fort in the Neepmug Cuntry & that night being teusday the 3d Instant we ouertook Capt Hinchman at the 2d fort in the Nepmug Cuntrey Called by the Indians Wapososhequash which is a uery good Inland Cuntrey well watered wt riuers & brooks speciall good land grat quantyties of speciall good corn & beans & statly wigwams as I never saw the Like but not one Indian to be seen
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