History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 65

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed. cn
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1226

USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II > Part 65

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1 " Iliet. Draent iu Drake's Co. Middlesex," by Nason.

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HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

a free with stones by it and marked, and so running dno East to a Brook, called Benver Brook, and containing all ye land that the above- named Colburns and Varnums have possessed, and running on Beaver Brook to a farm called Chelmsford land, and so running to a corner pine tree marked, and then running Sonth to another pinc-treo marked, and then running East to another corner bound, which is a pino-treo marked, and running Sonth to Merrimack River at Paw- tucket, and there bounded by a white-oak tree, to have and to hold to the said Jolin Colburno, Thomas Colburne, Robert Colburne, Daniel Colburno, Ezra Colburne, Joseph Colburne, tho Hannah Richardson, widow, Thomas Varnum, John Varnum, Joseph Varnum, their heirs, administrators and assigns forever. In witness, the John Thomas has affixed his hand and seal hereunto set this soventh day of tho fourth month called April, in the year of our Lord One Thousand soven hun- dred and one (1701), in the thirteenth year of the reign of our sovereign Lord King William. JOHN THOMAS, his seal and mark."

The Colburne (or Coburne as the name is origi- nally spelled), grantees in the above Indian deed were all sons of Edward, and the Varnums were sons of Samucl. Hannah Richardson, another grantee, was a daughter of Edward Colburn, and of course sister to the Colburn grantees. She married Thomas Richardson September 28, 1682. He was the eldest son of Lieut. James and Bridget (Henchman) Rich- ardson, of Chelmsford, born October 26, 1661, and died February 10, 1700, a little more than a year pre- viously to this conveyance. He was a grandson of Ezekiel Richardson, who came to New England in Winthrop's fleet, July 6, 1630. Ezekiel was the ear- liest colonist of that name in New England. He was the first settler in Charlestown, and afterwards re- moved to Woburn, in 1642, and was one of the found- ers of that town. Two of his sons, Capt. Josiah Richardson and James, above named, removed to Chelmsford as early as 1659, and are the ancestors of most of that name in this vicinity.

Rev. Jonas Colburn, a native of Dracut, now de- ceased, in some well-written reminiscences contributed to the Lowell Citizen and News, Oct. 12, 1859, says: "The Colonial records mention five early grants of Dracut lands by the General Court to Individuals. 1st. A grant in 1650 of 3000 acres on the North of Merrimack River to Robert Saltenstall. 2d. A grant in 1659 of 1600 acres on the North of Merrimack River, and East of Beaver Brook, to Richard Russel. 3d. A grant in 1660 of 250 acres, lying North West of Russel's grant, to Edward Tyng. 4th. A grant in 1660 of 500 acres, lying opposite the mouth of · Concord River, to one Symons. None of these grantees appear ever to have taken possession of the land. After the settlement of the town, four men took up land in the upper, or West End. Their names were Scarlet, Webb, Setchel and Hucksman, each of their lots bounding southerly by Merrimack River. Scarlet Brook takes its name from the man through whose lot it run. It is not known that any except Webb ever occupied the land taken. He built a shanty, which was burnt by the Indians. It was on the river bank, below the old 'Capt. Blood Place,' later owned and occupied by Wın. H. Dur- kee, and now owned by Dr. George W. Clement, for- merly of Dracut, now of Boston.

Rev. Wilkes Allen, in his "History of Chelmsford," says : "In 1686 (sixteen eighty-six) Jonathan Tyng, Esq., and Maj. Thomas Henchman jointly purchased of the Indians 500 acres of land, lying North of Mer- rimack River, and bounded on the East by Beaver Brook, and Southwardly by Merrimack River, near Pawtuckett Falls. Also what land doth lie on the W est side of Concord River belonging to the Indian Plantation, excepting only Wanalancett's old plant- ing field. The same year Jona. Tyng sold his right in these lands to Maj. Henchman for fifty pounds, and Maj. Henchman sold the land belonging to the Indian plantation West of Concord River." (This land was sold to different individuals, consisting of forty-six in number, whose names are mentioned in Allen's " Hist. of Chelmsford.") Allen further adds : "The 500 acres North of the Merrimack appears to have been retained by the Indians, though it was in- cluded within the sale made by Passaconaway, Saga- more of Penecook, Runnawit, Sagamore of Paw- tucket, Wahangnonawitt, Sagamore of Swampscott, and Rowles, Sagamore of Newhawanack, to Wheel- wright and others in 1629."

CHAPTER XXI.

DRACUT-( Continued).

INDIAN HISTORY.

EXTENSIVE and reliable information respecting the various Indian tribes in New England may be ob- tained from Gookin, Hubbard, Wood, Morton and other early historians, and also from various official documents on file in the secretaries' office-of Masa- chusetts.

Gookin, who in 1656 was appointed magistrate and ruler over such as had submitted to the Colonial Gov- ernment, in his history, published in 1674, classes them into five principal tribes, viz .: The Pequots, of Connecticut; the Narragansetts, of Rhode Island ; the Pawkunnawkets, of the southeastern partof Massa- chusetts ; the Massachusetts, situated about the bay ; and the Pawtuckets, on Merrimack River.

The latter he describes as follows :

"The Pawtuckets are the last great Sachemship of Indians. Their country lyeth North & Northeast from the Massachusetts tribc, and whose dominion reacheth so far as the English jurisdiction or Colony of Massachusetts doth now extend. They havo under them several Sag- amores, as those of the Pennacooks, Agawams, Naumkoeks, Pascata- ways, Accomintns and others.1 They wero a considerablo poople hero- tofore-abont three thousand men -- and held amity with the Massachu- sctts tribe, but they were almost destroyed by the great sick ness that prevailed among Indians about 1612 and 1613, so that at this day they have not above two bundred and fifty men, besides women and children."

The Pawtuckets embraced several minor tribes,

1 A Sagamoro is a title. It was applied by the North American In- dians to a chief of second rank, the first being Sachen.

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which were classed under that national name. It in- clnded the Nashways, whose headquarters covered . the rich intervales of Lancaster ; the Nashobas, who inhabited the forests of Littleton ; the Pennacooks, upon the alluvial lands of Concord, N. H., and the Naticooks, the tracts near the mouth of the Souhegan River. The Wamesits1 dwelt near the falls of the Concord River, and the Pawtuckets proper near the Pawtucket ? Falls, on the Merrimack River.

The territory now occupied by Lowell and a por- tion of Dracut had, for many years before the white man made his appearance, been the grand capital of the Pawtuckets (under which name we include its sub- ordinate tribes). It was the home and headquarters of Passaconaway, their chief. The Pawtuckets were more peaceable and friendly than any other tribe. They avoided war, but when once engaged they fought with great bravery and determination, as the traditionary accounts of their battles with the Tar- rantines and the Mohawks will show.

PASSACONAWAY .- At the time when the English set- tlers made their appearance in this place, the chief of the Pawtuckets was Passaconaway. The name is said to mean in the Indian tongue, " child of the bear "-from Popocis, child, and Kunnaway, a bear. He did not, however, possess many of the character- istics of the name.

Considering his opportunities, he must have been, from the accounts we have of him, in some respects a remarkable man ; for, under some of the most trying circumstances in connection with the English, he displayed great intelligence, deliberation and forbear- ance.

When the Colonies were first established, the In- dians in Massachusetts were regarded as independent nations, but about the year 1644 it was deemed necessary to inaugurate measures for reducing the authority of the various chiefs to that of petty mag- istrates under the laws of the State. Passaconaway was the first to submit to this; but several other chiefs came into the arrangement during the year. Daniel Gookin, the ruler or superintendent of those who submitted, appointed "Indian commissioners " in each village, whose duty it was to hear and determine all such matters as might arise among themselves, both civil and criminal, as a magistrate might do among the English. These commissioners were chos- en among the Indians, but commissioned by the Eng- lish magistrate. Gookin, himself, was to join with the chief of their rulers in holding a higher court among them. These officers were all appointed by authority of the General Court. This was all done with the consent and approval of Passaconaway. He seems to have had the wisdom to see the superiority of the white race and to foretell their ultimate success in the affairs of state.

It was unfortunate for Passaconaway that other tribes did not so readily submit to the laws of the Colonial Government, in consequence of which sus- picions were sometimes entertained as to his loyalty to the treaty which he signed; and he bore with great equanimity many indignities that were put upon him by such suspicions.

On one occasion, in 1642, when his family were seized and carried to Boston as prisoners, upon the alarm of an Indian conspiracy in Connecticut, and it appearing afterwards that there was no just cause for such treatment, the authorities, anticipating that the assault would arouse his just indignation, sent a messenger to him with an apology and an invitation for him to visit Boston to speak with them.

"Tell the English when they return my son and his squaw then I will come and talk with them," was his dignified reply. He cherished no undue resentment of this unwarranted outrage, however, and not long after sent his son to deliver up his guns to the Colo- nial Governor, in recognition of his authority.

The early historians agree in the statement that he was regarded with the highest veneration by all the Indians, on account of a wonderful power which he was supposed to possess in the use of the magical arts.

Wood, in his "New England Prospect," says of him : " The Indians report of one Passaconnan that hee can make the water burne, the rocks move, the trees dance, metamorphize himself into a flaming man. Hee will do more; for in winter, when there are no green leaves to be got, hee will burne an old one into ashes, and, putting those into water, produce a new green leaf, which you shall not only see, but handle and carry away ; and make of a dead snake-skin a living snake, both to be seen, felt and heard. This I write but upon the report of the Indians who confi- dently affirm stranger things."

The historian, Thomas Morton, gives a unique de- scription of the chief the Pawtuckets, as follows :

" Papasiquineo, that Sachem or Sagamore, is a Powow of great esti- mation amongst al kinde of salvages. At their revela, which is a time when a great company of salvages meete from several parts of the country in antity with their neighbors, he hath advanced his honor iu his feats of juggling tricks. Hee will endeavor to pursuade the spec- tators thiat hee will goe under water to the further side of a river too broade for any man to undertake with a breath, which thing hee per- formed by swimming over, and deluded the company with casting a niste before their else that see him enter in and come out, but no part of the way he has been seene. Likewise, by our English in the heate of summer, to make ice appear in a bowle of faire water. First having the water set before him, he hath begunne his incantations, and before the same hias bin ended a thick cloud has darkened the aire, and on a sodane a thunder-clap has bin hearde, and in an instant he hath showed a prime piece of ice to flote in the middle of a bowle, which, doubtless, was done by the agility of Satan, his Consort."

Passaconaway lived to a good old age, and was al- ways faithful and loving to the English.

In 1662 the General Court granted to him and his people a "tract of land about Naticut, above Mr. Brenton's lands, a mile and a half on either side of the Merrimack in breadth-three miles on either side in bredth." This territory embraced parts of Man-

1 Wamerit signifies "a place of large assembly."

2 Pawtucket means "falling waters."~Nason's "Hist. Dunstable."

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HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

chester, Londonderry, Litchfield, Merrimack and Bedford, in New Hampshire, and also two small islands near Thornton's Ferry, now known as Reed's Islands.1

It is thought that he did not long survive this grant, although no record is left of his death. Hc left four sons and two daughters.

Some time previous to his death he invited all his people to a feast, on which occasion he conferred the chief sachemship upon his son, Wannalancit, in the following eloquent language :

" I am now going the way of all flesh ; I am ready to die, and not likely to see you meet together any more. I will now leave this word of counsol with you. Take hoed how you quarrel with the English. llearken to the last words of your father and friend. The white men are tho sons of the morning. The Great Spirit is their fatber. IIe shines bright about tbem, Sure as you light the fires the breath of heaven will turn the breath upon you and destroy you. Listen to my advice. It is the last I shall be allowed to give you. Remember it and live." 1

REV. JOHN ELLIOTT .- In 1644 the General Court instituted measures for the religious instruction of the Indians. It had been a favorite object with the early settlers to civilize and Christianize the New England tribes, and they had always labored to this end.

As early as 1625, Rev. Win. Morrell returned to England to awaken an interest in their behalf. Again, in 1646, the General Court passed an order request- ing the elders of the various churches to consider whether anything could be done for the promotion of Christianity among the Indians, whereupon Rev. John Elliott, who was settled at Roxbury, entered upon the work with great success. He began his labors at Nonantum (now Newton) and came to Pawtucket Falls in 1647. Rev. Nathaniel Bouton, in his " History of Concord, N. H.," says :

" The famous John Elliott, known as the Apostle to the Indians, in pursuance of bis apostolic labors, in 1647 visited Pawtucket Falls in Dra- cut, where he met Passaconaway with his sons."

The result of this and a subsequent visit is related by Elliott himself, under date of November 12, 1648, as follows :

"This last Spring I did there (at Pawtucket Falls) meet old Passacon- away, who is a great Sagamore (Sachem), and hatb been a great witche in all men's esteem, and a very politic wise man. The last year he and all his sons fled when I came, pretending fear that we would kill them, but this year it pleased God to bow his beart to hear the word. I preached out of Malachi 1: 11, which I tbus rendered to them :

". From the rising of the run to the going down of the same, thy name shall be great among the Indians, and in every place prayers shall he made to thy name, pure prayers, for thy name shall be great among the Indians.' After a good space this old Passaconaway did speak to this purpose-That he had never prayed unto God before as he now doth ; and he said further that he did now believe what I taught them was true, and he was purposed in his heart from henceforth to pray unto God, and that he would pursuade all his sonnes to do so, pointing at two of them who were present and naming such as were ab- sent. Ilis sonnes present, especially his eldest sonne, who is a Sachem at Wachusett, gave his willing consent to what his father had said, and so did the other, who is but a youth. And this act of his was not only a present motion that soon vanished, but a good wbilo after he said that lre would be glad if I would come and live in some place there-

abouts and teach them, and if any good placo or ground that hice had would be acceptablo to me, heo would willingly let mno have it."

The following year, in 1649, Mr. Elliott makes the following record :

"Passaconaway, whom I mentioned unto you tho last yeere, who gave himself np and & his sonnes to pray unto God, this nian did this yeero show very greate affection to mo and to tho word of God. llee did ex- ceedingly, earnestly, iniportunately, invite mo to come and livo thero and teach themt. Hlee used many arguments, some whereof I have for- gotten, but this was one: That my coming thither but once a yeere did them but little good, because they soone had forgotten what I taught, it being so seldom and so longe betwixt times, that he had many men, and of them many naught, and would not believe him that praying to God was so goode, but if I would come and teach them, he hoped they would believe me. Hee further added that I did as if one should come & throw a fine thing among them, and they earnestly catch at it, and like it well because it looks finely, but they cannot look into it to see what is within it; they cannot tell whether something or nothing. It may be a stock or a stone is within it, or it may be a precious thing ; but if it be opened and they see what is witbin it, and see it precious, then they should believe it. 'So,' said hee, 'you tell us of praying to God (for so they call religion), and we like it well at first sight, and we know not what is within. It may be excellent, it may be nothing ; we cannot tell ; but if you would come & show us, then we should be- lieve it is so excellent as you say.' Such elegant arguments as these did hee use, with much gravity, wisdom and affection, and truly my heart much yearneth towards them, & I have a greate desire to mako an In- dian towne that way."

General Gookin held his court in May, and he tells us that Elliott came with him at that time, because at that season of the year there was " a great confluence of Indians " who came here to fish, and of these many were strange Indians-" vicious men and women whom Satan made use of to abstract the prosperity of religion, who, except for their immortal souls, were like unto the wild ass's colt, and not many degrees above the beasts," but Mr. Elliott came to "spread the net of the gospel around them."

Mr. Elliott gives an account of the manner of con- ducting the public service in the praying villages substantially as follows: "The people were called together at the sound of the drum, twice on the Sab- bath, and once on lecture days. The minister began with prayer, then read from the Bible; a psalni was then lined out and sung ; then the minister catechised upon the important principles laid down in holy writ ; after which he offered prayer, and then preached his sermon. He then concluded with prayer, singing and the benediction." Among the English, as well as among the Indians, both the drum and the horn were used in calling the people together on the Sabbath.

WANNALANCIT .- The Sachemship of the Paw- tuckets was conferred upon Wannalancit, son of Passaconaway, about the year 1660. He passed most of his life in the vicinity of Pawtucket Falls, and along the banks of the Merrimack. Wannalancit was like his father, kind and considerate, always friendly to the English, and not easily moved to acts of violence. In 1664 he came down from Pennacock (Concord, New Hampshire) wherc lie passed a portion of his time after becoming chief, and built a fort near Pawtucket Falls, on what is now called "Fort Hill," in Lowell,2 fearing an at-

2 The hill in 1880 was presented to the city by Miss Emily Rogors, for

1 Cowley's "Indian Pioneer Memories."

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tack from the Mohawks, who resided principally in the valley of the Mohawk River. Hutchinson thus speaks of the event : "The Penacooks have come down the river and built at Pawtucket Falls. They were opposed to Christianity, and obstinately re- fnsed to pray nnto God."

It was some fourteen years after Wannalancit became chief before he made much profession of having embraced the Christian religion. At one time he was imprisoned for a debt of forty-five pounds, and land belonging to the tribe had to be sold to secure his liberation. Gookin gives this ac- count of his conversion : " May 5, 1674, Mr. Elliott preached from Matt. 22: 1-4 (The Marriage Feast). We met at the wigwam of one called Wannalancit, abont two miles from the town, near Pawtucket Fall's in Merrimack River. This person, Wannal- ancet, is a grave, sober man, and of years between fifty and sixty. He hath always been loving and friendly to the English. Many endeavors have been used several years to gain this Sachem to embrace the Christian religion ; but he hath always stood off from time to time and not yielded himself up per- sonally, though for four years past he hath been willing to hear the word of God preached, and to keep the Sabbath. A great reason that has kept him off, I conceive, hath been the indisposition and averseness of sundry of his Chief men and relations, to pray to God, which he foresaw would desert him in case he turned Christian. But at this time, May 6, 1674, it pleased God to influence and overcome his heart."

Mr. Elliott proposed to him to give his answer concerning prayer to God. After some deliberation and serious pause he stood up and spoke to this effect :

"SIRS-You have pleased for four years last past, in yonr abundant love, to apply yourselves partic- ularly to me and my people, to exhort, press and persuade us to pray to God. I am very thankful to you for your pains. I must acknowledge I have all my days used to pass in an old canoe (alluding to his frequent custom to pass in a canoe up the river) and now you exhort me to change and leave my old canoe and embark in a new canoe, to which I have hitherto been unwilling; but now I yield up myself to your advice and enter into a new canoe, and do engage to pray to God hereafter." Mr. Gookin further adds : "This was well pleasing to all present, of whom there were some English per- sons of quality, as Mr. Richard Daniel, of Billerica, and Lieutenant Hinchman, a neighbor at Chelmsford, besides Brother Elliott and myself, and sundry others, English and Indians. Mr. Daniel desired brother Elliott to tell this Sachem from him that it may be while he went in his old canoe he passed in a quiet

stream, but the end thereof would be death and de- struction to soul and body ; but now that he went in a new canoe perhaps he would meet with storms and trials, but the end of his voyage would be everlast- ing rest. Since that time I hear that he doth perse- vere and is a diligent and constant hearer of God's word and sanctifieth the Sabbath; though he doth travel to Wamesit meeting every Sabbath, which is above two miles, and though sundry of his people have deserted him."1 When King Phillip's War broke out Wannalancit could not be induced to join him, but withdrew with his men into the woods. In consequence of this they suffered severely from Phil- ip's revengeful disposition. The English also were alarmed, and the General Court sent messages invit- ing him to return; but this he refused to do, and passed the winters of 1675 and 1676 about the head- waters of the Connecticut, where abounded a plenti- ful supply of such game as deer, moose, bear and other wild animals.

Captain Moseley, with a force of one hundred men, was sent to Pennacook, where it was reported there was a body of Indians. As Captain Moseley drew near, the Indian scouts reported the fact and the In- dians left their fort and withdrew into the swamps. Wannalancit would not allow his men to lie in am- bush, nor shoot at the English soldiers, although they burnt their wigwams and destroyed some dried fish.

In 1676, after the war was over,2 Wannalancit re- turned and brought with him seven white captives, viz., Philip Eastman, and the wife and five children of Thomas Kimball, of Bradford, taken by some of King Philip's men, and condemned to die, the fires having been twice kindled to burn them. But Wan- nalancit had saved them, and kept them till his re- turn.

The Rev. John Fiske and Thomas Henchman, of Chelmsford, are said to have cultivated thie friend- ship of Wannalancit and his tribe, and possessed their love and confidence. After the return of this chief from the wilderness he called on Mr. Fiske and in- quired after the welfare of the people of Chelmsford, and whether they had suffered much during the war. Mr. Fiske said they had been highly favored, for which he desired to thank God. "Me next," said the sagacious sachem, intimating that through his influ- ence and exertions this town had been exempted from the calamities that had fallen upon many others. Frequent disclosures were made to Major Henchman of evil designs upon the English by the savages under King Philip.

General Gookin had appointed Henchman an agent to look after the interests of this tribe, and by his wisdom and prudence he possessed their entire confi- dence and esteem. -

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History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 65

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed. cn Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1226

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed. cn
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1226